Beannacht — May the clarity of light be yours

Blessing Poem by John O'Donohue

On the day when
The weight deadens
On your shoulders
And you stumble,
May the clay dance
To balance you.

And when your eyes
Freeze behind
The grey window
And the ghost of loss
Gets into you,
May a flock of colours,
Indigo, red, green
And azure blue,
Come to awaken in you
A meadow of delight.

When the canvas frays
In the currach of thought
And a stain of ocean
Blackens beneath you,
May there come across the waters
A path of yellow moonlight
To bring you safely home.

May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
May the clarity of light be yours,
May the fluency of the ocean be yours,
May the protection of the ancestors be yours.

And so may a slow
Wind work these words
Of love around you,
An invisible cloak
To mind your life.

— John O'Donohue

Beannacht means blessing in Gaelic

 

An exclusive track of John O'Donohue reading his poem "Beannacht" during his interview with Krista Tippett on October 1, 2007 in the studios of APM in St. Paul, Minnesota. This poem is included in the On Being show "The Inner Landscape of Beauty." Download the mp3 of the produced show at onbeing.org.

 
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Holy Spirit by Hildegard of Bingen

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That Was When Everything Changed