Tag Archives: Peace

Stepping into Winter…….

Ice TreesWe take a step through this darkened doorway of stillness called Winter Solstice. As we do, let us remember….

…that darkness holds the seeds of tomorrow gently in her cold hands, and cradles them as she sings her Winter song of purity.

…that without knowing the depth of darkness, one can never fully appreciate the magnificence and fullness of the light.

…that as you venture deep into your cave of dreams, wrap your heart in the loving blanket of trust that lines this womb of the Divine Feminine.

…to give our unexplored potential to the fearless creativity of the darkness.

…the endless possibilities of creation that our dreams and visions hold.

…our joy as we reflect on who and what we love, and how we might better serve them.

…the inner peace that only illumination can bring as we shine our hope, dream our future, and fully awaken a new reality that nurtures, loves, respects, and rejoices in the beauty and Sacredness of all.

May the magic of the Winter Solstice fill your heart and soul with all of the abundance that Life has to offer.

Armistice Day, a celebration of ceremonies of peaceful relations with all other peoples….

P3030002I feel a deep sense of responsibility in honoring the enormous sacrifices made by the sons and daughters of all nations in their military service to their homeland. Some make the ultimate sacrifice, but all make a sacrifice on some level. They deserve to be acknowledged for that and treated with due respect.

Individuals step into the role of ‘warrior’ for many different reasons and I will never pass judgment on them for that choice. However, I do feel immense sadness for those who have been ‘fooled’ into service by the seduction of blind patriotism or the enticement of a ‘better life’.

November 11, 1918 signified a cease fire in a horrendous war where almost 30 million were killed or injured and another 7 million were taken prisoner. The celebration of cease fire was originally named “Armistice Day” in the United States to commemorate the end of World War I and to provide “…exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding…..inviting the people of the United States to observe the day in schools and churches…..with appropriate ceremonies of friendly relations with all other peoples.”

Congress later deemed it necessary to pass a resolution and rename this day of dedication to the cause of world peace.

In 1954, that name was changed to Veterans Day and I believe lost its original intent and focus with that alteration.

As a devoted promoter of peace and nonviolence, I never served in my nation’s military. I respect all veterans for their choice. I also choose to do all that I can to live peace, with the belief that one day we can actually recognize each other as members of the same human family, to be loved and respected for our differences and individuality.

One way I choose to do that is by supporting my local chapter of Veterans For Peace. Their statement of purpose is clear and direct, “We intend to abolish war as an instrument of national policy.” I thank them as they courageously stand up to their opposition with relentless fervor. The horrors of war linger with painful memory and they stand down from aggression, violence and arrogance.

By allowing the original intention of this holiday to be changed from a focus on peace to only honoring veterans, we exclude the huge numbers of victims – the civilians, the innocents – who also paid an enormous price. We focus on the warrior and in doing so continue to glorify and uphold the aggressive and violent military action of nations worldwide.

In 1986 a group of scholars and scientists from around the world met and arrived at mutual understanding about violence. The Seville Statement on Violence challenged findings that have been used to justify violence and war:

IT IS SCIENTIFICALLY INCORRECT to say that we have inherited a tendency to make war from our animal ancestors.

IT IS SCIENTIFICALLY INCORRECT  to say that war or any other violent behavior is genetically programmed into our human nature.

IT IS SCIENTIFICALLY INCORRECT  to say that in the course of human evolution there has been a selection for aggressive behavior more than for other kinds of behavior.

IT IS SCIENTIFICALLY INCORRECT  to say that humans have a ‘violent brain’.

IT IS SCIENTIFICALLY INCORRECT  to say that war is caused by ‘instinct’ or any single motivation.

(read the entire statement here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seville_Statement_on_Violence)This statement was adopted by UNESCO at the 25th session of the General Conference 11/11/89.

We are taught divisiveness, separation, judgment, bias, prejudice, aggression, hatred and fear. Every global citizen, therefore, has the ability to choose peace, love, understanding, respect, tolerance and compassion.

