Giving Thanks – #SolutionsWatch

by | Nov 24, 2022 | Solutions Watch, Videos | 88 comments

As those in the reality-based community know, we live in dark times. But if we cannot acknowledge the good that is in our lives, then what are we fighting for? Join James for this week’s edition of #SolutionsWatch as he explores the whys and hows of giving thanks and cultivating a spirit of gratitude.

Watch on Archive / BitChute / Odysee / Rokfin / Rumble / Substack or Download the mp4

SHOW NOTES:
Gratitude is positively related to increased subjective well-being

Robert Emmons: Benefits of Gratitude

Thanks! How the new science of gratitude can make you happier by Robert Emmons

2008 study: “Gratitude predicted greater subjective sleep quality and sleep duration, and less sleep latency and daytime dysfunction.”

2015 study: benefits of gratitude for heart failure patients
2016 study: relationship between gratitude intervention and reduced blood pressure

2017 study: relationship between gratitude and hemoglobin A1c

Is Gratitude Good for Your Health?

Stuff To Blow Your Mind podcast – From the Vault: Thankful: The Science of Gratitude

Ben Franklin Grand-Mason

Ben Franklin Hellfire Club

Ben Franklin skeletons in his basement

Thnx4.org

Gratitude Letter.

Research on gratitude by Sonja Lyubomirsky

Ben Stein Quote

Albert Schweitzer quote

Epicurus Quote

88 Comments

  1. I have so much to be grateful for these days. Mostly I’m grateful for my renewed relationship with my Savior.
    I suppose that it is largely because of the craziness of current events and my health issues that I have been driven back into the arms of Jesus who paid the penalty for my sins and gave me the gift of eternal life in the presence of my Creator.
    I drifted away from Him because of the temptations of the flesh and the world for many years. I’m so thankful that He never let me go completely.

    James, I pray that you and all your intelligent and insightful followers are or will become recipients of the gift of salvation that is so freely offered to anyone who will accept it. And that it happens soon. I feel that time is growing short.

    May God richly bless you all my friends.

    • Thank you so much for you kind and loving thoughts that you share. I think things will be okay. I know things seem bad now, but I trust that the force of life is stronger than whatever darkness is attempting to encompass it.

      Take care Steve, and lots of well wishes and hope I send to you and your family and loved ones. I believe and trust that we’ll be okay and that the beauty and gift of life will continue and prevail. I love my life here on earth and have a good life and am grateful for it and I pray that I am able to continue and fulfill whatever purpose I came here for.

    • All shell be well. And all shell be well. And all manner of things shall be well.

    • Giving thanks for the chair leg or Lego that can trip us and cause us pain reminds me of the Apostle Paul’s prison letters and of his giving thanks from prison.

      A grade-school friend of mine once told me that I was doomed to hell until I received the Lord as she had. A pain followed as real as stubbing a toe and lasting much longer.

      Steve, peace to you, gladness for the blessings you’ve found in your relationship with Jesus, and kudos for the courage and conviction of your salvation call. I found much strength over the years in calling on His name.

      I sincerely and humbly suggest, though, that there is path other than a prescriptive Biblical call to accept our Creator in a certain way in order to receive a certain promise. What child is unknown and forsaken by God before accepting God as savior? Not one, in my view.

      Are Bible stories, the ultimate open source intelligence, meant to stub painful ideas against our consciousness to flesh out growth, to cause and resolve conflict, to injure and comfort, to provide assurance and ambiguity, to give thanks and curse the darkness? At this I am reminded of C. S. Lewis and his observation that it is we who must open the door.

      Good Tidings of Great Joy, Steve, in the coming Advent Season.

      Thank you so very much, James, for all you do. And, thanks to the community you’ve cultivated.

      A second to madhu’s comment, “…just listening to you is good for my soul”

  2. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! Thank you, James, for this message and God bless you and yours.

  3. I love that gratitude in people whose hearts are literally failing, might actually undo that failure to some extent. Being a doctor I know the technical meaning of heart failure, but still the idea seems poetic to me.

    This episode really chimes with me. Thanks again James. It often feels like just listening to you is good for my soul.

  4. Happy Thanksgiving, James and friends of Corbett! Wishing everyone a very blessed day and many more to come.

  5. Chocolate covered Ice Cream on a stick

    Around the summer of 2005 while trying to earn some money in going back to college, I sold aerial photographs of different people’s houses out in the country. A plane had captured their ranch house or mobile home nested on some acreage, large or small. I would receive a batch of 16” X 20” aerial photographs for a certain rural region of Texas, and then head over to that region to travel the country roads visiting the home owners by often jumping the gate and walking up to the house. Many times I would sleep overnight in the car to save the buck, but I enjoyed the scenery and warm welcoming atmosphere of the potential customer who I ran into. I saw hundreds of people and places, and many now are buried in a misty fog of memory.

    One home owner imprinted on my memory. I won’t forget it. I knocked on a not so special ‘newer’ brick house sitting on an acre or two. A lady in her late 30’s or early 40’s answered the door. While I gave her my intro spiel, she was appreciating savoring her chocolate covered ice cream on a stick. She glowed. I mean that she positively glowed with joy as if life’s seriousness and any burdens were not present. It struck me. One would have to be blind not to notice. It was written on her face and her calm nature as she invited me in to sit near the coffee table to continue my spiel. My spiel ended and she asked, “How much is it?” With no hesitation, she serenely and smoothly wrote a check for $125 as if there were no cares in the world. I was somewhat surprised, because everything had happened so fast. With the ice cream stick sitting in her ashtray, we chatted while she wrapped up the check. I remarked on how joyful she seemed. She told me that the week before she had discovered that her cancer was gone.
    I’m going to keep that mental image of that lady with her chocolate covered ice cream on a stick. It contains a life perspective that I want to own.

  6. The Lord is my rock. Psalm 18:2

  7. Dear James,
    Once again thank you for being you and thank me for being me too along with everything we experience in this realm. We are all Kings and Queens here but it seems that society has sewed us a net filled with the more vile powers in the universe…
    Nonetheless we are and we must give thanks everywhere to everything if we ever wish for a chance to return to happiness as a more unified community.
    Nice one as always JC?!
    😉

  8. I enjoyed you riffing about mindfulness and thankfulness around the 23:00 mark. I agree, when you connect with something with intention, there is a much greater appreciation and respect for it.

  9. Happy Turkey day! thankful for a lot.. including you and your work, this community and the feeling that is it getting better everyday!

  10. Excellent episode James, thanks very much for putting this together.

    I humbly offer the following in the interest of offering pathways to re-awaken our awe and recognition of the immense beauty of this world and all the gifts the Creator shares with us. I will now share some things I like to contemplate each morning as I seek to actively cultivate gratitude in my heart and mind.

    Each morning we are offered a precious opportunity to look at the world through new eyes, listen with more compassionate and appreciative ears and begin to turn over a new leaf. If we take the time to be present and perceive with the heart (as well as through our other organs of perception) as the first sunrays pour over the landscape entering our eyes this invokes a feeling of hope and gratitude for all that is and all the blessings we have been given in our life, propelling us forward and helping us to realize each new day is brimming with infinite possibilities for expressing our creativity, nurturing our fellow beings to help them achieve their highest potential, healing/regenerating wounds we may be involved with (physical, emotional or spiritual) and also offering endless potential for self-improvement, self-discovery and unfolding into our best and truest self.

    Most think of morning as a time of day, but it is also a physical place. More specifically, morning is a band of a certain thickness that is in perpetual motion moving across the face of the earth. There is a wave of all that the break of dawn entails constantly washing over and connecting countless beings (human and non human) in a shared experience of renewal, inspiration, illumination, rejuvenation and peace. Therefore each day (regardless of our outward appearance, social status, class, nationality or creed) we are unified in spirit through light, sound and peace.

    All beings with an open heart share in a moment of grace, being offered an invitation to choose a different path, a shared path that we can walk as part of a coherent collective that seeks to regenerate inwardly and outwardly. We are invited to treat others as we want to be treated and unfold into our highest potential. Through the rays of the breaking dawn we are connected to each other, to the living, loving, tending planet Earth and we are each offered a chance to choose again. Even when we are experiencing other times of the day or night there is a wave of peace, hope and renewal washing over countless beings elsewhere on the globe, immersing them in the sacred sunrays of the breaking dawn, uplifting countless billions in perpetuity.

    (continued in another comment below..)

    • (..continued from comment above)

      The power of the break of dawn to elicit joy, invoke hope, gratitude and propel one forward to do great things is not only perceived by human beings. Many different types of beings on the Earth revel and jubilantly express their joy and gratitude each morning. This is very evident in birds for example, which sing a joyful and uplifting song like an ecosystem scaled orchestra of expressing their collective gratitude, hope and jubilance as they are gifted another day on this beautiful earth. This serendipitous symphony of the first sunrays can be heard in ecosystems all over the globe in an exquisite range of depth, diversity and tonality. The birds offer their thanks and share their unique gifts with the world.

      I believe the bird’s eloquent revelry of the rising sun is part of Mother Earth’s and Creator’s design for offering medicine for the heart and food for the soul. A tidal wave of bird song washing over the world immersing the planet in a sonic bath perpetually. Something to remind us there is joy, beauty, hope and endless potential to be found in each day, and so very much to be grateful for, if we just shift our perspective a little and look at our lives and the earth from a birds-eye view.

  11. Thanks James for a wonderful episode on this day of U.S. Thanksgiving!
    I am truly appreciative for all the work you do throughout the year
    in keeping us on our toes and cognizant of world-shaping events.

