I had a good dose of religion as a boy. Brought up a catholic I was exposed to the rituals of the Roman church and with the natural clairvoyant perception which has been with me since birth, I was able to watch what I subsequently discovered were angels around the mass celebration along with the many other invisible forces and visitors appearing to me in those moments.
I also wanted to be in the youth organisation The Boys Brigade with my school mates, so I attended the local protestant chapel to join in their services and bible study sessions.
I was, at least from a Christian perspective, truly ecumenical at quite a young age and both experiences were a blessing to me, gifts from which I learned and gained so much. Of course as time passed and enlightenment grew I found that I could no longer be restricted by all the dogmas, theologies and biblical assumptions promoted by these organisations, but there were many blessings in much of what I experienced with them for which I am still very, very grateful.
It was in the protestant chapel that we used to sing choruses, simple verses to inspire and celebrate, sung as the chapel filled before the main service commenced. One in particular stayed in my mind and I often recall it:
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God has done,
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.
In our sometimes challenging world, to the sceptic at least, such sentiments may seem rather naïve, even foolish. I for one can think of many a situation in my own life where, if there is a blessing in it, it certainly does a good job of hiding from me. These are the hard teachers, often our best ones, where we have to summon our patience, fortitude, and love, often in considerable quantity! We really have to be non-resistant, allowing ourselves to engage and learn but not fight the problem, ultimately dissolving it as the Divinity within us via our subconscious, realises the lesson is truly learned and understood, and we are then ready to go forward, freed from it and the pain we may have felt and hardship we may have experienced. In such situations the blessing given to us may only become clear with hindsight, that most useful of perspectives.
What this little verse at the chapel taught me was, however, a powerful lesson in consciousness: that we also have many, many obvious gifts and blessings given to us every day but we either take them for granted, or ignore them, just focussing on the other problems or difficulties demanding our attention. To recognize blessings, both the great and the small, is a most energising and life changing experience. Gratitude, as it is now often referred to, is simply a powerful way of sending a message to our subconscious mind and telling it that we appreciate these good things we are given and we would like to experience more. In its totally objective way, the subconscious will utilize our thoughts and their power, directed perfectly by the miracle making Inner Divinity, and give us more of the blessings we energize through our sustained acknowledgement of them and the “thank yous” we utter. When we think of something we give it power. The more we hold an idea in our minds the more power it attracts, and the more it will manifest for us in the outer planes of the physical world. This is where my gratitude for my catholic upbringing comes in. The mystical aspect and devotional nature of many of the church rituals provided me with the opportunity to be quietly inspired so that I could see more clearly the hidden forces at work in prayer and invocation. It helped me understand that such thoughts and indeed all thoughts are electrical fields that attract energy. The more they are active in our conscious minds and the more they are sincerely acknowledged, the more they change us, our behaviour and literally change our world. Blessing is both recognition of the value of our manifested gifts and also a“thank you” for them. It is a very powerful and transformational process.
There are many books written on the subject now, and different approaches work for different people though the principles remain the same. What I do is simple. I keep a “Thank You” list in my journal. I write down everything I am grateful for that has happened in my life. When a blessing appears I note it down and say thank you for it and I add to it every day. It is an astounding practice when you see just how many wonderful things have happened and do happen for you and to you. By focussing on these blessings more of them appear – everything from a beautiful sunset to a new work opportunity. I read through them often and it helps me see where I have allowed the Divinity, inner Lord or superconscious to support me and surprise me, as the subconscious gets the message and works to manifest things with Divine inspiration and perfection.
Try it. And make a habit of saying thank you. I often add, when thanking an individual for a service rendered, “That is very kind of you.” Use this as a way of seeing where the magic occurs in your life and of encouraging it to manifest more and more. It is most healing and transformational – counting your blessings!
May and June 2014
On the subject of blessings, I mentioned a few months ago (December 2013 blog) the surge of incoming light that begins to touch us on the planet from around the 6th May this year through to the end of June. It is a powerful gift opening for mankind so long as we are willing to welcome it and be open and adaptable to the inevitable changes it will precipitate. It is the emergence of a fresh wave of loving wisdom, very Christ-like in its potential influence upon the hearts and minds of those who open to it for the ensuing months and years. It will increasingly remind us of our responsibilities to others and that the core reason for human existence on earth is the expression of selfless love and the unfoldment of true wisdom. Selfishness and excessive individualism will increasingly become passé and damaging for those who follow such philosophies. It is a time for altruism, generosity and kindness; a time of giving. Here is a little meditational exercise some of you may find useful in the lead up to and also during this period. You can do it occasionally, around your other daily disciplines and practices.
Be still for a few moments and centre yourself with some slow, deep breathing until you feel a little more relaxed.
Focus upon the chakras or centres below the diaphragm in the sequence, Root of spine, Base centre, Abdomen and then Solar Plexus. As you connect with each one, direct the energy of 3 breaths to it before moving up to the next.
Then think of the “you” you are now and lift that you into your Heart, breathing 7 times. Here reflect for a moment on the Love and Wisdom of Divinity within you and say “thank you” for the gift of those inner qualities.
Lift your thoughts once more, now into your head, in the centre of your skull just below the Crown centre. Open your heart and mind to the stimulus of the beautiful incoming Golden Light as it washes through, and radiates around you. Reflect upon and invoke the “Divine and Perfect Plan” for you as you allow your will to merge with the will of the Divine. Reflect upon that for a while before returning your thoughts to your Heart, then to the centres or chakras beneath your diaphragm, finally connecting with the earth’s power through your feet.
To close, give thanks for all the blessings you have received, for the love you have experienced and then go about your day.