Sacred Beginnings – Peace

For the month of September Lori-Lyn Hurley is offering a one-word prompt to consider, to meditate on, to journal about, to take a photo – to interact with in any way you’re inspired to.  I think it’s a delicious invitation and I’m up for playing.

Today’s word is PEACE.

There are so many ways to look at this, but the direction I’m called in reflection is to this quote by Eckhart Tolle:

“You find peace not by rearranging the circumstances of your life, but by realizing who you are at the deepest level.”

This feels so true to me.  I think deeply knowing who you are is actually key to everything. 

I believe we’re all sparks of the divine, here, now, on this planet, as individuated points of focus.  Dancing in a field of polarity, caught up in the illusion that we’re separate, but ever more increasingly opening to remembering we’re not. 

When we know ourselves and we know we’re not truly separate from all that is, then there is no alternative but peace. 

It doesn’t mean we have to be best friends with everyone and hang out together, share the same views, or be clones.  Absolutely not.  But there is neutral beneficence present.  You being you is accorded the same respect and sovereignty as me being me.  We co-exist peacefully.

But the real deep work I think is coming to that place of seeing ourselves in wholeness.   From a place of love, without judgment.  Celebrating our gifts.  Not bending into positions that aren’t aligned with who we truly are.  There’s a great and profound peace just being in the world as you. 

Again and again and again I keep returning to the quote by Ram Dass:

“We’re all just walking each other home.”

Let’s hold hands and speak kind things to each other as we do.  That’s my idea of peace.

One of the first linoleum block prints I ever created was this dove of peace.  I’ve printed it a number of times over the years, but this one remains my favorite, done on handmade, hand-dyed paper.

I was amused to discover according to the Pancha Pakshi Bird Zodiac of India dove is considered the zodical bird of the sign of Virgo.  So although we’ve been in Virgo for a good week now, I’m using this opportunity to switch from our August peacock to our September dove.  Of course another system assigning birds to the astrological signs connects Virgo to the woodpecker.  We’ll have to see how both our winged friends show up this month.

In the past I also did a series of mailings over the course of several months I called Piecemeal Peace.  I’m considering reprising the idea and perhaps doing a peace zine.  I’m using September to generate ideas about projects I want to turn my attention to, and so I may well be musing about them here on my blog.  Do feel free to weigh in and say if you think any of my project musings are a brilliant idea. 

And in the meantime, I’d love to hear your take on peace, and invite you to play along with Lori-Lyn Hurley in the month-long exploration.  What little act can you do in this moment that brings a bit of peace?  Do tell – you know I love to hear.