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.

May those who love us, love us.
And those who don't love us,
May God turn their hearts;
And if He doesn't turn their hearts,
May He turn their ankles,
So we will know them by their limping.

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 for evermore.

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.

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.

Te 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.)

An Old Wedding Blessing

Lorica
The early Celtic church had many 'breastplate prayers', or 'lorica', which declared the surrounding and encompassing of God. Such prayers were not to make God come - He is already there - but to open our eyes to the reality. In breastplate prayers, the person who prays seeks to become aware of what is already a reality.

The following prayer is from the 4th century and is attributed to St. Patrick

Blessing Of The Three

The Sacred Three
My fortress be
Encircling me,
Come and be round
My hearth, my home.

Caim
The Celtic Christians had a practice called the 'caim', in which they drew around them a circle.... this was a symbol of the encircling love of God.

A Caim Prayer

The Mighty Three
My protection be
Encircling me
You are around
My life, my home
Encircling me
O Sacred Three
The Mighty Three

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