Rabbi Joshua Ritchie, M.D., and wife Liliane Aura Ritchie, PhD, have resided most of their lives together in the U.S.A. and in Israel. They have made it their task to understand the purpose and potential of their lives and to share what they have learned with others.
Together they founded the Refuah Institute in New York in 1994 and opened its Professional Coach and Counselor Training Center in Jerusalem in 1997.
Rabbi Joshua Ritchie is a physician, teacher, counselor and therapist.
Liliane Aura was born in Geneva and raised in Switzerland and France. She is a spiritual counselor, an artist, a writer and a mother of five. Based on her own personal insights and experiences, her writing and paintings are a healing message for mind and heart.
Liliane Aura authored 3 books, “A Gift of Love,” (to be reprinted shortly) “Healing Ourselves,” (both illustrated with her paintings appearing on www.refuah.net/art) and “Masters & Miracles.”
Blessing Others with Love
All human beings are connected through the mysterious invisible bonds of our thoughts and feelings. The most powerful bond between us is love, a love that heals and restores.
We are all meant to live in harmony. One beautiful way to bring about this reality is recognizing and using the divine power that has been granted us, namely the power to bless others with love.
Because of our mistrust, doubts, and fears engendered by our lives experiences of disappointment, loss and unfulfilled dreams, we often fail to recognize the power within us. We don’t know how to tune in to the love and life-giving blessings that the Infinite One is constantly pouring down on us. Instead we take a look at the daily grind, the stress and strain, the insults, the frustration and think that this is all there is. We ignore all the miracles that surround us. While we are yearning for the comfort and approval of others or even real, unconditional Love, we walk in oblivion that G-d’s approval and G-d’s love is right here, a love that heals us and gives us safety and peace.
Blessing with love is done by emitting a feeling of love for others, a will for them to have the good you envision for them and asking for divine intervention in bringing G-d’s will into being.
When we begin to formulate expressions of blessings, something shifts in our awareness. We become attuned to infinite resources. We are holding the Almighty’s love in our heart and extending it generously to others.
We are all meant to be channels of this source of blessings that sustains the universe and gives life to us and to all living creatures. Why haven’t we accepted our awesome privilege? We don’t realize how much of an influence we have.
The power of blessings has been expressed in the dramatic stories of people who responded to blessings with restored health, even those in critical condition, healing relationships and hopeless family situations, saving people in frightful danger, restoring wealth and saving entire communities from looming disasters.
Even though blessings are usually associated with some great rebbe who’s word seems to be G-d’s command, we are also capable of causing the divine to intercede in an unacceptable situation by the power of blessing.
We are all God’s messengers. Each one of us was created to be a channel of divine blessing: we are meant to bless the Holy One, our loved ones, the earth itself, and all that touches us. False humility of “who am I to bless?” is to negate that we are all the children of Abraham. We must always remember that blessing with love is the will of the Master of Creation. It is always the right thing to do. We are taught to bless many circumstances from within the daily prayers and even children are expected to do so, yet blessing from our hearts is just another extension of the prayers in a way that the person you bless understands personally.
How do we bless others with love?
You can bless others silently and persistently, without anyone even knowing that you are doing it. It is just as effective. Many books have been published about, the changes in other people’s attitudes, their health, their situations, their experiences without their knowing that they had been prayed for and sent blessings.
They will unconsciously sense it, even if their attitude toward you starts out as hostile and rejecting to begin with. In response they will turn to you without knowing why, they will be open to your teachings and what you have to say to them. They may truly love you back, wondering all the while what has overcome them. We are all linked together through our soul connections and the quickest way to manifest these bonds of love is through blessing with love.
Blessing others with love is one of the most profound and powerful ways to heal difficult relationships. Here is a Kabbalistic formula that has worked wonders in helping couples repair their old hurts and grudges:
After patiently, and with great empathy, listening separately to each spouse, the Rabbi instructs the wife to secretly bless her husband for ten minutes twice a day in this way: She should first feel loving appreciation for him. She may list and reaffirm all his best qualities and assert his great potential. Then envisioning the best behavior and state of being she could wish for or imagine she blesses his emotions, his aspirations and his dreams. That he should awaken in the morning full of energy and high spirit, that he may be inspired in his work, in his prayers, in his endeavors, that he may enjoy his learning, new friendships, great success and joy and the fulfillment of his highest aspirations. She blesses him that he may experience ever deepening peace and love with his wife and harmonious relationships with his family. That he should be in radiant health, enjoy his food and whatever he chooses to do, that he may stay connected with the almighty every day.
And when the counselor speaks with the husband, he encourages him to bless his wife, and express his gratitude and compassion during his daily prayers or at any other time, for ten minutes twice a day, as well.
When couples bless each other in silence, for only ten minutes twice a day, their love for each other will revive and grow deeper. The deeper meaning of their union will become revealed to them and honored in their heart. The painful issues between them will not seem so important anymore and the leftover technical negotiations or self expression will be shared in a way that honors both of them.
Even in a comfortable relationship to begin with this formula has great impact since there is no limit to how much in love we can become. In difficult relationships it is often the only way that works. It connects us with the higher realms of divine Love, beyond reason that nourishes, transforms and heals all.
When we find ourselves stuck in our self criticism, self deprecation and self sabotage, this formula can be used to heal ourselves when we consciously become aware of God’s blessings toward us. As we repeat these blessings and absorb them into our heart, we feel God’s compassion toward us and we are able to release our insecurities and stalemates.
As we learn to have compassion on ourselves, we learn to have compassion on others and our blessings are easier to do.
Even in a relationship in which only one partner is willing to participate, the relationship will improve.
Even in the worst cases where a husband or wife has been entrenched in an angry self centered stance and scorns at all this, and even if in the past he or she has been persistently cruel emotionally or physically, blessings cause changes. Things are bound to start moving, one way and another. The person who blesses gains in self-confidence and self-worth. Connecting with God’s loving kindness for ourselves and others builds up the courage and strength to recognize one’s personal worth and dignity. Because we are becoming aware of our true value, we feel empowered, courageous, and strong. An awareness of G-d’s power to uphold us gives us the strength to form strong supportive and empathic relationships with others and gain assurance and confidence knowing we will be assisted by Divine Providence. This diffuses our sense of neediness or dependency on another person which allowed for the misbehavior to go on in the first place. Ultimately, blessings can heal any kind of situation, for it connects us to the Source of all Good.
For many of us, blessing others who have been obnoxious and immensely irritating to us can seem useless. So we can begin by asking God to take charge of them. We can release them in God’s hands askin