AscendAscend on an instant or sorcery spell represents a spell ability. It means “If you control ten or more permanents and you don’t have the city’s blessing, you get the city’s blessing for the rest of the game.”
Ascend on a permanent represents a static ability. It means “Any time you control ten or more permanents and you don’t have the city’s blessing, you get the city’s blessing for the rest of the game.”
The city’s blessing is a designation that has no rules meaning other than to act as a marker that other rules and effects can identify. Any number of players may have the city’s blessing at the same time.
After a player gets the city’s blessing, continuous effects are reapplied before the game checks to see if the game state or preceding events have matched any trigger conditions. (CR 702.131) (If you control ten or more permanents, you get the city's blessing for the rest of the game.)
Whenever equipped creature attacks, put a +1/+1
counterTo counter a spell or ability is to cancel it: remove it from the stack without resolving it. A counter on an object or player is instead a marker that changes characteristics or interacts with rules or abilities; for example, a +1/+1 counter modifies a creature’s power and toughness. (CR 701.6; 122.1) on each creature you control. If you have the city's blessing, put two +1/+1
countersTo counter a spell or ability is to cancel it: remove it from the stack without resolving it. A counter on an object or player is instead a marker that changes characteristics or interacts with rules or abilities; for example, a +1/+1 counter modifies a creature’s power and toughness. (CR 701.6; 122.1) on each creature you control instead.
EquipEquip is an activated ability of Equipment cards. “Equip [cost]” means “[Cost]: Attach this permanent to target creature you control. Activate only as a sorcery.”
For more information about Equipment, see rule 301, “Artifacts.”
Equip abilities may further restrict what creatures may be chosen as legal targets. Such restrictions usually appear in the form “Equip [quality]” or “Equip [quality] creature.” These equip abilities may legally target only a creature that’s controlled by the player activating the ability and that has the chosen quality. Additional restrictions for an equip ability don’t restrict what the Equipment may be attached to.
If a permanent has multiple equip abilities, any of its equip abilities may be activated.
“Equip planeswalker” is a variant of the equip ability. “Equip planeswalker [cost]” means “[Cost]: Attach this permanent to target planeswalker you control as though that planeswalker were a creature. Activate only as a sorcery.” (CR 702.6)