    I am also thankful to the great crowd of supporters you have amassed over the years who bring even more food for thought to the table.

  12. Excellent on the thrill of living through apocalyptic times. However listening to your CBDC video intensified my recent revelation that the Great Reset is mostly hype. It fizzled out. That has been a hard thing to take on board.

    Joe Biden’s compulsory vaccination (to qualify for work) was unconstitutional. Vaccine passports in Scotland were withdrawn because ‘no one’ was using them. CBDC sounds very complicated and conflicted and not at all a detailed conspiracy that will have us all in digital chains before Christmas.

    Tesla full driving mode beta is available now. Good luck with that, Santa.

  13. Questions for Corbett?

    Hopefully?

    Thankfully?

    Gratefully?

    Question: At a minute and change into the podcast, you say “…let’s think about the practice of giving thanks, and “we’re” putting this in_in the edition of #SolutionsWatch because, yes, I think…”

    My question is, who is the “we” in your statement??? Just curious.

    Second: Are the terms “thankfulness” and “gratefulness” so perfectly synonymous? Because you slip between the two so seamlessly, like the Great Gretzky slipping between left, right and center defensemen. 🙂

    After another minute you rhetorically ask “…why is James so thankful for…” etc., etc., and then proceed to implore the definition – not of the term “thankfulness” – but, morphing, instantaneously, to the term “gratitude”. Adding, “What is gratitude, what is thankfulness, what is gratefulness?”, as if these words were one and the same.

    I’m just glad Thanksgiving is called Thanksgiving, and not, what? – Gratefulgiving?

    Happy Gratefulgiving…. Hmm, it’s not quite the same. Gratitude is something you have – “I am grateful”. Thanks is something you give – “I thank you”.

    It’s subtle as hell, I know. But, there is a difference. And one of the subtle differences, if you’ll notice, is how seamlessly the concept of gratitude melds with the concept of “debt”. The phrase “debt of gratitude” rolls right off the tongue. But, not so much with “thanks” – “debt of thanks”? Not really. But, “Oh, gee, thanks, I owe you one”. Maybe. By and large, “gratitude” is definitely the heavier term, sparking as it does, a stronger emotional trigger obliging the moral sense of debt and its repayment, as ole Ben F. realized so well and used to his Masonic advantage many moons ago.

    The bottom line is, I’ve never attended a Thanksgiving feeling a sense of dept to repay. I’m thankful for the holiday and the comradery and togetherness, certainly. Though, the only sense of gratitude I feel is if I’m not the one cooking. My only sense of dept in that instance is to bring the dessert.

    • This overbearing, preachy sense of gratitude, and gratefulness and thankfulness, and the need to remind oneself every day? Are people that far gone, that they don’t have a relative sense of where there lives are at? ‘A man cried because he had no shoes, until he met the man who had no feet’…. That’s all I need to remind myself. Yes, I am literally grateful to have feet.

      If you one want to feel grateful, just remind yourself you’re not living in Ukraine starring down a very long and cold, dark winter; or are one of the millions upon millions of people living in a state of squalor and starvation. What is that next to stubbing ones toe on a Lego block?

      And, yet, James, you are probably one of very few, who in that moment, was conscious and cognitive enough, to appreciate and give thanks to its nuisance.

    • I believe the “we” is James & Broc; I don’t imagine there’s a single video posted here (excepting the very early years) which doesn’t feature his fine work.

      I thought at first you were just being a stinker but pointing out the subtle difference between the two words was an excellent lesson on subtlety. Each carries a very different vibe. Most interesting, Candlelight! Thank you!

      • @pearl and candlelight

        I stumbled across this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1VfYPUdwTE today which describes gratitude as a form of “debt” but then expands on that perspective to explain why that can serve as a sort of balm to help heal our modern day society. I thought you two might find this perspective interesting and worth exploring/discussing further.

        • Good morning, Gavin. Apparently I subscribed to receive notifications to my comment just previous ’cause there you were, in my inbox!

          I watched the video and wished for a transcript (or at least one featuring the uninterupted ideas of Mr. Eisenstein), but I think I got the gist and it left me with that familiar sense of unease. When we last visited this issue and its logical outcomes, wearied and frustrated, I stated I was not interested in continuing our debate. But having watched it, I think it’s very important to address the glossy ideas and reduce them to their bare bones. Unfortunately, I, myself, am not qualified to match his intellectual abilities and properly identify exactly why his ideas made me uncomfortable so I looked to the blog of a fellow acquaintance who does write about such things and think I’ve found the very essay which may provide some insight as to where I’m coming from. It’s a two-parter, the second I’ve not yet read. So what follows is the intro…

          • How Christians and Secularists Both Define You as Nothing (Part ONE) by “Argo”

            “The other day my daughters received a thank-you note from a sweet little old lady to whom they had given a small homemade gift on Easter Sunday. The valediction read ‘May you continue to use the gifts that God has given you.’

            “And within those sweet little words we find the devil. And thus began quite a long lecture—given to my girls on the spot—on the dangers of ideologies which reduce existence to an idea which enslaves them to authoritarianism for the rest of their lives. That idea is that life and existence are UNEARNED. And though Christians are more ostensibly to be blamed for this evil, the idea is in fact a foundational component of secular metaphysics as well.

            “Wow. Hmm. Where to even begin. This is tough. There is so, so much wrong with this that it’s like trying to determine which of a thousand maurading orcs I should decaptiate first.

            “Let’s start with the obvious and aforementioned presumption that one’s talents are gifts. Which implies that they are unearned. So, let’s work backwards to the premise, and from this we shall then have our conclusion as to what this really means…and we will see how sinister it is.”

            https://unreformingtheology.com/2019/05/03/how-christians-and-secularists-both-define-you-as-nothing-part-one/

            • @pearl

              I totally forgot you had stated you were “.. not interested in continuing our debate” so I apologize for disturbing you with an unwanted interaction (though in all honesty I was not sending the video with the intent of continuing nor starting any kind of “debate” or argument).

              I can’t say I really understand the thinking behind the essay you quoted and linked. It seems like one of those things where people are uncomfortable having to look in the mirror and so they use easy go to scape goat / distraction tactics (like vaguely implying something or someone has something to do with “the devil” or calling them a “conspiracy theorist” or back in the day, hundreds of years ago, perhaps calling them a “witch” or “heathen” etc).

              Perhaps you could help me to understand where the person who wrote that essay is coming from by distilling down their message into a single paragraph or two in your own words? If not, no worries, I just don’t really grasp what they are getting at and it seems like they are just using some vague strawman argument.

              Anyway, if you do not wish to engage on this topic (or with me on any topic on here) I will respect that and leave you be.

              I hope your garden flourishes this year and if you do end up trying to grow your own ginger at home (as you had said under my substack post) may you receive many bountiful harvests.

              • Please don’t apolgozie, Gavin. You didn’t “disturb” me at all!

                I’m about to be out-of-pocket until tomorrow so I can’t respond on the essay just now, but I wanted to drop this note to say thank you for the good wishes toward the ginger. Yes, it’s time to plant the root which has been sitting in a southern window for months. Really looking forward to how that turns out. Thanks again.

              • Out of sight, out of mind – as I said, the root has been spending the winter at a southern window but tucked from my view, behind several plants. I’d checked on it throughout the season to monitor its many shoots but it’s been a few weeks since. Prompted by your reminding me yesterday I looked again to find the poor thing shrivelled! The shoot/buds are iffy, but one looks pretty good. I misted it and today’s the day it goes into soil. I really hope I didn’t miss the “in-ground-by-this date”.

                Okay, to the main topic:

                “It seems like one of those things where people are uncomfortable having to look in the mirror and so they use easy go to scape goat / distraction tactics […].”

                When I finally read part 2, I have to admit it made even me wince (though I did say upfront it was necessary to reveal the bare bones of a body of ideas), but, Wow! He sure ripped off the band-aid, especially pertaining to the most traditional Christian beliefs expressed in the scriptures. For me personally, I wish he had limited the source of the religious world’s misery to Institutional interpretation (Orthodox Doctrine) instead.

                That being said, I have found the author to be a very kind, humble and perceptive person, a consistent thinker and reasoner who has dedicated his mind toward studying philosophy many years and challenging many of its sacred cows. He can spar with the best of them. I was sorry to read your false impression of him and feel somewhat responsible.

                As to his message, what I got from it was this: that there is no difference between the metaphysics of [Orthodox] Christian Canon and secular scientific rationale – both are determinist and consistently applied lead to existential nihilism.

                At this point, I imagine you’re baffled at my seemingly extreme reaction to the spirit of mere gratitude (and its resulting debt to whom exactly?) as put forth by Mr. Eisenstein, and maybe I am. Maybe I’m confusing apples with oranges. But as with church™ (despite its initial and shot-lived love bombing), I do note in this instance the stress on Duty and Wonder but feel the absence of genuine love. Even so, to each his own, right?

              • @pearl

                Thanks for the thoughtful responses I appreciate you clarifying what you meant (and what you feel the essay was trying to express).

                If the ginger rhizome still has a green shoot that is firm and erect (not droopy, brown or wilted) then there still may be hope to get it to root and bounce back despite the wrinkly rhizome.

                I do not resonate with dogmatic religious belief systems. That being said, I also most certainly do not resonate with any form of nihilism (“the rejection of all religious and moral principles, in the belief that life is meaningless”).

                I see deep meaning and beauty in life. Part of this arises from my recognition of the animate worldview (seeing of all forms of life as sacred, each offering their own unique gifts and being deserving of respect) and part of it arises from a place and a knowing beyond words in my heart of hearts, in the place where I am able to connect with my soul and experience moments where I am gifted an opportunity to commune with the Creator of all things.

