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.

Dithering Peace

Do I follow the weather or is it just the season. I feel stuck in my journey at the moment. Lots of little details. Very little progress. ‘Way too much repetition. Incredible opportunities to see where my bounding forward caused issues that need to be reworked. I yearn forward, and the work is in the present, right here, right now.

Maybe a good image is that of raking away the winter cover. It is a necessary and tedious job. It must be done carefully, or you’ll rake away the shyly emerging bulbs. This is a good time for allies, if you like me, have a fair amount of Tigger-esque qualities. Bouncing isn’t part of the needed skill set. Patience and deep breathing are.

These holidays and this cusp are important. Dwelling where we are, being present in the moment is as well. Peace. Rake slowly.

Peace of Recognition

Namaste is such a powerful word. As a greeting, it goes right to the heart of what we all most crave — to be seen, to be recognized as sacred and worthy. It is one of those words, which if you begin to use mindfully, will change your life and your perspective.

You cannot say “Namaste” and then talk trash about someone or a group of someone. In your saying “hello, I recognize you” there is the plea to be recognized. There is a celebration of one’s humanity and one’s divinity. it is an acknowledgement of the other’s worth and dignity. Namaste is a word of Peace. It demands being present. It demands self reflection. It demands being aware of and counting one’s blessings.

I’m wary of snatching up words from other languages and cultures and assuming the right to use them. But any words that make us stop and consider how we interact in the world are good words to have around. Namaste, my friends, may you make it a wonderful Peace-filled day.

The Peace Stall

In every step of the work we do, there will be times when progress is, at best, invisible. We may move forward and back over one marker of progress, we may even lose some ground. At that point there is nothing to do but sit on the mat and breathe. You may want to check to make sure that the progress you’ve made is secure and well-grounded. And eventually you may need to take more aggressive action. But often you need to let your work catch up. Sometimes you need to let the environment catch up. You always need to find that balance between waiting and ignoring; but really waiting has its place.

It’s frustrating. But the weather does try to remind us that nothing happens in a hurry. Right now we’re noticing that Spring doesn’t happen in a day. One warm weekend, everybody’s running around screaming, “Spring’s here, Spring’s here.” They pack away their winter clothes and then wonder why they’re nursing colds and freezing. (Um, perhaps because the mercury isn’t going to make it over the freezing mark today.) But it will come. And if we’ve been doing our homework on our Peace project, it will come along as well.

Turn your attention away. Clean a closet. Meditate. Read something delicious. And then and only then, get back to work. The frustration is simply a good sign to do something else for a while.

Ironic Peace

There’s nothing like having written about presence and needing to send it out when you’re feeling muddled and as if you’re about four feet behind yourself. I guess I have to deal with the fact that I really don’t do well with wheat and sugar. I’ve not been eating them since the beginning of February. It’s not a big allergy or disease, but I’m clearer and lighter in so many ways when I eat protein, fruits and vegetables. But this was a weekend of parties and funerals, and it seemed more important to eat what was available and what everyone else was eating. Except I now feel as if i’m walking into walls. And this morning I could not get my eyes open. zzzzzzzzzzzzz. And of course we can’t underestimate the emotional costs of two family funerals. Showing up is a wonderful thing, but it is costly.

We forget that it’s harder to be present than to not be present. It’s just that the payoff is extraordinary. Living wide open is a practice and as with any sport or practice, some days you play too hard and you have to recoup. So here’s to being present even if it leaves you feeling a bit Muggle-esque! Gotta build those muscles up… and oh by the way, lay off the sugar and wheat!

Sabbath of Showing Up

Sometimes it really is that simple. We just need to be there and listen, to practice the simple art of presence. Often the best thing we can say is “tell me about it.” Allow yourself to hear and feel what’s being said. Put your hand over your heart. Nod encouragingly. Say very little. Offer a cup of tea or a bite to eat. Sit there, even when it’s hard. Leave when they’re finished not when you are. Come back and check on them later. Be kind. It’s a lot and not a lot all at the same time.

