How to Have a More Meaningful Thanksgiving

We all have idealized notions about how we want our holidays to look. This week is a great time to ask yourself what you envision as the ideal Thanksgiving gathering. This will look different for everyone. For some, the perfect day involves family members gathering in the kitchen to prepare the feast, while loved ones play Scrabble in the living room. Others look forward to football games and others are gearing up for Black Friday shopping trips.

It is no wonder that Thanksgiving — which kicks off the whole holiday season in American culture — tends to make some people melancholy. On a more personal note, no one seems to have the exact same picture as yours when it comes to envisioning what a perfect holiday would look like. It can seem like everyone just wants everyone else’s notions to fit perfectly into their own. When that doesn’t happen, they are disappointed.

Look deeper.

Thanksgiving is a time to let go and relax into the depth of your being — that which is pure satisfaction and that which loves unconditionally. We all share the same one humanity. Your friends and loved ones join you on a level that transcends idealized notions. It is the level of universality. The power of Thanksgiving dwells there. With the attention of so many focused on that level, Thanksgiving becomes a profoundly healing and evolutionary time for all. Having your attention on that level assures a beautiful Thanksgiving.

Get the depth right, and all else takes care of itself.

Thanksgiving is the one day each year that we set aside to be thankful for all the good that exists in our world. It is a day to count our blessings and release our cares. Do not underestimate the powerful blessing we all receive by joining in the national group consciousness of that gratitude. Rest into that, and you will have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Let us all be thankful for our lives and for one another.

Dr. Michael Mamas is the founder of The Center of Rational Spirituality, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the betterment of humanity through the integration of ancient spiritual wisdom with modern rational thought. From personal issues to global trends, Dr. Michael Mamas helps individuals and organizations develop a deeper understanding and more comprehensive outlook by providing a ‘bridge’ between the abstract and concrete, the Eastern and Western, and the ancient and modern. Dr. Michael Mamas has been teaching for 35 years (including the U.S., India, Europe, and Canada) and writes on a variety of subjects on his blog, MichaelMamas.net.