Tag: gratitude

Blessing Cord

Generosity

Adam Sartwell

The thirty-sixth bead of the blessing cord is the blessing of Generosity. This is the earth of Tipereth. Tipereth has an energy that brings forth our True Will or our Great Work, what we came here to this world to complete, and how we choose to answer that calling. You can see the hallmarks of True Will by looking for how it serves not only the person but also the web of life. It takes a generosity of spirit to be able to do this Great Work as a gift to the divine that is within us all. This generosity shows our nobility of spirit and our inner sovereignty.

Generosity comes from the Latin word generōsus, meaning “of noble birth”. A good noble took care of their community by allocating resources, planing, implementing, and educating. They did so because without the community they would not be in the exalted position they were in. To take that into our spiritual realms, a good noble or sovereign is sufficiently in control of their own lives that they can give of their time, energy, resources, and wisdom to help those were less fortunate or in their charge. We each have this sovereignty within us, no matter our wealth, class, time, schedule, or energy level. We can adopt the noble path of generosity and give in the name of the gods. They love when we make these types of offerings and help to refill us so we can give again.

The community you aid with your generosity or your Great Work may take many forms, and not all of them are on a grand global scale. It could be once a year giving a homeless person an old jacket or a tent. It could be helping with the school bake sale for your kids’ marching band. You may feel called to go to an impoverished community or disaster area and offer your help and expertise. Generosity doesn’t have to be a grand gesture. You can generously give a smile or a complement. You can buy a friend a coffee or tea because they are having a tough time. Give a friend a book you enjoyed and think they will also.

 

The blessing of generosity teaches us how to give and share our gifts with community. Many  cultures and religions have tithes that they give to their religious institutions or charities. A tithe is a percentage of your income that you give back to the community with no expectation of return. Even if they didn’t expect return they still might get it in form of the rituals of the temple or from the gods themselves. You may also want to give a tithe of time in service to your community, if you do not have physical wealth to offer.

Generosity can feel like a sacrifice of time, energy or resources that could be used for yourself and your goals. We turn to the solar gods of Tipereth for our model. Most of the solar gods have a cycle where they sacrifice themselves to the land or its people. Many of the pagan solar gods sacrifice themselves so that we may take in their blessings by consuming a part of them. The young Oak King is sacrificed by the older Holy King at the summer solstice to bring his energy into the land so the fields will ripen. This also brings about the turning of the “wheel of the year” as the darker time of less daylight begins. The change of wheat from green to gold symbolizes the god’s energy in the land. From his sacrifice the wheat and all the plants ripen. This is an archetypal example of the generosity of the gods. We pagans are not alone in this, the Christian faith’s Christ sacrificed himself to take on the world’s sin. The rite of transubstantiation is to make the wine and host into the blood and body of Christ. People take some of the energy of his holiness, his sacrifice, into themselves with the sacrement. We pagans have the Great Rite in token, where we drink in the blessings of the gods after an athame is used to gather energy and it is brought into the wine as a symbolic ritual of the male giving up his seed and energy to the womb of life.

These divinities show their generosity by giving freely of what they have to help their people, just as the Sun, the symbol of Tiphereth, gives freely of its light and warm. We are only seeds of gods and don’t have the same expectations because we are human. Our sacrifice to generosity doesn’t have to be big or even something that we need or use any more.

This generosity has great benefits to it as well. Generosity has been scientifically proven to make people happier. I have never met an unhappy generous person. It improves your self-esteem and feelings of self-worth. It can connect you deeply to what your Great Work is in this world, something beyond just your vocation or career.

In this meditation we move into the energies of Tipereth and ask: “How can I offer up a service in generosity?” Our answer comes from our own Holy Guardian Angel, the Watcher-self, the god seed within us. Your answer may come in the meditation or be an encounter with a need you can fulfill in the days after the meditation. Take this chance to be an answered prayer for someone else.

Meditation of Generosity

Hold the thirty-sixth bead, the bead of the blessing of Generosity, the blessing of earth in Tiphereth.

Count yourself down into a meditative state.

Allow the screen of your mind to expand into a sphere around you. Feel a rising sensation as your sphere begins to fill with radiant golden yellow light. Vibrate the God name of Tipereth: Yod-heh-vauv-heh el-oh-ah Vah-dah-ath.

The golden light surrounding you call out to your Holy Guardian Angel. You may see it as a golden ball above you or coming toward you. They may look like any appearance that they wish.  Thank your Holy Guardian Angel for being with you in this time.

Ask them “How can I offer up a service in generosity?”

They may give you a feeling, a word or phrase, some sage advice, or a image of someone. They may also say nothing at all.

Ask what you can give to your Holy Guardian Angel in thanks for its help and communion. You may be surprised at the answer. It may ask you to do a generous service for yourself or someone else.

Ask any other questions you might have about becoming a more generous person. Know that your Holy Guardian Angel has heard you and is willing to guide you after this meditation to a situation where your generosity is needed.

Thank your Holy Guardian Angel again. The golden light begins to fill your screen of the mind around you, obscuring your Holy Guardian Angel from view. The golden light begins to fade and the screen of your mind returns to its normal size.

Count yourself up to waking consciousness and ground and center yourself.

Contemplation

What can you give back to your community? What types of need call out to you? Do you look at what you want to do and what the need is in the world and make a compromise of the two? How can you be a more generous person?

