Ideas for baby blessing from different traditions
Sikh: Filling an iron bowl with clean water, he kept stirring it with a two-edged sword (called a Khanda) while reciting over it five of the sacred texts or banis—Japji, Jaap, Savaiyye, Benti Chaupai and Anand Sahib. The Guru’s wife, Mata Jito (also known as Mata Sahib Kaur), poured into the vessel sugar crystals, mingling sweetness with the alchemy of iron. The five Sikhs sat on the ground around the bowl reverently as the holy water was being churned to the recitation of the sacred verses.
With the recitation of the five banis completed, khande di pahul or amrit, the Nectar of Immortality, was ready for administration. Guru Gobind Singh gave the five Sikhs five palmsful each of it to drink.
Wiccean: *Invite all the guests to form a circle, filing in sunwise around the altar. If you normally call the quarters, do so now. The Guardians should take a place of honor beside the parents at the altar.
*Call upon the gods of your tradition, and ask them to join you in the naming of the child. If the child is a girl, her father or another male family member should lead the ceremony; if the baby is a boy, his mother should preside. The leader says: We gather today to bless a child,
A new life that has become part of our world.
We gather today to name this child.
To call a thing by name is to give it power,
and so today we shall give this child a gift.
We will welcome her into our hearts and lives
and bless her with a name of her own.
*Touch a drop of milk to the baby’s lips, and say: May you always have good fortune,
may you always have good health,
may you always be joyful,
and may you always have love in your heart.
*The leader then uses the blessing oil to trace the pentagram (or other symbol of your tradition) upon the baby’s chest, saying: You are known to the gods and to us as (baby’s name).
This is your name, and it is powerful.
Bear your name with honor, and may the gods bless you on this and every day.
The cup of water or wine is passed clockwise around the circle. As each guest takes a sip, they may raise the cup in honor of the baby, saying simply: I honor you, (baby name).
* As the cup goes around the circle, the parents should hold their child and walk together, and presenting him or her to the guests as they honor the child. An alternative to this is to pass the baby from guest to guest, allowing each of them to kiss the child in turn, and offer their good wishes and blessings. When the cup reaches the Guardians, they should say: Welcome, (baby name), to our family and to our hearts.
Your parents love you, and we thank them
for giving you the gift of life.
We ask the Gods to watch over you, (baby name),
and over your mother and father,
and we wish your family love and light.
* Finally, the parents may hold the baby up to the sky (hold on tight!) so that the Gods can get a good look at the new child. Ask the group to focus on a blessing for the new child, and to hold onto their intent for a moment, sending their love and positive energy to the baby. Take a minute to reflect on what it means to be a parent, and how having this child in your life will change you. When everyone is ready, dismiss the quarters and close the circle in the manner of your tradition.
The purpose of a naming ceremony is to present the new individual to the community. It ensures that the child is a part of something greater, and places the child under the protection of those present. As part of this, the parents may wish to appoint Guardians for their child. This position is similar to the Christian concept of Godparents. When choosing Guardians, make certain that they understand this is not the same as a legal guardian, but a symbolic position.
*Capoeira, an annual promotion ceremony is held, known as a batizado (literally “baptism”). For practitioners participating in their first batizado, it is traditional to receive their Capoeira names at that time, as a mark that they have been received in the community of Capoeiristas. The name is often given by the senior instructor or other senior students, and is largely determined by an individual way they perform a movement, how they look, or something else unique to the individual. Their Capoeira name is often used as a nom de guerre within Capoeira circles, a tradition which dates back to when practicing Capoeira was illegal in Brazil.[citation needed]
From a baby blessing for a one-year old:
*Greetings from G. Explain that thought has power ie DID, hypnosis, and Jesus said when one or more are gathered in my name…Create sacred space with cornmeal and sage or sweetgrass, use the four elements (cornmeal-earth, candle-fire, charged water, Tibetan singing bowl-air).
*S and K welcome and thank guests. Share your perceptions of his strengths and talents, how he has changed your lives, what you’ve learned from him so far, your hopes for him.
*G grounding, energizing, protection, goal balloon for Devon. As we do the visualizations, have turtle and ribbons in center to get blessed.
