For many years, whether silently or aloud, I have sent blessings to others; sometimes when they have called out in need, other times when I felt compelled by an inner prompting, and other times when I would find myself stopping in front of a house or business and directing blessings into it, not knowing who was in there or why I was doing so. But it was in the fall of 2015 when I first experienced what I’ll call “a thread of spontaneous blessings.” And it felt great.
I was walking on a bridge over a creek in one of my favorite parks. I paused. Taking in the silence of everything but the water running below. I remember the deep peace and expansiveness I felt. And then it happened. The first name appeared…
Tom. And from my mouth came the words “Bless you, Tom.” And I then saw the mental image of a friend, Tom, as I went on to repeat: “Bless you, bless you.” Then before I could move on, the image of another Tom appeared, this one an old friend. And the same thing occurred “Bless you, Tom. Bless you, bless you” as I viewed in my mind’s eye the image of this friend. And then I was taken far back into my childhood, to a Tom I had not thought about at all during my adult life…and there he was, as my memory conjured him. And as he came fully to life in my mind’s eye, again: “Bless you, Tom (this time a last name as well) as I felt compelled to send the deepest of blessings and well wishes to this young child, who is now himself a grown man.
There were two more Toms, and then another name came, and the same thing occurred; I saw the person as I last remembered them, and was moved to send a blessing as their image stayed in my mind; and once it felt like it was received, another person of the same name arrived.
And so it went.
Name after name, person after person. It became deeply engaging as well, as I would soon allow myself to search for the next person of the same name…following the thread, seeing where – and to whom – it would lead. What other Nancy do I know or have I met, or have I forgotten? Then she would pop into my head. It just kept going and going.
Childhood friends, friends of my parents, parents of my friends, teachers from my youth, people I’ve met in all sorts of places throughout my life, brief encounters with salespeople whose name I thought to ask. The thread going through families, directing blessings to each brother and sister, sometimes into uncles and aunts, names at times jumping quickly to the next and at other times staying there until a last name arrived and the image of the person solidified.
The experience becoming more and more beautiful, taking on a holy, or other worldly, feel. The beauty of this experience, where you are only focused on blessing another, sending them pure love and well wishes from the deepest part of your being and beyond is for me a spiritual practice.
I highly recommend that you make yourself available to such an exercise or practice. And of course, you will do it in your own way. Perhaps the words “Bless you” or “Blessings” do not feel right or natural to you. You may wish to say “Best to you” or “Love to you” or anything else you’d like to say along with their name, or simply send them warm supportive energy or a smile held in your heart.
When to begin a thread of blessings?
You do not have to wait for inspiration to strike. You can start a thread of blessings – or send individual blessings and love – anytime. I often find myself doing it while driving, especially during long stretches of highway driving. Just start with a name and see where it goes, what person comes next and so on.
Other times when you may want to engage in this practice.
This practice may also prove to be especially helpful on days when you find yourself overly focused on yourself, your problems, or what may not be going right for you at the moment. Shifting focus to others in a positive way often brings us a renewed sense of inner peace and greater clarity about our own lives.
You can also do this when feeling bored, restless or uninspired. You may be surprised to see how good your insides feel when you spend time sending love, blessings and inspiration to others. I find that a smile remains on my face throughout the entire time.
It’s an incredible exercise in memory as well.
Watching as these names and faces you may not have thought of for years, or had only encountered in fleeting moments, swim up from the depths of your memory to gladly receive your love and blessings, and seeing the connection that leads from one to another, is an incredible thing to experience. Like me, you may be wonderfully surprised by many of the names and faces that arise.
Share the good.
Experience the power, grace and beauty of spontaneous blessings. Start with family or close friends, or whoever pops into your mind, then watch, listen and see where it goes from there.
And as you do, know that someone, somewhere, is sending blessings to you.
With all my love, Glenn