Yesterday was the first day of a Radiate Blessings Challenge I signed up for with Briana Borten. She offered a meditation to get us started and listening to it, I felt like my mind was all over the place and was having trouble focusing. But I wrote down what came to me and moved on to the other things I had on my list for the day.
This morning I revisited what I wrote down and realized there was something there for me. One of the ways I sink into something and help it sink into me is by writing it out in my art journal.
It came to me that I was challenged by my wording. Briana suggested to start our blessing with our name and “I bless you with…”. I struggled a bit with that and found my struggle might have a message for me–a challenge. When writing a blessing I like to start with “May“. It is a bit different than the statement “Christine, I bless you“. It presumes that I can bless myself! Ooo… That is where I find the resistance. I have no problem giving others blessings, so why do I struggle with giving one to myself? Can I not recognize God in me? Can I not receive God in me? A challenge to ponder I decided but not overthink.
Here is the blessing I wrote.
“Hope” and “trust” are standing out to me. I want that. I want others to have it too if they need it, so my blessing is cyclical and I want to extend it out to to others that might need it.
I love when I can see little synchronicities. It make me smile and wonder if they could be little messages for me. So, yesterday when I read the daily email I received Richard Rohr’s words from The Center for Action and Contemplation, that little voice whispered to me “yes” and “listen”.
This the part that stood out to me:
Then today I read the daily message form Abbey of the Arts, which also comes in my email:
Maybe I “should” end this post with the three images above (better for design to have uneven numbers?), but something else came to me.
I try to attend an ecumenical Sunday Evening Gathering in town whenever I am able. One of the songs that we often end with is Aaron’s Blessing by Fernando Ortega. It is sung with a call and response and always feels like such a beautiful way to end and begin the new week. Here is a recording of that song sung by Fernando Ortega. Yes, a blessing is really and exchange to love back and forth between all of us. It is a “nameste”–God in me recognizing God in you and vice versa.
Many Blessings to you!
Christine
