|
SAMPLE BABY BLESSING/NAMING CEREMONY
Place: The
parents’ home, or the home of a grandparent, friend, or other relative. The intention is to create an
atmosphere of reverence and love within a safe space.
Prepare in advance: Position a small
table to serve as an altar so that it is facing a semi-circle of chairs for all guests. Dress the altar with a light-colored
shawl or scarf. In the center, place a large candle inscribed with the baby’s full name, and smaller candles for each of the
grandparents (if any), Godparents, and siblings (if any). A small bowl of water should be placed at the side. Parents may
place any additional objects that have special meaning for the family on the altar as well. Matches should be available.
Music
(optional): An appropriate piece of instrumental music may be played quietly in the background as
people gather.
Minister This is an occasion of pure joy! Welcome, ________ and __________
(parents), welcome,
_____________ and _____________, __________
and ______________ (grandparents), welcome to each and all
who have come
to greet and celebrate this wondrous one and welcome
her into the circle of humanity.
Let us pray. O God, Source
of all good, we come together to thank and praise you, on behalf of the community of all souls, for the entrance of this new
being of light into our world. May we always be aware of her source in the world of the infinite, so that we may reflect back
to her this knowledge of her true identity. May all who have come together to bless this child be themselves blessed a hundredfold.
Amen.
I would now ask the parents to come forward with the child. (They do so.)
__________ and _____________, have
you chosen a name for this child?
(The parents respond.)
(Addressing the child) _______________, with joy in my heart,
I name you today with the names chosen by your parents. I honor the spirit within you.
Minister lights the large central
candle.
Would the grandparents now come forward. (They do so; parents remain standing holding the baby.)
Dear Ones,
you are truly blessed today. Would each of you in turn please
light a candle from the central candle that is already burning……in
loving recognition of the light that shines within___(baby’s name)___………….
and then gather round __________, ___________
and ___________
and, with hands upraised in blessing, repeat after me this prayer of
love and dedication:
Mother-Father
God, our cup runneth over. We thank you for blessing
our family with ____________; we promise to love her, and to support
our
children __________ and ___________in caring for the needs of her body, mind and spirit. We trust that you will show us how
to be the grandparents You would have us be, how to be true guides to her spirit and her heart. Amen, it shall be so.
(Minister
asks if Grandparents would like to express their hopes, wishes and blessings for the baby, and they may do so now.)
Parents
and grandparents remain standing around the minister.
Minister: And now, would the Godparents come forward, please.
(They do so.)
Would each of you in turn please light a candle from the central candle that is already burning……in recognition
of the light that shines within
___(baby’s name)___ (They do so.)
Yours is a great and beautiful responsibility.
By saying yes to God-parenting this child, you have stepped within the hallowed circle of parents [siblings] and grandparents,
and yet you are separate from them.
Your responsibility is to _______________, no one else. In choosing you, the parents
have honored you with great trust. They are trusting you to hold the vision of ________’s true nature as a perfect child of
God, to hold it close to your heart, and let that vision be your guide. If there are times you feel called upon to speak up,
on behalf of the highest and best good of _____, they are trusting that you will speak up. They are trusting that, if necessary,
you will be there to help her love, trust and respect herself. In essence, they have chosen you to be _________’s spiritual
parents.
Please gather around __________, ___________ and ___________
and, with hands upraised in blessing, repeat
after me this prayer of
love and dedication:
Divine Source of All Good, We accept this sacred trust, placed upon us
by _________ and _________, knowing that all guidance, wisdom and love comes through us from You, that we can surrender--
and we do, right now--to your grace and your loving power. Guided by You, we will watch over _______’s unfolding, bearing
witness to her growth in wisdom, we will be her wise friends in the many years to come. Amen, it shall be so.
(Minister
asks if Godparents would like to express their hopes, wishes and blessings for the baby, and they do so.)
Minister: One
of the best pieces of advice to parents I’ve ever heard comes from
Mahatma Ghandi. It is this: “Your life is your message
to your children.”
How you live it, what you value more and what less, it is this from which your child will learn the
most indelible lessons.
________ and _________ (parents), we rejoice with you in the birth of this beautiful child.
We are here to support you, understanding that
___________’s birth is a rite of passage for this family. We lovingly support
your understanding that ____________ is an individualized expression of the life force, born to walk her own path, live her
own journey.
And if we are ever absent in a particular instance when you need our support, Please call on us! We are
never so busy that we wouldn’t consider it a privilege to be asked to drop everything and lend an ear,
a hand, a shoulder.
And now I invite all of you to join me silently in this prayer for ______
and __________ (parents): Beloved Mother-Father
God, You have gifted ________ and __________ with this miracle daughter, _____________.
We know, however, that you are
not stepping away now that you have delivered the gift, we know that, on the contrary, you are the source of all continuing
joy, blessing and assistance, the wellspring of love, patience and strength. We know that it is your ardent wish to be called
on every minute, every hour, every day and to welcome _____ and _______ into co-creatorship with You. We know they do not
have to answer the questions and solve the problems on their own. Plant in their hearts this knowingness. Amen.
_______________(minister
uses child’s full name), I bless you, on behalf of all who are assembled here (minister dips three fingers in the bowl of
water, brings them to his lips where he kisses them and then ever-so-gently touches the baby on her forehead) and express
our abiding love for the holy light that you embody.
Water is a symbol of life, and of the Soul, a symbol of connection
to the source, our source, which is Spirit.
You may all be seated.
“When a baby is born,” says Kenneth Patton, “it
is the symbol of all birth and life, and therefore all people must rejoice.”
And so we do rejoice mightily!
We
now reaffirm our collective wishes for ________________. _____________, may you always remember where you came from. May you
remember to listen carefully to your own heart and to the hearts of others. May you follow your own truth to your Life Dream.
May it be your joy to make this earth a better place to live. May you bring your gifts and talents forward every day without
hesitation or reservation. * May you always remember that your true nature is Love.
Let us bow our heads in prayer.
Dear
Father-Mother God,
We know that your nature is Love. And we know that, as ______, ___ and ______ leave this ceremony of
blessing today, and walk out to continue their lives in the world, your love is with them, your blessing and your guidance
are with them. May that knowledge always rest secure in their hearts.
Amen.
______________________________________________________
*
excerpted from “Dear Children of the Future” by Angeles Arrien
in Prayers for a Thousand Years
|