*Guests present their wish to Devon, holding a satin ribbon that they tie to charged water container. When finished, Devon gives them beads, then braid the ribbon and hang the turtle on it to put up in his room.
*Grandparents give parenting advice, in response to this question, “What do you wish you’d known when you first became a parent?”
*Godparents put charged water on Devon (and any guests who want it) to protect him. S & K thank godparents and indicate how they can assist.
Native American
Everyone is smudged with sweetgrass by neighbor in circle.
The baby is washed with water in which cedar has been brewed. Fine white cornmeal is rubbed over his body.
The mother, holding the baby in her left arm, takes the Corn Mother [a perfect ear of corn whose tip ends in 4 kernels} and passes it over the child four times from the navel to the heal. On the first pass, she names the child, 2nd wishes the child a long life, 3rd she wishes him a productive life. Each of the aunts or godparents do the same, giving the child a clan name. With the grandmothers, the mother and child leave the house and walk towards the east. They stop, face east, and pray silently, casting pinches of cornmeal towards the east. The mother says, “father Sun, this is your child.” The child is moved to face each direction, with its feet on the earth. He is helped to take four steps toward the east, entering into life. She again passes the Corn Mother over the child’s body, wishing for him to grow old, and the grandmother does the same. They both mark a cornmeal path toward the sun for this new life.
The south: the body/heart, child, emotion, physical, action, red, fire, summer
West: soul, adolescent, fall, black, water
North: mind/discipline, introspection, intellect, adult, winter, white, earth
East: sprit, vision, spring, yellow air
The priest says [but we’ll do grandparents], raising right hand, palm outward to the sky,
#1
Ho! Ye sun, moon, stars, all ye that move in the heavens,
I bid you hear me
Into your midst has come a new life
Consent ye, I implore
Make its path smooth that it may reach the brow of the first hill
#2
Ho! Ye winds, clouds, rain, mist, all ye that move in the air
I bid you hear me
Into your midst has come a new life
Consent ye, I implore
Make its path smooth that it may reach the brow of the second hill
#3
Ho! Ye hills, valleys, rivers, lakes, trees, grasses, all ye of the earth
I bid you hear me
Into your midst has come a new life
Consent ye, I implore
Make its path smooth that it may reach the brow of the third hill
#4
Ho! Ye birds, great and small, that fly in the air
Ho! Ye animals, great and small, that dwell in the forests
Ho Ye insects that creep among the grasses
And burrow in the ground
I bid you hear me
Into your midst has come a new life
Consent ye, I implore
Make its path smooth that it may reach the brow of the fourth hill
Ho! All ye of the heavens, all ye of the air, all ye of the earth,
I bid ye hear me
Into your midst has come a new life
Consent ye, consent ye all, I implore
Make its path smooth—then shall it travel beyond the four hills.
The baby is introduced to every one present. Each person has an opportunity to welcome the baby and say if there is something they would like to contribute to his upbringing. Write out a summary and place in a basket by the baby. Then songs are sung to the baby or stories told.
At age one year, the baby receives his prayer name. The grandmother gives the baby this name that is the one he uses to introduce himself to Creator when he says his prayers.
A turtle represents the strong connection between baby and parents.
Japanese ritual for a new born baby called “Omiya Mairi”
Omiya means Temple, and Mairi means praying or greeting
for God when a baby turns to be around 30 days old.
A baby goes to the Temple with dad, mom, and grand parents.
Cajin: beads given to parents and grandparents and other relatives to thank them for their genetic contribution.
http://www.arizonaenergy.org/Warriors%20of%20Peace/four_directions_prayer.htm
Four Directions Prayer
Creator, It is I.
Thank you for today’s sunrise,
for the breath and life within me,
and for all of your creations.
Creator, Hear my prayer, and honour my prayer.
As the day begins with the rising sun,
I ask, Spirit keeper of the East, Brother Eagle,
Be with me.
Fly high as you carry my prayers to the Creator.
May I have eyes as sharp as yours,
so I am able to see truth and hope on the path I have chosen.
Guide my step and give me courage to walk
the circle of my life with honesty and dignity.
Spirit keeper of the South, Wolf,
Be with me.
