The Angel Card I drew this morning was “Grace”, meaning that’s my gift for the day. Grace is a word with several definitions. It can mean poise or elegance, but also a gift or blessing. Since I’m looking for it today, I thought I should explore its meanings, especially the one having to do with blessings. So I put forth the question, What is grace? and here’s what “The Spooks” had to say.
NOTE: When I refer to The Spooks, as regular readers will know, I’m talking about the source of guidance I often receive. (Don’t worry. I don’t actually hear voices in my head, so there’s no need to suggest I start taking anti-psychotic medication!) And when I talk about angels, blessings, etc., I’m not referring to any particular belief system nor am I attached to any particular “divinity construct”. God or The Universe or the Higher Self or the subconscious mind – I really have no idea how it all works. But I don’t like getting tangled up in terminology, so substitute whatever words work for you, and see if any of this makes sense.
There are three types of grace – Passive Grace, Active Grace, and Supernatural or Divine Grace. (Who knew?) Passive Grace is what comes to us without any conscious seeking on our part. Sort of like dreams come to us in our sleep. It’s a kind of freebie grace. It’s when we are given gifts or blessings that we need even when we are unaware of the need. And often we never recognize the gifts or even realize we have received them.
Active Grace is something we seek. It’s the answer to a prayer or the fulfillment of a dream or affirmation. It’s something we ask for and get. The catch is that it often comes in a form that is entirely different from what we had imagined or requested. It may look so different that, once again, we never realize we have received it. This is why it can be wise to form our prayers, affirmations and aspirations in the broadest possible terms. For example, asking for abundant resources instead of asking for a million dollars; to be happy, peaceful and content, rather than to find a great job or perfect lover. And, The Spooks assured me, we will always be given what we need, and never what we do not.
Which brings us to Supernatural or Divine Grace. As usually happens in these “Three Of A Kind” situations, the third is the most complex and enigmatic, so bear with me as I try to put this one into words. This sort of grace seems to be a result of our actions. (So why isn’t this one called Active Grace? I don’t know, but I don’t make this stuff up. Really.) It is the blessings or gifts that flow to us as a part of doing the right thing. That’s not to say that the grace comes as a reward for doing good, or that doing the right thing is the same thing as doing good. Doing the right thing can often be doing good. Doing volunteer work, helping someone in need would be considered doing good. We can probably all attest to the good feeling, the “high”, that can come as a result of doing good. That’s Divine Grace. But it only comes when those good things are also right things for us; that is, when we are doing good because we are called to do that thing in that moment. Simply going through the motions of “doing good” when it’s not what we’re meant to be doing won’t have the same result. But doing what we’re called to do – which could be volunteer work, but could also be going for a walk, or working in the garden, or talking to a friend – is the path to Divine Grace. And, again, Divine or Supernatural Grace isn’t the reward for right action; it is a result of, or actually the final part of, that action. Being in a “state of grace” is when we live our lives so in tune with our guidance, and we do the right thing so automatically and consistently, that the resultant blessings, gifts and good feelings are continuously flowing.
So as I look for the gift of Grace today, I’m going to try to stay really open to what seem to be the right things – and the good things – for me to do in each moment. But just in case today’s gift has more to do with an alternate definition of grace, I think I’ll also work on my posture!
If you’re going to be this philosophical, it’s critical to maintain a good sense of humor or no one will want to hang with you. Next thing you know, you’ll be writing a blog on loneliness.
Fortunately, you have a sense of humor and your posture isn’t too bad either 😉