                I cannot say I fully understand your perspective on gratitude but I appreciate your elaborating on your feelings and thoughts on the concept.

                “..gratitude (and its resulting debt to whom exactly?)”

                Great question, well I suppose at its foundation, for me, debt to the Creator, as all that I am, all the gifts I am able to harness to co-create and experience this world through are thanks to God. Then, after that, “debt” to the other beings that are part of creation that also play a part in bringing, joy, nourishment, beauty, knowledge, healing, peace and hope into my life. Not “debt” in a demeaning, guilt based, oppressive, limited human way though, “debt” in the way of feeling an overflowing sense of love, purpose, fulfillment and hope, and a coinciding feeling to want to reciprocate and share those inner states of being through acts of kindness, reverence, prayer and nurturing.

                So, in the end I think we just have a situation where we are using the same word but perceiving different meanings, but that is okay and like I said I appreciate you describing your perspective in more detail.

                Yes to each his or her own, and I wish you all the best of luck with the ginger sprouting 🙂

              • Well said, Gavin. Especially, [n]ot “debt” in a demeaning, guilt based, oppressive, limited human way though, “debt” in the way of feeling an overflowing sense of love, purpose, fulfillment and hope, and a coinciding feeling to want to reciprocate and share those inner states of being through acts of kindness, reverence, prayer and nurturing. Hear, hear! As I see it, love is all you need 😉 .

                “We love Him because He first loved us.” 1John 4:19

                You said, “I also most certainly do not resonate with any form of nihilism (‘the rejection of all religious and moral principles, in the belief that life is meaningless’).”

                Seriously, if only it were that simple to recognize! Because it’s taken very few people decades of commited church life, where it’s all about “love” and “sacrifice”, to realize that something ain’t right, who then committed their energy to learning why. The rest embody the definition of insantity by making excuses for the abusive system and “try, try again”. But we needn’t go there. I just had to emphasize that language has indeed long been weaponized in the “moral” religious realm as well as the secular. [edit: just like politics and “voting harder”}

                The ginger’s been planted so time will tell. I’m grateful for your instruction, Gavin.

    • @candlelight

      What an excellent example of weaponized Doublespeak.

      Taken in it’s sum total, I would describe this set of comments as “linguistic well-poisoning”.

      Encouraging humans to recoil from embracing gratitude because it might make them feel indebted? That is insane and toxic thinking.

      The cold and calculated thinking that sees things in a mechanistic way (always thinking “how will it benefit me personally”) is what got us to where our dominant culture is now.

      The endless circle of gifts that makes this beautiful world function is made possible via our recognizing the gifts we are given, and feeling the calling within our heart to reciprocate those gifts. Attempting to silence that innate inner voice that calls us to return the gifts that are given to us (in so many ways and by so many beings) is a sure path to become a psychopathic oligarch seeking to commodify, quantify, own, dominate and control every aspect of nature.

      Instead of defining our innate calling to reciprocate the innumerable gifts we have been given in these lives as “debt”, I suggest you see this intrinsic aspect of your being for what it is.. the seed of integrity and honor (which if watered and nurtured) can bear the fruit of the recognition of your true and eternal Self and a direct awareness of the spark within that was gifted to you by the Creator of all things.

      • Well-poisoning against whom?

        I may be mistaken, but I believe Candlelight has expressed elsewhere that he doesn’t believe in God. So, the object(s) of one’s gratitude is kinda everything, isn’t it? Doesn’t misplaced gratitude have the potential to lead one into a kind of servitude? Dominators, through gaslighting techniques, weaponize such things with great skill – institutionalized religion, first and foremost. Who needs love when condemnation via total depravity/universal guilt can accomplish so much more?

        • Hey Pearl,

          My invented term “linguistic well poisoning” was an attempt to define an action that is intended to dissuade people from researching, contemplating and engaging in actions related to a specific word via preemptively distorting other people’s perception of said word via some kind of association fallacy (such as using ‘red herring’ tactics) or just attempting to invoke emotional responses in relation to a word via drawing a correlation to obscure negative implications of the word.

          As I am defining the term, ‘Linguistic Poisoned-well arguments’ are sometimes used with preemptive invocations of the association fallacy. In this pattern, an unfavorable attribute is ascribed to any future usage of the word, in an attempt to discourage debate, introspection, research and meaningful inner work.

          I do not think you are mistaken about “candlelight”‘s stated ignorance (as in incomprehension/unconsciousness) relating to the existence of the Creator of all things.

          Good question. I feel there is indeed a potential for gaslighting and other psychological warfare techniques to be used so that people are induced into a state of feeling indebted to institutions (or individuals) operating with nefarious intent, however, I do not feel it would be accurate to attribute that potential for psychological abuse to the word gratitude.

          “grat·i·tude
          /ˈɡradəˌt(y)o͞od/

          noun

          the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.” (source Oxford dictionary)

          Since kindness is an integral part of the definition of gratitude, surely a situation where governments, oligarchs or manipulative self interested individuals are seeking to psychologically abuse people into feeling indebted (as to achieve their selfish/malicious goals and enforce a kind of servitude) does not involve kindness. Thus, since the above described situations are devoid of kindness, they are not related to gratitude either.

          (continued in another comment below..)

        • (..continued from comment above)

          According to https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/gratitude “Gratitude.. comes from the Latin word gratus, which means “thankful, pleasing.” When you feel gratitude, you’re pleased by what someone did for you and also pleased by the results. Unlike indebtedness, you’re not anxious about having to pay it back.”

          Robert A. Emmons (Ph.D) describes gratitude by saying “it’s an affirmation of goodness. We affirm that there are good things in the world, gifts and benefits we’ve received.” I agree with him.

          If one has attuned their critical thinking, discernment and intuitive capacities to be able to know what is real kindness, and what is veiled manipulation, one will be able to know the difference between something one should feel grateful for, and something that is intended to gaslight. If one neglects to develop the above mentioned innate capacities for discernment, and is sucked into manipulative schemes that weaponize the word gratitude (or similar words) in double speak agendas, that is due to the choices of the individual, and has nothing to do with the word gratitude, the concept of gratitude or its implications.

          As for your closing question, again, guilt is not related to gratitude, the feeling within that calls us to reciprocate kindness is not guilt, it is love. Guilt on the other hand arises from the root of fear.

          • Oh! Okay, I’m glad I mentioned it and am now enlightened on the meaning of your creative term. Impressive and very interesting! But honestly, that seems a bit heavy-handed.

            This discussion stemming from James’s Thanksgiving message, is – I believe – much ado about nothing. Surely all of us have mistakenly used words synonymously when there are distinctions. Candlelight merely pointed out those differences (and then some!). But he can certainly speak for himself.

            Moving on…a few points:

            Manipulators fake kindness via favors, gifts, flattery, friendliness, emotional connection, etc. etc. And Daddy government does it too.

            I do not believe that innocent people born into emotionally manipulative families (or marry into one), or that sincere, kind people grifted by duplicitous actors and institutions are ultimately the ones to blame.

            “As for your closing question, again, guilt is not related to gratitude, the feeling within that calls us to reciprocate kindness is not guilt, it is love. Guilt on the other hand arises from the root of fear.”

            Actually, that was meant to be a rhetorical question, but yes, well stated. I know and you know that guilt ought not have anything to do with gratitude and yet, it happens; those most intelligent philosopher kings twist all manner of holy things and with great subtlety (ex. for starters, “Institutes of the Christian Religion” by John Calvin).

            • Hi Pearl,

              Perhaps “candlelight’s” intent was innocent and he was merely attempting to delineate his perspective on how those individual words make him feel, but it certainly did not appear that way.

              As I explained above, regardless of what the word gratitude triggers in people contemplating it, the definition is clearly not related to “indebtedness”, thus if the supposition/statement that gratitude is intrinsically tied to indebtedness is not part of a “linguistic well-poisoning”/double speak intent, it is just fallacious.

              I do not believe that “innocent people born into emotionally manipulative families (or marry into one), or that sincere, kind people grifted by duplicitous actors” are the ones to “blame” either, but that is because “blame” is something with it’s roots in dualistic anthropomorphic dogmatic belief systems (and those are worldviews I do not subscribe to).

              “blame
              verb
              UK /bleɪm/ US /bleɪm/

              to say or think that someone or something did something wrong or is responsible for something bad happening” (source: The Britannica Dictionary).

              You mentioned “fake kindness” and I think that is an important point to emphasize, as since it is a fraudulent or fallacious simulacra of kindness, the feeling of debt such a situation may invoke in those being manipulated, again, has nothing to do with gratitude (no matter what may be going on in the minds of the people involved).

              (..continued in another comment)

            • (..continued from comment above)

              Perhaps blame is not the appropriate term, since it’s use would necessitate a superficial judgment being applied to persons and situations based on human’s proclivity to jam everything and everyone into ‘black’ and ‘white’ categories. Despite the obviously upsetting nature of some of the situations, you described above what if in many cases the souls of individual beings (that chose to come here and be part of this human experience) also consciously chose pre-determined adverse conditions they would face in their lives on Earth? Not so they could judge the situations or actors involved as ‘good’ and ‘bad’.. but so they could gain understanding and provide opportunities for using these contrasting experiences and scars of the heart, as maps for the soul. Maps that can be shared with other beings seeking to enrich their eternal selves (and the collective we are an intrinsic part of)? What if we sometimes choose to involve ourselves in situations that break parts of our human selves, so that when we heal the resulting person and understanding embodies that which is more beautiful and full of potential than the original? (like when someone repairs a broken piece of pottery using Kintsugi techniques).

