Blessing Others as a Spiritual Practice

“In a realm beyond what the eyes can see, events are conspiring to bring forth Good. Be a willing conduit through which it can flow.” (Marianne Williamson)

I was up early racing to a hair appointment and found myself at 5:30am stopped at the light at the entrance of my subdivision. I looked to my right and was surprised to see a young man waiting on the corner. I wondered what he was doing there at this hour as I imagine he was wondering the same thing about me. Before a series of fearful thoughts had me making an illegal turn onto the main road I wished him well re: whatever circumstances brought him to be standing alone in the dark of morning on the street corner.

Leaving the salon feel rather accomplished at 8:15am I saw another young gentleman walking down the street in an ill-fitting coat, with the gait of someone trying hard to convince anyone watching that he had a place to be going. I sent him a blessing hoping that he would be encountering a warm place to stay or a hot breakfast at some point during the day.

Later on pulling into the gas station I turned to my right where a truck was idling with a delicate young woman at the wheel. She turned when I pulled in and I was startled by how "loud" her facial expression was. It was as if in no uncertain terms it was saying "Get.Me.Out.Of.Here." A young man was approaching the passenger side and I remember thinking, "I hope he is treating her right." He entered the truck and she slowly pulled away- dutifully even- and I sent her blessings to harmonize whatever may have been afoot before, during and after that interaction.

Clearly I did not know any of these people prior to my brief energetic exchange with them. But it has become a spiritual practice for me that whenever something about a person strikes me- even for a moment- to send them some energy so whatever may need to come forth- a healing, an acknowledgment, a brief kiss from the Divine or any number of things- does so in a way that is for their highest and best good.

I am fortunate to have a rather vocal and interesting group of Facebook friends that have come across my path. One of the more memorable discussions initiated was that of a FB friend who was curious about if or when people prayed for others during a given day. It was as if the floodgates opened- a torrent of touching stories filled the screen. Those who sent blessings to any physically-challenged people they saw, another who heard a co-worker crying in the company bathroom and surprised herself by breaking into an impromptu prayer when requested to do so, blessings sent out to anyone who looked like they were having a hard time, and a great deal of folks who simply made it a point to say a quick prayer each and any time they saw a funeral procession or an ambulance.

When we focus amplified vibrational energy- in whatever form it may take- we are being of service. In giving of ourselves we are blessed with a reciprocal expression of what we have offered. Healing personified makes it way to the person/situation in question and ultimately to us. If we think for any length of time of the blessings in our own lives and of how much we have been given, sharing our energy with others confirms and solidifies our awareness of them; and we thank the Universe once again about having more than enough.

How to Let Go of Your Story

Always ask yourself, in every situation, whether you're just repeating an old pattern ... or stepping up your game. (Marianne Williamson)


Do you have an intricate, well-choreographed explanation for an issue in your life that you can recite in your sleep? Do you ever get tired of hearing yourself complain? Is there anyone bold enough in your experience to inform you that they're tired of hearing your explanations or complaints? :) In a subtle, but insidious way, we create and strengthen an energetic loop with each telling of the "woe is me" scenario du jour where nothing new is produced. If you have any remote interest in changing your circumstances to your liking, this energetic momentum is in complete opposition to your objective. So when it becomes obvious that this pattern is well underway in your experience you have two choices to consider:

1.)Proceed on your present path (i.e.- Operation-Welcome-More-of-the-Same) OR
2.)Drop the matching set of luggage :)

If you are heading towards door #2 even more questions and choices await you- some more self-evident than others.

How does dancing your way out of oppression sound to you? Writing? Drawing? I would confidently hazard a guess that there is some activity out there that resonates with you that can re-direct the orbit of this energetic loop of more of the same- doing its part to re-wire the conditioned response of priming the pump of your own sob story or to otherwise distract your being from this current way of being.

