Alone but not lonely
I make my peace with solitude
Embracing the quiet
And using this time
To grow and nurture myself
I wrap the dark around me
Like a cloak of power
I find comfort in the grace of nature
The shining moon with a Goddess’s face
Alone but not lonely
I am comfortable within myself
And in my own company
In my cocoon of solitude
Lies the butterfly of tomorrow
And so I find peace
In solitude.
So Mote It Be.
30 Wolfmonath
Day of Pax
Color: White
Element: Air
Altar: The same as yesterday’s Concordia ritual, except with a cup of clear water instead of milk.
Offerings: Work for peace, in the home or outside of it.
Daily Meal: Fasting today, in honor of those who are caught in war.
Pax Invocation
Peace is not an easy thing to maintain.
It is not strong; it falls away
With an upraised hand or an angry word.
It is an act of constant balance.
It is true that there is peace in solitude,
If the cacophony of the mind will allow it,
But it is no true peace if the mere voice of another
Can so easily destroy it, like a child’s paper castle.
Peace must be achieved within the group of voices
Or it may as well be a mere pastime.
Peace must be more than a sanctuary;
It must be the work of every hand.
And yet it cannot be kept by force,
But it can only be achieved by understanding.
True peace does not come after victory,
For victory requires one to win and one to lose,
And a true peace can only be found between equals.
Therefore, we honor you, Pax, delicate bird
That we must protect and sustain with our strength.
(The clear water is poured out as a libation. All sit in silence and meditate on peace, and then go. There can be discussions today, but all who disagree must go into the discussions ready and willing to make peace, and see beyond their differences.)
January 28 – Daily Feast
Speak to me of serenity, of treasures yet to be found, of peace that flows like a river. Tell me of tranquil places that no hand has marred, no storm has scarred. Give me visions of standing in sunlight or the feeling of spring mist against my cheek as I live and move and breathe. Show me paths that wind through the wild lilies and beds of buttercups. Sing me songs like the mingled voices of wrens and meadowlarks, the lowing of gentle cows, the soft mother-call of a mare to her colt. Lead me past a glass-smooth pond where frogs croak of coming-out parties, their graduation from frisky tadpoles to squat green frogs. Find me a place in the sunlight to sit and think and listen to the sweet inner voice that says so quietly, “Peace, be still.”
~ To hi ge se s di ~
PEACE ON EARTH
‘A Cherokee Feast of Days’, by Joyce Sequichie Hifler
Great Goddess
Mother to us all
Wrap us in Your Loving Arms
Keep us safe and warm
Comfort our hearts
And east our spirits
Shelter us in the grace
That is Your Love
And let us be
At peace with all.
So Mote It Be.
January 22 – Daily Feast
Pushmataha, Chief of the Choctaws, understood our weaknesses as well as our strengths. He knew how willing we are to give in to abuse for fear of having no peace at all. Peace at any price is very familiar to the American Indian. And we know how a little success can do away with common sense – how it can remove the stops that keep us on the true path. A stable attitude can offset the extremes where we sometimes find ourselves. Good peace – to hi dv – is an inside job, a place where we cultivate the development of our own spirits before we look to our surroundings for strength and sustenance. The heart and soul that loves peace and wants others to be peaceful will never miss the mark of excellence.
~ Never be elevated above measure by success….nor delighted with the sweets of peace to suffer insults. ~
PUSHMATAHA
‘A Cherokee Feast of Days’, by Joyce Sequichie Hifler
January 15 – Daily Feast
Touching the earth is a lovely thing, a feeling of once again finding our beginnings, a knowing that this place where we stand, whether to walk or plow or plant, is something created for us, for the pulse of the earth slows our own and tranquilizes our confusion. The Cherokees believe that seeing the sky in all its limitless depths stirs our imaginations and stretches our awareness of how much simple beauty is provided for us. We can see that bitterness lasts only as long as we allow it, but we have reached beyond the ceiling of our minds and are as unlimited as the sky. As currents of air stir the fragrance of flowers, we may not be able to see all things but we sense the influence and know that life is ours to enjoy. It comes by Divine heritage.
~ Ka wat lee OS, tat gat he. Peace for the Cherokees, Oh America, peace for the Cherokees. ~
‘A Cherokee Feast of Days’, by Joyce Sequichie Hifler
You can choose to be active and involved on the outside while being fully at peace on the inside. It is a powerful way to live.
You can let all the changes and dramas, the comings and goings, and the ups and downs inspire and inform you. But you don’t have to let it all get to you.
There is a part of you that is whole and authentic and imperturbable. It is there that peace always lives.
Let the outer part of you be enthusiastically involved in the brilliant, exhilarating confusion and complexity of what’s going on. Let the inner part of you put it all in perspective.
It is authentic, deep-seated peace on the inside that enables you to be highly effective on the outside. Nothing can get to you or bring you down if you’re already filled with the best there is.
Choose to let a peaceful presence fill the deepest part of you. Allow that peace to give great power to all you do.
— Ralph Marston
Carista – Day of Peace in the Family
Color: Lavender
Element: Water
Altar: Upon a lavender cloth set a tray of cakes shaped like clasping hands, and many cups full of hot tea.
Offerings: Promise to attempt to be more considerate of those you live with.
Daily Meal: Any food, but it must be served from one great plate for every table, and it should not be in separate portions.
Carista Invocation
May there be Peace in this house.
(Response: “May there be peace in this house!”)
Peace can be a hard mistress.
