Reading one of my very favorite spiritual thinkers, Joel Goldsmith, an American mystic of the last century who founded a teaching called The Infinite Way, totally and radically transformed my whole approach to prayer. I read his book The Art of Spiritual Healing four times and am currently reading The Altitude of Prayer where he explains his vision clearly. (He wrote something like 30 books and lectured and taught all round the world.)
Joel states that we cannot ask God for anything whatsoever, because She has already granted us the totality of good. This comes out so clearly in the words of the father to the elder son in Jesus’ Parable of the Prodigal Son (seek book of Luke, chapter 15) This parable tells the story of the younger son of a rich landowner who asks his father for his part of the inheritance and goes and squanders it in riotous living abroad. While he is reduced to caring for pigs to survive, eating what they are eating, he repents and decides to return home and ask his father to take him back. Unbeknownst to him, his father is scrutinizing the horizon daily for his son, and when he comes home, he does not have ONE WORD of condemnation but tells his servants to dress him in a white garment (symbol of innocence), slips a ring on his finger (symbol of perfect union), and asks them to organize a big banquet with music to celebrate his return.
The elder brother, who had worked all these years without ever even partying with his friends, is very angry and refuses to join the celebration, but his father comes to him and makes the following statement – which is addressed to each of us – and represents for me the most amazing statement in the world spiritual literature: “My son, you are ever with me and ALL THAT I HAVE is yours.” All. Not most, and this includes perfect oneness with the Source and the perfect reflection of every single quality of the Source.
So, Joel concludes that we never have to ask for anything – whether for ourselves or for another – as we already have it ALL, be it perfect health, a never-ending abundance of love or joy, all we need to cover our needs in every area, etc.
I can’t think of a more positive vision of life. It also means we need never ASK for anything in prayer because we already HAVE it all. I can’t help but remember one of the two most amazing spiritual moments of my existence when I had just read how Joel healed, never ever ASKING for a healing, simply affirming the healing (perfection) was already present. He narrated how close to 35 people had been healed in a short moment by just plunging into this very special spiritual silence. For a brief moment I managed to plunge into this silence, and I felt so powerfully that there was nothing to change, to heal, to seek, for EVERYTHING was already fulfilled, perfect.
You too can reach this state of complete fullness, where gratitude replaces demand.
Why not try?
With the very gentlest rain of blessings on you,
Pierre Pradervand
December 1, 2021