              Perhaps many of those types of experiences are advanced classes we enroll in as spiritual beings on a path as a perpetual student seeking to enrich ourselves and find ways to throw ‘rope ladders’ to our fellow beings in such situations, so that we can all gain understanding, evolve and unfold together?

              If that is so, than the term ‘blame’ hardly seems appropriate. As sovereign spiritual beings, we exercise our free will and can choose what perspective we embrace when faced with each experience in life. Whether we chose that experience as part of a “soul contract” before we came into these bodies or the experience is the result of other beings exercising their free will, there is always a choice in how we perceive the experience (and thus a choice in how it will impact us).

              Being someone that was born into a family where those dynamics were present and my wife having experienced an even more severe expression of those dynamics, I can say that for the human child experiencing said experiences (that have the potential to enrich one’s eternal self and bring about transformation of the human self) sometimes it takes years before one can gather the insight and awareness that enables one to shift their perspective when looking back on said experiences, to integrate them consciously (without a victim mentality) and fuse the broken pieces of the human heart back together with the golden light of unconditional love, recognition of the Creator’s spark in all beings and a broader understanding of the way in which adverse, challenging (and even horrific) experiences can serve as a catalyst for positive transformation.

              (continued in another comment..)

            • (..continued from comment above)

              In this final comment, I will quote a life coach/writer I know, as I feel her experiences with an abusive father (and an abusive ex spouse) gives her a unique perspective into these matters that can provide some valuable insight here.

              “As long as you allow yourself to blame others for things that happen in your life, you will remain broken but the minute you realize you are not ever a victim you will once again be whole. When tough times happen do we get stuck in them as a victim, it happened to us? Do we carry them with us afterward as a measuring stick to which we can hold new experiences and new relationships in which we fear we could feel pain ( as though this is the way to avoid further tough moments and hurt)? Orrrr do we accept what we need from it understanding that it happened but that we have the choice to not let it define us and move on? So often people feel things are done to them. If we believe that, the message we are sending ourselves is that we are victims and helpless. This perspective freezes us in the quagmire we say we want to be free from. The easiest way to move forward is to acknowledge that your choices ARE your choices and that you are where you are in life because of the choices you made. Once we understand that, change is as simple as deciding to make different choices, to give yourself positive, loving messages that says you are not a victim but rather a beautiful expression of love and to follow those choices and messages up with positive actions that nurture self-love, self- worth and fosters a path that results in beneficial outcomes for you!

              Once you have felt the terror of fighting for your life at the hands of one who is trying to end it, you realize that fear itself is but an illusion that grabs hold of the imagination and creates a prison in which to keep you. The door to that prison can be unlocked at any time and you CAN be freed of fear. The key is to change what guides you from your mind in which fear can run free, to your heart in which love only abides. To further assist this process surrender the drive to control (for control is a byproduct of fear) and just be. Know that as long as you are breathing you can change the story of your life and create a life that flows with the rhythm of your heart and is aligned with your spirit. Whatever was can be changed…. the affects of that which befalls you can be altered and that which is seems painful cannot hurt you unless you give it that freedom. You DO have that choice, You are not a victim but rather a beautiful expression of love. Make the shift from the mind to the heart and allow your perspective to be guided by unconditionally pure love and in that second your life is evermore changed and you are free. Free of fear, free to be.”

              • “what if in many cases the souls of individual beings (that chose to come here and be part of this human experience) also consciously chose pre-determined adverse conditions they would face in their lives on Earth?”

                This may come as a surprise to you, Gavin, but you actually share some of the darker concepts as those Calvinists I’m always bitching about, only your faith has a way more exciting, cosmic vibe.

                Yeah, I’ve heard that what if scenario before and I find it repugnant. Like what about justice? What about children/babies who get raped? As pre-existing souls, they supposedly chose that destiny for the spiritual insight and understanding they’d gain? Wickedness and Evil are just spiritual trappings of us pathetic earthlings, right? We really need to get over all that silly stuff. And the toddler who recently got dragged to his death by an alligator as parents watched in horror? Now there’s a cosmic situation just bursting with potential wisdom!

                If this is what you hold to, Gavin, then who are you to express any complaints whatsoever against anything, including the globalists’ lies and manipulations toward the Great Reset, the decades of corruption and murderous lies which got us here? Frankly, you have no right. So, yeah, I guess your only option is to just be grateful that you didn’t choose to be somebody’s punching bag (but, if we’re consistent in this cosmic stuff, compared to those babies, maybe that’s actually a serious character flaw which demands another life of enlightening, purifying violence?).

              • @pearl

                I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts and feelings candidly and will contemplate what you have said before responding in full.

                I was not aware of what a “Calvinist” was until just now, but I do feel learning about the dogmatic belief systems of Earth is helpful (so I can strategize to avoid any pitfalls the institutions behind them may have put in my intended path) so thank you.

                I am unfamiliar with this term you used “purifying violence”, but it sounds very creepy and cultish (or like something that a church would promote in some bloody crusade to convert people declared as “heathens”).

                The sense I get when I take a step back from my programming in this life and look at it without judgement is that “evil” is an idea invented by humans looking to ascribe all the negative feelings they feel when observing horrifying and malicious behavior in a person/situation, but just like darkness (which is not a substance, but rather is defined by the lack of a substance, that being light) “evil” is also not a substance. Rather that which we ascribe the word “evil” to, is that which is devoid of a substance, that substance being love (the essence of the Creator of all things) and aligned with the most unpleasant expressions of it’s opposite, fear.

                I don’t know about the little babies and toddlers living on and leaving the Earth in heartbreaking ways, that is a tough one, my human brain and heart feels outrage thinking of them, and would want to seek out the “bad guys” responsible to punish them and bring them to “justice”… but then again how well has that approach been working for humanity thus far? If their path to experience the painful existences and leaving the Earth is part of a pre-existing soul chosen path, the purpose would certainly be beyond my scope of understanding.. and perhaps if Earth is a school that currently involves souls going through such experiences, we can change it so that it does not have to always be? So that this school of Earth can offer less contrasted and challenging opportunities for spiritual beings to gain understanding?

                I never claimed to have all the answers, I was simply pondering possibilities.

                I will ponder your questions further and answer to the best of my ability when I can.

              • “but I do feel learning about the dogmatic belief systems of Earth is helpful so I can strategize to avoid any pitfalls the institutions behind them may have put in my intended path”

                I’m not so sure your belief system is as blissfully unique as you’ve been led to believe. The good book says, nothing new under the sun. Also, rather than strategize to avoid philosophical pitfalls to win debates, how about seriously examining basic assumptions and follow the natural outcomes?

                Honestly, Gavin, this is tiresome. I’m really not interested in further dialogue. I’ve followed and participated in similar discussions over the years and they go nowhere. Personally, I think it’s fascinating to learn the beginnings of things, why people do what they do but changing hearts and minds? Personal belief systems are pretty much set in stone. Most of humanity lives by faith in something but lack conclusive supernatural experience to prove its authenticity, including me. You, on the other hand, have had such experiences and even further communion with other-worldly entities. I believe you – I just think they’re deceptive. You’re not going to change my mind and I’m not going to change yours. For most of us, it would take a major upheaval of an event to trigger any kind of personal re-evaluation. I think life itself is a pretty good school. I’ll be damned if I entrust my mind and soul to anyone or anything attempting to convince me that good and evil are just illusions.

                So, I’m done here. Peace.

            • Hey Pearl,

              Well, I was truly gratified (grateful? ha ha) that you appreciated my analysis and focus on the differences between the two sets of words in question. Though, little did I know you would wind up in such a lively discussion over it. But, I thank you for that, too. 🙂

              In your first post, I liked how you boiled down my argument so succinctly, saying “Each carries a very different vibe.” How true! And maybe that was all I was trying to express. But, you know, in a subsequent post to Gavinm, I think you really nailed it with something that I began thinking along the lines of, too. That the indebtedness and guilt (and you were quite right to include the concept of guilt) associated with “gratitude”, can be, as you allude, a slippery slope – i.e., manipulation, control, gaslighting, etc. Also, to explain why you were correct to make the association with guilt – which seems to be too difficult for some people to wrap their heads round – I suggest people examine the word “ingrate”, which simply means an ungrateful person. Yet, the term “ingrate” is a most derogatory term, and when it is hurled directly against someone, it is used, invariably, for the purpose of shaming the individual. Hence, the guilt. And, yes, plaudits to Gavnm – he’s correct to associate fear with guilt – people do fear to be shamed. The English language, by the way, has yet to come up with the term “inthank”. Now, that term would or could be located in the double-speak dictionary, for sure. But, “ingrate” is located in the English language dictionary.

              • Also, I don’t know what podcast Gavinm was listening or not listening to, but his various statements attempting to disassociate the state of gratitude with the feeling – or duty, even – of indebtedness, ridiculously flies in the face of the whole of James’ talk! Bizarre!

                James @ 4:41mins:

                “…but, at any rate, it (gratitude) is a recognition that there are things outside of ourselves to which we owe (pause) a debt of gratitude…”

                James basically argues for indebtedness throughout his podcast. Going as far, I might add, to include another element into the mix, “fighting” for that which you feel grateful for, or in other words, fighting for that to which you feel indebted.

                I don’t know, Pearl. A slippery slope? Right? I think there may be a point to be made here, too.

