Lisa Bartley-Lacey, MA

In this world today we have so much to be thankful for. Yes, there is poverty, violence, war and pain on individual and global levels. There is also great beauty, love, Light and grace from God. To the extent that we focus on the Light instead of the darkness the Light will be increased. To the extent that we note the things we are thankful for in our lives instead of the things we are unsatisfied with, our experience of abundance and blessings will be increased.

As we begin another holiday or "Holy-day" season, we must remember to express appreciation and give thanks for the blessings in our lives. it is our responsibility to model true thankfulness to our children, our families, friends, associates and strangers on the street. This will transform the season. This will give meaning to all we do.

As we complain about high prices, the economy and our bills, there are people trying to survive with nothing. There are people who are hungry. There are people who are cold. There are people who have no freedom to worship God, ask God for blessings or express any thanks openly to God.  Let’s give thanks to God for the blessings that we have in our lives.  Let's thank God together for the exquisite freedoms that we all enjoy.  

Let's take time to thank and appreciate the people in our day to day lives.  When we appreciate each person in our lives who loves us and whom we love in return, it makes us feel better. It also makes others feel better. That is something to be thankful for. Sometimes the smallest act of kindness or some small courtesy can transform a bad day into a bearable day for someone.

There is very likely someone who feels that they are utterly alone at this moment. What are you going to do about that?  What are we going to do about that?  Let us commit to making sure that everyone knows that none of us is ever truly alone.  God is with us always even unto the end of time.  God often manifests in our lives through the presence and kindness of others.  Let’s allow God to manifest through us by simply being present in someone’s life this season in a very special way.  This is what the "holy-day" is essentially about.

The following is a very special group prayer or vizualization for thankfulness called Circle of Thanks Giving.  It may be done in small or large groups.  One person needs to read it or a recording of it can be played on a cassette or CD player.  The group needs to join hands and form a circle.  Each participant is invited to close their eyes.  The reader starts by squeezing the hand of the person to their left.  This person upon feeling the squeeze does the same to the person on their left and so on and on throughout the circle for the duration of the prayer/visualization.

This squeeze is the energy of each precious human being in the circle being shared and passed from person to person.  This is the energy of Thanks Giving being circulated throughout the group.  This is the Grace of God moving in the midst of those gathered in God’s name.

This is a very powerful experience.  It brings us from our individual experience of thankfulness to a group experience and ultimately to a universal experience. It is transcendent and returns us to the awareness of the fact that we are all connected in a very real way by God. We are one...we are whole...we thank God!

Please experience this powerful prayer/ visualization with your family, friends or group this season. We also invite you to write us here at Hiyaah Power Pages and share your experience with us.

Circle of Thanks Giving

We unite in this moment in time to form an unbroken circle. As we all take a cleansing breath of Life into our lungs we reach for the hands of our neighbors. As we exhale, our circle begins to close. We combine our thoughts, our energy, our prayers and our intentions to direct us toward Thankfulness. As we close our eyes together we intend to focus on the energy of Thankfulness. We see it as a Light in the center of our minds. We will view this Light of Thankfulness through our inner vision.

Together we take a deep breath in. We thank God for breathing in.

Together we exhale. We thank God for breathing out.

We come together as citizens of this earth and in the presence of God. As we gently grasp the hands of those on either side of us, our energy connects and we begin to feel it as it flows throughout the circumference of our Circle of Thank Giving. We begin to see a Light flickering in the very center of our minds. It begins as a tiny point…barely visible but it is there. As we focus on this Light, it appears to glow brighter and to become more brilliant. With each passing moment and with each breath we take the Light increases. As we focus on this Light we see it move in closer. It lovingly begins to bathe each of us in a flowing stream of Light, Grace and Thankfulness.

Together we take a deep breath in. We thank God for breathing in.

Together we exhale. We thank God for breathing out.

