Wellbeing

Emma Cannon: Discover the power of manifestation

Our columnist explores the power of gratitude in an anxiety driven world

We’ve all heard about it; some of you will be well versed in the practice of it, and many know just what an incredible doorway to healing gratitude is. Never has there been a time when our intentions and our thoughts can be manifested so quickly and potently.

Choose your thoughts well; choose gratitude. Part of my fertile philosophy is that when we live in the abundance of life, we attract that abundance to ourselves and create more abundance. Gratitude acts as a magnet for attracting abundance.

Research suggests that people who practise gratitude are some of the most joyful people on the planet and suffer from less anxiety than others. Gratitude is a practice the foundations of which are based on the interconnectedness of all humanity and the sense of peace that comes with that notion of oneness.

In Chinese Medicine gratitude is heart medicine; the shadow emotion of the heart is anxiety. What that means is that the practice of gratitude literally soothes and bolsters the heart.

The word gratitude derives from the Latin gratus; and translates as ‘grace’, ‘graciousness’, or ‘gratefulness’. Gratitude is quite different from indebtedness (which is the shadow aspect of giving and receiving). Indebtedness more implies obligation on the part of the beneficiary. In some languages the word gratitude is translated into debt, obligation and indebtedness; one needs to be very clear that the energy behind the words are very important. Unlike gratitude, indebtedness can lead to resentment, which in turn creates anxiety.

Finding gratitude in your struggles and challenges

Probably the biggest stumbling block for most people is the ability to find gratitude for the difficult things that happen in life. For many, it may be hard to find anything to be grateful for in the past year. Undoubtedly, we have been through the most monumental shift and so much of that which we hold dear has been taken away from us.

But if we treat life’s struggles as doorways to a greater depth of healing; now wouldn’t that be something? When we are faced with difficult and challenging emotions, they show us exactly what needs to change. The struggles are the very medicine we need in order to evolve.

Anyone can be grateful for the good things, that is not hard. But to really be able to give thanks and gratitude for everything in our life, that really is the invitation here.

Ask yourself ‘who needs me now?’

When we give gratitude for our life and combine it with the practice of giving, we potentise the power of gratitude. This takes us outside of the small ‘me’ and places us firmly in the ‘we’. We begin to see ourselves as part of the whole, instead of an individual. We create a sense of belonging, a homecoming; a deep feeling of being part of something greater. This really is our true nature. To belong.

Emma Cannon is an integrated women’s health expert, registered acupuncturist and author. Check out more of Emma’s fantastic work at emmacannon.co.uk

Article by

Emma Cannon

Integrated Health Expert & Acupuncturist