                Anyway, in small hope that I’m not continued to be painted in villainous terms, that I’m not thought of as some sort of unconscious, ignorant ingrate, or worse, I just want to relate a story that, in part, informs the way I look at these issues:

                Many years ago, I had a next store neighbor who was much older than me, old enough to be my grandfather, in fact; and there was this one time that he helped me with something I was working on. He had a little shop at home and took the time and effort to show me how to fix whatever it was that I was kind of stumped with. Of course, I thanked him, but I really was truly grateful of his help. He saved me a great deal of hassle, and taught me something all in one, and I really wanted to get him something, a gift of some sort to show my appreciation. So, I settled on getting him a bottle of liquor that I associated more with my parents generation. I, myself, had never even tasted it before, but it just seemed so old fashioned and I thought, who knows, maybe my neighbor loves this stuff (I didn’t want to ask him about his preferences fearing I’d ruin the surprise)….

              • continued:

                So, I wrapped the liquor up and gave it to him for helping me out, as I explained it…. Well, he accepted it, but he was clearly dismayed to be handed a gift. Even somewhat miffed. He went as far as to say something to the effect – can’t anyone do anything for anyone these days, without getting some favor in return-? Needless to say, I was crestfallen. Yet, I came to understand why he felt the way he felt. I realized that had I kept it as a simple thanks on my part, it would have been more than enough. I learned the hard way that he wasn’t particularly looking for any gratitude, or expression, thereof, least of all any sort of payment, or my feeling indebted in any way. His helping his young neighbor with his expertise and knowledge was its own reward! What had made it meaningful to him was that he had offered his time freely to me. He neither needed nor wanted anything in return. In some very real way, what I had done, very sadly, was to cheapen it…. I wished only that I had known….

                And so, presently, here we have Thanksgiving. In the spirit of grandfatherly giving, if we’re spiritual at all, we may think of earth as Mother Earth, and we gather together to have a feast representing and commemorating Her abundance. She, herself, does not want or need our gratitude. We don’t need to pay her back. After all, She can only give us what She can give us.

                We just need, as human beings, to start learning how to treat Her more kindly.

                And, that’s my take.

                And, I thank you, again, Pearl.

                PS: If the “we” in “we’re” is meaning James and Brock, then, that’s rather magnanimous.

              • Candlelight, you night owl!

                That was a bitter-sweet lesson from your elderly neighbor; truly profound and thought-provoking.

                I’m so spent and sleepy, waay past my bedtime. Until next time…don’t be a stranger!

              • I enjoyed reading this conversation.
                Thanks ya’ll. 😉

              • That’s an interesting anecdote Candlelight and I understand why your neighbor was a bit uncomfortable with your gift. It’s good he said something to you.

                I understand that feeling of wanting to do something for someone and not getting anything tangible in return. It’s not to hold it over someone, but it feels good to give and help someone. The act of giving can be the gift to oneself.

              • @candlelight

                Perhaps I overreacted (due to my still having a bitter taste in my mouth after your disingenuous and pejorative comment in the other thread regarding my friends and I and the anomalous craft we witnessed) and in this case your comment held no ill intent. Also, perhaps the way in which I perceive and use the word gratitude is indeed very different than how James Corbett was describing it in this podcast.

                I nevertheless stand by my conviction that the conflation of guilt and debt with gratitude is unnecessary, incommensurate and not beneficial. Since we are capable of exercising our free will in consciously choosing how we use words, why not do so in a way that is life affirming (rather than degenerative)?

                In any case, the purpose of this comment was to apologize for my getting all bent out of shape over your personal interpretation of a word.

                I leave you in peace and wish you well.

              • Hi Gavinm,

                I appreciate your apology and it’s certainly accepted, though none was needed, as I kind of played it up a bit, i.e. my being victim of your harsh reaction to my rather blunt differentiation in the conceptualization of thankfulness and gratefulness. Yet, no offense was actually taken. I know where you’re coming from, based on how you express your ideas on gratitude. They’re very lofty, pure and idyllic, sans fear, recompense and guilt. I commend your idealism, as it seems befitting of a perfect world (though, none exists). Yet, it does seem in your heart of hearts, you would strive to create one. And trust me, I do very much appreciate your work in assimilating your extensive knowledge of healthful and healing plants and growing techniques, etc. I think it’s great, I really do. Don’t think it doesn’t blow my mind the galactic- sized kale you grew that you had both arms around in trying to carry that monster! To me, that’s more wild than “spacemen” can ever be. Cause at least it’s down to earth and represents a known, quantifiable, and admirable accomplishment!

                Getting back to that bitter taste in your mouth (not from kale):

                I did reply to you in the October Open thread, your feeling of being baited by my suggestion that you interview your friends regarding the “anomalous craft” that visited upon the three of you. Regarding such a suggestion, there was certainly zero ill intent involved. Whether I was baiting you is purely subjective, especially if you found it ill of me to want to simply explore the incident somewhat further.

                As I explain:

                https://www.corbettreport.com/october-open-thread-2022/#comment-143758

              • So, in the meantime, I did look into MJ-12, the “Majestic” group – whatever it’s called, along with some popular ufologists, namely Bob Lazar and Steven Greer. Personally, I found these two guys beyond pathetic. I mean, very seriously, badly pathetic. And both pathological, as in being serial liars. I find it amazing that a guy like Joe Rogan can interview Lazar with a straight face. Yet, I shouldn’t be that amazed, really; because when you get right down to it, Rogan is in the entertainment business, period. True that he hits some hot topics, as his program thrives on controversy, yet he plays a complete game of softball with his interviewees, with Bob Lazar among them. Lazar’s misrepresentations of his past and some really sketchy details of a sordid, personal life are too many to get into, but just his claims, alone, about seeing captured spacecraft at the area 51 complex, strikes me as a complete line of bullshit. Nine craft, altogether. All various models of the “flying saucer” type – at least the one he says they let him explore. Seems like they were all in pretty good shape. In an interview, Lazar mentions that they were actually able to fly one of them around a bit, as he represents the flight by swirling his finger….Right.
                His particular baby, he drew rudimentary drawings of – size and shape – rudimentary explanations of a propulsion system, etc. He calls out the thickness of the saucer’s shell, something like almost 7 inches. No mention of its material, or the weight of the craft. It just makes me wonder, these flying saucers came all the way from outer space, utilizing unimaginable technology: How did the military capture these things in one piece? The only thing consistent with Lazar’s story would be that the military used giant butterfly net for safe and gentle capture!….

              • Steven Greer is another character. For a fee, he’ll take a group out to observe two glowing lights on the ocean’s horizon and tell you these are alien aircraft. Greer seems to know the time and place in which to observe this recurring phenomenon. I wonder, could Greer have two accomplices in boats at a certain distance from shore and apart from each other, and at the appropriate time, his fellow hoaxers light a couple of flares?
                Magic!

                Rogan has a recent interview with a former Navy Pilot, Ryan Graves, who tells a story about his squad’s frequent encounters with ufos:

                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsNSF7oBYS0

                Anyone who follows Graves’ story line from start to finish should realize how nonsensical its progression is. Whoever wrote the script for Graves must have had it in mind as a study to determine the level of gullibility in the general populous. Very briefly, Graves begins by explaining that the reason they started to see these unexplained objects on their radar screens all of a sudden was because of upgraded radar equipment that was installed in their aircraft that was refined enough to register blips from these heretofore unnoticed objects. Though, by the end of his story, these new objects were no longer just blips on their new equipment, but Graves’ comrades were now nearly flying into these things and making visual contact with their own eyeballs – a black or dark gray cube within a clear translucent sphere! So, the story goes from not knowing they’re there, to seeing them on radar, to bumping into them, essentially, even though these things purportedly have hyper advanced maneuverability!
                I mean, c’mon, man?

                Former Navy Pilot, Graves, is part of a dumbness psyop.

                As is MJ-12. When I read that good old Nelson Rockefeller was part of the Majestic cabal I had to laugh. Why Nelson? Because he was a Rockefeller? Does anybody remember the circumstances of Nelson’s demise? It’s why I laughed. The old man died screwing his young assistant. Had a heart attack in the bed were the rumors:

                https://nymag.com/news/features/scandals/nelson-rockefeller-2012-4/

                Yeah, some crew, these Majestic 12!

                But, one of the most telling reasons I think all this alien stuff is bullshit is this man, Bill Cooper.

                As you know, Bill Cooper famously warned prior to 911 that if Bin laden is blamed for an attack upon the United States, Cooper said “don’t you believe it.” He reminded us all – and it’s so close in our faces that we that can’t even see it, either that, or we’re too dumb – that if CNN can get an interview with Bin Laden in Bin Laden’s secret hideout, when the whole of western intelligence has been unsuccessful tracking him down as a wanted fugitive…. Well, then you know something’s wrong with the narrative, to be sure.

                At one point in Cooper’s life – which I don’t even pretend to understand – he wrote an extremely detailed, amazing account of Majestic 12, aliens, secret governments:

                https://www.cs.mcgill.ca/~abatko/interests/conspiracy/mj12/

                [SNIP – Please keep comments to 500 words or less. Longer comments can be split into multiple posts. – JC]

              • ….aaargh!

                Ok, to continue….

                You needn’t read the whole of Cooper’s text above to be perplexed by his video interview below, wherein he states that the inference by the government of the existence of aliens is, in actuality, a hoax. and that he was basically duped into believing it:

                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_g0NIBevWk&t=115s

                This 180 degree about-face on Cooper’s part between his Majestic 12 treatise and this video interview with regard to aliens is nothing but astounding.

                Based on his comments in the video, it would seem it was recorded sometime in 1999, as he discusses the vibes in the run-up to the millennium, and how he feels that the year 2000 will be “crucial” to the plans of those who want world government.