As the ringing of bells announced the signing of that Armistice so many years ago, I add the sound of a crystal bell every November 11, at 11 minutes after 11 to remind myself of that original Armistice Day pledge of peace. I have grown fond of this ritual as I find bell ringing a more peaceful practice than gun salutes and fighter plane fly-overs.

As a citizen of this world, I take this day to acknowledge those who have sacrificed and remind myself and others of our continued role in making the necessary changes to enhance our experience together on this planet and make immediate strides forward, together, in creating a culture of peace that is ours, should we choose to claim it.

“Just as ‘wars begin in the minds of men’ peace also begins there. The same species who invented war is capable of inventing peace. The responsibility lies with each of us.” – Seville Statement on Violence, Spain, 1986

Happy Armistice Day.

Mother’s Day, a call for Peace

IMG_1214Let us always remember that this day was not originally created by businesses to sell cards, flowers or chocolates. It was a global appeal for women to unite for peace. Let us stand together on this day and declare there IS a place in our world for Peace, Love, Respect, Understanding, Compassion, Equality, Honor, Justice, Integrity, and Community. Let us claim it for our ancestors, ourselves, our children and grandchildren, the next seven generations, and for Mother Earth and all of her children.
Let there be Peace On Earth, and let it begin with me.

 

Mother’s Day Proclamation

Arise then…women of this day!

Arise, all women who have hearts!

Whether your baptism be of water or of tears!

Say firmly:

“We will not have questions answered by irrelevant agencies,

Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage,

For caresses and applause.

Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn

All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.

We, the women of one country,

Will be too tender of those of another country

To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs.”

From the bosom of a devastated Earth a voice goes up with

Our own. It says: “Disarm! Disarm!

The sword of murder is not the balance of justice.”

Blood does not wipe out dishonor,

Nor violence indicate possession.

As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil

At the summons of war,

Let women now leave all that may be left of home

For a great and earnest day of counsel.

Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.

Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means

Whereby the great human family can live in peace…

Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,

But of God –

In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask

That a general congress of women without limit of nationality,

May be appointed and held at someplace deemed most convenient

And the earliest period consistent with its objects,

To promote the alliance of the different nationalities,

The amicable settlement of international questions,

The great and general interests of peace. ~ Julia Ward Howe, written in 1870

Finding forgiveness….

Photo by Ymani Simmons

Photo by Ymani Simmons

I continue to search for my own honest answers about myself, and work to change the things I can as they become visible to me. I arrived on this planet under the Native American astrological sign of the Salmon (known as Leo to others), and have an intimate experience of seeking the courage and strength needed to leap into the current that is my life.

I recall accepting full responsibility for making all of the choices that positioned me in joyously fulfilling situations. I was not as willing to claim an awareness of choosing the challenging ones.

Clinging to a mindset of desperation, loneliness, and a general feeling of being out of control, it seemed like the world, and everything in it, was against me. Nothing seemed simple. Struggle, hardship, pain, disappointment, and despair were my reality. Something outside of myself seemed to be writing my dramatic script, and was creating endless obstacles that kept me swirling in chaos. I was convinced I was a victim of life’s cruelty. It was not the truth.

As we experience these bumps in the road of life, we often embrace the emotion that accompanies the event, becoming that emotion. What we don’t recognize is our ability to define the truth of the event, and, therefore, feed our higher purpose.

It is up to us to identify what and who we choose to be, every moment of every day. I remember when I decided to take an honest look at my life. Was I truly showing up and being seen as my potential? Was I seeing the potential in myself, or had I settled for the mask that appeared with the old patterns and belief systems from my original imprinting?

The answers resided in the old saying, “When you point a finger of blame at someone else, there are three fingers pointing back at you.” It always gets back to us. We are the only ones that we can truly change in any way. We may influence the opinion, choice, or response of another, but the ultimate decision to make a personal change is up to the individual.

