How to perform a blessing… In any tradition
Blessing
If it feels right, I would encourage you to try this for the victims of Katrina and other natural disasters, and for any others who may need it:
The practice of blessing exists in virtually every spiritual and religious tradition. Divinity is channeled through invocation and bodily gesture towards an object, ideal, or person. Most versions of blessing share a great deal in common.
Basically, to perform a blessing, do the following:
1) First calm your own mind, slowing and deepening your breathing.
2) Then mentally connect to the solid earth beneath you (through the nerves of your feet or, if sitting, your pelvic floor).
3) Then become aware of your heart center (two finger widths above the base of your breastbone), perhaps by tapping it several times lovingly with your left hand.
4) Then become aware of the crown of your head, and all of the majesty of the Universe above it (at the top of the head).
5) Smile to all of these points of your body as if greeting a dear old friend: soles of the feet, pelvic floor, heart center, crown center, palms..
6) Then connect to and mentally or verbally invoke divinity, using your own language, conceptions, or traditions, Connecting to that which is Greater than you and all else, but which Encompasses you and all else as well. Secular or religious, anyone can see himself as
part of a greater Whole.
Depending on your religious heritage, your name for this greater Whole might be ‘the One’, or the Universe, or God, or Goddess, the Absolute, the Wuji, the Tao, Christ, Allah, Yaweh, Buddha Nature, Great Spirit, Ma…
7) Ask or intend that you become a suitable channel for the blessing, then as you continue to keep this pure intent, visualize, indicate, or name the objects or recipients of the blessing.
8) Let the blessing flow from the divine through your crown down through your heart center and out through the palms of your hands to the recipients. Visualizing white or gold light above you, flowing into your crown may help.
9) Let the blessing also flow from the earth up to your heart center, and from there out through the palms of your hands toward the recipients (the recipients may be in front of you, or visualized, or named).
10) Keep your awareness rotating slowly among your feet/pelvic floor and crown, and your heart and hands, and the recipients, as the blessing flows…
11) Continue for as long as you feel the flow, and for as long as you can maintain the beneficial intent of being a suitable channel.
Remember that you can not force the flow, as you are only a conduit. Simply ask that the blessing be given, and let it happen. You can always try again later, and you can repeat hourly, daily, etc…
With practice, you will begin to feel the flow of blessing, (or divine grace, or chi, or prana), and you will feel as it begins to trickle down, at which point, think thoughts of gratitude, smile if you like, and move about your business.
Do not be attached to the result. Merely be a conduit for what maybe…
Other notes:
During the blessing, you may touch the ring finger of your left hand to your heart center palm facing you, and aim the palm of your right hand towards the recipients. Think of the ring finger further activating the compassion in your own heart.
You may name particular blessings (divine solice, security, healing, protection, compassion, love, sustenance…) as you begin and perform the blessing, if you wish.
This technique works best for those who regularly heal, meditate, or pray, according to their own traditions.
Some religions reserve this technique only for priests. I assure you, it works when used by anyone with compassionate intent and some practice.
You will feel what I mean if you do this daily for one month. It takes only minutes.
Smile, Breath Right and Keep Your Tongue Up!
Tao Semko