                Given the events of 9/11/2001, and what has been transpiring since, in terms of technological control and international corporatocracy, Cooper’s 1999 comments are prescient.

                Shortly after 9/11, Cooper was gunned down at his home by the local Sheriff’s Department. He happened to be prescient about that, too.

                One should bear it in mind, those individuals, whether they be government assets, or otherwise, when they are murdered by the powers that be, are no longer deemed assets; rather, they have become troubling and threatening liabilities to be gotten rid of, and I think we can count Bill Cooper among that group, and what he said in the last few years of his life should not be taken too lightly, including his take on the “alien” phenomenon, which, by the way, has absolutely exploded in the last few years….

                Is there really any wonder about it?

                There really shouldn’t be.

              • @candlelight

                Firstly, thanks for your kind words about my work in assimilating and sharing my knowledge of healthful plants and cultivation techniques. I have continued to learned a lot since I harvested that “galactic- sized kale” I grew and will be sharing what I feel are the most empowering tidbits in subsequent articles on substack.

                My most recent article: https://gavinmounsey.substack.com/p/23-reasons-to-start-a-garden-in-2023

                —————————————-

                Ok now regarding your comments about the so called “MJ-12” group and various individuals that you described as “ufologists”.

                For starters, the term “ufo” was invented as part of a psychological warfare operation that was (and is) focused on obfuscation (and ‘muddying the waters’) and it was pushed by the CIA (and other alphabet soup intelligence agencies) throughout the decades since (until recently when they released a new nonsense obfuscating psyop term: “UAP”).

                Secondly, the “MJ-12” group was a thing https://archive.org/details/project-aquarius-11-pages (albeit the original group, which I will not pretend to know exactly who it was comprised of, was altered in subsequent years) and it went by several other names over the years.

                One of the more recent designations for the group (which became a conglomerate of transnational intelligence, military, corporate and financial cartel interests) was “PI-40”. I do not know what they go by today, but what ever they call themselves now, they have been very busy lately.

                You point out criticisms of Greer’s CE-5 expeditions (or rather it sounds like you are actually referring to one of them, since they apparently do not always occur on the beach) and I can understand your skepticism (as I had similar reservations) but whether or not there is any validity to your implication of possible fraud (in the case of one particular instance on a beech, which is just speculation) the bulk of the intel the man has shared turns out to be legit. When one does their homework and triple verifies the material he has presented (using independent sources) about 98% of what the guy says turns out to be accurate. Thus, regardless of any potential improprieties, I do not throw the baby out with the bath water (when it comes to that particular individual).

                Regarding these other people you mentioned, I am not very familiar with their material but I will say this, there are a great many charlatans, attention seekers, scammers and shills operating within the realm of the “ufo” subculture (conferences, authors, “whistle blowers” etc) but that is to be expected with an issue this profoundly important. I am not concerned with the liars, attention hors, operatives or conmen, I am concerned with the verifiable intel on this subject and formulating a way to synthesize it into actionable intel.

                (continued..)

              • (continued from above..)

                If by pointing out that you think a couple guys talking about “UFOs” are either liars or shills you are also saying that means that this subject of the ET presence (and the back-engineered tech related to it) is all nonsense and/or not worth investigating, than according to your logic because there are some charlatans and shills in the “911 Truth” community we should disregard all the evidence presented by all people in that community and just accept the official version of events handed to us by the government.

                The military, intelligence, central banking cartel and corporate contracting cartel have a lot riding on how this topic is managed. Prolific and very effective psychological warfare material has been (and will continue to be) put out on the topic. They are afraid of what the open study of (and diplomatic relations being initiated) with the more advanced civilizations that are part of the ET presence will mean for their top heavy parasitic empire (dependent on monopolies, fear and lies).

                While you can be sure what ever you are hearing on the controlled Mass Media outlets on this subject is psyop material that does not negate the immense importance of doing our own independent homework to understand this aspect of our reality (which will play a significant role in shaping our future as a human family).

                Many will cling to the idea that the prolific evidence of visitation by interstellar (and interdimensional) craft is not legitimate (downplaying, dismissing, using ‘poisoning the well’ tactics and just flat out going into denial) so they can maintain their comforting delusions about human superiority (whether it is for religious reasons or athiest delusion reasons). Their choice to do so will come at the cost of their entire worldview being shattered at some future date (rather than them mustering the courage to learn something new in stages now by choice). That trauma and difficulty will be the result of their own choices.

                Thus, I will now be making a conscious effort to not waste time engaging with the above described group and instead focusing on actionable intel and viable solutions (both in the garden and with regards to engaging with the broader community we are a part of).

                With that in mind (given any future discussions on this subject matter) I will now wish you a happy new year and bid you adieu.

              • Hello Gavinm,

                A very Happy New Year’s to you, too! And thank you for your thoughtful reply.

                Though I’m not 100% sure I understand the spirit in which you bade me adieu, there are a few things you wrote that I’d like to reply to, primarily in regard to Dr. Steven Greer. But, firstly, let me express that I very much appreciated your very civil response, especially given that I had resorted to utilizing some abrasive language to express my opinions, which was, in actuality, completely unnecessary and counterproductive. The key words to be noted here are “had” and “was” – indicating past tense. So, no more. I say let civility reign! Let not the well be poisoned….

                Now, before moving onto Greer, I’d like to first praise your newsletter. It’s a helluva newsletter, and reflects the quality of your website in general. Really good stuff, and I think it presents the virtues of growing holistic, organic vegetable gardens in a wonderful and encouraging light….Well done!

                It’s quite informative – as well as important – that your newsletter brings to attention the cultural origins of the “lawn” – in the manor of its hubris past – which has now, for decades, become an utterly ubiquitous feature that literally sprawls across the Northern Hemisphere wherever the “American Dream” aspires, and where, unfortunately, more often than not, deadly, biome killing, weed eradicating chemicals ominously follow. It’s bizarre that all the effort going into this mind-blowing and immense patchwork of methodically violated soil, for the sake of the perfect lawn, could so easily be swapped for a veritable bounty of organic, life giving gardens that your newsletter exemplifies. which in turn underscores the wisdom of Chief Seattle whose quote you include and is well considered, and more than apropos.

              • On to Greer….

                I can understand your taking the stance of not throwing the baby out with the bathwater, but our understanding of the baby and the bathwater do seem to differ a bit.

                Firstly, given how Greer has formulated his talking points, there is virtually no way to verify much – or really any – of his accounts, let alone 98% of it. Quite to the contrary. For instance, Greer explains that even inquiring heads of intelligence agencies, top military brass, top elected officials, as well as certain commanders in chief, aka presidents, go unheeded, being that these alleged black projects are so dark,secretive and rogue that the requests for information from the highest echelon are turned down…If that’s the case, then how are we, the lowly general public, supposed to verify what Greer is telling us?? In other words, who is going to inform us, if according to Greer, even a POTUS can be left in the dark? Additionally, how are we to verify his multitude of high level contacts, i.e., White House meetings, working relationships with heads of intelligence agencies, e.g., NSA, CIA, ad infinitum? The truth of the matter is we really can’t. Or, at least I can’t. These myriad interactions with the highest levels of intelligence, military and government actors is precisely what he uses to validate his claims, which, incidentally, is precisely what cannot be validated…. I don’t know, maybe I’m wrong.
                Have you found any real evidence to back the extremely high level contacts he claims to have?
                If so, could you share it with me?

              • continued…

                While I was listening to his lecture linked below, at 50.35 minutes in, he finally said something that I jumped at the chance to actually verify. It was an aha! moment, because it didn’t sound right, at all, so, I went and checked it out.
                Greer claimed that John Foster Dulles was – for certain reasons Greer explains in the lecture – murdered (assassinated) by being pushed out a window…. Huh? Seriously?…. As it stands, Greer’s assassination confabulation is not to be found, anywhere. The reality seems to be that Dulles had stage 4 colon cancer and died at Walter Reed Hospital. There is no mention anywhere of him falling out a window to his death. You would think a little detail like that would not have escaped notice, whether such a fall was intentional or accidental. Certainly not for someone with that high a profile, for someone they named an airport after.

                The question is, how could Greer come out with something so incredibly off the mark? The one thing he “reveals” in a 2 1/2 hour lecture that happens to be verifiable…and it’s erroneous? Is that the 2% you’re talking about that he gets wrong, but all the other top, top, top secret stuff that he goes on about, which for all intents and purposes is virtually unverifiable and unknowable – he gets right?

                Greer’s foible only adds to incredulity.

                Listen in at 50.35 mins:

                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfIetGulZhE

                Also, claiming John Dulles as head of the CIA, Greer confused him with his brother, Allen, who, by the way, also wasn’t pushed out a window….

              • continued…

                Another curious thing is, which is hard to fathom, is why Greer in the first place? Why him? Why a former emergency doctor turn privy to the priviest of intelligence? How does someone with Greer’s background have the entire inner workings, the entire schematics down to a tee?

                Anyway, there are a few things I do like about Greer. One, I find it almost humorous that he makes no bones about the United States having landed on the moon. Stanley Kubrick’s 2001, A Space Odyssey’s rabbit hole conspiracy notwithstanding, I happen to agree with Greer. Two, I actually find his theories on transdimensional communications transcending the speed of light compelling and very worthy of exploration, and not in the least incompatible with theoretical physics. That Greer already has it down pat that it forms a basis for extraterrestrial space travel, and is in “contact” with, an or can summon such sentient travelers, is another story, altogether….

