Spiritual Readings from
Traditions Around the World
Apache Marriage Blessing
(This blessing is frequently used as a closing marriage blessing.)
Now you will feel no rain,
For each of you will be shelter to the other.
Now you will feel no cold,
For each of you will be warmth to the other.
Now there is no more loneliness,
For each of you will be companion to the other.
Now you are two bodies,
But there is only one life before you.
Go now to your dwelling place,
To enter into the days of your togetherness.
And may your days be good and long upon the earth.
Amen.
Gaelic Prayer
Adapted from - ancient gaelic runes
Deep peace of the running wave to you.
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the shining stars to you.
Deep peace of the infinite peace to you.
Cherokee Wedding Prayer
God in heaven above
please protect the ones we love.
We honor all you created as we pledge
our hearts and lives together.
We honor mother-earth
- and ask for our marriage to be abundant
and grow stronger through the seasons;
We honor fire and ask that our union be warm
and glowing with love in our hearts;
We honor wind and ask we sail though life
safe and calm as in our father's arms;
We honor water to clean and soothe our relationship
- that it may never thirsts for love;
With all the forces of the universe you created,
we pray for harmony and true happiness as we forever grow young together.
Amen
Hindu Marriage Poem
You have become mine forever.
Yes, we have become partners.
I have become yours.
Hereafter, I cannot live without you.
Do not live without me.
Let us share the joys.
We are word and meaning, unite.
You are thought and I am sound.
May the nights be honey-sweet for us.
May the mornings be honey-sweet for us.
May the plants be honey-sweet for us.
May the earth be honey-sweet for us.
Prayer for Peace
Lao-Tse (Taoist)
If there is to be peace in the world,
There must be peace in the nations.
If there is to be peace in the nations,
There must be peace in the cities.
If there is to be peace in the cities,
There must be peace between neighbors.
If there is to be peace between neighbors,
There must be peace in the home.
If there is to be peace in the home,
There must be peace in the heart.
Prayer for Peace on Earth
by Hazrat Inayat Khan
(Sufi, appropriate for many faiths)
Send Thy peace O Lord, which is
perfect and everlasting,
that our souls may radiate peace.
Send Thy peace O Lord, that we
may think, act and speak harmoniously.
Send Thy peace O Lord, that we
may be contented and thankful for
Thy bountiful gifts.
Send Thy peace O Lord, that amidst
our worldly strife, we may enjoy Thy bliss.
Send Thy peace O Lord, that we
may endure all, tolerate all, in the thought of
Thy grace and mercy.
Send Thy peace O Lord, that our lives
may become a Divine vision and in Thy light,
all darkness may vanish.
Send Thy peace O Lord, our Father and Mother,
that we Thy children on Earth may all
unite in one family.
From The Baal Shem Tov
(Jewish Wisdom, appropriate for any faith)
From every human being there rises a light that reaches straight to heaven, and when two souls that are designed to be together find each other, their streams of light flow together and a single, brighter light goes forth from their united being.
I Ching
When two people are at one in their inmost hearts,
they shatter even the strength of iron or bronze;
and when two people understand each other in their inmost hearts,
their words are sweet and strong like the fragrance of orchids.
Aztec Wedding Poem
I know not whether thou has been absent:
I lie down with thee, I rise up with thee,
In my dreams thou art with me.
If my eardrops tremble in my ears,
I know it is thou moving within my heart.
Inuit Wedding Vow
You are my husband/wife
My feet shall run because of you.
My feet dance because of you.
My eyes see because of you.
My mind thinks because of you.
And I shall love because of you.
"On Love" by Khalil Gibran in The Prophet
Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself.
But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires:
To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.
To know the pain of too much tenderness.
To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving;
To rest at the noon hour and meditate love's ecstasy;
To return home at eventide with gratitude;
And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise on your lips.
Oath of Friendship -- Anon., China, 1st Century B.C.
I want to be your friend
For ever and ever without break or decay.
When the hills are all flat
And the rivers are all dry,
When it lightens and thunders in winter,
When it rains and snows in summer,
When Heaven and Earth mingle
Not 'til then will I part from you.
"You Were Born Together"
From "On Marriage" in the book The Prophet
by Khalil Gibran
"You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore. You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days. Aye, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God. But let there be spades in your togetherness. And let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love. Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. Fill each other’s cup but drink not from one cup. Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf. Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each of you be alone, even as the strings of the lute are alone though they quiver with the same music. Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping. For only the land of Life can contain your hearts. And stand together, yet not too near together, for the pillars of the temple stand apart, and the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow."
