Blessed

Let’s get straight to the point. I, personally, am not a fan of saying “I’m so blessed”.

Ultimately I have nothing against anyone who chooses to say this. It is not a place for me to be a dictator over the use of words, nor would I want anyone to have a say in what words I use. I love listening to different people’s perspectives and this is my blog to share mine. So if you find yourself passionately connected to this phrase or take this saying to be personal in any way, then you might just want to stop reading this blog here. There is really no point in bringing any negative energy towards yourself, but if you’re truly interested in my perspective about it and want to open your mind to another world on the idea… please continue.

There is a beautiful song that was written long ago by Adi Shankaracharya. He was an Indian Vedic Teacher and philosopher who lived around 700 CE. He wrote a song called Nirvana Shatakam. There is a line that is repeated after every chorus; translated it means “I am the embodiment of eternal bliss. I am Shiva. I am Shiva.”

Would you consider there to be a difference between blissed and blessed? If you do, then what do you see those differences to be? I pose these questions to get you to look deeper into how you choose to define them. I ask them seriously.

Maybe one could call me cynical. I question everything that I am told. I’m not refusing information that is given to me, but I don’t just take things that are told to me as 100% fact until I verify with more detail. I define blessed as an act that is bestowed upon someone. The internet defines it as a holy act. One could further question what holy means to them. I consider someone blessed if they have narrowly escaped death, or if you see someone who has been given something that is often seen as a miracle (even by historical standards), such as a birth of a child.

These days when I hear the saying “blessed”, I often hear it from someone saying it to themselves. This isn’t wrong per se. Again, I’m not here to tell someone what words they should or shouldn’t use, but I’ve been hearing it for years from many people, especially in the yoga/healing community. I lean towards using words like gratitude or being thankful. When learning a language or deepening our use of vocabulary there are words that better interpret the feeling that is being experienced at the time. There are also individuals that have a tendency to uplift only. Although I find this to be a very beautiful act, I also love opening the book to the dark side of things. It has been in the dark that I have learned my greatest lessons and I am deeply grateful for those experiences. I see that by looking at hardships like death, war, break ups, that we can learn how to be wise. We can learn from our mistakes in our darkest moments. We cannot get rid of the dark because without it, when would we sleep? (😂 That is meant to be a joke.) Through the hardest lessons we learn how to think beyond ourselves, and live less in the “me”, more towards the union of all living things.

Let’s circle back to blessed verses blissed. Feeling bliss is feeling great joy for the experience you are having. Being blissful, especially when someone practices at a deep level in yoga, is something that is not hindered by the experience being good or bad to the eye of the beholder. To have a strong foundation with practice, then one would still feel bliss even if the best things happened to them or the most difficult thing happened to them. Mainly because they wouldn’t see it as happening to them. Now, let’s look to the yoga sutras of Patanjali. The 3rd verse of the 1st Book is often detailed or elaborated to entail that we are not the body, nor the mind. If that is truly practiced then there is no one who is phased by the good or bad. There is only ultimate nature, and anything happening is not happening to you but happening of it’s own accord (ultimate reality). Therefore there is no one to be blessed because there is no separation, only union. If one practices yoga, they come to that state of bliss. Whether you are in the coldest winter of your life or the most relaxing moment on a sunny beach. Finding bliss in everything you do is connected to a strong practice.

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Just another day in paradise.”? What is paradise to one may not be the paradise of another. Although I am happy for anyone who is content with where they live, I also see the root of that phrase. The root being external validation. There is no need to boast about where you live. It is only a place. A child often does not get to choose where they are living. I understand that for many people’s past, childhood can be memories of hardship. Yet a child is not restrained in the path of enlightenment. One can find this path at any time, at any age, and also fall from its course if swayed. A child does not choose a parent. Why would a child choose a parent that beats them, one who doesn’t make enough money to feed them, or a parent who gives them away? These circumstances are not a choice. Paradise can seem like a choice, but paradise can look different to each person and therefore is only of the mind, which you are not (reference Patanjali’s sutras again; Book 1, verse 3). Paradise can be the rain when it has been too dry or the sun when it has been too cloudy.

I don’t personally connect the use of the word “blessed” with any one person because I’ve heard it so much from so many different people. Yet to say it out loud to others only signifies that desire for validation. One who is secure in their peace doesn’t need to share or boast about the gifts of their life to others. Encouraging others to find gratitude is a beautiful act. Sharing how happy you feel about your life, well there is a lot under those words that isn’t said. If that is you then I encourage you to dive deeper in order to heal. Otherwise, feel free to go about using it and ignoring its context. Being a healer doesn’t mean you point to what the person wants to hear, but you point out what is the cause of the pain. This ultimately allows the hurt person to find the tools to heal themself and not rely on another to heal them. Healing doesn’t mean you can ignore the wounds of life by putting a pretty Band-aid on it. To heal means you need to address the cause of the wound, go back to when it first began if you can remember, and see what is the best medicine. Otherwise the wound could re-emerge later down the road. The more that one steps on the path of practice, the more one realizes there is no one to be wounded. Every moment is spontaneous presense unfolding. There will be no baggage to carry.

Again, use whatever words you want, but know the difference. Know the meaning behind what you say and practice. Be intentional with what you convey, not just to others but to yourself more than anyone.