The Priestess Is In

The Sweet Yes of Peace

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It’s not that learning to say no isn’t important. It is. It is particularly important for women as we negotiate a world that has laid claim to our bodies. No, sorry, you can’t have this. This belongs to me.

But there are so many places in the world where we say no instinctively. I’m not about that. I’m not for that. I don’t like that. And we say it so easily, we forget to say yes! I’m all about this! I want this. I’m moving toward this!

I’ve read that the brain doesn’t recognize no. So when we say “no hatred” it sees hatred. So we have to learn to say “Yes!” “Yes I will!” Yes, I can!” “Yes, I believe that.” “Yes, I stand for that.”

So, Peace. How do I stand for Peace today? Every day? How do I fashion my life to celebrate what matters in my life. How do I spend my time on FB celebrating the possible rather than the ridiculous. It’s not easy. But it is my chore for next year.

I want to stop whining about what life is not and start making it what life might be. I want to stop wishing away beautiful days because they’re not this season or that. I want to celebrate life where it is. Everyday. Peace. Yes. I hope you’ll join the journey.

ColdMoonLunacyDec30

 

Sad, but Determined Peace

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Our world is out of balance.

The only way that’s going to change is when white, privileged people decide it’s time for it to be different.

It’s not easy. In fact, it’s quite a hard task. You learn things about yourself you’d rather not know… indeed you learn things about yourself you’ve gone a life time trying not to learn.

How much unmissed potential can we bear? How many dead children? How many folk incarcerated? how much hatred before we’re completely stunted?

Our world is not only out of balance, it’s in a shambles. There is so much work to do — and ours are the hands and hearts and minds of Peace.

Let us Peace.

ColdMoonLunacyDec29

Sorting the Stuff from the Peace

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It’s an end of the year exercise. Do I want or need this? Does this bring me Peace? Does this clutter up my dreams?

Can i let things go?

Can I just sit in my chair and read a romance… which i love to do this time of year!

Sort, shuffle, straighten, read. Maybe even write a little.

Ah the glories of the days in between. No deep thoughts. Just sweet longings for Peace and trying to clear a path through the holiday clutter to the essence of it.

ColdMoonLunacyDec28

 

Quiet Sabbath Peace

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I don’t know about you, but I received some books for Christmas. Oh, how happy that makes me. (I don’t know about you, but I helped in the number of books coming in!)

And that’s what Sunday’s (my Sabbath) are for. Catching up on my reading. There’s been wonderful visiting and wonderful food. But oh a salad sounds appetizing. Longing for the low key…

I enjoy the time between these two holidays. There’s a little lull. Not a lot gets accomplished. Not a lot of requirements. Maybe some visits, but they’re very low key.

Plenty of time to contemplate the year gone by and consider the one coming.

Our weather adds to the feeling. Nothing but grey days and nights. Neither the Sun or the Moon makes it through haze.

Quiet. Peace. Contemplation.

Lovely.

ColdMoonLunacyDec27

Quiet, Grateful Peace

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Second Day Christmas is a lovely day in my world. On the second day of many holidays, Steve and I make our way to his brother’s house by the river and celebrate with his family in a lovely and low key celebration. After all the excitement of presents and crowds, there is quite love and a twinkling tree and leftovers watching the river go by and the eagles sail.

Today only deepens the gratitude. Christmas is hard for me because I’ve lost so many in the family… and yet here is this part of my family, faithful and present.

And that fills my heart! And strengthens me for the journey.

I wish you a lovely day filled with Love and Peace. Twelve of them, since that’s how long we’re to celebrate! And if we can do it for twelve days, maybe we can keep going!

ColdMoonLunacyDec26

Welcoming Peace

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Peace is a tiny tentative thing, in need of our nurturance and tender care.

For me, this is the heart of the Christmas message, this is what I wish for us all, that we be those who welcome and care for Peace.

Tomorrow Christians all over the world celebrate the birth of Jesus, their Savior, a baby, whose life’s work was Love and Peace.

Whatever we celebrate tomorrow and even if we don’t celebrate, may we all welcome Peace and Love.

Alternative Advent – December 24: 5¢ for every blanket in your house.

To finish out this series, it’s suggested that you donate 15¢ for every gift a member of your family received…

ColdMoonLunacyDec24

 

 

Proclaiming Peace and a Full Moon in Advent

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Oh! It sounds as if we’ll have to hope, hope, hope to see this year’s last Full Moon. Lots of rain in our forecast — which we need… Weather’s completely out of whack… but Monday they predict snow! Ah but whether or not we see it, there will be a full Moon. Even if Santa flies above the clouds, he’s going to need Rudolph’s help to get to the right addresses here on the ground…

Oh, right, Peace. I think it’s important to voice our allegiances. We must say out loud that Peace matters, and that we are dedicated to it. It reinforces it in our own hearts/minds/bodies and it lets the world know that we care about Peace. That they can care about Peace. That we can make a difference.

It’s our difference to make. Politicians will be politicians. People in power will protect their vested interests. We, the people, we get to model the Love that we will then demand of our elected officials.

At its heart, Advent is a time of preparation and dedication. Do we want Peace on Earth? We need to consider this. And if our answer is the resounding Yes! I hope it is, we need to proclaim it and commit to it.

Today a Muslim family was flying from Gatwick to Florida to go to Disneyland and were barred from boarding a plane. Who are we? We get to answer that question. Today I was a proud signer of a letter to the editor in our local paper decrying Islamaphobia. Proclaim Peace. Our humanity demands it. People’s safety depends upon it. Peace be with you.

Alternative Advent – December 23: 15¢ for every bedroom you have in your house.

ColdMoonLunacyDec23

Supporting Peace in Advent and Every Single Day

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If Peace is what I long for and speak for and work for, then I must have support for that work.

I must find internal support — for me that’s my spiritual practice. As an extrovert and an activist, I don’t always find enough time for my practice. Oh it was sweet yesterday to walk the labyrinth on the Solstice. Remember Ann, remember. find time for that.

And then there is the community. I am so joyful at the community support and interaction that I enjoy — and that I’ve finally figured out how to live in that. I’ve always been such a loner… not an easy characteristic for an extrovert!

But supporting: both being supported and being supportive. Both of these are crucial to our quest for Peace — and Peace on Earth and with the Earth is crucial to our well-being.

Supporting Peace. During Advent and the rest of the year.

Alternative Advent – December 22: 20¢ for every meal you ate in a restaurant this week.

ColdMoonLunacyDec22

Peacefully Coexisting

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How much more than the title do we need to say?

Side-by-side coexistence… a great start to joyful mingling.

But because we will always have differences, co-existence is going to be a forever thing. We get confused about differences. Our intolerance causes a lot of problems. It causes a lot of violence.

I find this shocking and wrong. We must find our way to Love. Love is the answer to co-existence. Love brings us to Peace. We come to Love by way of our commitment to Peace. It’s all connected. Coexistence. Love. Peace. There’s a holiday wishlist. There’s a holiday to-do list!

And on the joyful coexistence list? It’s the Winter Solstice today. It’s really one of my most favorite days. Most people cheer because they think the days start getting longer… actually, they really hang out for a few days and stop getting shorter. But I love the Dark. I love the candlelit Mystery of this time, the songs, the story-telling, the discovery of new facets that only seem safe to examine in this sweet soft time. I also love the cold, crisp starlight of Deep Winter. Oh, hurrah.

Alternative Advent – December 21: 25¢ if you have a gas/electric law mower. Ha! No lawn; no lawn mower! I should probably give money for my wild joy at not being personally responsible for a particular piece of turf!

ColdMoonLunacyDec21