The daily round of the ordinary,
The simple turn of day and night and day
The presence of the same souls
Can come to be like a shadow on the sun,
And yet Peace still demands
That we find a way to move past
That ordinariness
And all the thousand thorns and briars
And bring Peace into the house.
(Response: “May there be peace in this house!”)
Take the hand of your sister, your brother,
The one who shares your roof, your table,
The ground you walk on,
Whose feet know the boards as well as your own,
And swear to find a way
To bring peace into the space between you.
(Response: “May there be peace in this house!”)
Chant:
My brother, my heart, my sister, my soul;
My family, my life, come in from the cold;
My sister, my heart, my brother, my soul;
My family, my life, that makes this life whole.
(Instead of a ritual, this period of time should be used to mediate and address problems between members of the community, with emphasis on peacemaking and compromise and useful solutions. At the end of the meeting, all share cakes and tea.)
December 12 – Daily Feast
Misery seems to justify making someone pay – but there is sweet revenge in finding our own inner spirit can expand quickly to push out unfairness and bitterness. Who doesn’t have the right to be bitter? A hard thing to forget, a mountain to overcome – but such peace follows. Peace spreads like warm honey across a hot biscuit and permeates all the little places that capture and hold it. The heart lifts its hands in praise for relief from the darkness of bitter memories. All of us can do it – all of us must if we are to be well and have something to share. Just let it go. Life will balance the books, it always does.
~ While living I want to live well. ~
GERONIMO – CHIRACAHUA APACHE
‘A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II’ by Joyce Sequichie Hifler
Elder’s Meditation of the Day – December 11
“Peace… Comes within the souls of men when they realize their relationship, their oneness, with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the center of the Universe dwells Wakan-Tanka, and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us.”
–Black Elk (Hehaka Sapa) OGLALA SIOUX
If we are to know peace we must look within ourselves. In order to do this, we must learn to be still. We must quiet the mind. We must learn to meditate. Meditation helps us locate and find the center that is within ourselves. The center is where the Great One resides. When we start to look for peace, we need to realize where it is within ourselves. When we experience conflict we need to pause for a moment and ask the Power within ourselves, “How do you want me to handle this? What would you suggest I do in this situation?” By asking the High Power for help we find peace.
Creator, help me to find peace.
Life is full of noise and bustle
Rush and hurry, run and hustle
People ‘round me with demands
Open mouths with open hands
Lend me now a quiet place
A moment’s peace, a silent place
Time to think and time to plan
A quiet, peaceful, restful span
I ask the Gods to grant me peace
A brief time for the noise to cease
An hour or two out of my life
Free from hurry, free from strife
Peace and quiet for my soul
A restful place to make me whole
Grant me now this time and place
So I might live my life with grace
So Mote It Be
Elder’s Meditation of the Day – November 16
“We do not want riches, but we want to train our children right. Riches would do us no good. We could not take them with us to the other world. We do not want riches, we want peace and love.”
–Red Cloud, OGLALA LAKOTA
The Elders say that what is important is peace and love. To have material things is okay, but if not, that’s okay too. To have peace and love is more important than anything material. Our children will see the value of peace and love only if adults show they are a priority. Too often we think we can offer material things and they will replace the time spent with our children. But the most important way to give our children peace and love is to spend time with them.
My Creator, give me Your peace and love today.
November 12 – Daily Feast
Misery seems to justify making someone pay – but there is sweet revenge in finding our own inner spirit can expand quickly to push out unfairness and bitterness. Who doesn’t have the right to be bitter? A hard thing to forget, a mountain to overcome – but such peace follows. Peace spreads like warm honey across a hot biscuit and permeates all the little places that capture and hold it. The heart lifts its hands in praise for relief from the darkness of bitter memories. All of us can do it – all of us must if we are to be well and have something to share. Just let it go. Life will balance the books, it always does.
~ While living I want to live well. ~
GERONIMO – CHIRACAHUA APACHE
‘A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II’ by Joyce Sequichie Hifler
The Dove
Throughout history the Dove has symbolized peace and innocence in nearly all cultures. Dove’s soft cooing and gentle nature bring a calmness to any situation. The Dove appears where peace has been attained or there is a need to bring events to a peaceful ending. It denotes a time to let lose of grievances and settle conflicts in a way that benefits all parties equally.
As a daily card, Dove suggests the need to put an end to conflict in your present life. The conflict may be yours or may be that of people close to you. Regardless of the parties involved, you have been called upon to bring the discord to an impartial end.
November 1 – Daily Feast
The danger point comes after a victory when we think there are no more battles. How many wars have been fought thinking this is the war that will end all wars? Even in our own private battles we cannot lie back and think we have won the right to peace. We do need to know and remember that we are more than conquerors. It is a life promise, but we have to claim it. Other claims have taken precedence – weariness, lack, sickness – but we are conquerors, even more than conquerors. We are winners and overcomers. Believe it, because it is true, and the more we claim it, the stronger it is.
~ Where is our strength? In the old times we were strong. ~
CHIPAROPAI – YUMA
‘A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II’ by Joyce Sequichie Hifler
The Dove
Throughout history the Dove has symbolized peace and innocence in nearly all cultures. Dove’s soft cooing and gentle nature bring a calmness to any situation. The Dove appears where peace has been attained or there is a need to bring events to a peaceful ending. It denotes a time to let lose of grievances and settle conflicts in a way that benefits all parties equally.
As a daily card, Dove suggests the need to put an end to conflict in your present life. The conflict may be yours or may be that of people close to you. Regardless of the parties involved, you have been called upon to bring the discord to an impartial end.
Witches Of The Craft® 
You must be logged in to post a comment.