Hello ,
You are BLESSED!
I use that word a lot- bless, blessings, blessed. I’ve heard more than once from well-intended spiritual truth seekers that it’s not a good word, that “bless” actually means “be less” and therefore it is considered more of a curse than a blessing. Have you heard this too?
I couldn’t accept the idea that this word I enjoy using, a word that feels so good to me was negative, and I do think it is important to be aware of the meaning behind the words we use, so I did some research and I have good news.
The root of the word bless can be traced to “blood, making holy or sacred, offering gratitude, a declaration of protection” and more recently to “Bliss” (although bliss is not a root of bless).
I found many references declaring the root of bless is blood. I like the connection it brings to embodiment. That it is truly a gift of the Divine that we have flesh and blood bodies to inhabit for our experience of this reality. The blessing IS the blood in this respect.
I also appreciate that we say “bless you” after someone sneezes. I found two historical reasons for that. One is a prayer to protect someone from their soul escaping their body because our hearts skip a beat when we sneeze. The other is that Pope Gregory I recommended saying “God Bless You” when someone sneezes as a prayer of protection from the plague.
Isn’t it interesting that we also say “Bless Your Heart” when bless comes from blood, and the heart pumps blood to keep our bodies alive.
