The Gentle Art of Blessing
As Spring turns to summer, allergies are visiting some folks and the sounds of sneezes and the follow-on remark “God Bless You” are both in the wind. Saying or sending that blessing is a cultural norm and I can’t help but wonder why we don’t do it as a practice. Apparently, that is not an original idea. The book by the same title as this blog, is a pure work or art, of love and of a spiritual practice that is life changing. I speak from experience.
The writer, Pierre, stumbled upon blessing from a serious challenge. He found himself leaving a job he loved for reasons of conflict and hurt feelings and his heart was filled with that poison sometimes known as blame. When he noticed how miserable he was, he began blessing the parties involved on an almost constant basis. As his heart healed and lifted, he realized what a joy and a gift this idea of blessing in our lives could be- An act that could actually lead to both personal and global transformation.
I may be on the 4th or 5th read of his book and each and every time, I find myself called more and more to this practice. Not just when a crisis occurs but when I see my grocery clerk, or a traffic jam, or kids I see on the playground. The definition of blessing is a sincere desire for the absolute good in the situation you are blessing and seeing the truth before the behavior. Seeing the innocence that is always behind the action that can disturb and blessing with the opposite. So, when you see someone shop lifting, you don’t bless that but rather you bless them in abundance and in enoughness as the truth – and knowing that truth can occur to them in any moment.
The opportunities and circumstances are infinite – from global crises to political nightmares. Part of the reason I am so in love with this practice is that it gives me something to do when I feel helpless or frustrated that things don’t change. I can lean into the truth of who we are all trying to be – peaceful, happy and loving.
The book is filled with miracles of what can happen when we begin to bless everyone and everything. The key word in the definition is SINCERE. This is not a fake it till you make it practice. You open your heart to the truth and put your love and well wishes on wings to fly to the person or the situation at hand. I have been doing this now for well over a year – Yes I forget in some moments – but it always comes back to me from my deep intention and here is what I notice. The stuck place in me of hurt or anger shifts immediately. Compared to the hours I have spent at times trying to forgive and forget, this qualifies as a true miracle. Next something always shifts in the interaction -sometimes quickly- sometimes a few weeks later but it has never failed. I could write another book about what blessing brings but outcome is not the point….its what happens in the moment – and what follows is both a surprise and a promise. The surprise is you never can know what good is going to show up next. The promise is – GOOD will always show up….
So whether you are sneezing or not, I am sending you a blessing. A blessing of joy and faith, a blessing in knowing the beautiful being that you are, and the blessing that life bestows in every moment. You increase your odds exponentially of receiving a blessing, when you are giving one (preferably many). Please try it or read the book or bless yourself…
