Threats against Peace

There are war noises going on all over the world. There is real war going on too. I don’t know what to do about war. I don’t think strategically so I really don’t know what the country should do next. I’m not in on the desperate behind the scenes diplomatic wrangling.

Because I’m in the midst of thinking about domestic violence and how it starts and what makes it stop, I don’t know what I think about standing down, standing aside. When there’s threat (is there threat?) what do the threatened do?

And how do i make a difference? and where? Right now I have maybe three places I can put energy to try and defuse problems of violence and enmity. I think, write, and pray about peace and peacemaking every day. I’m working on Love Flows and supporting a community that was devastated, trying to be a good, supportive neighbor. In my mind, more than on paper yet, I’m beginning to think about a banishing ritual for Domestic Violence. I don’t know what that means yet, it’s all swirly and nascent. But I do know, I’m not ready to weigh in on the politics of war. All I can do is work to eliminate the frictions. What can you do? Is there something we can do together?

Peaceful Weather

I met an old friend at breakfast the other day. He was laughing and told me he’d lost the bet with himself that he’d made about how long it would take for people to start complaining about the weather again. He said he’d underestimated… the first person on the first warm day was unhappy.

Weather and Nature are cyclical and changeable. It will rarely be exactly what’s expected. But pretty much plants are going to come out and we’re going to still be allergic to… whatever it is we’re allergic to. We’re going to have droughts and deluges… and more and more with the global warming. It will be cold one day and hot the next because April does that.

I’d really like to encourage us to look at the weather as information on what to wear and what activities to plan for the day and leave our horrible, terrible disappointment with the world’s carrying on weather-wise at home. Because it is going to be what it will be. Hot days are only foreshadowing… look at the weather report… or Denver where it was 70 one day and 16 the next with two feet of snow! It wastes your precious Peace time to fret about the weather. Each day is just one more day served up on a platter for our delectation. And even iif happened to find yesterday to be, as my friend Tom B. said, “dessert” but you didn’t, we still had a day to live through.

And as far as the weather goes, if we’re not happy, we’d better rather than just waiting a while for it to change, get involved in whatever way is right for us in the the struggle to reverse or contain global warming. We have tools at our disposal. But in the meantime, be present, carry on, and have a great day. It’s wasteful not to. Just like everything else, somewhere someone is longing for the very weather you have… Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s weather… i’m sure it’s in that book somewhere!

Peace of the Everywhere Extraordinary

I was at the funeral of an extraordinary woman yesterday. She was a doctor, an incredible trailblazer, out leading the way for women and having a wonderful time along the way. Until she got dementia, and even there, her partner and her partner’s sister, gave her care that we wish all people could receive.

I knew her only with her dementia. But at her funeral there were pictures of her life as a strong and vital woman. In her casket, she looked like the woman in her pictures and no longer like the woman living far back in her mind and body. So for me, for once the presence of a body at a funeral was very reassuring. She lived to a ripe old age. Before her disease claimed her, she delivered babies and babies and babies and cared for women who needed her help. (while flying planes, and hiking trails!)

I was brought up short in my, don’t I live in the most extraordinary place thoughts by the realization that everywhere and always, there are extraordinary people in our midst. Wherever we live, someone’s doing great work. And we can know them and be inspired by them; maybe even mentored by them into our own extraordinary selves. People like Dorothy Grace Wilson remind us that there’s no reason not to be the best you can be. And if you’ve done that that will linger in people’s hearts and souls… Apparently when Dr. Wilson was far into her illness, if you plopped a baby in her lap, she’d count its fingers and toes, check the shape of its head and the length of its limbs. “That’ll do,” she’d say. “That’ll do.”

Find a mirror and take a little stock yourself of the strength of your heart and power of your smile and the curiosity of your mind. Look yourself in the eye and proclaim, “That’ll do!” Then get on your way doing what you’re best at. Lead the world. No reason why you shouldn’t be the extraordinary person down the street. Peace grows from the hard work of being present and doing your work.

Community Peace

Sometimes it works. When it does, take a moment and celebrate. Fasten that in your memory. Won’t always be this smooth, won’t always be this great. But when it is, it’s a reminder of why we do the work. It’s a call to be present so you don’t miss the moments. It’s all about the Joy. And on your way to Joy … and bien sûr Peace? Dance to the music!

This concert was one of the sweetest moments I can recall, because so much was right. hurrah!

A Splendid Sabbath

At least around here, Mother Nature really has made up her mind. It will be Spring this year. Get out and revel in the wonder! One of the things I try to remember is that Spring comes everywhere with its messages of rebirth. If we find joy, so do others. Our appreciation is something we share with the world. So let us see the Peace of the Blossoms in this upwelling of Nature and let us give thanks by taking time to breathe it in (I know, I know… allergies! Achoo!)

Stretching Peace

Right. So yesterday you say stay in the present and today you say stretch? Yep.