My decisions will influence others by the choice of my words or actions, and I must accept responsibility for that influence. But it remains the responsibility of others to make their own choices when responding.

A stone thrown into a still pond is responsible for the splash. It is also responsible for the ripples that occur because of that action. So, the way we behave – the stone – becomes part of the reality of others. The effect of that behavior – the ripples – collide with the shoreline of those with whom we are in relationship. That collision creates an opportunity for a response, or a reaction, and we remain accountable for our action that influenced it.

It is important to accept responsibility in all life situations. We are surrounded by relationships, it’s what life is. As we dance this dance with others we are well served to gain proficiency in our challenge to respond instead of react in moments of conflict.

As human actors in this universal play, we define what our roles are. We are one part of the whole. We each hold a unique piece of this colossal puzzle; each voice is needed to ensure complete harmony. Now that I live with this understanding, I acknowledge my responsibility for maintaining my conscious awareness. To do so, I must constantly pay attention to my role in all relationships. I must determine to respond in a good way with a heart that holds no grudges, an ego that isn’t vindictive, and a soul that sees the fallibility and vulnerability of the individual aspects of humanity. We are all learning. Life is a ‘work in progress’.

I remember bumping into the walls of my life maze, only able to visualize the view my selfish perspective allowed me to see. I was doomed – cursed, to be sure. My prophecy was being self-fulfilled in every moment, and I remained totally clueless about the process.

When I first stepped onto the healing portion of my road, the challenges appeared endless, dark, and ominous. I felt a sense of loneliness and isolation. I persevered and continued my dedication to healing these slivers of my past that promised to stunt my spiritual evolution, and stifle my capabilities. I faced the power of the current rushing toward me and persisted on my destined journey, always swimming upstream. Continued recognition of old patterns and working practically to create change within was my only way to shift from who I had grown to believe I was, into the woman I longed to uncover and release.

Now, I no longer need to know why, about anything. Whatever reason I gave myself to bury and repress fear is of very little consequence. This moment, right now, is all that I have. The events that caused me pain are my past, my graveyard. They cannot feed me the nourishment my soul requires for its evolution, and I must leave them behind to move towards the feast that now feeds my life.

It is my belief that everyone comes from a dysfunctional family. There are varying degrees of intensity, but we are all surrounded by the learned patterns and behaviors of our personal environments. We experience the combined strengths and weaknesses of our ancestral pool and meet opportunities to choose the healthiest attributes to cultivate. When we are aware, we are able to access these handed-down contributions by building on legacies, strengths, and weaknesses. The negative behaviors learned in childhood do not need to accompany us any longer. It is a choice, whether we are cognizant of that choice, or not.

Willingness to Identify harmful patterns is the first step in this process. Learning how to have forgiveness is the second. As I delved deeper and deeper into my childhood memories I could clearly see the patterns I was repeating. I learned how I had become a mass of knots and stress.

None of those memories lead to major trauma in any way. They simply illustrated the affect that ripples had upon the shorelines of my life. I looked around one day and realized I had been blaming others for all of my problems, unfulfilled relationships, and numerous, chaotic life patterns. Although the memories were paramount in the formation of harmful attributes, I had no concept of choosing a different path for myself. My experience was precisely what I remembered, but the events were no longer happening in my present. I discovered how to make wise choices about where to place my feet next on my path. I could make a different choice. I was not a victim.

When I recognized that relationships in my life were comprised of individuals who were responding in the best way they knew how, it became easier to develop understanding and forgiveness for their choices. They were only repeating patterns they had been taught, and were allowing themselves to still be affected by their own unhealed wounds. I began to embrace forgiveness for them. I gave them my favor, my acceptance – and everything began to shift in my daily life.

Once in a place of forgiveness you notice your walls of self-inflicted imprisonment disappear, and you see they were only an illusion anyway. Now you stand in a place of calm understanding and are able to realize compassion. Life takes on new meaning, a new perspective.

