Just A Second There Professor
One of the funniest movies of all time is the 1999 classic, “Office Space”. It is packed solid with laughs. In one scene, two consultants, both named Bob, are explaining to the head honcho and his lackey about a glitch they discovered. Apparently, an employee named Milton Waddams was laid off five years ago. Through a payroll glitch however nobody ever told him about it and he continues to work there and receive a regular paycheck. The consultants state that they went ahead and fixed the glitch. At this, the lackey says, “So Milton has been let go.” One of the Bobs responds, “Just a second there Professor. We fixed the glitch so he won’t be receiving a paycheck any more. We like to avoid confrontation wherever possible. Problem solved from your end.”
Whenever I am in conversation with one of my two sons about something and one of us makes a statement that requires further clarification, the other usually comes back with “Just a second there Professor”. Both of us never fail to start laughing.
With regard to the holiday of Thanksgiving, you may have moved on into December in anticipation of what is next. Before putting Thanksgiving in the rear view mirror however, allow me to say to you, “Just a second there Professor”. There is something underneath Thanksgiving that bears closer examination.
If You Look Underneath
Everyone knows about Thanksgiving Day. The last Thursday in November. Off from work. Family gatherings. Turkey or ham with all the assorted fixings and trimmings. Thanksgiving prayer at the table. Warm dinner conversation. Football on television. Maybe the day off from work on Friday as well. A beautiful day all around. Then, after it is over, it is business as usual. If you take the time and effort to “look underneath” Thanksgiving Day, you will discover something. Something that can put your entire remaining life on a higher level of peace, joy and fulfilling manifestations (if indeed that is what you really desire).
Are You Crazy?!
In the Bible, in the book of First Thessalonians, it states the following – “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (NIV). Yeah, it really says that – in all circumstances.
Now a response to that from many reasonable people might be as follows: “That’s total bullshit. Why should I be thankful about the shit hitting the fan in my life or the life of someone I love? Are you crazy or what?! Fair enough. Who the hell wants to be thankful about bad things happening? Part of the widespread error in belief about thanksgiving however, is how the process is misperceived. Read on.
Dance Minions, Dance
As you grew up, you were primarily told by your parents to say thank you when someone gives you something or does something for you. This may have been reinforced by religious leaders, teachers, uncles, aunts, grandparents, friends, neighbors, Joe Butinski down the street, etc. You were told and observed how people like it when they are thanked. So as time goes on you angle your thank you’s in keeping with society’s system.
You may have been told it is good manners to say thank you. You may have been told by Uncle Charlie that if you don’t get your ass over there and thank Aunt Gertrude for that incredibly ugly sweater, Aunt Gertrude will be pissed and take it out on Uncle Charlie when they get home.
A member of the clergy of your particular religion may imperiously state, ” It is the will of God for you to be thankful so make sure to do it”. The unspoken rest of the statement is “or else”. It tends to present an image of an old guy with a long white beard wearing a flowing robe. The imposing geezer has a stern look on his face as he looks over his entourage issuing the command, “Dance, my minions, dance”. Then if he sees someone not being thankful, he frowns and reaches for his divine taser. Then next thing that you hear from the crowd is “Yeowww! That hurt!”
The Law Is The Law
Universal Law is divinely impartial. It always works regardless of who employs it. Your life reality merely reflects back to you your awareness of being in the same manner that a mirror merely reflects back to you what you look like. If you are truly feeling (and not just faking) thanksgiving, you are in active transmission mode. You are transmitting neural electro-magnetic impulses to the universe. In turn, the universe responds accordingly to your transmission. This sets off a fateful chain reaction for something good to happen in your reality. It is a scientific certainty. It is equivalent to a television signal sent out from a broadcasting tower.
A specific wave frequency dials you into the television channel that you have chosen to watch. Change the chosen frequency, you get a different channel. Universal Law responds in kind to whatever frequency you choose to transmit. The Law is the Law. That is the hidden secret underneath Thanksgiving. Lift up he top of Thanksgiving and you will see Universal Law in play. Even in the midst of adverse circumstances, scripture counsels you to be thankful in all circumstances. Find something, anything, for which to be thankful. It is your way out of the maze. It is your way out of your trouble.
700 Years Apart
Two mystics, seven hundred years apart, were on the same wavelength when it comes to the critical nature of giving thanks.
The thirteenth century mystic, Meister Eckhart, summed it up concisely. He wrote, “If the only prayer that you ever uttered during your entire life was “thank you”, it would be enough.”
Some seven hundred years later, the latter day mystic, Neville Goddard, wrote ” a way of praying is simply to feel thankful. If I want something, either for myself or another, I immobilize the physical body, then I produce the state akin to sleep and in that drowsy state, just feel happy, feel thankful, which thankfulness implies realization of what I want.
The Cha-Ching
And there it is. Therein lies the hidden secret underneath Thanksgiving. The Law is the Law. That is the precise reason for being thankful in all circumstances. Not so some Zeus up on Mount Olympus won’t zap you. Not to please this one or that one. It is for your benefit. It is to bring you something good. If your circumstances are good, you desire to keep them that way. Thanksgiving. If your circumstances are stuck in neutral, you want to kickstart things in your desired direction. Thanksgiving. If the circumstances are bad, you want to turn things around to the good side somehow. Thanksgiving. The Law is the Law. It does not change. And therein lies the cha-ching of Thanksgiving. You may ask why the universe acts in this manner. What do you think, that I know everything? It is how it is.
If you feel thankful, you will then have a desire to do something to express that gratitude. This empowers you. You are stepping up your game. You are walking the divine path. The divine path of creating. That divine gift of creating something good that did not exist before. Yes, it is hard to be thankful for anything when things are not going good. Very hard. Underneath Thanksgiving however is the secret. Feeling thankful for something, anything, sets the wheels in motion to turn things around to the good. Yes, it is hard but you do it for you. And in doing it for yourself, at some subsequent point, someone else will benefit in some way. Win-win. You exercise and demonstrate your true power as a child of Divine Source – God.
Eternal And Magical
Thanksgiving is eternal. Thanksgiving is magical. As best as you can, choose to set your mind and your heart on giving thanks on a daily basis over the next twelve months. You will reap what you sow – the golden harvest.
Conceive. Believe. Receive.