The Art of Blessing
As I was looking at the sales numbers for a variety of affirmations and meditations that I have put out in the world to help people I was astonished by an observation that started me thinking about both the art and the science of blessing.
When I saw that one of the most popular individual downloads from my two affirmation collections was the track labeled “thank you blessing” I was amazed.
What amazed me the most is how hungry people are to have the energy of the Divine affirmed and expressed in their life.
In the past hundred years or so, as the world has become more and more secular, the concept of blessing has fallen by the wayside. Little traditions and rituals of incorporating God into our lives are no longer woven into the daily fabric of life. Subtle conventions of speech and thoughts have changed. This may seem insignificant unless we consider this from the perspective of the principle that “energy follows thought.” The change in popular thought about the subject and meaning of blessing has had an unintended consequence on our society and our world of disconnecting us from our experience of the Divine.
By changing our thinking and simple changes in our patterns of speech we can begin to restore the peace and serenity that blessing extends because the principle that energy follows thought is a real and underlying truth in the world. We can individually return to the concept of blessing one another and invite blessing back into our human experience by extending blessings to one another.
Let us consider some of the ways that humankind has engaged in blessing throughout time. In much of the world, particularly India and Asia, blessing was extended as people greeted one another with “Namaste”. The meaning of this Sanskrit word used to greet and acknowledge another is “The Divine spark in me recognizes and honors the Divine spark in you.”
I honor the place in you where Spirit lives
I honor the place in you which is
of Love, of Truth, of Light, of Peace,
when you are in that place in you,
and I am in that place in me,
then we are One.
– Namaste Greeting
The powerful and wonderful part of this blessing, when used as a greeting from the perspective of the principle of energy following thought, is that in using this blessing you must first make a connection with your own Divine spark, your Higher Self or Soul. By affirming the truth that you are first affirming your alignment with the Divine, then recognizing and honoring or supporting that consciousness in the other. It is interesting to observe that the tradition extends to bringing your hands together and executing a slight bow as a physical expression of the blessing. The small bow remains in the interactions of most of the Asian cultures still today.
It is also interesting to note that in the cultures who have maintained these rituals the society is, in general, a little more respectful and mutually supportive than western societies where the thoughts and art of blessing have been left behind as archaic. As honoring and acknowledging God as a source and strength in our world, the benefits of blessing have waned and left us with a world where values such as truth and honor have become old-fashioned and are no longer pursued.
These subtle shifts in the consciousness of individuals and the consciousness of society has created an atmosphere of selfishness and self-involvement that are having a profound effect on the world. It is certainly easier to be greedy, depriving others of dignity if you do not consciously value them. It is certainly harder when, even on a very subtle level even with a habitual speech pattern, you honor them and acknowledge them as a part of the Divine, and identify yourself as such.
Consider that by not blessing and honoring another you may be in some way impacted. These subtle shifts we have seen in our society away from charity to greed, from honor to corruption may take root in our failure to honor and bless one another.
If we look at the residuals of traditional speech patterns we will see that blessing was once built in. From the simple tradition of saying “Bless you” when someone sneezes to the once very prevalent phrase of the American South “Bless his or her heart”, it is clear to see that the concept of blessing one another was woven into the fabric of right speech and right human relations, both values that have diminished as the traditions of blessing have been diminished in our society.
On a very subtle level, just the simple act of saying “God Bless You” when someone sneezes is an affirmation and statement of faith that God has power over evil. This is because this tradition emerged from the old belief that when someone sneezes they lose consciousness for a brief span of time and it was believed that in that loss of conscious thought evil could enter them while they were unconscious or unaware. Therefore invoking the blessing of God was a way to dispel evil to return the individual to control.
Likewise the traditional phrase of the American South of “Bless his heart” activated compassion for the individual and again very subtly acknowledged the power of God in right human relations. As the words are said, thoughts are engendered, again because of the principle that “energy follows thought.”
In most of Asia, the residual tradition of the slight bow, left over from the Namaste Blessing, shows respect and honor. It is certainly much harder to cheat, demean or ignore the principles of right human relationships when you are even on a ritualized basis acknowledging their humanity and equality with you, and you are affirming their unity with the Divine.
The greed and the selfishness that have become such a profound problem in the global society in which we live, feed upon this illusion of separation that the loss of blessing has engendered in the world. Certainly, it is much easier to cheat someone, take advantage of someone or in some way misuse someone if you see them as separate from you.
It is harder to treat someone abusively if you
acknowledge their unity with the Divine.
– Genevieve Gerard
I am sure Jesus was aware of this when he issued the guidance for right action with the phrase “yeah though you have done it unto the least of my brethren, you have done it unto me.”
As I write these words and consider more and more the importance and value of our blessing one another I am grateful that my exercise of accessing the popularity of my closing blessing has clarified for me the importance of building back into our life the art of blessing. Therefore, I would like to recommend that each and every one of us consider a way we could create the power of blessing into our lives.
As William Shakespeare wrote in The Merchant of Venice, “it blesses him that gives and him that takes”, it is impossible to bless someone without also receiving a blessing yourself. As I wrote in one of my most popular affirmations in my affirmation CD ‘Soaring to Success’ “As I help others I help myself.” This is especially true when giving a blessing.
For me, I will practice what I am preaching (so to speak) or walk my talk as the expression goes, by continuing to add to the conclusion of each offering I put out in the world my blessing, which comes sincerely from my heart as I conclude with Namaste, The Blessing of Love on all that you do.
Perhaps the simple act of adding Namaste to your greetings to others, friends, family or associates will help to return the art of blessing to the world. That energy follows thought is a firm and irrevocable principle of universal laws so even if you do not say anything, but think when you greet someone “the Divinity in me recognizes and honors the Divinity in you”, you are affirming your own role of co-creator in your life and also affirming their alignment and empowerment with the Divine.
In doing this, in your thoughts and in your heart, you are strengthening your own connection with the Divine, and the connection with your Soul or Higher Self. Blessing is a powerful act that needs to be returned to our traditions and our interactions with one another. By adding the art of blessing to your relationships you are making a decision to consciously enter into right speech and right human relations.
This is a powerful choice that can have far-reaching benefits, both to you and to the world around you. Therefore I enjoin you to bless one another as an act of love, honor, and respect, full knowing that the energy that goes out into the world with each and every blessing you give helps to make the world a better place.
I invite you and encourage you to be a source of blessing in the world by extending thoughts of blessing to others as you move through your life. When you see someone in need, bless them. When you observe someone who is upset or sorrowful, bless them. Practice blessing others in little ways throughout the day. By doing this you will invite blessing into your own life and become a subtle force for good in the word.
Thank you.
Namaste,
Genevieve
The Blessing of Love on All That You Do!
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Last updated 2-4-2018
Copyright © 2014-2018 Genevieve Gerard and Touch of the Soul