Help me to remember to love
and feel compassion for all mankind.
Help me to walk my path with joy and love
for myself, for others, for the four legged,
the winged ones, the plants and all creation
upon Mother Earth.
Show me it is right for me to make decisions
with my heart, even if at times, my heart becomes hurt.
Help me to grow and nurture my self worth in all ways.
Spirit Keeper of the West, Brown Bear,
Be with me.
Bring healing to the people I love and to myself.
Bring into balance the physical, mental and spiritual,
so I am able to know my place on this earth,
in life and in death.
Heal my body, heal my mind and
bring light, joy and awareness to my spirit.
Spirit Keeper of the North, White Buffalo,
Be with me.
As each day passes, help me to surrender,
with grace, the things of my youth.
Help me to listen to the quiet, and find serenity and comfort
in the silences as they become longer.
Give me wisdom so I am able to make wise choices
in all things which are put in front of me,
And when time for my change of worlds has come,
Let me go peacefully, without regrets, for the things
I neglected to do as I walked along my path.
Mother Earth,
Thank you for your beauty,
And for all you have given me.
Remind me never to take from you
more then I need, and
remind me to always give back more than I take.
~
Annie B. Bond
Four Elements Medicine Wheel Prayer
posted by Annie B. Bond Dec 17, 2002 6:08 pm
Adapted from Green Psychology, by Ralph Metzner, Ph.D. (Park Street Press, 1999).
Elders, healers, and teachers of the ancient Earth Wisdom traditions align themselves with natural forces to cultivate a balanced attitude and relationship with the environment.
A sense of well-being and feeling at home in the world from periodic prayer rituals provide attunement and harmonizing with the elemental energies. Native Americans speak of the resulting feeling as “walking in balance on Earth.”
The Four Elements Medicine Wheel Prayer addresses and invokes the spirits of earth, air, water, and air as well as the powers of the four directions (or six, including above and below). Each of the elements as well as each species of animal and plant, constitute the domain of beings with whom it is possible to communicate and attune oneself.
You can here integrate the symbolism of the four directions to walk in balance and gratitude on the Earth with this prayer during the Thanksgiving season.
This prayer can integrate for you the symbolism of the four directions of objective space (north, south, east, and west) and the powers of the four elements, the inner and outer, the physical, and the psychic and spiritual.
Turn toward each of the four directions as the prayer is said, going around clockwise starting with the east; alternatively, one could turn one’s back receptively toward the direction.
Four Elements Medicine Wheel Prayer
O Great Spirit of the East,
radiance of the rising Sun,
spirit of new beginnings
O Grandfather Fire,
great nuclear fire of the Sun.
From you comes life-energy,
vital spark, power to see far,
and to envision with boldness;
with you we can purify the senses,
our hearts and our minds.
We pray that we may be aligned with you,
so that your energies may flow through us,
and be expressed by us,
for the good of this planet Earth,
and all living beings upon it.
O Great Spirit of the South,
protector of the fruitful land,
and of all green and growing things,
the noble trees and grasses.
Grandmother Earth, Soul of Nature,
great power of the receptive,
of nurturance and endurance,
of bringing forth and growing,
flowers of the field,
fruits of the garden.
We pray that we may be aligned with you,
so that your powers may flow through us,
and be expressed by us,
for the good of this planet Earth,
and all living beings upon it.
O Great Spirit of the West,
spirit of the great waters,
of rain and rivers, lakes and springs;
O Grandmother Ocean,
deepest matrix, womb of all life.
With you comes the dissolving
of boundaries and holdings,
the power to taste and to feel,
to cleanse and to heal.
Great blissful darkness of peace.
WE pray that we may be aligned with you,
so that your powers may flow through us,
and be expressed by us,
for the good of this planet Earth,
and all living beings upon it.
O Great Spirit of the North,
invisible spirits of the air,
and of the fresh, cool winds;
O vast and boundless Grandfather Sky,
your living breath animates all life.
From you comes clarity and strength,
and the power to hear inner sounds,
to seep out old patterns,
and bring challenge and change.
The ecstasy of movement and the dance.
We pray that we may be aligned with you,
so that your powers may flow through us,
and be expressed by us,
for the good of this planet Earth,
and all living beings upon it.