                I’m not there, yet, or at that level, and may never be, but, I’m open minded enough to conceive that there is existent that which is, paradoxically, beyond human conceptualization. Three, I also like the fact that Greer makes no bones about our ruinous nature, and how life hangs in the balance. And, this last point really goes right back to what wise Chief Seattle had to say, which is similar to a number of prescient indigenous chieftains who saw long ago, the writing on the wall.

              • Here’s a last thought for you I had regarding your close encounter:

                Linked below is Greer, in part, discussing man-made “UFOs” designed to replicate so-called “extraterrestrial” craft. Describing it as trickery on the part of the military. Since you believe 98% of what Greer has to say, then you might be in accord.

                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhP_R8Eyyt4

                Now, taken together with what Bill Cooper had claimed in the interview I had linked, that the military does have craft that mimics “alien” craft as a hoax, and that one of the facilities that manufacture these things is located in Western Canada; I thought, hmm, if this is true, maybe that’s exactly what you and your friends saw, a man-made flying object, and that you and your friends simply got punked that day!

                Food for thought, eh?!

                Peace. 🙂

            • @pearl

              I never claimed my belief system was “blissfully unique” (in fact I would be pleasantly surprised to find that a great many people have come to the same conclusions I have through looking inward to engage in “spiritual-autodidacticism”.)

              You said “Personal belief systems are pretty much set in stone.”

              They may be set in stone for those that adhere to dogmatic belief systems, but for those of us that are always open to improving our understanding and admitting we could have been wrong (even about the more fundamental aspects of our current world view) our beliefs are not so rigid. That is really the whole reason I am here in this community, to perpetually improve my understanding so I can see the world more clearly and be of greater service to our human family.

              You also said “Most of humanity lives by faith in something but lack conclusive supernatural experience to prove its authenticity, including me. You, on the other hand, have had such experiences and even further communion with other-worldly entities. I believe you – I just think they’re deceptive”

              The first sentence you wrote there is true, but it is not necessary nor beneficial (when each individual conscious being, human or otherwise) has within them the potential to nurture a direct relationship (involving two way communication) with the Creator of all things. All the great spiritual teachers of the ages made it clear that they are not unique, they do not have special abilities, and that through inner work anyone can achieve the same conscious connection with the divine that they had. Humans often dismiss this part of their teachings as it would require real emotional and mental work (taking a long, honest, hard look in the mirror and then deciding one is willing to bear all that they are, imperfections and all, to the Creator). It is a lot easier to believe the propaganda that was pushed by religious institutions that parasitically built themselves up (using the words of great spiritual teachers as a lure) which tells people that they need ‘spiritual middle men’ such as priests, gurus or saviors to be able to know the divine. It is so much easier when we give in to that propaganda which tells us we do not have to do any inner work, and that the spiritual middle men will tell us what the will of God is, fix our problems for us, make everything better, punish the bad guys and send us to a super fun 4 season cloud resort.

              Real, lasting change for our human family will only come about when enough of us muster the courage to shed the infantilizing role of follower and the learned helplessness that governments and religious institutions try to sell us and instead choose sovereignty and to nurture our own direct connection to the divine through doing the work.

              (continued..)

            • @pearl

              (..continued from another comment)

              You mentioned “other-worldly entities”, I think is important to distinguish between physical intelligent beings from elsewhere in the universe, non-physical intelligences from elsewhere in the universe and then non physical intelligences from entirely different realms and dimensions. All of those exist, and depending on which one you are talking about, is the difference between ETs, nefarious interdimensional entities or self-less benevolent interdimensional entities (some call them “angels”) or something in between those categories. Being able to discern the difference between those types of beings is something that again, each individual is capable of, it just takes honing one’s inner compass of the heart and learning to use one’s organs of perception that can see into the non-physical realms. Then separate from all those categories is connecting with the Creator of all things, which is an unmistakable experience when compared to the others described above, as usually the immense love and acceptance one feels results in one bursting into tears immediately.

              You have said things that portray me in a very negative and derogatory light (exemplified through your drawing parallels between what you think my beliefs are and Calvinism, something that involves disturbing abusive practices and something you obviously abhor).

              In response to this I would like to share some slightly adapted words from a man that I have a great deal of respect and admiration for (one whom I think you see as a deity).

              Let she who is without sin cast the first stone.

              • Hi Gavin. I always neglect to subscribe to comments and so had no idea you responded until moments ago.

                “Let she who is without sin cast the first stone.”

                Yeah, I did resort to a snarky tone which never satisfies nor helps anything. I wish I had expressed myself without offense. I apologize.

              • @pearl

                No worries and thanks I accept your apology.

          • “Guilt on the other hand arises from the root of fear.”

            Hi friends. Here comes another simplistic observation from the one trick pony.

            This sentence from Gavin made me contemplate the role that guilt has played in my life.
            Looking back I have to admit that it is, and has been a very powerful motivating force (emotion?) for as long as I can remember.
            I remember an occasion as a small child when I was awaiting a promised spanking from my father for something that I did. It was after recently being reunited after a long separation.

            As the spanking commenced I recall that I was crying like a baby. But strangely it wasn’t from the physical pain. I was well accustomed to being hurt physically while being punished as the foster “mother” that I had been living with for the previous five years used a leather belt for the purpose.
            No, I remember distinctly that the whacks on my butt (not my back like the “mother” preferred to inflict) were actually completely painless. I was bawling because my father was mad at me and I hated knowing that. I felt guilty for having disappointed my dad who was still a hero to me at that point.

            The guilt that I experienced that day has lasted my whole life. I don’t remember my infraction but I still feel how badly I felt about letting down someone that I loved. Meanwhile I have pretty much forgotten about all the beatings I got that caused physical pain.

            Its that same sort of guilt that brought me to the realization that I have disappointed God also. It made me realize that I have let down the One who has created everything that exists and who gave me life.
            A God who is unfathomably awesome and powerful. A God worthy of fear. (Reverential awe).

            That same fear created guilt continues to cause me question myself and my motives as I attempt to live my life in a way that illustrates how grateful I am for my life and salvation.

            I believe that guilt and fear based in truth can be, or maybe should be, the forces that lead people to make sometimes difficult changes in their lives in order to better themselves.

            “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.“
            Mathew 10:28

            • “ I believe that guilt and fear based in truth can be, or maybe should be, the forces that lead people to make sometimes difficult changes in their lives in order to better themselves.”

              I should have wrote among the forces. Love is probably the main one. ?

  14. “While expressing gratitude seems innocent enough, it is a revolutionary idea. In a consumer society, gratitude is a radical proposition. Recognizing abundance rather than scarcity undermines an economy that thrives by creating unmet desires. Gratitude cultivates an ethic of fullness, but the economy needs emptiness.”

    ― Robin Wall Kimmerer (Braiding Sweetgrass)

    • Brilliant! Precisely articulates the ethos of an English class I had this morning with a group of three people.

      To my surprise, these business students seemed utterly perplexed at the idea of gratitude (that we were discussing under the pretext of Thanksgiving yesterday). The man in the group said that anything he has it’s because he earned it or obtained it through his own means. The women either didn’t understand the question or simply could not think of anything to feel grateful for. I guess when God is dead a mercantile mentality with a sense of entitlement sets in that makes it difficult to imagine what can make us feel thankful, lucky, gratitude, joy… And in France they pay such high taxes I guess they consider that “it’s normal” to have relative material comfort, so why feel happy about it? Dunno. But it kinda struck me.

      At the end the man was comparing energy prices in various European countries and ended up by saying “We’re lucky in France!”. So I proposed he might compare “feeling lucky” with “feeling gratitude”?

      • 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing that, I am glad the quote resonates with you.

        And thank you for your thoughtful comment back in the October thread to Steve Smith and me. It was heartwarming and insightful.

        Have you read any of Robin Wall Kimmerer’s books?

  15. excellent solution. there’s much power in blessing adversity, whether it’s a lego block hiding on the carpet or something more sinister. adversity has a role in sharpening and strenghtening us. and quite apart from anything like that, gratitude simply makes you happy. thank you, james, and thank you, community.

    • @Lsid

      Beautifully said.

      There is both scientific logic and spiritual wisdom backing the benefits of consciously engaging in shifting our perspective to embrace gratitude. This is true for each time we choose to hold a thought, attitude and emotion in our conscious mind we are re-wiring our synaptic networks and re-attuning the receptor sites in our brain that receive the biochemicals responsible for our perceiving emotions. Thus, if we consciously choose to feel gratitude and appreciation (even while we are engaging in an adverse experience and/or a seemingly mundane task) we are actually building up our brain’s capacity for experiencing greater depths of appreciation when we are engaging in all other tasks and experiences in life.

      Inversely, if we choose to allow frustration, impatience, boredom, anger, resentment, self-interest or apathy to remain in the forefront of our thoughts while we engage in tasks we perceive as adverse, challenging and/or mundane we are training our brain to be specialized in experiencing frustration, impatience, boredom, resentment, self-interest, anger and/or apathy. Additionally, allowing those thoughts and emotions to color our perception of adverse/challenging and/or seemingly mundane tasks could perhaps even create a sort of endogenous bio-chemical addiction, where we end up unconsciously seeking out more stimulus to produce those emotions, and which in time could lead to a decreased ability to experience gratitude, joy and appreciation while engaging in activities we consider preferable to the mundane task.

      (continued in another comment..)

    • (..continued from comment above)

      I came across one of the spiritual lenses of perceiving the scientifically confirmed truth I described above when reading some books about the practice of mindfulness.

      The Buddhists have a saying that embodies and cultivates this way of living that invites one to “Wash the dishes like they are bathing a baby Buddha”.

