Peace is the Berry Moon and an Open Heart

The Berry Moon is about being ripe and luscious. Fully yourself, decadently, decidedly you.

Welcome.

The open heart is about appreciating not only your own charms but those of the others whatever charms they are.

And if others don’t love your charms, and you’re convinced, because you are also wildly self-reflective, that your charms are you and you’re not trying to be someone else, but then, even then, you’re searching! and if other folks are damning —

Then you don’t need those other people.

Because that way lies insanity and self-hatred. Peace lies in your lusciousness, you ripe and juicy berry, you. Love the Berry Moon. Love yourself. Love Peace.

The Fullness of Peace

I’ve been exhausted. I was chalking it up to how incredibly busy I was and not really paying a lot of attention to what I was very busy doing — mostly because i was just so busy doing what needed to be done next.

This past month, I have been more deeply… more immediately… involved in people’s lives than normal, working to be present to people at the place where life begins and the place where it ends and some of the magnificent places in between. When it comes in a wave as it has recently, it’s demanding. When you’re needed, you show up. I lean on the Lady, others lead on the Lord, others just the great gift of Life. But you lean, because you’re never enough alone. (and yes, i lean on my community.)

And while it is tiring to be that present to people’s lives, it’s the most exhilarating thing in the world.

As a priestess, I think a lot about the prophetic claims of the job: the need to speak about the many ways life is denied by the institutions to those cast as outsiders and to the most vulnerable. It is a privilege.

But what brought me to this whole priestessing thing was ritual. I love the celebrations. I love being asked to attend at moments of great importance and to lend the reminder that Love and Life are what matters. I love the time spent talking to the people involved, conceiving what will respond to their needs, crafting the vessel and the words and performing the ritual.

I enjoy the weaving together of community. I am pleased when I can help their Joy emerge and grateful beyond belief when I can give voice to their sadness and sometimes comfort and Peace in the midst of their loss.

It is also wonderful when these periods end and you can sink into your favorite chair, or pool or a meal with some friends. Or as I got to do last night, walking the labyrinth and a ritual celebrating the Full Berry Moon… Part of this work is not just the leaning, it’s the privilege and the demand of pouring out of self. I am grateful. and today? I’m tired.

Luckily, the Joy and the Peace will slowly, slowly fill me back to the rim with Life and Love. I just need to give them a chance. And until there’s a little more of me, I’ll quietly give thanks. And as the very wise Jack Kornfield said, “After the ecstasy, the laundry.” or as Buddha’s mother said, “chop wood, carry water.” The first of many loads is churning in the washing machine and I’ve got a day full of little chores to make my little paradise lovely again. A little peace and quiet to recharge the batteries. Peace be with us all…

Eating Sabbath Peace in the Berry Moon!

The sweetness of summer foods. Every year when summer comes, I wonder about spending a year eating in season… not buying anything “fresh” at the supermarket.

We used to do that. They certainly were better about that in Sweden. Salads were almost always cabbage based… cabbages that had been stored in cold cellars alongside the carrots — and they were great!

And what makes that worthwhile is the wonder of how good the food tastes when you eat the first fresh spinach, the first fresh strawberry. oh… yum… The bounty of Mother Earth is extraordinary!

Explosions of tastes and food eaten in comfy outdoor places. I like picnics but i like lunch on the porch with no ants as well!

Lovely slow meals, it’s a great way to observe the Sabbath! Hope yours is Peaceful and Joyful and filled with flavor.

Traveling Peace in the Berry Moon

It was such a silly image, that my suitcases should be excited about a trip i can’t take.

But I love that they’re going traveling… so the fact is I get excited about trips i can’t take.

It’s Summer and I think Summer is about adventures. And if I’m not quite ready to take off on adventures, no reason my friends shouldn’t go and take my light, wheelable luggage with them.

Now I get to wait and hear the stories they tell when they get back. I’m not picky, I’ll take them from my friends, or the luggage. What kind of berries do you think they’ll be eating in British Columbia during this Berry Moon? Mmmm. ooh, wonder if they have ollalaberries for ollalaberry pie?

And Peace of the Road to the friends and the luggage! Fill up with stories!

New Land! New Peace!

New land is being formed as we speak! Imagine that! The world is still being created.

If that’s not a referendum for Peace what is?

Peace with one another and Peace with this beautiful planet. Reverence for Mother Earth.

I remember being shocked when I went to visit Kilauea with a friend and seeing people casually dispose of litter on virgin ground.

It was such an affront.

People missed the Mystery. They missed the Holy.

They wasted a moment for Peace. let’s not do that any more, shall we?

Your Father Is Not Your Fiancé

Dear Bartender and Priestess: When I was in medical school I fell in love with one of my classmates, a great guy, I’ll call him “Bob”. We’ve been together for four years, but for the better part of a year it’s been long distance; my residency is in our home town, but he is doing his residency in another state. We see each other every month and are completely solid as a couple, deeply in love.

Two years ago, Bob and I visited my father and stepmother. Bob likes to discuss politics and history and can hold his own in a discussion; my father has decided Continue reading →

Peace and Honor in the Berry Moon

I guess I should look at the clock. Apparently it happened at 10:30… but whenever it happened, I went and stood.

We must allow ourselves to be moved by those who made that sacrifice, whatever our longing for Peace.

In their honor, we must do two things, I believe.

We must stand for Peace. We must look for new ways to deal with our world. Because hatred and fear are getting us no where. Technology makes our world smaller and smaller. But posturing politicians try to keep us in the same hateful cycles. We’re the ones who are going to have to break that. We’re going to have to reach out our hands to meet other hands reaching out. We’re going to have to push Peace up the pipeline.

And oh, my goodness, we must work for benefits for our soldiers. We love dead soldiers the way we love dead women. It’s the live ones that are problematic. (ooh, here’s tomorrow’s poem!) But too many of our soldiers are homeless and have health issues, both mental and physical that are inadequately treated. If we love our country, we must love these men and now increasing number of women.

Let our sad memories bear the fruits of peace under this beautiful Berry Moon… let us make memories for soldiers that are worthy of the sacrifice. It doesn’t matter where you enter in… but these young men and women dead and alive deserve our support… and our world deserves Peace.

Remembering the Dead & Longing for Peace

Memorial Day. Decoration Day.

A beautiful early summer day when we commemorate and honor our war dead.

I’ve been thinking a bit this morning about the cemeteries i’ve seen in Europe with row after row of white stones, or crosses and stars.

I don’t come from a military family. My father was a chemist. My uncle as well. They served at home, doing things I don’t much want to know about and raising victory gardens on the side.

Actually, writing the above, I realize that my two uncles on my mom’s side served in the war, but we never knew that side of the family well… so, i never heard stories, although my one uncle was on a bomber, i can see a picture of him with one of those leather hats…

But I never had connections to that world at all until I visited Europe when I was seventeen and i saw those cemeteries. I remember hearing that so many Brits died in Europe in WWI that there were more British men buried in France than in England. Rows and rows of mostly young men violently dead far away from home.

Those beautiful, carefully manicured monuments taught me of the enormity if not the ugliness of war. But you didn’t need to see the ugliness to mourn. And you can’t read history and think you had any better alternatives…

And still. All that young life, sacrificed… cut short. I think about the words to the song from Dido and Anaeus that I sang this year: Remember me but forget my fate.

And so we remember them. And if we honor them, really honor them, we’ll work for Peace.

Sacred Village

Building a World of Peace, Village by Sacred Village.

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