Blessing Cord

Gratitude

Adam Sartwell

The thirty-fourth bead in the blessing cord is the Blessing of Gratitude. It is the blessing of Earth in Chesed. As I write this, it is November and in a couple of weeks we will have our Thanksgiving holiday here in America. I am always reminded at this time about an article I read about a man whose meaning of Thanksgiving changed when he reversed the words into Giving Thanks. He went on about how he changed his life by starting a practice of sending out thank you cards at Thanksgiving to anyone he thought had helped him. This season always reminds me of the power of Gratitude. This blessing is one of the keys of a happy life.

Gratitude has been proven by psychologists to make people happier, more alert, enthusiastic, determined, optimistic, and energetic. Gratitude makes us more aware of all the good things in our lives and we begin to see every opportunity as a new blessing. Gratitude has a powerful magnetic quality as well. When we are grateful we attract more of what we are grateful for. The universe is always listening to what we are thinking and saying. It hears our every thought as a prayer. When we are grateful, we are praying for all the blessings of life. Gratitude charges these thoughts and amplifies our manifestation. Many spiritual and mental manifestation programs say to be thankful for what it is you are trying to manifest even if it is not yet in your life. This act of gratitude super-charges the manifestation to bring happiness and satisfaction.

Gratitude can be difficult in many situations. This is when we must turn our minds to working on contemplating “What good can come out of this situation?” “What can I learn from this?” or “How can I/we/the world benefit from this?” Even after we have contemplated we may not see a way to be grateful for the situation. These times of trouble outline the better times with such stark contrast. They at least help us see when times are good and to be grateful for them.

Some of the ways you can improve your awareness and gratitude is to practice it. Start your journal everyday with a number of things you are grateful for. Put up a sign or reminder to check-in with what your grateful for. Decide on a trigger in your environment that whenever you see it you will think of something you are grateful for. Wear a piece of jewelry that reminds you to be practice gratitude. Notice when people say thank you and tell them what you are thankful for about them or the situation you are in. Set a period of days to write a thank-you card to someone every day.

The practice seems so easy and that is why it is hard. Sometimes it is thinking of a perspective unlike our own to see all that we have to be thankful for. Putting on the head of someone who has very little in the way of resources can help you be grateful for all that you do have and maybe even share a bit with that person or the world.

The most powerful of all the gratitude practices is just giving to those who are in need. This doesn’t have to be a grand gesture, it could be just doing the dishes for a busy spouse. Giving thanks to things that have served you well in the past but are not necessary to your life and then giving them to someone who can use them more. You get to say “thank you” to the world with this gesture and see someone else gain happiness from your act.

Meditation of Gratitude

Hold the thirty-forth bead of your blessing cord, the bead of Gratitude, the bead of the blessing of Earth in Chesed.

Count your self down into a meditative state.

Allow the screen of your mind to expand to create a sphere around you. Feel a rising sensation as sky- or electric-blue light begins to fill the sphere. Resonate the god name of Chesed: El.

Call out in your mind to your higher self to come and be with you in this meditation. Look above you to the great expanse of the universe and see a spot of bluish-white light descending and growing larger. This light is like a small star that comes closer to the top of your head and stops about six feet above you. This star is a representation of your higher self. Thank your higher self for being present and send up to it a breath of gratitude for being with you and a part of you. Feel the bliss of your connection.

Bring your attention to the screen of your mind before you. Call up on the screen of your mind someone you feel grateful for. See them before you. Call out to their higher self to be present with you. Ask if this person is open to a gift of gratitude. If not, just thank them with your words, knowing that you are subjectively communicating your thanks to that person.

If they are willing to accept a gift of gratitude. Tell them thanks for what they have done for you. Then imagine you are gathering the blue light from around you into a ball of light between your hands. Say to yourself:

“I create this gift and blessing of gratitude to be what your higher self thinks you need for the highest good, harming none.”

Raise the ball up above your head and breath up to your higher self asking for its blessing on this gift. You may feel a tingle as the ball is blessed. It may change color or become a symbolic object of what it is this person needs. Be aware of what it changes too, this may guide you to how to express your gratitude and thank this person in the physical world.

Give the gift to the person and say thank you again. End the exchange with a “blessed be.” Wave farewell to the person and their higher self. They fade from the screen of your mind.

Give thanks by breathing up to your higher self for its help in this gift and blessing.

Become aware of all the blue light rising around you to obscure this place. The blue light begins to fade as you feel a slight decent. The screen of your mind begins to go back to its normal size and color.

Count yourself up into waking consciousness.

Give yourself clearance and balance. Ground if necessary. Write down your experience.

Contemplation

How can I incorporate gratitude into my life? In this moment, what am I grateful for? What good can come out of this situation? What can I learn from this situation? How can I/we/the world benefit from this situation? Who in my life can I show thanks to? How can I give my gratitude back to the world for my blessings?

Uncategorized

An offering of vibration

Adam Sartwell

I bought a singing bowl in Montreal on our vacation. I am horrible at getting them to sing and this was the first one that had ever sang for me. I took it as a sign and bought it at once. It is little and brass and came with a Wooden pestle and a pillow. When I got it home I out it on my desk and for got about it until yesterday. I picked up the bowl last night and began to play it without a particular intention to journey or meditate. As I played I became entranced and mindful. It then came to me to do an offering of sound and vibration to the gods and as I played I thought of the gods and made prayers of gratitude. I felt so good after I repeated the offering of vibration this morning pushing myself to find five things I was grateful for. The whole exercise maybe took five minutes but filled me with a feeling of peace before I had to go to work.