Isn’t it easier to understand the outlook of another when we can imagine their reality, their experience, their pain? Isn’t it easier to forgive someone when we recognize their limitations, confusion, and mountains of emotional wounds left untreated?

When we pardon someone for a mistake, or a wrongdoing, we are listening to the truth of our heart and forgiveness reigns supreme. When we pardon ourselves, we are giving permission to step more directly in line with compassion, and love.

Now, I am able to view myself as an awake and aware human being. I observe my appearance in life by the truthful costumes and masks I wear on my stage.

I have learned to view all relationships as potential for great wisdom. It is up to me to pay attention, and listen, to the knowledge that avails itself to me. I stand at another crossroads, and await another choice. The same is true for you.

If we are all connected and we each carry a spark of Divine Creation within, then you and I are a reflection of one another. You are another one of me, and I am another one of you. I believe it’s the Mayans who say, “You are another myself.”

Am I showing up focused and centered within myself? Am I showing up as my true self? Am I ready to listen with no predetermined agenda, or am I still cloaked in my old aggression? Am I embracing the light I carry within? Am I in a place of forgiveness for my old choices?

If you say something unkind to me and I feel hurt, it is my responsibility to own any truth hidden in your statement and, to focus on understanding why I felt hurt. Why you wanted to be unkind is a question that becomes yours to investigate, or not. Look closely at what objects dwell along your shoreline, and at the stone or the ripples created.

How we show up in the world is directly related to how well we are able to listen, observe, and then respond to ourselves and others. Once we are able to fully recognize and discern our true Self, we own the ability to heal those aspects that allow us to participate in the drama of the macrocosm. By accepting our responsibility and accountability for our seat in the Sacred Circle, we set a powerful example as we walk. As we move forward within the spotlight of our own illumination, we reclaim glimpses of our peaceful origin. We remember a peaceful state of being and continue to inch towards that source as we quest for inner peace.

There are as many paths to the top of the mountain as there are individuals who seek the journey. They are all valid, they are all sacred. We are one human family living with many relations. Our walk must reflect the sacred path that we follow as we ascend our mountain of life, and prepare ourselves for further evolution.

Forgiveness is a life-changing stepping stone on that path.

Creating a Culture of Peace

IMG_1856

Photo by Ymani Simmons

Everything comes from the same Original Source, therefore it’s all connected in the deepest and most fundamental way. When we remember some of the basic companions of love – gratitude, respect, compassion, service, integrity, impeccability, forgiveness, and truth – and begin to use them, we immediately notice balance and harmony emanating from within. Then, we begin to see it reflected in the world around us. In order to create a culture of peace, we must walk a path of peace as individuals.

The Elders of many nations have spoken about the times we are living in. They have prophesied much that has happened thus far, and speak of a life out of balance, out of control. They highlight aspects of the patriarchal domination system – greed, separation, and violence – that keep us isolated from one another, and fearful.

They also continue to whisper a reminder of another way of living, another choice, another way of being in right relations with all members of Mother Earth’s family. These old ways  offer a tried and true way of living with honor and respect for all living beings. It is a circular path, with a circular perspective of time and life through seasons and cycles. They offer reverence for our inter-connectedness with all of Creation, and the harmony that springs from that understanding. It is a way to listen and hear that opens the heart to a universal language of love.

This physical existence has spun its web intertwining life forms and providing an opportunity to grow and ripen to our highest and fullest capabilities. We have everything we need to transform violence, injustice, devastation and ruin. We have everything we need to heal ourselves and our communities. We have everything we need to create a path of peace and live it.

We walk our spiritual path alone, so it is ours to identify. We must walk the path that speaks the language of our heart. Each path that is based in love provides a way of walking that honors the most basic and universal Teachings of peace. When each of us discards our own contribution to violence, we are able to listen and hear that innate wisdom that surfaces from within. Once we access that wisdom, we are able to embrace a deeper love of self, and a deeper understanding and compassion for ‘the other’.