“Looking For Your Face”,
by Rumi, Sufi Poet
“From the beginning of my life I have been looking for your face, but today I have seen it. Today I have seen the charm, the beauty, the unfathomable grace of the face that I was looking for. Today I have found you, and those who laughed and scorned me yesterday are sorry that they were not looking as I did. I am bewildered by the magnificence of your beauty, and wish to see you with a hundred eyes. My heart has burned with passion and has searched forever for this wondrous beauty that I now behold. I am ashamed to call this love human, and afraid of God to call it divine. Your fragrant breath, like the morning breeze, has come to the stillness of the garden. You have breathed new life into me. I have become your sunshine, and also your shadow. My soul is screaming in ecstasy. Every fiber of my being is in love with you. Your effulgence has lit a fire in my heart, and you have made radiant for me the earth and sky. My arrow of love has arrived at the target. I am in the house of mercy, and my heart is a place of prayer.”
From: Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
Without words, without even understanding,
lovers find each other.
... The moment of finding is always a surprise,
like meeting an old friend never before known.
From: Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
Explore and discover that which is within.
When we find ourselves, we are more easily found by others.
When a Man and a Woman Become One
by Rumi
When a man and a woman become one,
that "one" is You.
And when that one is obliterated, there You are.
Where is this "we" and this "I"?
By the side of the Beloved.
You made this "we" and this "I"
in order that you might play
this game of courtship with Yourself,
that all "you's" and "I's" might become one soul
and finally drown in the Beloved…
Make Not A Bond of Love
(By Kahlil Gibran, arranged as a responsive reading.)
Love one another, but make not a bond of love:
let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone, even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver the same music.
Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping,
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the windows of the heavens dance between you.
Love one another, but make not a bond of love.
Praises to Love
by Rumi
It is love that brings happiness to people.
It is love that gives joy to happiness.
My mother didn't give birth to me, that love did.
A hundred blessings and praises to that love.
Prayer for Kindness
-by the Bahá'u'lláh
(Baha'i wisdom, appropriate for many faiths)
Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity.
Be fair in thy judgement, and guarded in thy speech.
Be a lamp unto those who walk in darkness, and a home to the stranger.
Be eyes to the blind, and a guiding light unto the feet of the erring.
Be a breath of life to the body of humankind, a dew to the soil of the human heart, and a fruit upon the tree of humility.
Traditional Shoshone Indian Love Poem
Fair is the white star of twilight, and the sky clearer
at the day's end, but she is fairer, and she is dearer
She, my heart's friend.
Fair is the white star of twilight, and the moon roving
to the sky's end; but she is fairer, better worth loving
She, my heart's friend."
Aztec Indian Wedding Poem
I know not whether thou has been absent:
I lie down with thee, I rise up with thee,
In my dreams thou art with me.
If my eardrops tremble in my ears,
I know it is thou moving within my heart.
Traditional Wedding Prayer of the Great Plains Indian
0 Morning Star!
When you look down upon us, give us peace and refreshing sleep.
Great Spirit!
Bless our children, friends, and visitors through a happy life.
May our trails lie straight and level before us.
Let us live to be old.
We are all your children and ask these things with good hearts.
Eskimo Wedding Vow
You are my husband/wife
My feet shall run because of you.
My feet dance because of you.
My eyes see because of you.
My mind thinks because of you.
And I shall love because of you.
The Lord's Prayer in English and French
Our Father, who art in heaven,
Notre Père qui es aux cieux
Hallowed be thy name;
Que ton nom soit sanctifié
Thy kingdom come;
Que ton règne vienne
Thy will be done;
Que ta volonté soit faite
On earth as it is in heaven.
Sur la terre comme au ciel.
Give us this day, our daily bread.
Donne-nous aujourd'hui
Notre pain de ce jour.
And forgive us our trespasses,
Pardonne-nous nos offenses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
Comme nous pardonnons aussi
A ceux qui nous ont offensés.
And lead us not into temptation;
Et ne nous soumets pas à la tentation,
But deliver us from evil.
Mais délivre-nous du Mal.
For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory,
Car c'est à toi qu'appartiennent le règne, la puissance et la gloire,
for ever and ever.
Pour les siècles des siècles.
Amen.
Irish Blessing, Version #1
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.
May God be with you and bless you;
May you see your children's children.
May you be poor in misfortune,
Rich in blessings,
May you know nothing but happiness
From this day forward.
May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the warm rays of sun fall upon your home
And may the hand of a friend always be near.
May green be the grass you walk on,
May blue be the skies above you,
May pure be the joys that surround you,
May true be the hearts that love you.
