Rest in Peace, Dr. John O’Donohue ~ may we all strive to be more like you, everyday.
Blessings ~ Famous and Not so Famous: and Lovely All
“It was customary with artisans, on completing a work and delivering it to the employer, to pronounce a blessing on it. So strong was the feeling on this subject, that a workman who refused to give the blessing was fined. It would seem that the first who saw a work newly finished by another was also expected to bless the work. This was extreme sensibility; but as the blessing was general the shock caused by its omission was great.” From The Brehon Laws by Laurence Ginnell, 1894
>Blessed Be: Ancient Celtic Blessing
>100,000 Blessings Be Before YOU
>“Slainte!”:To your good health ~ Cheers!
>Most Famous Irish Blessing
May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
The rain fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
>My Wild Irish Rose
My wild Irish Rose, the sweetest flower that grows.
You may search everywhere, but none can compare with my wild Irish Rose.
My wild Irish Rose, the dearest flower that grows,
And some day for my sake, she may let me take the bloom from my wild Irish Rose.
Irish Wish
May there always be work
For your hands to do.
May your purse always hold
A coin or two.
May the sun always shine
On your windowpane.
May a rainbow be certain
To follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend
Always be near you.
May God give you…
For every storm, a rainbow,
For every tear, a smile,
For every care, a promise,
And a blessing in each trial.
For every problem life sends,
A faithful friend to share,
For every sigh, a sweet song,
And an answer for each prayer.
Scottish Blessing
We bathe your palms
In the showers of wine,
In the crook of the kindling,
In the seven elements,
In the sap of the tree,
In the milk of honey,
We place nine pure, choice gifts
In your clear beloved face:
The gift of form,
The gift of voice,
The gift of fortune,
The gift of goodness,
The gift of eminence,
The gift of charity,
The gift of integrity,
The gift of true nobility,
The gift of apt speech.
Scottish Blessing
May the blessing of light be on you, light without and light within. May the blessed sunlight shine on you like a great peat fire, so that stranger and friend may come and warm himself at it. And may light shine out of the two eyes of you, like a candle set in the window of a house, bidding the wanderer come in out of the storm. And may the blessing of the rain be on you, may it beat upon your Spirit and wash it fair and clean, and leave there a shining pool where the blue of Heaven shines, and sometimes a star. And may the blessing of the earth be on you, soft under your feet as you pass along the roads, soft under you as you lie out on it, tired at the end of day; and may it rest easy over you when, at last, you lie out under it. May it rest so lightly over you that your soul may be out from under it quickly; up and off and on its way to God. And now may the Lord bless you, and bless you kindly. Amen.
God’s Heart
There is a mother’s heart in the heart of God. And ’tis His delight to break the bread of love and truth for His children.
From a Hebridean mother
Robert Moss shares:
I arise now through the strength of Heaven
Light of Sun
Radiance of Moon
Splendor of Fire
Speed of Lightning
Swiftness of Wind
Depth of Ocean
Stability of Earth
Firmness of Rock
I borrowed and simplified these lines from the Camina Gadelica, a splendid collection of charms and songs of the Scottish highlands and islands gathered by Alexander Carmichael from elders and grandmothers around 1900. The text is part of an ancient Celtic lorica, or “breastplate charm” that became known, in its Christianized version, as “St Patrick’s Breastplate.” The lines used here long predate St Patrick’s mission!