Today, on this mixed up beginning of daylight savings time, show up for yourself, and don’t move till you’re finished being there.

The Peace of Winter’s End

While everyone’s jumping around hollering because the sun’s shifting, I am reluctant to let go of Winter’s beauty and its blessed slow pace. I am a jumping around kinda person, so I like being offered Winter’s opportunity for reflection. I like slowing down. I like focusing on my dreams and not just on action.

But will-he, nill-he, things are changing in the natural world’s cycle and carrying us right along with them. So we must consider what pieces of our Peace Dreams we’re going to start developing. You know me, I don’t garden, but I know gardens. They’ve been pouring over seed catalogs and ordering in their favs, designing the layouts of which vegetables and flowers will nestle side by side.

There’s our challenge — to make sure we have what we need to bring our Peace Dream to fruition… to help it bear fruit. Let’s show up and be present to the new season’s beauty, count our blessings and use them to spread over our Peace Gardens and perhaps we can continue to honor the Winter with some consistent periods of quiet, dark and reflection to sustain us for the time of jumping around. Peace, it looks so different at different times in the year, doesn’t it?

The UnPeace of Being Right

I don’t know about you, but I like being right. I like having my opinion born out by the majority. It makes me feel, oh, let’s admit it, smug. But in all honesty, I must admit, smug is not a a flattering choice from the emotional wardrobe. And smug does not draw people to me, to us.

When I was a kid, I was particularly pleased to learn the world supercilious. It rolls around so well in your mouth and has a swell lip-curl of disgust to finish it off. And while there are plenty o’ folk who gather upon recognizing that familiar snarl of superiority, it is not a group that’s going anywhere. It’s a group standing on the mountain of our self-righteousness. You can barely even see into the Valley of Peace from that mount… in fact, we’re all probably facing the wrong direction!

Peace is a journey, perhaps even a dance of hesitation. When we’re standing still, it requires the simple act of being present. Lip movements range from hesitant, hopeful smiles to broad grins. There is no drawing apart, there is only a tentative coming together. How about this? How about that? OK, let’s stand here and enjoy the moment, let’s keep moving forward. And being right and being self-righteous need to give way to righteousness living. Let us not draw apart, let us keep dancing forward. The drums are beating; the bells are sounding; life is longing for Peace.

Sweet and Peaceful Sabbath

While for many the Sabbath is celebrated as the first day, a day of looking forward, I still cherish the notion of its ending the week. When you’ve worked hard, then comes rest and relaxation. In our world, it seems we have to play as hard as we work, but there is much to be said from what can grow from the idle contemplation of a fire… particularly when the fire’s boiling down the sap into syrup. mmmmmmmmmmmmm. Sweet Life. Sweet Peace.

Slip Sliding Toward Peace

Perhaps it’s because I sit and look at a beautiful brass gong from my writing chair, But I am beginning to envision the path toward Peace as a large circle converging on one beautiful center. (This gong is a series of concentric circles in dark or shiny brass.) The outside is the not knowing, the bright inside is walking (and by far the largest part of the gong) and the dark and beautiful center is where all our notions for peace converge.

That’s the story I’m telling, at any rate. And there were are, walking, walking, walking. Sometimes stumbling, sometimes skipping, sometimes needing to sit down on the side of the road, and sometimes, truth to tell, sitting down to enjoy the view and maybe some company.

But here in my part of the world, it’s snowing. So any Peace steps are going to have to be careful ones. Unless, of course, you think what the heck and try a slow and careful and joyful slide. As we get old and creaky, it’s a scary thought, but how exhilarating. Life isn’t all plodding. Sometimes it’s good to let the cold air invigorate rather than just irritate! Woosh.

Sacred Village

Building a World of Peace, Village by Sacred Village.

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