Blessings, Part 7

Continuing to share the Traditional Blessings and Prayers I have collected over the years.  I hope they are blessing you as you read:

Blessing for the Children
O Thou, to whom to love and be are one,
hear my faith-cry for them who are more
thine than mine.
Give each of them what is best for each.
I cannot tell what it is.
But Thou knowest.
I only ask Thou love them and keep them
With the loving and keeping Thou didst
Show to Mary's Son and Thine.



Blessing For Hearth-Keepers
Brighid of the Mantle, encompass us,
Lady of the Lambs, protect us,
Keeper of the Hearth, kindle us.
Beneath your mantle, gather us,
And restore us to memory.
Mothers of our mother,
Foremothers strong.
Guide our hands in yours,
Remind us how
To kindle the hearth.
To keep it bright,
To preserve the flame.
Your hands upon ours,
Our hands within yours,
To kindle the light,
Both day and night.
The Mantle of Brighid about us,
The Memory of Brighid within us,
The Protection of Brighid keeping us
From harm, from ignorance, from heartlessness.
This day and night,
From dawn till dark,
From dark till dawn.
(Brighid is the Irish saint whose following draws strongly upon the Celtic goddess of the same name; as hearth-keeper, she is venerated throughout the Celtic world.)



May Christ and His saints stand
Between you and harm.
Mary and her Son.
St. Patrick with his staff.
Martin with his mantle.
Bridget with her veil.
Michael with his shield.
And God over all with His strong right hand.



Three things are of God;
And these are what Mary told to her Son,
For she heard them in heaven:
The merciful word;
The singing word;
And the good word.
May the power of these three holy things
Be on all the men and women of Erin forever more.




Four corners to her bed
Four angels at her head
Mark, Matthew, Luke and John;
God bless the bed that she lies on.
New moon, new moon, God bless me
God bless this house and family. 

Return tomorrow to read more blessings . . . . . . . .