Irish Blessing, Version #2
May the raindrops fall lightly on your brow
May the soft winds freshen your spirit
May the sunshine brighten your heart
May the burdens of the day rest lightly upon you
And may God enfold you in the mantle of His love.
May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face
and the rain fall soft upon your fields
And until we meet again my friend
May God hold you in the hollow (palm) of his hand
May God be with you and bless you
May you see your children's children
May you be poor in misfortunes and rich in Blessings
May you know nothing but happiness
from this day forward
But rich or poor, quick or slow,
May you know nothing but happiness
From this day forward.
May the joys of today
Be those of tomorrow.
Blessing Engraved on Saint Patrick's Breastplate
May you be blessed with
the strength of heaven,
the light of the sun
and the radiance of the moon,
the splendor of fire,
the speed of lightning,
the swiftness of wind,
the depth of the sea,
the stability of earth,
and the firmness of rock.
Traditional Irish Blessing of a bride and groom
I wish healing upon you
The healing of Mary with me,
Mary, Michael and Brighid
Be with me all three.
Fly with the birds of the air
Fly with the wasps of the hill
Swim with the sea-going whale
For they are swiftest
Be upon the clouds of the sky
For they are the rainiest
Be upon the river's current
Cascading to the sea
Old English Blessing
May your joys be as bright as the morning,
your years of happiness
as numerous as the stars in the heavens,
and your troubles but shadows
that fade in the sunlight of love.
Irish Wedding Blessing
May your mornings bring joy and your evenings bring peace.
May your troubles grow few as your blessings increase.
May the saddest day of your future
Be no worse than the happiest day of your past.
May your hands be forever clasped in friendship
And your hearts joined forever in love.
Your lives are very special,
God has touched you in many ways.
May his blessings rest upon you
And fill all your coming days.
Old Welsh Blessing
Wishing you
A house full of sunshine,
Hearts full of cheer,
Love that grows deeper
each day of the year.
EXCERPT FROM "A SONG FOR HIAWATHA"
Come join us in celebration, those who love sunshine on meadow
Who love shadow of the forest,
love the wind among the branches and the palisades of pine trees,
and the thunder in the mountains whose innumerable echoes flap like eagles
in their eries.
Listen to this song of marriage. How, from another tribe and country came a
young man, "give me as my wife this maiden, and our hands be clasped more
closely, and our hearts be more united.
Thus it is, our daughters leave us, those we love and those who love us.
When a youth with flaunting feathers beckons to the fairest maiden.
From the sky the sun benignant looked upon them through the branches, Saying
to them, "oh, my children life is checkered shade and sunshine."
The two figures man and woman Standing hand in hand together, with their
hands so clasped together that they seem in one united. And the words thus
represented are, "I see your heart within you."
Sing them songs of love and longing
Now, let's feast and be more joyous.
Traditional Shoshone Indian Love Poem
Fair is the white star of twilight, and the sky clearer
at the day's end, but she is fairer, and she is dearer
She, my heart's friend.
Fair is the white star of twilight, and the moon roving
to the sky's end; but she is fairer, better worth loving
She, my heart's friend."
A Chinese Poem (Author Unknown)
I want to be your friend forever and ever
When the hills are all flat
And the rivers run dry
When the trees blossom in winter
And the snow falls in summer,
When heaven and earth mix
Not till then will part from you.
Commitment reading of the Pueblo Indian, author unknown
Before we met, you and I were halves unjoined except in the wide
rivers of our minds. We were each other's distant shore, the
opposite wings of a bird, the other half of a seashell. We did not
know the other then, did not know our determination to keep alive
the cry of one riverbank to the other. We were apart, yet connected
in our ignorance of each other, like two apples sharing a common
tree. Remember?
I knew you existed long before you understood my desire to join my
freedom to yours. Our paths collided long enough for our indecision
to be swallowed up by the greater need of love. When you came to me,
the sun surged towards the earth and moon escaped from darkness to
bless the union of two spirits, so alike that the creator had designed them
for life's endless circle. Beloved partner, keeper of my heart's odd secrets,
clothed in summer blossoms so the icy hand of winter never touches us.
I thank your patience. Our joining is like a tree to earth,
a cloud to sky and even more. We are the reason the world can laugh
on its battlefields and rise from the ashes of its selfishness to hear me say,
in this time, this place, this way - I loved you best of all.
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Disclaimer: I have found these verses on other sites on the Internet, and from books I have read. I am not selling them, nor profiting from their listing. I have placed them on my site as a courtesy to others, to show the breadth of offerings in this category. If you wish to use these verses, you must follow all copyright laws yourself, and/or obtain permission to use them, if that permission is necessary.
