Covering the World in Love:
Do you pray? Do you send out blanket prayers for the world? I do.
They are dreams I release into the Universe for the well-being of this magnificent planet and all who dwell upon it.
I call them blanket prayers because I intend them to cover the whole of life—every soul, every creature, every leaf—with appreciation, blessing, and alignment.
A blanket prayer is a quilt of gratitude, stitched together with love.
When Too Much Equals None
My prayers are mostly non-religious. I grew up in a family with too much religion and no religion. We were a diverse lineage of beliefs, rituals, and cultures—so many that I inherited none.
Except this: a daily practice of whispering gratitude and benevolence.
“Thank you” was the keynote of every prayer then, and it still is now.
Gratitude is the prayer that never expires.
Ancestral Wounds, Universal Truths
I also carry the ancestral wound of a beloved relative who was cast out of his family of origin because he dared to marry outside their faith. That heartbreak made me extremely sensitive to the madness of rejecting, condemning, or even killing others simply because they worship differently.
If the point of religion—and of life itself—is love and unity, why do we divide in the name of God?
Whatever our path, we all understand the language of loving kindness and gratitude.
One Sun, One Breath, One Humanity
We are all fueled by the same sun, bathed in the same moonlight, kissed by the same stars.
We breathe as one.
Like it or not, we are one—and of the One.
If we could move beyond personalities and judgments, perhaps we would awaken to the shimmering gift of our shared humanity, and to the beauty of our shared home.
We breathe one breath, under one sky.
From Othering to Belonging
What would happen if, instead of praying for the downfall of others, we prayed with gratitude?
What if, instead of clutching fear, we cradled the world in benevolence?
What if, instead of dividing, we embraced the expansive love we were born for?
Othering is the nightmare. Belonging is the awakening.
The Embrace of Blanket Prayers
That is what my blanket prayers do. They wrap the world, cradle it, hold it close—in love, in unity, like a giant, colorful quilt that embraces us all. And from within that shelter of love, these prayers arise:
May we humans become humane.
May we celebrate our differences as treasures.
May we create and generously share our gifts.
May we know and live peace.
May we live and let live, love and let love.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
~ ✦ ~