Appreciation is the seventh bead of the the blessing cord. It is the air of Netzach. In this sphere comes the vision of beauty triumphant. Appreciating the beauty with in our selves and our surroundings can bring on spiritual insight. People take for granted the beauty and pleasure in their lives. If they are not putting attention on the things that they want to have in their lives in a positive way they begin to attract only that which they don’t want. By turning our attention to appreciating something, we change our vibration. Taking time to smell the roses, enjoy a good cup of tea, or just telling ourselves how much we love ourselves in the mirror is a practice that can change our relationships to the world and our selves.
Some Hawaiian traditions use a technique to gain the attention of the higher self and be able to commune with it. To do this they think of a beautiful scene or observe some thing beautiful. They believe that when you are appreciating something beautiful you begin to raise your vibration to align with your higher self. They use this method before they do a working or prayer. It also raises the vibration of their mana, or energy as we would say it.
When we appreciate the beauty or value of something we begin to come into a better relationship with it. One of the principles of Huna is to love is to be happy with. This principle states that if you can love something just the way it is then you can be happy with it. For me love is too broad a term and I use appreciate. If you can appreciate something, you can be happy with it. All things have a level of consciousness; when we are appreciating something we are sending high vibrational energy too it. Since everything has a level of consciousness the thing you are sending appreciation to responds. It is through this principle that they find the power of blessing.
When you bless something with the energy of your appreciation, you change it to be in right relationship with you. Take rain, for example. Here in the Northeastern U.S. we have a lot of rain. People cuss out the rain when it comes and the rain starts to move away from right relationship by coming too often or by not coming at all. Instead if you bless and appreciate the rain by thinking about its good points, you come into right relationship with it and it is more accommodating to come just enough. Next time you are at the supermarket and it suddenly starts to downpour, start appreciating all that the rain is doing for the earth, your town, how it feels and how beautiful it is. Then when you have established the right relationship with it by blessing it, ask it to let up a bit so you can get to your car. You will be amazed by the result. By loving something as it is, you can come into right relationship with it and it can change more easily for you.
Meditation of appreciation:
Hold the seventh bead of your blessing cord. The bead of appreciation, the bead of air in Netzach.
Count yourself down in to a meditative state.
Allow the screen of your mind to expand until it is sphere around you. Feel the sensation of rising as a green light begins to fill the sphere around you. Resonate the god name of Netzach: Yod-heh-vau-Heh Tza-ba-oth
Become aware of your perception of how your energy level feels. Feel the energies of the green light around you. Ask to be transported to a place of beauty. The light seems to recede around you and you find yourself in a place of beauty. Observe what is around you. Appreciate the surroundings and the beauty within them. See not only the superficial physical beauty, but the marvels of the scene and its place in the grand design of spirit. Spend a little longer then you normally would appreciating the beauty. When you are done the green light returns to fill the space around you. Once again become aware of your energy level. Has it changed?
Call up the mirror of Venus before you. This mirror can be any kind, as long as it is large enough that you can see yourself and the space around you. Look into the mirror and observe yourself. What do you like best about yourself? Concentrate on that and appreciate it. Send your attention to every amazing thing about you that you can think of. This could be as simple as appreciating the way your hands work. When you feel done making lists of what you appreciate about yourself check in with your energy level. How does it feel now that you have appreciated the beauty within you?
Behind you reflected in the mirror are some of your friends. They come forward and as they stand next to you you can feel a connection to their consciousness. In this space it is easy for you to switch points of view to get an outside opinion of what is appreciated about you. Use this connection to switch your point of view to theirs. See what it is they appreciate about you. When you feel like you have gotten what you need switch the your point of view back to yourself. You may have multiple friends appear in the mirror of Venus. Change points of view easily between them until you are done. Once again check in with your energy level? Has it changed?
Begin to feel a gentle descent as the green light begins to fade from your sphere. Your sphere returns to the screen of your mind’s natural size and shape.
Count yourself up into waking consciousness.
Give yourself clearance and balance. Ground if necessary.
Contemplation:
When you appreciate something just as it is do you have the same relationship with it as when you didn’t? Can you find the beauty in any given situation? Does finding the beauty change your emotions and your outlook?
