The Power of Blessing with Pierre Pradervand - Part 1 | QL033

We are well familiar with religious blessings given by priests in a church, and a well-meaning “bless you!” response when someone sneezes.

The roots of this somewhat peculiar blessing go back to ancient times, when people believed that sneezing would allow evil spirits to enter the body, and saying “God bless you!” would keep them out. Another theory goes that when the first plague was ravaging the Christian Roman Empire (around 590), Pope Gregory the Great believed that a sneeze was an early warning sign of plague and so he commanded Christians to respond to a sneeze with "God bless you!" in hope that the blessing will protect them from an otherwise certain death. Some believe that a sneeze expels negative energy from the body - whether sickness or evil spirits - and a blessing will close off the expelling channel to ensure that those nasty energies will not come back. In all accounts, blessing has been used for millennia as a spiritual protection - and for good reason, too.

So, when someone sneezes, you instinctively say: "bless you!" - but did you know how powerful is a blessing you give to another person or to yourself? In this 2-part special episode we explore the oldest spiritual tradition known to humankind. What is blessing? What powers does it have? Is blessing reserved to priests only or can anyone use this secret and sacred power to raise the energy vibration of a person, situation, and the world? Listen to some amazing stories of mystical experiences of someone who's been practising blessing for decades, and so is clearly an expert on this subject matter.

Pierre Pradervand is a sociologist, author, spiritual thinker, speaker and workshop leader. He grew up in London and Geneva, and 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 lived in or visited 40 countries across all continents. Pierre has written 16 books, the most acclaimed of which are:

The Gentle Art of Blessing
365 Blessings to Heal Myself and the World
Messages of Life from Death Row
Listening to Africa

From his home in Geneva, Pierre works as a writer, speaker and workshop facilitator, helping people to live simpler, yet richer lives that embrace spirituality (as opposed to religion).

Key takeaways from this episode:

love is ALL there is - and this is not just a fluffy statement
every blessing sends a positive energy of high vibration to a person or situation.
cumulatively, blessings raise the vibration of Mother Earth
when you bless someone less fortunate - never come from pity. Bless them with compassion claiming their spiritual wholeness and perfection with love
blessing opens up your heart and uplifts the person you are blessing
blessing benefits you as much as the person you are blessing
a daily practice of blessing will eliminate any negative emotions you may experience
you cannot bless and judge at the same time
the key ingredients of blessing are..... (listen to find out!)