We all have a role to play in this unfolding event we call life. Each individual holds an interlocking piece of this grand, global puzzle. We see the crossroads ahead and  remember, that by choosing love over fear this can be a new beginning on our collective journey of being peace.

Will you use this day to begin facing your own fears? Will you forgive yourself for the violence that continues to dwell within you? Will you make a new choice and truly hear the pain and suffering coming from those you consider ‘the enemy’? Will you greet the new day with love in your heart and say no to judgment?

Together, we can heal the wounds. Together, we can rebuild our broken system. Together, we can plant new gardens of hope and prosperity. Together, we can create a culture of peace.

New Day Resolutions for 2015 and Beyond

P3170179Well, here we are again. Time for ringing out the old, and ringing in the new. I hear many talking about 2014 and sounding eager to push it to the curb so that the ‘new’ can be welcomed, that clean slate feeling. You know the one. We hand off the torch, once again, and look to the future for the change we feel is needed so desperately in our lives and in the world today.

Setting new intentions for this next revolution around the sun without making necessary internal changes allows for the opportunity to convince ourselves that we’re actually leaving those old patterns and habits behind. We’re starting over. We’re getting things settled and making way for those new plans, projects, relationships, and actions we feel are missing from our lives. We’re going to do things in a different way next year. Hmmm. Really??

Maybe we are fooling ourselves. Fooling ourselves into believing that our past can be ignored so easily and effortlessly, like stepping through a portal and immediately seeing the fresh beginning that hasn’t been available before.

Because, the thing is, it’s always available. It’s available in every moment of our lives. Each new instant provides the opportunity to shift an attitude, remove a judgment, and begin to see the ways our old habits are holding us back and keeping us in the past. Every second holds a spark of potentiality for a new beginning. A beginning that leads us out of the place of despair, unworthiness, doubt, or fear and into a place of harmony, peace, contentment, community, and hope.

On this day, I propose something fresh, something truly life-changing that can help bring about the tranquility we seek. Instead of keeping the true change ‘out there, somewhere in the future’, let’s make a pledge this year to set New Day Resolutions. With the dawning of every day we have a chance to forgive, love, have gratitude, walk softly on the earth, be gentle with ourselves and others, live with integrity and impeccability, tell the truth, and be of service.

Every day we have the opportunity to hold ourselves to a higher standard, the same higher standard we are so quick to ask others to lift themselves to. Every day we have the option of using kind, well-chosen words, instead of spewing belittling, condescending, abusive remarks at or about the ‘other’. Every day we are given the option of responding with a loving heart, or reacting with the same violence we say we oppose.

Every day provides an opportunity to heal our own inner wounds that harbor anger, fear, abuse, violence, judgment, separation, and self-degradation. Every day we stand at a crossroads and make a choice. We either remain in that place that feels so familiar and comfortable, or we step outside our safety zone and learn something new about ourselves and our latent potential.

Will your choice be to continue to perpetuate your old patterns that no longer serve? Or will it be to embrace that past that simply holds your teachings, and make the necessary adjustments within your own heart that allow you to step into that Circle of ‘the ones we have been waiting for’?

It’s up to us.

“I think in terms of the day’s resolutions, not the years.” ~ Henry Moore

 

 

Winter Prayer

WinterMay we utilize the serenity of this blessed winter season to journey deep within our own hearts.

May we search our souls for the perfected reflection of our true being.

May we release our differences into the chill of the evening air, watching the bias, prejudice and fear dissolve as effortlessly as breath.

May we each lay down our insecurities, our selfishness and our hostility.

May we discover a way to look into the eyes of those we admire least and recognize a cowering glimpse of ourselves hiding there.

May we lay down our weapons, whether they be guns or the violent words of anger and abuse.

May we feed the starving and frightened children of the world, changing their reality and future from despair into hope.

May women everywhere know safety, respect, equality and walk confidently without fear.

May the Elders be kept warm, well-fed and nurtured as we honor the vital wisdom they carry.

May the peace we long for within our own hearts be the beacon we follow into the darkness of chaos and confusion.

