Tag: Activism and Peace Work

Calendar of the Sun for March 26th

Calendar of the Sun

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.)

Pagan Book of Hours

March 21 – Daily Feast

March 21 – Daily Feast

Other people have problems the same way we do. If the get loud about them, we don’t have to react. Resistance makes difficult times even more difficult to handle. It helps not to threaten but to let things cool down naturally. The Cherokee word for this is, to hi ge se s di, making peace, or peace for the earth. Forgiveness seems to be a necessity for so many things that are wrong. Forgiveness never degrades but elevates, and is not to let someone else get away with something but to free ourselves from an entanglement. It frees us from bitter resentment that can make us sick – and can help heal the sickness if it is already there. Eventually, it makes us glad that we did not react, doing and saying things for which we would later be sorry.

~ They fight among themselves, but if you strike at them they will turn on you. ~

LITTLE CROW, 1951

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days’, by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*

Calendar of the Sun for Wednesday, Feb. 22

Calendar of the Sun

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.)

February 17 – Daily Feast

February 17 – 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

*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*

February 16 – Daily Feast

February 16 – Daily Feast

Once change begins it often comes in multiples, ranging from easily handled small changes to the great ones that can become unwieldy. When this is the case, it tends to scatter our forces. It is harder to achieve order and staying power when our attention is scattered. There is a calm center to everything. Even a tornado, which the Cherokee calls u no le, swirls around a calm eye. Most calm places are very small, but small cells of tranquility can be the seed of greater peace. We have to believe in peace – even though we cannot always feel it. It is within us and it will grow if we give it the opportunity. With peace of mind, doors open, the tide turns, and something good breaks for us. It is good enough reason to work towards solutions rather than dwelling on problems.

~ Stand fast and remain united and all will soon be well. ~

CHIEF JOHN ROSS

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days’, by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*

Today’s Affirmation, Thought of the Day & Meditation for February 13th

Monday Pictures, Images, Comments, Graphics
Today’s Affirmation

Gratefully I put my faith in the spirit. Here I find peace and the strength to deal with any adversity.

 

Thought of the Day

Without the spirit, knowledge would never flower into wisdom and incident would never flower into experience.

 

Meditation of the Day

Your Inner Sanctuary

This is a place inside where you can go to reconnect with your spirit. Close your eyes and visualize a tranquil landscape. In this place, imagine building a sanctuary that reflects the beauty of your spirit. The materials you require appear as if by magick. Once you have built, decorated and furnished your sanctuary, sit for a few moments inside. Feel peace descend as you connect with yourself once more.

Is Your Body at Peace?

Is Your Body at Peace?

  • Deepak Chopra

Put fear in perspective. Realize that positive outcomes are possible. Discuss how you feel with others; work together to change the stress. Be in control where you can. Don’t let chaos dominate. Stay centered, and whenever you are thrown off center, take time to return there. Find an outlet for your anger and anxiety.

These are common-sense suggestions, but I wonder how many people use them. For every lunch meeting where two friends fret over living in a time of war and terror, there should be one where they speculate about the best way to find peace. In a time of crisis, putting your body at peace can seem like a full-time job.

Spiritual life is all about finding a center and holding on to it. Negativity can feel like your center. You must confront the fact that not just your body, but the body politic is affected by violence. When you find yourself fixated on war and violence you are empathically drawing in what others feel. This osmosis isn’t healthy per se. Collective consciousness is part of you. But it isn’t your real self, and if you mistake what others feel for what you feel, you are putting your body at war for a bad reason; because everyone else is doing it.

You have to put your own body at peace, and then, in the absence of turmoil, you can find out what you want to hold on to. Spirituality without a core of peace is very limited.

Adapted from: Peace is the Way, by Deepak Chopra (Harmony Books, 2005).

 

Calendar of the Sun for January 30

Calendar of the Sun
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.)

Calendar of the Sun for January 29th

Calendar of the Sun
29 Wolfmonath

Concordia: Irene’s Day

Color: White
Element: Air
Altar: Upon a white cloth set the single white candle from Eunomia’s ritual the day before, a cup of milk, a garland of leaves and white flowers, and a white bird.
Offerings: Work for peace, in the home or outside of it.
Daily Meal: White food.

Invocation to Irene

Hail, Irene, Keeper of the Peace,
Hora of the Open Hand!
Without you, third of the Graces,
There are rules and justice, but no man
Is happy for more than a moment,
And no one is content.
You whose hand is extended in friendship,
You who are the quiet at the end of the storm,
You whose compassion aids the fallen
And who gives the struggling a space to breathe,
Like the bird that flutters beneath the cages of our ribs,
You, Lady Irene, pure white maiden of tranquillity,
Show us the way of the opened heart.

Song: Peace I Ask Of You O River

(The milk is poured out as a libation. All sit for a time in silence, and then go. No arguments or harsh words may be exchanged today.)

Calendar of the Sun for Jan. 21st

Calendar of the Sun

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.)

September 13 – Daily Feast

September 13 – Daily Feast

 

It is good to keep the promises we make to ourselves to enjoy a peaceful hour. How long has it been? How long has it been since we walked on a grassy hillside and watched the shadows hover and move? Walking is good for the legs – but it does wonders for the soul. The autumn season is one of the best times to walk and think. There is a rhythm in the earth that rises into our feet when we walk. In it is the healing and it centers the soul so that the cares of the world cannot get in to destroy peace. And peace has so many side effects. It restores youth and gives perspective to a world-weary mind.

