On awaking, bless this day, for it is already full of unseen good which your blessings will call forth; for to bless is to acknowledge the unlimited good that is embedded in the very texture of the universe and awaiting each and all.
On passing people in the street, on the bus, in places of work and play, bless them. The peace of your blessing will companion them on their way, and the aura of its gentle fragrance will be a light on their path.
On meeting people and talking to them, bless them in their health, their work, their joy, their relationship to the universe, themselves and others. Bless them in their abundance and their finances... bless them in every conceivable way, for such blessings not only sow seeds of healing but one day will spring forth as flowers in the waste places of your own life.
As you walk, bless the city in which you live, its government and teachers, its nurses and street sweepers, its children and bankers, its priests and prostitutes. The minute anyone expresses the least aggression or unkindness to you, respond with a blessing: bless them totally, sincerely, joyfully, for such blessings are a shield which protects you from the ignorance of their misdeed, and deflects the arrow that was aimed at you.
To bless means to wish, unconditionally, total, unrestricted good for others and events from the deepest chamber of your heart: it means to hallow, to hold in reverence, to behold with utter awe that which is always a gift from the Creator. He who is hallowed by your blessing is set aside, consecrated, holy, whole. To bless is yet to invoke divine care upon, to speak or think gratefully for, to confer happiness upon - although we ourselves are never the bestower, but simply the joyful witnesses of Life's abundance.
To bless all without discrimination of any sort is the ultimate form of giving, because those you bless will never know from whence came the sudden ray that burst through the clouds of their skies, and you will rarely be a witness to the sunlight in their lives.
When something goes completely askew in your day, some unexpected event knocks down your plans and you too also, burst into blessing: for life is teaching you a lesson, and the very event you believe to be unwanted, you yourself called forth, so as to learn the lesson you might balk against were you not to bless it. Trials are blessings in disguise, and hosts of angels follow in their path.
To bless is to acknowledge the omnipresent, universal beauty hidden to material eyes; it is to activate the law of attraction which, from the furthest reaches of the universe, will bring into your life exactly what you need to experience and enjoy.
When you pass a prison, mentally bless it’s inmates in their innocence and freedom, their gentleness, pure essence and unconditional forgiveness; for one can only be a prisoner of one’s self-image, and a free man can walk unshackled in the courtyard of a jail, just as citizens of countries where freedom reigns can be prisoners when fear lurks in their thoughts.
When you pass a hospital, bless its patients in their present wholeness, for even in their suffering, their wholeness awaits in them to be discovered. When your eyes behold a man in tears, or seemingly broken by life, bless him in his vitality and joy: for the material senses present but the inverted image of the ultimate splendor and perfection which only the inner eye beholds.
It is impossible to bless and judge at the same time. So hold constantly as a deep, hallowed, intoned thought the desire to bless, for truly then shall you become a peacemaker, and one day you shall behold, everywhere, the very face of God.
P.S. And of course, above all, do not forget to bless the utterly beautiful person YOU are. — From “The Gentle Art of Blessing” by Pierre Pradervand
Valeria interviews Pierre.
Pierre Pradervand was born May 31, 1937 and grew up in London and Geneva. He studied at the universities of Geneva, Berne, and Ann Arbor, Michigan. Bearer of a doctorate in sociology from La Sorbonne University, Pierre worked for decades in personal development and social justice.
His impressive career includes assignments in 40 countries on five continents as a researcher, coordinator of development programs, journalist, and international adviser. A sought-after speaker by French and English-speaking audiences, Pierre now lives in Switzerland where he writes, gives workshops on personal development and how to include spirituality in everyday life, all of them bearing the "living in a different way” energy. Pierre is also a professional celebrant.
For over 20 years he has been accompanying an amazing Afro-American death row inmate from Texas who has become a spiritual model for hundreds around the world (see his book on Roger W. McGowen, Messages of Life from Death Row). He also volunteers with a Geneva-based international NGO, the Women’s World Summit Foundation which is active in the field of decreasing violence against women and children (see www.woman.ch),
Author of 17 books (in French), his best-known English books are The Gentle Art of Blessing, 365 Blessings to Heal Myself and the World and Messages of Life from Death Row.
To learn more about Pierre Pradervand please visit his website: http://pierrepradervand.com/
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— This podcast is a quest for well-being, a quest for a meaningful life to the exploration of fundamental truths, enlightening ideas, insights on physical, mental, and spiritual health. The inspiration is Love. The aspiration is to awaken new ways of thinking that can lead us to a new way of being, being well.