Oh, you wanted a bit more commentary? Stretching just means expanding the experience. Learning new ways to overcome your obstacles. Trying new ways to open your heart and extend your hands. Finding new ways to be delighted and thus attract wonderful people to your side (both physical and philosophical.)

You may know who you are, but you can’t necessarily imagine all you can be. Stretch. You are one of Creations extraordinary wonders. Make some fabulous memories to encourage you on the Peace journey!

Peace of the Present

It’s so easy to want to move forward more quickly than life is ready to. Our wants and our passions and our willingness to work hard say that change ought to come quickly, now, in fact. But change comes as it does.

Leaning too far forward only makes us tumble headlong into puddles. The present isn’t always comfortable, there are often things that need to be worked out, sticky things that take time. But the future has its own problems — and we take our own problems along to it. Sure it looks glittery and easy, but that’s only because we haven’t brought ourselves and our stuff into it.

And what’s hilarious, well in that awful sort of way, is that most of us hate change because it’s hard. So why would we be leaping into it? Ah, because we don’t think we’ll have our same problems in the future. But that only happens if we work out the problems now and leave them in the past. And if we don’t get that done, and just leapfrog over things, then we’re going to spend way too many hours recovering from our premature forays into the future. (ok, get to the good news, Ann!)

The good news is the present is the crucible for the change we want. We’re the people stirring the pot… and we’re also in it, becoming the changed, alchemized metal that will build a new world. But we have to be present to be changed… and we want to leave as many of our “issues” behind as we go into the present. It’s in the crucible that we’re purified. Life doing its work. It’s hard work, this present. It’s amazing that future we’re envisioning… But it’s the path between them that is our Peace work. Happy Trails!

Peace of the Sacred Vegetable to You

While enjoying my Sweet Pea’s music last night, I had a wonderful conversation with some young men who are enthusiastically becoming farmers. These guys are passionate about their peas and their pigs. They love food, they love the dirt and they really love the notion of feeding people. It was fun to be in the midst of their enthusiasm.

I’m a big food fan, so it was fun to talk to them, but what really caught my attention was their passion. They glowed with it. They filled up with it. And they were working it. They’re not making a lot of money, but they are making a difference. And that’s all they care about right now.

And that’s what’s important. It doesn’t matter whether they continue this for the rest of their lives or choose something else. But I doubt they’ll ever settle for less than exhilaration in their work again. Who knows where they might have wound up if the business landscape offered more opportunities, but it doesn’t. All over the world you watch people either settle or take the risks and decide for the good. Keep your eye on those taking the leap. Let them inspire your own leaping. When we’re doing what makes our hearts sing, when we understand that everyone should be doing what makes their hearts sing, we’re on the Peace Road. And that’s a good thing. Embrace your passion. Live your vision. make Peace, with yourself first, then with the wider world.

Visions, Transitions, Peace (Paradise!)

Most of us hate the neither this than that, which is always more accurately both this and that. But we? like one thing or the other. Evolution and Change are demanding partners.

So we complain when Spring gets sunny but not warm. We hate when the sky fills with Spring clouds and spits snow. And while we all relish the longer days, we also want to be done with our winter coats. (The dry cleaners are just waiting for our coats to show up!)

One of the hard things in the midst of the transition times is holding tight to the Vision. We’ve made plans and initial essays, but we need the full vision if we’re going to implement it. And it’s almooooooooooost time to implement it. In the meantime we keep preparing. Putting on our coats and taking them off. But if you can, find a protected corner and turn your face up to the sun. That rush of joy is what Peace feels like when it spreads across the land. It’s what Paradise feels like when everyone can participate. Grab those little reminders. They’ll give you (me!) fuel for the continued slog. Inhale. Exhale. Begin again with your Vision like a flag before you. We can get there. I have no doubts about that. But getting there means being present in this instant. Because remember, Audre Lorde reminded us in Litany for Survival, “This instant and this moment, we were never meant to survive.” So her advice was to thrive in the moment, to count your blessings and enjoy it, because tomorrow will be different and how stupid if you’ve just wished this away.

Paradise Peace

In the old myths, Paradise is created, we’re placed in it and then we’re chased from it. These days we point to all sorts of tragedies in the world and say, see? see? See how we’ve mistreated the gift?

No question, we have. But what if paradise is just a bit more resilient than that? What if Paradise is creeping back, all the time, working, working, working to inspire us? Helping us to remember. If Paradise is working to break out, can we inspire it, coax it, encourage it? Can we make more space for it? Can we aid it and do what’s needed to see that it flourishes here on Earth?

Living in Peace means beginning to make the Earth Paradise. You can’t live in Peace and ignore the environmental degradation. You can’t live in Peace and ignore the prisoner or those shoved to the margin by the world’s greed and left there by our indifference or hopelessness. Nope, every little shoot of hope you uncover, whatever your work, you are helping Paradise to thrive. This is our work, folks… creating Peace, uncovering Paradise!

Sacred Village

Building a World of Peace, Village by Sacred Village.

The Priestess Is In