~ The Great Spirit made these mountains and rivers for us, and all this land. ~

BLACKFOOT – CROW, 1850’s

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II’ by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*

 

August 20 – Daily Feast

August 20 – Daily Feast

 

We have taken many paths we would not have chosen, and we have done many jobs we did not want to do. We have carried burdens we did not want to carry and dealt with impossible people we did not like. It is strange that the road we did not want to take is the one that brought us more quickly to the place we wanted to be. At times, the way was hostile, but when we needed a hand there was one. When we needed courage, it was there. What we call problems and unjust circumstances have a way of teaching us integrity and how to be peaceful. It makes us wonder how many other rewards we have missed because we resisted something that looked like too much responsibility.

~ I was going around the world with the clouds when God spoke to my thoughts and told me to…..be at peace with all. ~

COCHISE

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days’, by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*

 

Elder’s Meditation of the Day August 19

Elder’s Meditation of the Day August 19

“If we keep everything in balance, we are in harmony with ourselves and are at peace.”

–Fools Crow, LAKOTA

As within, as without, our present thought determines our future. If we want peace outside ourselves, we must first have peace inside ourselves. It’s not what is going on but how we are looking at what is going on. We need to keep ourselves in balance. We must be careful to not get too hungry, angry, lonely or tired. We must know the times – time to work, time to rest, time to play, time to sleep, time to pray, time to lighten up, time to laugh, time to eat, time to exercise. There is a saying “The honor of one is the honor of all.” This means when we work with all, we need to also work on one. We need to take care of ourselves. You cannot give away what you don’t have.

Great Spirit, let me walk in balance today. Remove from me resentment, self pity and self seeking motives. Let me love myself so I can love my neighbors.

*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*

Meditation for August 16th – Find Your Reservoir of Calm

At our core lies the peace of our essential nature. To access this  inner peace, visualize yourself diving into the water of a warm, calm lake.  You slip through the water, surrounded by a profound silence. As you reach the sea-bed, you are awed to see that it is carpeted with beautiful white pearls. Imagine returning to the surface of the lake. You realize that the silence, purity and beauty you have just discovered lies within yourself.

Greetings on the 18th day of May with the theme of Trust.

This is a Being/Intending Affirmation in the third week of
the month.  Make this a purposeful day!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My mission is to embrace trust in my world.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ABOUT TODAY’S AFFIRMATION
This is a worthy mission!  As we embrace trust in ways that
feel personal, we make a powerful contribution to the world. 
Think of what a different world it would be if each one of
us trusted each other!  Wow!  In an instant, our world
would be transformed.  Our World is where we give our
attention.  As I say in the TARGETS FOR LOVE AND PEACE
PROJECT: “World Peace is a Personal Choice.”   We are all
one, yet we make individual choices.

ABOUT YOUR PROCESS
You have your own unique, individual, personalized, and
singular process.  Running parallel to your unique process
is the universal process.  If you look carefully, you are
likely to find that your process and the universal process
are astoundingly similar.  This similarity does not diminish
your uniqueness, but supports and honors it.  Humanity is
stepping through a VERY dark wall of despair, fear, doubt,
and toxicity.  Throughout history, we humans have been
clever about stepping AROUND the wall (denying it), going
OVER it (overcoming it), blasting INTO it (forcing or
struggling with it), and lifting it UP (glorifying it).  It
is time now to walk THROUGH it with your light.  Oops! 
Be careful not to drop the light, believing that the
darkness is omnipresent.  You ARE walking with your light. 
Embrace your mission.

 
Copyright Jeanie Marshall, Empowerment Consultant

Today’s I Ching Hexagram for May 18 is 11:Harmony

Today’s I Ching Hexagram for Everyone:

11: Harmony

Wednesday, May 18th, 2011

Hexagram 11
General Meaning: The trigram earth is above that of heaven, and heaven seems to be on earth. The gravity of matter merges with the upward radiation of light to merge in deep harmony. This juxtaposition denotes a time of peace and blessings for all living things. In the affairs of humans, tranquility comes when the good, strong and powerful show favor to those of lower status, and those of more modes means are well disposed towards those who are currently blessed. This condition marks an end to feuding. In such a state, it is best to let the energy ride high. The way is cleared, and the prospects for great success are outstanding.

Chaotic forces still abide in nature, but man, by carefully responding to the rhythms and cycles of the world around him, can find peace in the natural world. By planting the right crop in the right place in the right season, the farmer brings harmony to the cultivation of plants, and prosperity to his family. Similarly, any business must adjust to the natural cycles of the season; only through flexibility and adaptation can order and growth be maintained. Peaceful times produce a time of flowering and prosperity; the wise person channels positive energy to all quarters, to each in proper proportion, just as a farmer waters his field. But be vigilant. Otherwise, peaceful conditions will foster the growth of weeds as well as flowers.

What a glorious Tuesday!

Good morning, well good afternoon! I am sorry I am running so late. I emailed a friend this morning and as usual, I wrote too much. What can I say I am just full of it today, lol! I feel good. I am in a good mood and all is right in the world. If that was only true. Wouldn’t it just be wonderful to wake up one morning and on the news hear nothing but good news. I remember several years ago, a witch had asked that all Pagans come together on one certain day to cast a spell for world peace. Just for one day. I was new to the internet and I am ashamed to say, I didn’t participate. But I do remember I was anxious to watch the evening news. I remember that there really wasn’t that much violence that day. I know the witch that started that must have been very happy. She had accomplished something our world leaders couldn’t even if it was for just one day. I have started one campaign of my own. You might have heard about it or seen it on the net, “I AM A WITCH.” It had a purple ribbon that went with it and it spread like wildfire across the net. I believe witches came out of the woodwork to show their solidarity. I wonder how a campaign for world peace would work now? I wonder if enough people would participate to actually make a difference? Now I got my little brain to working, I am going to have to think about another world peace day. Really there is nothing to lose, if we do set a date. Who knows, we might do some good! Could you live a day without killings, suicide bombers, murders, abuse and Goddess knows what else? Think about it.