Next Assignment: El Santuario
To those who seek a pathway nearly occluded.
To any who wake up…
like an exultation of larks,
seeing beauty most everywhere.
To those who walk without skin.
To those who walk wise-awake.
Those who have kept a place for
the sacrament of imagination.
To those irked but who remember
this planet
is very young…
and the soul is very old…
in the next few days,
I’ll post some pictures
for respite,
medicine for remembering.
Til then, only this, one of my favorite assignments to give out… and to try to live myself… a tiny breathing meditation I’ve undertaken for decades now…
Just for a moment, take a deep breath and… up up up and away, fly…
just for a moment… fly over the water, feel the warmth of the beautiful sun…
fly, fly… again deep breath, breathe this clear clear air in…
fly, fly…. look down… deep breath, look down on this earth …
another deep breath and on exhalation send blessing down on us all…
as many times as you wish, deep breath, send blessing;
deep breath, send blessing down on all of us…
for everything on earth also breathes out:
singers, chanters, trees, children,
everything that breathes is blessing you in return…
while you fly, fly, fly, look down, taking deep slow breaths
and blessing us all.
Thank you.
__________
CODA
Long ago, in your ancestry and mine, regardless of what nation or people long past, no matter how mixed or single kind, when anyone left the village, the encampment to go to their day, they were blessed by an elder at the door. Now, it’s the trolley man or the cabbie or whomever first speaks to us on any morning who might acknowledge that we exist and thereby in some sideways manner, bless us on our way this day. But if no one at all stands to bless us, we can bless each other.
What is blessing? Stating some version of recognition of the value of the heart, soul, body, mind and spirit of one to another, or both to each other.
Blessing went something like this from several of the old people of my immigrant father’s family. The old people kept vials of water blessed by a holy person (a person they found to be holy, not ‘the certified holy-moleys’ as my grandmother used to say).
We’d be lightly sprinkled with the special water while the blessing was said. Blessings were said with one hand on our shoulder or atop our heads. A blessing could go on for minutes, depending on how anxious or loving or heartfelt the blesser and blessee were. This is one of the blessings my father used to give me when he was still alive. It is a blessing for a long travel. The last time he blessed me was l ong ago now. I was 53 and he was 87. Dad was a brutal, fierce, funny, and tender man. He took blessing seriously. Those who had a similar kind of complex parent, would likely understand this immediately: I miss him like fire.
A Father’s Blessing
Let you be strong in your strengths and not lie down in your weaknesses, crossing easily over any peril. May you be watched over my child always, until you are safely returned home to us once again.
Share This
Why wait for someone else to bless you
You are the sun and the moon, the wind and the rain,
The blessing and the curse.
There is no other–No need
to fall to your knees, throw open your arms
Just open the little door in your heart
and the universe will join you there!
I love the way Dr E writes. Reading her words is like opening a window and letting in fresh air!
I agree with JSpencer, cpe's writing is like a beautiful sunset on a peaceful evening…so calming and so refreshing. When I was young we would always ask for our parent's blessing before retiring for the night (la vendicion). It was a blessing meant to insure that we were heaven bound should be pass away in the middle of the night…kind of like “if I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my sould to take.” So with that in mind I send you dr.cpe many blessings for all the “sacred heart work” you do in this wounded world of ours. I truly hope that The Moderate Voice will also continue to allow the blogging section of this site since it allows an exchange of ideas among people. And in spite of the negative ones, there are far more beautiful ones like spirasol and JSpencer who are always well worth reading.
Namaste
and Thanks Dr. E. . . .
“Namu Amida Batsu”. . . . In the rain and in the sunshine. . . .your voice is true,your spirit pure, your light is bright. . I give thanks for your blessing Dr. E. . .
On the issue on commenter, if you guys start them up again and you could find a way to utilize someone like me to help monitor or lighten the load please let me know.
sparrow
Meditation is to put oneself in a place remote from cares of this world, to be in a space where you can be anywhere thats beautiful or let the imagination flow freely to a island paradise,emerald green with nothing but the sea beneath you,
and a thousand pinpoints of firey-orange dancing dots beneath the sky glittering oft the sun setting in the west.
Or lie in the night under the stars..so spectral with each.. a promise that you are uniquely your own,
The moon shining brightly over the waters revealing no end to where the sky begins and the sea-line
luminescent as far as the reaches of horizon in any direction
where flying fish appear to sail in formation to your wonderous eyes!
Such is that solitude of peace,contentment and Joy at being able to close your eyes and visit a favorite fantasy or home of childhood dream… And Bless those who enriched your life and left you ..TO BE..
Thanks Dr E for the refreshment of memories and such that we can all retreive from time to time.