The Gentle Art of Blessing

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Gentleness

Gentleness is a state of consciousness. We cultivate gentleness when we refuseto beat ourselves up or to be harsh with others.  When we are gentle, we acceptour humanness.  We know that no one is perfect, and we all make mistakes.So, when errors are made, we try to learn from them, and we do not blame andshame ourselves or others.  The more gentle we are, the more understandingand forgiveness we experience in our lives, and the easier it is to acknowledgeand correct our mistakes.

Opposite States of Consciousness:  Perfectionism, pressure, harshness, criticism.Intolerance, punishment, lack of forgiveness. When we see that we are beinghard on ourselves and others, we need to recognize our human imperfectionand bring compassion instead of shame and blame.  We need to soften, open ourhearts, and be gentle with ourselves and others.

The Gentle Art of Blessing

On awakening, 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 accompany them on their way and the aura of its gentle fragrance will be a light to their path.

On meeting and talking to people, bless them in their health, their work, their joy, their relationships to God, themselves, and others. Bless them in their abundance, 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 of joy 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 streetsweepers, 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 them 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 wellspring in the innermost 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 think or speak 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 of sun 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 that 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 its inmates in their innocence and freedom, their gentleness, pure essence and unconditional forgiveness; for one can only be 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, this 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 to judge at the same time. So hold constantly as a deep, hallowed, intoned thought that desire to bless, for truly then shall you become a peacemaker, and one day you shall, everywhere, behold the very face of God.

The Gentle Inward Gaze

That so gifted, sensitive Irish writer John O’Donohue once wrote this moving statement:

“Let there be gentleness in your gaze when you look within”.

So many of us can sometimes be so tough with ourselves.

Yet the incredible, divine, unconditionally loving Being which runs this amazing show called “the universe” of which we are in the front seats, sees in every single reader of this blog – every single one, no exceptions of any sort – only the beauty and perfection it created.

So next time you are inclined to say, “Oh you ….. (expletive, expletive and … !)” why not BLESS yourself instead.

So next time your mind pushes you to be extra tough with yourself (e.g. for losing your temper or making an unkind remark) ask yourself “Is this divine Love talking to me?” Then smile and gently bless yourself in your serenity or your kindness.

And remember, through you, divine Love is blessing Itself – because it knows there is no separation!


Pierre Pradervand studied at the universities of Geneva, Bern and at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor before receiving a Doctorate in sociology from La Sorbonne University. A true world citizen, Pierre has labored most of his life for social justice, living in or visiting 40 countries on every continent. From his Geneva home Pierre is now active as a writer, speaker and workshop facilitator, helping people to live simpler, yet richer, more contented lives. His workshops provide personal development tools that empower attendees to strengthen their internal anchors and advance on their spiritual path. Pierre is also an independent celebrant for weddings, burials and other events.

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