Prayer of Gratitude

I share the following prayer with you, one that I have adapted and made my own, inspired by prayers written by others. I recite this prayer regularly in the morning.

Prayer of Gratitude

In gratitude for ALL THAT IS…

I love this day and give thanks for my life!

I love the night and give thanks for the rest, regeneration, and dreaming journeys to the Void.

I love and give thanks to all Creation, and the miracle and diversity of life contained therein.

I love and give thanks to the earth, all life, and all humanity.

I love and give thanks to my soul, my essence, and the sacred marriage of spirit and matter that I am.

I love and give thanks to my emotions, and the gift of feeling my life experiences.

I love and give thanks to the embodied being that I am – every part:

• In gratitude for my eyes; may they see clearly the beauty of this world, and the next.
• In gratitude for my nose; may it smell divine essences always.
• In gratitude for my lips; may they speak my truth and the truth of ALL THAT IS.
• In gratitude for my throat; may it give strength and clarity to my voice.
• In gratitude for my ears; may they listen closely to the wisdom of ALL THAT IS.
• In gratitude for my brain; may it send and receive love-light-energy for all my life.
• In gratitude for my heart; may it remain filled with love for all creation, open to give and receive.
• In gratitude for my breasts; formed in beauty, givers of life.
• In gratitude for my belly and all internal organs; may they continue to nourish and cleanse me.
• In gratitude for my womb; may it remain filled with the powerful dreams of life.
• In gratitude for my sexuality; may it remain over-pouring with sacred pleasures.
• In gratitude for my bones, and all muscles, tendons, ligaments and connective tissues; may they remain strong and flexible in all I engage in.
• In gratitude for my veins and arteries, my lymph, and my nerves; may they remain open and flowing freely, bringing all necessary blood, oxygen, fluids, nutrients, signals and information to my entire being, and filtering out that which is no longer needed.
• In gratitude for my legs; may they stand firm and strong so as to hold my truth.
• In gratitude for my feet; may they carry me steady and solid on my own true path.
• In gratitude for my arms; may they remain open and extended to give and receive love and service to and from all.
• In gratitude for my hands; may they do my work and the work of ALL THAT IS.
• In gratitude for my skin; may it continue to protect that which is within and feel that which is without.

I extend deep gratitude and love to ALL THAT IS.

I extend deep gratitude and love to the Angels, my Guides, my Teachers, and the Ancestral Beings. Thanks be given for the love and protection, guidance and direction, sharing of experience and wisdom, and for being the seeds of my origin through the Dreaming.

I extend deep gratitude and love to the earth, the moon, the sun, all planets, stars, and celestial bodies in our solar system, and all planets, stars and celestial bodies in the entire creation.

I extend deep gratitude and love to Mother Earth/Mother Ocean, and the life she provides me with her body, breath, bones and blood. Thanks be given to all the plants and animals that give their lives so that mine may continue. Thanks be given to the water and air that flows in and out of me also giving me life. Thanks be given to the fire that warms, transforms and illuminates. Thanks be given to all the resources provided to me for body/mind/spirit so that I may continue my journey here in this space/time/consciousness.

I extend deep gratitude and love to the stones, the minerals, the plants, the flowers, the trees; the waters, the fish and all aquatic life; the air, the birds and all flying creatures; the land, the animals and insects and all humanity; the wind and weather; and all life on earth and in the entire Creation.

I extend deep gratitude and love to my blood family. To my mother and father whose love and coupling brought forth my body to house my spirit. To all the grandmothers and grandfathers, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, cousins, nieces, nephews, and my children, and to all who are yet to come.

I extend deep gratitude and love to my beloved for the deep love we share with each other, for our friendship, partnership, mirroring, and teaching. I give love and thanks to his family.

I extend deep gratitude and love to all those who have touched my life and whose lives I have touched – friends, colleagues, coworkers, students, pets, and more.

I extend deep gratitude and love to all the homes and sanctuaries that have been gifted to me on my earth journey and spirit walk. I know that wherever I am, I am home.

And in these expressions of gratitude I fill all things, all time, all space, all dimensions, all levels, all realms and all consciousness with my love, celebrating this gift of birth, life, death, love, sovereignty, and transformation now and forever more. 

Many thanks to ALL THAT IS ~ Creator/Source, Great Mystery, Great Spirit, Divine Self. Thank you, thank you, thank you, forever and always thank you for this life and all its gifts. 

And so it is… 

Aho

Neo-Pledge of Allegiance

"I pledge allegiance to the earth, the sun, the sky and the stars, and to the universe from where we came, our source, unnamable, with mystery and miracles for all." ~Jack Raymond Biesek

Jack Biesek returned to Source on June 29, 2013. I never met him, but his life essence rippled out to touch mine as I discovered his obituary on July 11. I have been deeply moved by Jack's sharing, his life essence and, since connecting with a dear friend of Jack's who is someone I do know, the fact that Jack was a "wayfinder." Yes, I feel his gentle guidance, his light, his pointing the way. And I feel joy alongside grief with the touch of Jack's ripples.

I share with you now Jack's obituary - a poor word to describe what follows, for it really isn't a notice of death, it is a notice of life and of love. Thank you, Jack, for touching my life...
-----

Jack Raymond Biesek

I have taken the liberty to write my own obituary and I beg your indulgence herewith.

Good-bye to my dear family and my life on earth, including decades of living in the garden of Eden (See Canyon and San Luis Obispo). To my many friends and acquaintances, I say thank you for a lovely life and for your kindness and affection. At the end of the day it is LOVE that we take with us and I've had a mountain of love in my life.

I look forward to the next evolution of my soul essence, for I believe that my spirit will live on in some new form and I welcome that new form. Based on what we see and the little that we know about the universe from our perspective here on earth (using our limited glimpse of life's vibratory energy based on observations of the visible spectrum of light), we are part of a huge miracle of energy flow that is beyond comprehension by the human mind (yet worth trying to comprehend as we expand our minds). I find comfort knowing that my ability to love people as well as life and the earth and the cosmos will carry me forward to a new adventure that will enhance me (and my essence).

In recent years, I developed a fondness for the universe and all it's glory. The big picture of what is going on easily supersedes the petty things in life. Our cultural beliefs, based on the media, television, history, the written word, gossip and innuendos, are comfortable distractions that are merely self limiting stories that we all believe in, and thus limit ourselves and choose to conform to "consensus reality" for the sake of comfort and security.

"Party Heart 3" by Jack Biesek

My gift of having an artist's sensibility and curiosity, as well as a love for all people, has allowed me to move a bit beyond consensus reality. This provided me with a flexible vision and a personalized life story - one that I have chosen and invented. What could be better than that? I hope you all get to live your dreams to the fullest. Life is short. Take that trip. Take that risk. Love yourself and shine your light on others.

I will leave you with my neo-pledge of allegiance (I wrote this about 10 years ago). It has replaced the American pledge for me and has been a guiding light. I hope it brings you some open-ended awareness. "I pledge allegiance to the earth, the sun, the sky and the stars, and to the universe from where we came, our source, unnamable, with mystery and miracles for all."

Kind Regards, Jack Raymond Biesek

Published in San Luis Obispo Tribune on July 7, 2013
-----
Biesek Design
California Rustic