May that light guide us back to ourselves where the peace we seek waits patiently to be revealed.

Follow the source of the light and you’ll find that it comes from within you.

May peace, love, joy, perfect health and prosperity be your gifts.

May 2015 be the year that humanity emerges from our complacent slumber and stand united with all of Creation in the Sacred Wheel of Life.

Happy, blessed Winter Solstice!

The first day of the rest of my life….

IMG_1170Have you ever had something happen in your life that turned everything upside down? Of course you have. I have too, but somehow this time is different. Maybe because I’m older and feel like time is running out? Or maybe, because it’s just time to stop and decide what’s really important, to me, right now.

That’s where I keep getting stuck. There is an enormous list of all of the things that hold importance to me. Peace, human rights, social justice, protection of the earth, to name a few. But where do I fit in now? What can I contribute to the whole? How can I best serve myself and humanity?

Peace activism, nonviolence training, mentoring women, support of veterans rights and voices, women’s ritual and ceremony all hold a special place in my heart and have for several years now. Enormous energy has been expended for the cause and we still face increasing global violence and war. Have I made any difference at all? Am I focused on what is really important to me? Do I even know what is really important to me? Something is missing. I am missing.

So, I ask myself, “What is it that I want to do for the rest of my life?” That sounds pretty huge! Maybe I should begin with, what is it that I want to do for the next chapter in my life? So, I made a list of all of the projects/activities that I have thought about getting more involved in. I grabbed my trusty yellow highlighter and decided to highlight the things that made my heart sing just from seeing the words. Guess what?

Travel. I want to travel and journal and take photographs to document my journeys. Not exactly a novel idea, but one that grabs my heart and says, “Let’s go!”. And I believe I shall.

Now, I get to decide where to go first and what to do when I get there.

Another Soldier’s Heart too broken to continue…….

Untitled 0 00 03-09I received some sad and startling news today. One of my adopted ‘nephews’, a three-tour veteran of Afghanistan, Jacob David George, took his own life yesterday.

He took his own life because he couldn’t face the pain and torment of life seen through the eyes of one who has faced the hell of war and brought the accompanying demons home with him. Like so many of our youth who have returned from the killing fields, the effects of PTSD reached farther and deeper into his soul than he was able to heal.

Jacob spent the years after he served in Afghanistan riding the country on his bicycle, sharing the ugly truth that he was told to live and experience, in the supposed name of democracy and freedom. He protested, sang, shared his story, assisted others having a hard time and fought hard for peace and justice.

One more soldier who bought the whole ticket about serving God and country and making the world a better place to live in.

One more soldier who was lied to and ordered to kill first and question later.

One more soldier who returned home wounded, broken, torn apart on the inside and left to deal with this new stranger within by prescribed drugs that didn’t help, and ineffective ‘counseling’ practices of a VA too strapped by its own inadequacies to actually provide effective treatment, assistance, guidance, healing, or authentic help.

We have allowed our country to become consumed with a permanent state of war. A state that serves the bellies of the few and plows through the lives of the many who are destined to fight these senseless atrocities. We have been lied to, we have been taught to believe that we are exceptional and that our way of life far surpasses any other known to the modern world.

We are not told about the thousands of lives that have been abruptly halted because of our obscene warring. We are not told about the destruction and devastation that is left behind our wake of death as we sweep through areas as if we were mowing grass, instead of mowing down innocents and poisoning the earth.

We are lead to believe that war is inevitable and necessary in order to find peace. We are fools because we either believe the lies, or worse, turn our eyes to view the nonsense we are fed through the silliness of mainstream media.

How many soldier’s hearts have to bleed out before we end the madness, stop the wars, stop the violence at home, stop the devastation to the earth and her inhabitants, and begin the process of healing what must be healed?

I lost a friend today and the world lost another voice crying out in the wilderness, begging for peace, love, compassion, and forgiveness. My world seems a little bit darker today because a bright and shining light was too injured and broken to go on.