Image by Adri Marie
"We need to embrace the planet and its inhabitants with the same care and concern we feel for ourselves. There are no “others” on this planet, no strangers. We are all partners, fellow explorers of the realms of life on a small and already overpopulated and overexploited planet. We are together, for better or for worse. If we bless those around us rather than trying to outcompete and eliminate them, we can be together for the better. This is the lesson we need to learn. It is a lesson we can all learn – and we can all benefi t from.
"Given that our world is one and that we are part of it, the answer as to what we can accomplish by coming together and feeling and acting together is clear. We can create a better world – more fair and equitable, and more caring. And, at the same time, more sustainable, because caring for the planet is part of our caring for everything and everyone around us. With a new view of the world supporting a new consciousness, we could transcend the quagmire of the current crisis and set out on the path we were meant to follow: a path of cooperation and harmony, leading to the flourishing of one and all.
"It is time to get started. Everyone can offer blessings every day." --- Ervin Laszlo, from the Foreword of 365 Blessings to Heal Myself and the World.
There are many reasons to bless. We bless to help heal society. We bless to get out of the shell or cave of our little egos and open up to the world. We bless as a wonderful way of practicing mindfulness and staying present to the present – anywhere. We bless because it is a highly efficient way of solving relationship problems and personal challenges. Ultimately, however, I personally see blessing as an expression of growing in love, which I believe is our ultimate reason for being here.
A Blessing for Water
(Editor's Note: World Water Day is observed annually on March 22nd. This date was set by the United Nations to highlight the importance of freshwater and to advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.)
75% of the planet’s surface and close to 70% of the human adult body is constituted of one of the most amazing substances ever created, possibly the most amazing on our planet – water. Just to list its main properties would easily cover two pages, so I will not even start! Yet humankind has been squandering, privatizing and polluting it at an amazing rate, so much so that at least 36 countries (2014) are under extreme stress in terms of water resources.
I bless myself and humanity in general in our wise use of this incredible gift of Providence.
I bless us in seeing that all life on the planet depends on it – and hence respecting it totally wherever it may be.
I bless us in our firm intention to pool our divine intelligence and immense resources of all sorts to devise ways to avoid squandering or polluting it needlessly.
I bless the multinationals that are privatizing water and often forcing the poorest of the poor to pay for this gift nature offers free to all that their leaders allow Grace to kindle their compassion, that they may reconsider and revise their policies.
And I bless the public in its readiness to change its purchasing habits to support those companies that have a non-exploitative policy towards water use and commercialization.
I bless the scientists and others working to cleanse the oceans, lakes and rivers in their creativity that they may devise ever more efficient ways of protecting this God-given resource.
And I bless politicians everywhere that they awaken to the critical state of world water, choose to put this issue high up on their political agenda – and especially have the courage to exert maximum efforts to achieve this aim, whatever the political cost.
On the Interconnection of All Things
One of the greatest wonders of this incredible planet and universe we live in is that everything is connected to everything.
Amit Ray (Yoga and Vipassana: An Integrated Lifestyle) has written that:
“We are all so deeply interconnected; we have no option but to love all. Be kind and do good to anyone and that will be reflected. The ripples of the kind heart are the highest blessings of the universe.”
Blessing for Our Incredible Universe
I bless this incredible universe of Love’s creation where the smallest molecule is connected to the farthest galaxy.
May I realize that I am connected to every single human being and beast on earth, hence that I am inextricably linked to the child dying in a Calcutta shanty town, the worst murderer on death row, the greatest saint or mafia leader, the mayor of my city and the most gifted pianist; to the rhinos being killed to extinction and the fish disappearing from over-fishing – all, somewhere, are linked to my own survival.
May I see that I am totally connected to this planet which offers me freely the air I breathe and the water I drink, the food I eat and the wildlife and flora I admire and hence that our destinies are linked and interlocked.
And may I rejoice that this is because ALL IS INFINITE LOVE AND ITS INFINITE MANIFESTATION. What greater blessing than to be the expression of this Love!
© Copyright by Pierre Pradervand. All Rights Reserved.
Reprinted with permission from the author's blog, and from
the book "365 Blessings to Heal Myself and the World"
Book by this Author:
BOOK: The Gentle Art of Spiritual Discernment
The Gentle Art of Spiritual Discernment: A Guide to Discovering Your Personal Path
by Pierre Pradervand.
In this guide, Pierre Pradervand offers support for those embarking on an authentic spiritual search. He focuses in depth on helping you answer three fundamental questions: Who am I deep down? What am I really looking for in my spiritual quest? What is the deep motivation of my search? He shows how integrity, generosity, and discernment are essential components of any lasting spiritual path.Showing how to cultivate your inner voice and intuition to become your own empowered spiritual authority, this guide reveals how to see more clearly, open your spiritual horizons, and move toward your own unique spiritual path.
About The Author
Pierre Pradervand is the author of The Gentle Art of Blessing. He has worked, travelled and lived in over 40 countries on five continents, and has been leading workshops and teaching the art of blessing for many years, with remarkable responses and transformational results.
For over 20 years Pierre has been practising blessing and collecting testimonies of blessing as a tool for healing the heart, mind, body and soul.
Visit his website at https://gentleartofblessing.org
