Practicing the First Principle

The First Principle for many is aspirational it that it calls us to an ever wider circle of compassion and greater embodiment of this vision in thought, word, and deed.  Mere will power will not suffice to change our behavior and hearts. Intellectual rigor, growing in emotional and social intelligence, and spiritual practices all contribute to the slow shift that opens our hearts, minds, and hands to greater service in the world.  We cannot merely craft the right form for the First Principle, discuss it, and recite it -  we must practice it.

First Principle practices are those that move us toward an ethic and gestalt that embraces compassion towards all that is rapidly responsive, and increasingly powerful and relevant.  The following video is one such practice.  It includes an adaption for a Zuni Pueblo prayer:

I add my breath to your breath

That our days be long

That the days of all beings

May be-long.

In this video I speak of how this practice draws us to greater love towards others, including other species, those who hurt others, and our perceived enemies.  It takes place in Honduras and involves the Miskito people there who see their flourishing tied up with the well being of their lands and fellow beings, especially the scarlet macaw they protect.  They know they must nurture all of nature if all of nature is to flourish.