During the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Severn Suzuki, a 13 year-old girl from Canada, spoke in front of the whole assembly in Rio de Janeiro.  Representing ECO (Environmental Children’s Organization), a small group of 12 and 13 year-olds working to make a difference, she gave a powerful speech about their core values and vision of the future.

Her memorable speech is posted on YouTube.

Suzuki silenced the world for 5 minutes.

One of my dearest friends in the United Kingdom, Anthea Mitchell from the Heart Centre in Glastonbury, shared with me the depths of understanding from John O’Donohue and I am inspired to pass this mosaic of beauty on to you today.

“Behind each face and voice lies the silence of the heart.  This silence is as old as the universe.  It holds within it a time before vegetation clothed the Earth, or animals walked, or sound echoed.  This silence waits quietly under thoughts, beneath actions, relationships, behind days, nights and names. … it is in this sanctuary that experience is sifted and transfigured.  It is where our vanished day secretly gathers.  This silence is the home of memory and identity.  It houses the spirit which coheres, articulates and shapes each human life.”

A book I have been recommending for years is “The Tao of Inner Peace” by Dianne Dreher.  I find her approach most practical as we strive to embrace a state of dynamic harmony within ourselves.  One of her suggestions is to find a meaningful challenge that makes any life an adventure.

Here are some of her suggestions in such exploration:

• Can you see each day as a chance to practice what you believe?
• Can you do something each day to renew your sense of challenge?
• Could you benefit from more conscious discipline in following your goals?

Close your eyes and see yourself doing these things, living with greater joy, energy and adventure.  How do you feel?

Is it possible to experience a sense of oneness while at the same time appreciating the uniqueness of each individual?  My brief blog today focuses on one of the many thoughts of a most admired person concerning this awakening to wholeness in living.

“In spiritual fellowship men are one in the divine,

and this shared oneness embraces the absolute uniqueness

of all individual differences.”

Marc Edmund Jones

I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts concerning this idea.

I invite you to see through the eyes of your soul a glorious place in the midst of Glastonbury in the United Kingdom.  Entering the Chalice Well Gardens can be a powerful experience in its manifestation of profound inner harmony.  It is a timeless and sacred place full of legend, symbolism and an atmosphere of unity.  The spring at the Chalice Well is considered a symbol of the continuous and unbounded nature of the life force.  Here, many are touched by the inner peace and joy of the Spirit — a celebration of universal peace.

The Earth energies around Glastonbury are experienced by many people to be very powerful.  In the gardens it is possible to feel these earth energies from the moment of entering the cobblestone path under the archway of plants.  In this extraordinary place it is possible to “appreciate the interconnected and vibrant forces that sustain life upon our Planet.”

Now and then it is my joy to share with you one of the poems of a dear friend and colleague in my philosophical study group who made his transition to spirit a few years ago.  His poems are a source of inspiration to me.  Hope you enjoy this one too.  I would love to see your own poems about peace!

Peace, Brother

Solitary Sunday.

Mist on muddy canal

Dances ever so slightly.

Crow caws,

A fish rises.

The splash widens in circularity,

Defining a serenity

To be absorbed and cherished.

Jonas Mather

Today I am reflecting about the times when it is better to speak or simply remain silent given the circumstances of the moment as we embrace wholeness in living.   Years ago I had a good conversation with a friend about discovering our inner beauty and he brought to our dialogue some key ideas from Eckhart Tolle in his book ‘Stillness Speaks’.  There, this famous author said, “True intelligence operates silently” and “Stillness is where creativity and solutions to problems are found”.

“Silence is the dignity of a seeking soul”, said Marc Edmund Jones.

I wish to share with you this day my current reflections:

I am Present.  You are Present.  Here and Now.

Slowing down pace in living contributes to the process.

Time of quiet Meditation enhances staying present.

Peaceful listening to music inspires stillness.

Be still and know that PEACE is here!

Be still and KNOW…

Be STILL…

BE.

Wisdom comes from within.

When I first encountered the Peace Pilgrim book many years ago I became inspired to share her teachings in Spanish and translated her book to my first-language — that became the beginning of my work for peace.  This day I would like to invite you to visit the Friends of Peace Pilgrim website, and explore at your own pace her teachings and expanded contribution to society.

From 1953 to 1981 Peace Pilgrim walked more than 25,000 miles on a personal pilgrimage for peace.  She vowed to “remain a wanderer until mankind has learned the way of peace, walking until given shelter and fasting until given food.”  In the course of her 28-year pilgrimage she touched the hearts, minds, and lives of thousands of individuals all across North America.  Her message continues to inspire people all over the world: www.peacepilgrim.org

May you have an opportunity to do so, come to the home town where Peace Pilgrim was born, Egg Harbor City, New Jersey on the weekend of July 16-18 for our  annual Peace Pilgrim birthday celebration.  For more details please see: http://www.peacepilgrim100.org/index.htm

From Peace Pilgrim:

The power of thought. “Do you know that every moment of your life you’re creating through thought?”

Bringing our lives into harmony with the laws that govern the universe. As Peace said, to attain inner peace we need to align the way we live with our beliefs.

Finding our place in the life pattern. We are all cells in the body of humanity — all of us, all over the world.  Each one has a special contribution to make, and the guidance to find our mission in life comes from within.

Recently I watched a small movie (http://www.connectingamillionhearts.com/) that brought again to my attention an increasing trend to cooperate with each other for the well-being of our Planet.  I would like to share with you some of the highlights I found most meaningful: Read the rest of this entry »

I feel constantly grateful for the abundance in living, discovered with each step on the way and rejoice at every kind of human endeavor.

These are my commitments to embrace abundance in living. This day I offer a prayer of thankfulness to God for life, for love, for all people in the world and for the ever-growing abundance manifested each moment. Choosing to perceive us all as one, I serve my fellow human beings while fulfilling my unique purpose through the expression of my personality and talents. Today, a complete rebirth from new realization in situations, circumstances and events brightens my path. I rejoice in deeper inner communion with God. In the presence of divine bounty, I communicate to everyone my appreciation for the abundant gifts in our hands.

Would you like to share your own commitments with me?