      In closing, I will share a quote from the Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh. He expands on the above adage, way of perceiving and engaging with each moment in life with gratitude by saying:

      “If while washing dishes, we think only of the cup of tea that awaits us, thus hurrying to get the dishes out of the way as if they were a nuisance, then we are not “washing the dishes to wash the dishes.” What’s more, we are not alive during the time we are washing the dishes. In fact we are completely incapable of realizing the miracle of life while standing at the sink. If we can’t wash the dishes, the chances are we won’t be able to drink our tea either. While drinking the cup of tea, we will only be thinking of other things, barely aware of the cup in our hands. Thus we are sucked away into the future—and we are incapable of actually living one minute of life..

      ..The profane is the sacred.

      I enjoy taking my time with each dish, being fully aware of the dish, the water, and each movement of my hands. I know that if I hurry in order to go and have dessert, the time will be unpleasant, not worth living. That would be a pity, for every second of life is a miracle. The dishes themselves and the fact that I am here washing them are miracles!

      Each thought, each action in the sunlight of awareness becomes sacred. In this light, no boundary exists between the sacred and the profane. It may take a bit longer to do the dishes, but we can live fully, happily, in every moment. Washing the dishes is at the same time a means and an end- that is, not only do we do the dishes in order to have clean dishes, we also do the dishes just to do the dishes and live fully each moment while washing them.

      If I am incapable of washing dishes joyfully, if I want to finish them quickly so I can go and have dessert and a cup of tea, I will be equally incapable of doing these things joyfully. With the cup in my hands, I will be thinking about what to do next, and the fragrance and the flavour of the tea, together with the pleasure of drinking it, will be lost. I will always be dragged into the future, never able to live in the present moment. The time of dishwashing is as important as the time of meditation.”

      [SNIP – Please keep comments to 500 words or less. Longer comments can be split into multiple posts. -JC]

  16. +1 for Gratitude: Masaru Emoto and his pictures of water crystals.

    • I am so glad you brought that up.

      Think about the implications of his experiments (which have been repeated with amazing results) when you take into account the fact that our human bodies are mostly made out of water. Essentially, we are mainly comprised of a molecule that acts as a receptive antenna for thought and emotion forms (expressed via electromagnetic fields that are emitted from the hearts and brains of our fellow conscious beings that are encoded with specific information).

      Combine that with Dr. John Hagelin’s experiments with group meditation and one can begin to grasp how immensely powerful consciously choosing to be in a state of gratitude/appreciation truly is..

      For more info on Dr. John Hagelin’s work:

      https://www.worldpeacegroup.org/washington_crime_prevention_full_article.html

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVFa6Wtuxu8

  17. I’ve noticed a change in James this year and I am sure his gratitude practice has been part of that. This video makes me love him even more! It’s wonderful to hear of a father teaching his children to be thankful.

  18. Thank you James
    You are a truly beautiful human being
    And i am truly thankful to have you in my life
    To give me an open window to the darkness in which to outshine falsity and open the space to Truth
    I give thanks to God for you

    Grace

  19. I love the Epicurus quote “Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”

    It’s good in a time of such fast change and unsteadiness in the world to stop and appreciate our blessings every day, every morning (it’s indeed Rising in our house as mourning is only for the dead and we are now very much alive again)

    After enduring with misplaced loyalty more than 20 years in a cult, subjected to humiliation and threat day after day, so much so that all appreciation for even waking every morning to find I was still here was gone, gratitude did not easily come to mind or heart.
    Now, I live every moment in gratitude 🙂 I hoped of a time when I could be free, and although I escaped with only my clothes, I am free. I found true Love and Truth, and a whole forbidden world opened up to me, I found a thousand reasons to feel blessed to be here, when the plandemic was announced and it sank in what was happening, I cried uncontrollably, I knew everything was about to change, and my fleeting feeling of carefree wholesome peace was about to be shattered once again….little did I know then what an amazing time of learning REAL Truths, and understanding REAL paradigms that had been occulted from us for generation after generation would bring so much joy and love into our lives, every day would be exciting. I’m so grateful for every moment and always try and make sure I’m really present, not worrying about the future but being present in the now, I guess we call it the present because every moment is such a gift.

    Recently i wore some beautiful gold sandals to work on a hot summers day, I knew as I was putting them on, maybe this was a bad idea, they were quite slippy and I run around a lot at work…but I ignored my intuition and wore them anyway. A couple of hours later I was lying on a cold hard floor, my hair matted in blood, not a soul around. I’d slipped and cracked my head on the edge of a sharp step. I don’t know how I managed to get down to my co-workers but I made it down a flight of stairs and somehow got home. For 4 days I lay with my head still, tightly wrapped in the same bandage that had been applied in an emergency effort to stem the flow of blood at work. I laid there and thought how grateful I was i hadn’t left this experience yet, this was a needed reminder to ALWAYS listen to my intuition, my greater consciousness, the True self, some future day may arise when I remember lying there and i trust my intuition and it just may save my life…who knows, but I’m grateful it happened.

    [SNIP – Please keep comments to 500 words or less. Longer comments can be split into multiple posts. -JC]

  20. I appreciate that was a rather long comment so may not be approved.
    Thank you anyway for a really positive Corbett-report James, am sure this will be much appreciated by all who listen to it. An exciting time to be alive for sure 🙂

  21. Happy Thanksgiving everybody! watched another great pod: I learned so much amazing stuff.

    I am thankful for knowing I’m not alone asking these questions, seeking a better life, a more pure and honest existance.
    Thankful for the little money I have to give to support these people (CR, MM, TLAV).
    Thanksful for a lot of things and I think I will actually take up that ‘giving thanks’ thing. sounds like a fun and good thing to do.

  22. Dear James,
    I’ve been thinking about this question for a long time that: why have James not talked about WWII in details at all, I did not find a single post of yours which goes in detailed reasons, initiatives and consequences of WWII as well as important players, ideologies and intentions.
    I believe for many reasons it is absolutely essential to know why WWII was formed and forced; as it very well lights up the path to their NWO; much more than what the knowledge of WWI enlighten us (and btw, let me sincerely thank you for your informative documentary on WWI).
    I hope the reason is not that you might be labeled certain labels. I’m sure you know the price of saying the truth better than many and have already paid that many times.
    I am merely someone who’s trying to gather and assemble pieces of so called “truth” creating a better picture of what has happened to humanity within the past 150 years.

    I very much hope you answer me
    Sincerely
    Candle

    • P.S. I apologize for the fact that my inquiry is not aligned with the topic of “Gratitude”, but I hereby express my utmost gratitude for all of you works and efforts.

  23. For the first time in three years we entertained 21 people for U.S.Thanksgiving! “What shall I render to the Lord for all his bounty to me?”

  24. Am grateul for the fact that:

    “Most of the large employers that opted to mandate COVID vaccines for their employees, even though the Supreme Court ruled they didn’t have to, have something in common: BlackRock and The Vanguard Group have ownership stakes in them.

    BlackRock and Vanguard, two of the world’s “Big Three” asset managers, also are among the top three shareholders of COVID vaccine makers Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson — which means the two investment giants stand to benefit from these companies’ soaring profits and the resulting rise in those companies’ stock prices.”

    https://philosophersforchange.org/2022/02/18/corporate-vaccine-mandates-and-vaccine-passports-brought-to-you-by-blackrock-and-vanguard/

    They have already carved the turkey.

  25. Thank you, James. We (M. and myself) will be forever thankful for all the work you do! And, I am also thankful to the members of the Corbett Report, for the information being shared in the comment section, and for everyone that are supporting this very important work.

    A few years back, I remember there was much talk about a specific online course in happiness. I have no idea if the course is New Age, Woke or what-have-you-got, as I have not done it myself. Last year it was even featured in The New York Times (https://archive.ph/i5jIu), so be alert. However, it is free, and maybe there are some nifty tools to pick up:

    The Science of Well-Being
    In this course you will engage in a series of challenges designed to increase your own happiness and build more productive habits. As preparation for these tasks, Professor Laurie Santos reveals misconceptions about happiness, annoying features of the mind that lead us to think the way we do, and the research that can help us change. You will ultimately be prepared to successfully incorporate a specific wellness activity into your life.
    https://www.coursera.org/learn/the-science-of-well-being

  26. I’m so happy James presented us with this Solutions Watch episode. As he demonstrates, an attitude of gratitude can be truly transformational.

    I am compelled (with Gavinm) to invoke the words of Robin Wall Kimmermer from her touching work Braiding Sweetgrass. In the chapter, Allegiance to Gratitude, she says, “It’s such a simple thing, but we all know the power of gratitude to incite a cycle of reciprocity… We know that appreciation begets abundance.”
    Here she shares the daily ‘Thanksgiving Address’ as told by Onondaga Nation of the Haudenosaunee indigenous people. Simply beautiful!
    Here is a link to the book, the chapter mentioned starts on digital page135. It is a wonderful compliment to this episode.

    https://www.pdfdrive.com/braiding-sweetgrass-indigenous-wisdom-scientific-knowledge-and-the-teachings-of-plants-e60737077.html

    I highly recommend this book as a gift for any Earth lover out there. If you have an affinity for nature, people, and plants (and excellent writing), you will love this book. But get the physical copy by publisher Milkweed Editions, it’s one of those covers that feels so good in your hands.

    As it turns out, I have the opportunity to hear Robins Wall Kimmermer speak tomorrow evening (11/30/22) in Colorado Springs. I’m very much looking forward to her presentation. So thankful for all those who share their inspiring thoughts through words.

    • Correction- Kimmerer (Not kimmermer)

    • Thanks so much for this!

      How was her presentation? 🙂

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