RECEIVING THE BLESSINGS OF GRACE
The winds of Grace are always blowing,
It is for us to raise our sails.
Often attributed to SRI RAMAKRISHNA
In part 1, we explored Grace as the primordial ground of our being. Recognizing that we exist within and as part of an unshakable presence makes it possible to practice ego relaxation—surrendering beyond the dense forces of fear, control, and judgment to gain access to our hidden depths.
While the ground of Grace feels like a mountainous universal presence rising up to support you being present and undefended, the blessings of Grace feel very intimate, as though you are being personally touched by what Rumi calls “an unseen presence we honor, that gives the gifts.”1 It can feel like being in a cosmic shower of divine love, light, and refined nectars that truly quench your thirst.
This dimension of Grace is exquisitely attuned, meeting you in the place of your deepest need, expressed in the biblical saying, “Indeed, the very hairs on your head are numbered.”2 In Vedic cosmology, the deity Vishnu personifies this dimension of the Divine, providing infinite sustenance to the sincere aspirant. Even traditions such as Tibetan Buddhism that do not emphasize the concept of a Supreme Being offer countless practices to receive the blessings of bodhisattvas (beneficent beings who exist in subtle realms to assist in your awakening).
Receiving the blessings of Grace fills you from within and reminds you that every second of life is a gift. Blessings often arrive as synchronicity, where you seem to be in precisely the right place at the right time to meet your life partner, discover an unexpected opportunity in your career, or happen upon a teacher or spiritual guide who seems tailor-made to unlock your inner doors.
It is Grace that gifts you with your children and even with the challenges that arrive on your doorstep; both are sent to grow you. Grace is also ordinary and everyday—uplifting you through great art, wrapping you in the warmth of laughter with a good friend, or piercing you open with the exquisite beauty of morning birdsong. All arrive as gifts from beyond your ego’s effort.
More than anything, the blessings of Grace help you accept the fact that you are inherently loved and valued, not because of what you have achieved but just because you exist. In the handful of times that I have sat with someone in their dying process, close to entering the death state, they have uttered, “There is so much love.” Divine love is very real, as long as we do not make demands of how it “should” manifest.
These next four chapters invite you to enter into the receptive state of Grace—through trust, humility, patience, and joy. Not only do these virtues make ego relaxation easier, they powerfully refine and elevate your consciousness, ushering you into subtle states of Grace. This ends the spiritual poverty of lack, resolves struggle, and helps you relax and enjoy the gift of life.