Saying Grace

Ann K Gryczan

​Saying grace is a wonderful tool for students of consciousness because it puts illusion and Reality in their proper places: illusion that the ego is the source of life, and Reality that it’s not.

​It can seem like saying grace is a religious thing, and even though it is an aspect of religious practice, saying grace is way beyond that: it is simply a conscious decision to receive what life gives.

Saying grace is a consistent reminder that all life comes from the infinite wholeness of which we are all a part, and it tells us somewhere deep inside that we are safe, there is plenty and we are okay.

Saying grace gives us permission to come out of an arbitrary and self-imposed exile from life and to accept the blessing that is always present and always given.

The Ego Doesn’t Like This Idea

The ego doesn’t like the idea of grace, naturally. It will never acknowledge that anything is greater than it. So we must do that by stepping outside its world and onto that firm ground where we have a sense of who we really are and what we want our life to be.

And fortunately, we can do that because greater truth is always beckoning, our true Selves are always calling us back home.

Graces

How do you say grace?

First, declare yourself an active participant in life, like this: 

O

The sound “O” is an opening, a doorway that announces your readiness to approach life, to be open to it and to receive its gifts.

Second, address the infinite wholeness that is life, for which no words are adequate, in whatever way best allows you to leave the ego’s aggrandizement and enter into awe – to step away from isolation and into life.

Here, you can run into some snags because some of the words we have used throughout history may carry uncomfortable connotations for you. So find something that helps you recognize the Infinite. For example:

O Life or
O Infinite Presence or
O Source of my being and All That Is or
O God

Third, receive the gift.

O God (God works for me, but you use whatever you like), I (we) give thanks
O All That Is, thank you

Fourth, acknowledge what you are receiving.

O Life, thank you for these fantastic enchiladas and for our friends and family.
O God, we give thanks for your sustenance always, for this food and ask for your Divine blessing over it.

By asking for blessing we open into accepting the blessing that is life. It is an opening into Grace that already exists but may have seemed unavailable – only because we were until now closed to it.

Finally,
Amen 
So it is 

Confirm as true. This is your confirmation that you are aligned with life in this moment, to the best of your ability.

Food is So Delicious

Say grace silently or out loud, whatever is comfortable for you and for those around you. Say grace for every food: a big dinner, a burger from the drive-through, a berry off a bush – Thank you, God!

Thank you O Divine Life for this perfect peach, and for nourishing and sustaining me always.

Each grace is an acknowledgment of What Is and by acknowledgment, we align with that truth and become it a little more – we are less aligned with the ego and more with Self.

Plus, food is delicious and accepting it fully through our appreciation only makes it more so!