It is the pause between the thought of the story as told and the actual telling that provides a unique opportunity to choose again. To jump in the getaway car and leave your story in the dust so it may ultimately wither on the vine for lack of attention. Hop in. Find your thing and let it go. It's time.

Don't Worship Others Well (Being Your Own Best Advocate)

If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps he hears a different drummer (Thoreau)

It is close to midnight and I am attempting to nurse an irritated throat and soul. A work-related series of snafus exploded one after the other and the initial solution of the table looked like it would involve me twisting into a pretzel to save the sinking ship- again. And when offered this tantalizing offer to resume my traditional and familiar role I said "no thanks" and I feel terrible.

"What's the big deal?" I asked myself. You sure are a wimp for needing a full night's sleep. Here, all you have to is move the start of your workday to 2:00AM/prepare a briefing paper/research the teleconference topic/prepare some mockups/drive the speed of light to conduct your afternoon lecture on Contract Law and swing through your faculty office hours on a wing and a prayer- are you lazy or something? Ungrateful for this professional opportunity?

This anguished loop of thinking went on for several rounds in my mind. The grace of God intervened in the form of a phone call from my sister who in a matter-of-fact tone suggested that as uncomfortable as it may have felt to stand my ground, it boiled down to being my own advocate- a task that no one but me could assume. I was grateful for the listening ear. I still feel somewhat uncomfortable. I even semi-reached back to my colleagues to provide a bit of life raft to help them proceed in my absence (as if the proverbial building would burn down if I didn't keep watch). This hot mug of tea is soothing my throat and warming me to up to the idea of seeing my needs as important. I do hope this process will get easier over time- either by the cranking up of the amp for the drums of my heartbeat or my voice getting louder on my behalf.

Bearing Witness

When I was in my teens I remember an article in the Atlanta Magazine about wealthy parents bestowing luxury cars on their high school age sons and daughters. It ignited a firestorm of discussion about the propriety of such gifts at such a young age. I remember scanning through the accompanying pictures and noted the bored, almost blase expressions on many of their faces. I don't where the impetus came from, but I vowed that I never wanted to live a life where I did not (or could not) appreciate the gifts in my experience.

The other day I was driving along and I spotted a hawk way high above the trees in the sky- wings outstretched, circling and gliding with ease and grace. Hawks have always been a positive omen for me; symbolizing, among other things, a freedom and a lightness of being I wish to realize in my own earthly experience. I was definitely happy to see it and began to return my gaze and focus to lower level concerns (i.e.- keeping my car firmly on the road) when three more appeared shortly thereafter in quick succession! I was truly astonished-I have never seen such a sight in my life. I tried to articulate how amazing of a sight this actually was. I wasn't quite successful :) My elation then morphed into a mix of frustration and sadness that I couldn't immediately name someone who a.) might care about this observation b.) give additional insight as to what the message was behind this occurrence c.) or see the beauty displayed by these creatures. I mentioned my feelings to a friend of mine a few days later who asked me matter of factly, "Why do you think these hawks flew into your line of vision? They knew you would notice them!"

Was this an example of my continued personal commitment to notice the gifts that come into my awareness? I couldn't be sure. I saw something in those hawks, seemingly deprived by material standards, who demonstrated a priceless value that I hoped to realize in my experience. There was a vitality there that blessed an otherwise normal drive down the road. Was this the gift (or enough of one)?

As 2011 winds down we may or may not feel regret about what did or did not happen in our lives. We are often lured into the thinking that bigger is better or that only that which could be documented through our five senses were the only developments worth valuing. Life is made of millions of moments-divinely ordered and thus inherently valuable- regardless of how they are packaged. Let us savor the gifts as they appeared and value the lessons that came across our paths for they were uniquely customized for the end user- US! 2012 can be your year to choose to gently awaken to the wonderful joys that are right under your nose- and to watch the new year unfold more gloriously than you dreamed possible. Blessings!