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Chief Seattle http://www.starstuffs.com/prayers/directs.htm
Great Spirit of Light, come to me out of the East (red) with the power of the rising sun. Let there be light in my words, let there be light on my path that I walk. Let me remember always that you give the gift of a new day. And never let me be burdened with sorrow by not starting over again.
Great Spirit of Love, come to me with the power of the North (white). Make me courageous when the cold wind falls upon me. Give me strength and endurance for everything that is harsh, everything that hurts, everything that makes me squint. Let me move through life ready to take what comes from the north.
Great Life-Giving Spirit, I face the West (black), the direction of sundown. Let me remember everyday that the moment will come when my sun will go down. Never let me forget that I must fade into you. Give me a beautiful color, give me a great sky for setting, so that when it is my time to meet you, I can come with glory.
Great Spirit of Creation, send me the warm and soothing winds from the South (yellow). Comfort me and caress me when I am tired and cold. Unfold me like the gentle breezes that unfold the leaves on the trees. As you give to all the earth your warm, moving wind, give to me, so that I may grow close to you in warmth. Man did not create the web of life, he is but a strand in it. Whatever man does to the web, he does to himself.
The Prayer of Directions
http://www.ourladyswarriors.org/renew/direct4.htmRenew 2000 text in Called to Lead, Book 2 on page 148.
A feather symbolizes air and the direction East. A candle symbolizes fire and the direction South. A bowel of water or a sea shell symbolizes water and the direction West. A container of earth or a stone symbolizes the earth or the direction North.
Leader: Let us face the north with arms outstretched and palms opened to receive the blessings of the Spirit.
Reader 1: Oh Great Spirit of the North, we come to you and ask for the strength and the power to bear what is cold and harsh in life. We come like the buffalo ready to receive the winds that truly can be overwhelming at times. Whatever is cold and uncertain in our life, we ask you to give us the strength to bear it. Do not let the winter blow us away. Oh Spirit of Life, and Spirit of the North, we ask you for strength and for warmth.
Leader: Let us face the east with arms outstretched and palms opened.
Reader 2: Oh Great Spirit of the East, we turn to you where the sun comes up, from where the power of light and refreshment come. Everything that is born comes up in this direction — the birth of the babies, the birth of the puppies, the birth of ideas and the birth of friendship. Let there be the light. Oh Spirit of the East, let the color of fresh rising in our life be glory to you.
Leader: Let us face the south with arms outstretched.
Reader 3: Oh Great Spirit of the South, spirit of all that is warm and gentle and refreshing, we ask you to give us this spirit of growth, of fertility, of gentleness. Caress us with a cool breeze when the days are hot. Give us seeds that the flowers, trees and fruits of the earth may grow. Give us the warmth of good friendships. Oh Spirit of the South, send the warmth and the growth of your blessings.
Leader: Let us face the West with arms outstretched.
Reader 4: Oh Great Spirit of the West, where the sun goes down each day to come up the next, we turn to you in praise of sunsets and in thanksgiving for changes. You are the great colored sunset of the red, which illuminates us. You are the powerful cycle which pulls us to transformation. We ask for the blessings of the sunset. Keep us open to life’s changes. Oh Spirit of the West, when it is time for us to go into the earth, do not desert us, but receive us in the arms of our loved ones.
Leader: Let us look up and raise our arms toward the heavens.
Reader 5: Oh Great Spirit of all that is Above, of everything that soars, of all that flies, of all high visions, all that is above the earth, we honor you and glorify you for the power that you are. Lift our minds and our hearts above the earth so that they may never be afraid of great heights and of looking like the eagle high across the land. Oh Spirit of All that is Above, put us on the wings of spirit travel so that we may know this world.
Leader: Let us place our arms at our sides and look down at the earth.
Reader 6: Oh, Great Spirit of All that is Below, of all that pulls us to deeper places, to the depths of ourselves, we turn to you in the memory of all that goes down. We ask you to give us the strength and the courage to face death. When people leave us in this life to share life with you, let there not be a grief that is untrue. When we experience losses and changes in our lives, let us see them as your revelation. Oh, Spirit of All that is Below, purify us.
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