As we enter 2023, our world is in dire straits, to say the least. Tragic situations exist on every continent, from the war in Ukraine, to countries on the brink of famine in Africa, deadly floods in Asia and South America, fires, deforestation, Syrian and other refugee crises, catastrophic climate-related events … and the list goes on. Joel S. Goldsmith, a mystic and spiritual teacher of the last century, had this advice for us regarding our quiet mediation/prayer times (and that includes the practice of blessing) …” give three periods out of every twenty-four hours to the world. This is your contribution to world freedom. …That is your gift to the world – little enough to give for the priceless gift you have received. Through these meditations …you are creating in humankind the desire for spirituality, a hunger and thirst for spiritual righteousness and freedom.”
The Heart of Mysticism, Joel S. Goldsmith
Time to wake up, roll up our (spiritual) sleeves, and get to work!
For a Rapid Awakening of World Consciousness
A blessing by Pierre from 365 Blessings to Heal Myself and the World
“We bless our fellow citizens on this planet that they may awaken to the fact that the house is on fire and that, as a race, we are facing unprecedented challenges to our survival.
May we become conscious of the accumulation of dangers in key areas of existence: the environment, huge and still growing gaps between the rich and the poor, the risk of tens of millions of citizens in threatened areas migrating to Europe or elsewhere, the survival of numerous species, and so many other threats that require our concerned attention and involvement.
May we have the courage to challenge the powers that be that, faced with the huge difficulties of today’s world, they take more than purely symbolic or dilatory measures and that our mainline media dare expose the hard facts rather than continue serving us soporific doses of entertainment and juicy scandals – not exactly the urgent call to action we are in so dire need of.
May we have the deep desire to seek guidance as to what each of us can do as a person co-responsible for the survival of the planet.
And we bless ourselves in our integrity and vision that our concrete commitment to action may be daily more aligned with our words and beliefs.”
A growing sense of oneness
In a world that sometimes seems to be coming apart when viewed from a purely outside, material viewpoint, one of the most comforting and hopeful signs in the growing sense of oneness that is experienced by millions and probably tens of millions if not more. This is accompanied by the appearance of more and more nondual teachings in line with great nondual teachers of the last century like Ramana Maharshi (in the East) and Joel Goldsmith (in the West). This movement has been immeasurably accelerated by the development of internet and other forms of instant communication. And even the great religions, some of which in a recent past were still warring with each other, are getting closer and closer as books like “The Mystical Heart” by Wayne Teasdall or movements like the World Parliament of Religions illustrate.
This growing sense of oneness extends far beyond the human family and is reaching out towards the animal kingdom and the environment. Fascinating experiences on communication with animals are teaching us that, contrary to a completely outdated but still widespread belief, certain animals have a real conscience – and this could even extend to certain forms of the natural world although this might imply a redefining of the term “consciousness”.
This growing sense of oneness is especially visible on the human scene. My neighbor is no longer just my geographical neighbor, but any human being on the planet, be it a Bushman from the Kalahari or a death row inmate in Texas. I was fascinated to discover just a few years ago an old Aramaic version of the second commandment (Jesus spoke in Aramaic) which, instead of the traditional dualist version of the Second Commandment (“love your neighbor as yourself”) states: “Love your neighbor who IS yourself”. This is the most radical dismantling of any sense of separation conceivable – especially if you include the animals and the environment in all its forms in the word “neighbor”, as suggested by Joel Goldsmith. My practice of blessing is being completely challenged and enriched when on the bus I silently state, as I look at someone, “I bless you, e.g., in your closeness to your divine Source, for you are I and I am you.”
The non-dual spirituality of today is necessarily service-oriented. If my neighbor is myself, I cannot just state this in front of my private altar and let it stay there. If this spirituality is worth its salt, it will be concerned with some form of active service to the world. This doesn’t have to mean running around doing things. It can mean being in deep prayer for the world in one’s room, or, as a great healer I know of, taking over a hundred phone calls per day in the silence of his office, most of them ending in healings. But it does mean a heart so overflowing with compassion it takes in the whole world to bless and heal it.
Pierre Pradervand
January 2023