December Depths

"Winter: There is a privacy about it which no other season gives you.... In spring, summer and fall people sort of have an open season on each other; only in the winter, in the country, can you have longer, quiet stretches when you can savor belonging to yourself." (Ruth Stout)

To sleep so hard
to gain a passing introduction,
to what lies on the other side

To burrow so deeply
into a self-imposed hibernation,
when the world wishes for you to speed up.

The "country" of our consciousness beckons-
stark,
cold;

but possessing truths
that patiently for wait for us
to discover.

© 2011 Idara E. Bassey

Care, Grace & Ease

"...base each choice you make, from this moment onward, on whether it's something that brings you closer to being able to live with yourself." (Carolyn Hax)

Care, grace & ease- not three words one would normally associate with the holiday season. However, the hustle and bustle that characterizes this time of year makes it more important than ever to make a conscious decision about how we wish to be in the world and to remember those things that contribute or take away from this state of being.

This process begins with remembering the simple principle that we have a choice in determining how we wish to be in the world- regardless of any and all external stimuli. Fluctuations in temperature, presence of crowds and our list of obligations will continue to do what they do. If you do not wish to be taken along a similar roller coaster ride you can affirm a steadiness of purpose as we attend to what is meant for us to do-hour by hour, day by day until we emerge on the other side of the holiday season intact.

We can then re-connect with the part of ourselves that ever nurturing, constant and unscathed- it's our connection to the Divine that will fit the bill here. We all have an inner core that sits waiting for us to rediscover its presence. Often it does take chaos for us to do so, but why wait 'til we are running on fumes to reacquaint ourselves with the best and highest version of who we are? Find some way to remind yourself, early and often that there is something more sacred to the holidays than what we can see, taste and/or pay for.

By now, we all have some passing familiarity with those situations, people or circumstances that bring out the best in us and those who- well, do the opposite :) Guess which set of inputs would do us more good at this time of year (or any time for that matter)? Fill as many corners and crevices of your day-to-day existence with those things that bring a smile to your face, that soothe your soul and assist you in keeping your heart open. It could be as simple as stopping where you are and taking a deep breath on the inhale and exhaling anything unlike you wish to be experiencing at the present moment. An honest to goodness chat with a good friend (not a text message folks) does wonders as far as grounding ourselves and reviving our spirits. I find that burning my favorite Japanese incense and mug of hot herbal tea go a long way in being in the world in the way I wish to be. When we are in the world in the manner we wish to be then we can be that much more of a healing force wherever we are situated and whatever is happening around us.

Deciding who is in charge of our well-being can be the very gift another may need in their quest to decide this for themselves.

The Places to Look

"Be with those who help your being."(Rumi)

When you find yourself in need of support are your efforts to find it informed by the disaster du jour? The place that is the loudest? Most densely populated? Or that which is furthest from wherever you went last time? It's a fair enough question- by the time you are cruising the streets looking for someone/something upright to lean on you are not so inclined to experiment and pontificate on what to do. You want answers- preferably yesterday.

I am learning a lot about the concept of support as of late- mainly by navigating the space of its absence. Often we back our ways into the lives we desire by running like hell from the ones we don't. So I sit in this space, looking around and conferring with potential solution holders that hopefully will nudge me that much closer to finding my own. I bumped into a well-intentioned individual who in their discomfort/fatigue/inability to hear me offered what she considered to be a viable alternative: options to "fix" my distress. Again, this person meant well and perhaps being on the receiving end on what I had to say was not her cup of tea, but being fixed and being listened to are two entirely different propositions. If you are expecting one and receiving the other the original distress you walked in with could very well be multiplied.

The easiest response to this disconnect between individuals would be to withdraw from the interaction in question and decide that the search for appropriate forms of support is not worth it. However, if a shred of hope still exists at this juncture the mind may consider the idea that disconnection is not a permanent life condition. That perhaps instances of such may lead us that much closer to those infused in the warmth of commonality and mutual celebration of energy. Like the proverbial backing up into happiness we find ourselves engaged in from time to time, finding it is often a matter of continued seeking.