As this feeling of Gratitude for God’s Grace in our lives pours over us we can feel its warming, comforting and healing energy. This Light of Thankfulness drenches our bodies, saturates our minds and quickens our spirits. As this Light and Grace fills every level of our consciousness, we see ourselves sending it out through our hearts, down our arms, out through our hands and into the hands we hold. As we send Thankfulness out and we can feel Thankfulness come in. Its rhythm is like the shores of the ocean as the waves rush to and fro. As we watch from the center of our minds we can see the energy of each member of our Circle of Thankfulness as their hearts fill with Gratitude, Light and Grace. We watch as each heart sends Gratitude through the entire circle. We feel it. We can see its power and radiance. Its warmth passes back and forth through our hands, in, out and through our Circle of Thankfulness. It surges with the rhythm that we hear from the collective beating of our hearts. The beating inspired by the very will and power of God.

Together we take a deep breath in. We thank God for breathing in.

Together we exhale. We thank God for breathing out.

Indeed, the awesome power of God’s Grace is in our midst. We feel it. Through the inner vision of our minds, we begin to see the Light of Thankfulness and Grace as it begins to extend outward from this room and throughout this entire building. It continues to flow outward until it permeates the boundaries of our entire community and every individual within its boundaries. As we watch this magnificent energy, it begins to magnify. We see it as it sheds its Light in an ever-broadening ripple. We watch as this Light of Thankfulness begins to surround our entire city. It washes across every man, woman and child within our city limits. As we watch, it swaddles itself lovingly about our whole state. With uplifted spirits we are witness to this Light of Thankfulness as it unfolds to embrace our entire country.

Together we take a deep breath in. We thank God for breathing in.

Together we exhale. We thank God for breathing out.

Through our mind’s eye we see the outline of our blessed nation as it glows with the rich, wondrous Light of Thankfulness. Still flowing with the majestic motion of the ocean, the waves of God’s Grace and the Light of Thankfulness begin to rise. With a loving surge of grace, we watch together as it unfolds itself into a glorious cocoon of Light-filled POWER. As it grows, it wraps itself lovingly around our entire planet. As we behold this precious vision together, we see this energy as it blossoms into an enormous burst of Light that expands into the Universe…eternally flowing on and on…infinitely until all that we can see in our mind’s eye is an unending "starscape" of the pure, majestic Light of Thankfulness met by God’s Grace . This Light of Thankfulness is met by the Grace of God which extends all the way up, all the way down and all around into Infinity.

Together we take a deep breath in. We thank God for breathing in.

Together we exhale. We thank God for breathing out.

We gently bring our collective focus back to our planet embraced so completely and peacefully in this Light of Thankfulness. We gaze back upon our country to find it still cradled within this Light, Grace and God’s protection. We now look to our state to find it nestled within this nurturing Light of Thankfulness and Grace…we see our city still surrounded by the Light of Thankfulness. We see God’s Grace and Light still flowing through the lives of every child, woman and man within our city limits. Here again we view our community within these loving arms of Light and Grace. Our focus sharpens to see this building that we are standing in as the Light of Thankfulness still glows all around it. We gaze upon this Light and we feel it as it continues to flow throughout our Circle of Thanks Giving. We feel its warmth in the hands of those beside us…and now we see ourselves in the middle of our minds. This loving, powerful Light of Thankfulness and God’s Grace surrounds each of us.

Together we take a deep breath in. We thank God for breathing in.

Together we exhale. We thank God for breathing out.

Together we thank God for continued Grace, Light, Love and Life. We thank God for this circle and the connections we have with loved ones and friends. We ask for mindfulness as we hold the intention to remember always and in all ways to give thanks for every blessings no matter how large or small. We ask God to remind us to search for the Light of Thankfulness when we lose sight of it and to share it with others when we find it. We would see the Light of Thankfulness at all levels and at all times. We endeavor individually and universally to seek opportunities to thank God and one another. We seek to practice Grace, Gratitude and Appreciation from a more loving and Abundant place within us. We seek to express Thankfulness so sincerely that we ourselves glow with the Light of Thankfulness and God’s Grace bestowed upon us. Together we hold the intention in our hearts, minds and spirits to become more thankful, loving human beings and to work co operatively to create a more Light filled, Loving and peaceful Universe. Together we take a deep breath in. We thank God for breathing in.

Together we exhale. We thank God for breathing out.

We All Say

© LB Lacey 2004

For more information about the

Circle of Thanks Giving

on cassette or CD write to LBLacey@HiyaahPower.org