In his brilliant essay “To Retrieve the Lost Art of Blessing,” John O’Donohue writes, “Who has the power to bless? This question is not to be answered simply by the description of one’s institutional status or membership. But perhaps there are deeper questions hidden here: What do you bless with? Or where do you bless from? When you bless another, you first gather yourself; you reach down below your surface mind and personality, down to the deeper source within you—namely, the soul. Blessing is from soul to soul.” (From his book To Bless the Space Between Us.)
As we continue to explore this week’s theme, today’s reading is a blessing from Sacred Journeys—from my soul to yours.
By Earth Be Blessed
May you know the embrace of Earth.
May she teach you the wisdom of time:
the unfolding of Spring
the ripening of Summer
the turning of Autumn
the shedding of Winter.
May she teach you the wisdom of intimacy:
seed embraced by warm, dark soil
crevice traced by insistent stream
raindrop clinging to new, soft leaf
precious stones in hidden places.
May she teach you the wisdom of grace:
flowers entwining fallen oak
healing gifts of common weeds
grain for bread, fruit for wine
dancing stars through barren branches.
May you be known in Earth’s embrace.
Questions for reflection
Where do you experience the blessing of the earth? How do you bless the earth in turn? How would you respond to the questions about the art of blessing that John O’Donohue asks above: What do you bless with? Or where do you bless from?
Adapted from Sacred Journeys © Jan L. Richardson
