What Shall We Do? about terror

Terror is in the human heart. We must remove this terror from the heart. Destroying the human heart, both physically and psychologically, is what we should avoid. The root of terrorism should be identified so that it can be removed. The root of terrorism is misunderstanding, hatred and violence. This root cannot be located by the military. Bombs and missiles cannot reach it, let alone destroy it. Only with the practice of calming and looking deeply can our insight reveal and identify this root.

Only with the practice of deep listening and compassion can it be transformed and removed. Darkness cannot be dissipated with more darkness. More darkness will make darkness thicker. Only light can dissipate darkness. Violence and hatred cannot be removed with violence and hatred. Rather, this will make violence and hatred grow a thousand fold. Only understanding and compassion can dissolve violence and hatred.

"Strike against terror" is a misleading expression. What we are striking against is not the real cause or the root of terror. The object of our strike is still human life. We are sowing seeds of violence as we strike. Striking in this way we will only bring about more hatred and violence into the world. This is exactly what we do not want to do. Hatred and violence are in the hearts of human beings. A terrorist is a human being with hatred, violence and misunderstanding in his or her heart. Acting without understanding, acting out of hatred, violence and fear, we help sow more terror, bringing terror to the homes of others and bringing terror back to our own homes.

Whole societies are living constantly in fear with our nerves being attacked day and night. This is the greatest casualty we may suffer from as a result of our wrong thinking and action. Such a state of confusion, fear and anxiety is extremely dangerous. It can bring about another world war, this time extremely destructive. We must learn to speak out so that the voice of the Buddha can be heard in this dangerous and pivotal moment of history. Those of us who have the light should display the light and offer it so that the world will not sink into total darkness.

Everyone has the seed of awakening and insight within his or her heart. Let us help each other touch these seeds in ourselves so that everyone could have the courage to speak out. We must ensure that the way we live our daily lives (with or without mindful consumption, with or without discrimination, with or without participating in injustice, ...) does not create more terrorism in the world. We need a collective awakening to stop this course of self-destruction.
- Thich Nhat Hanh, Shanghai 19 October, 2001

Yesterday, Today, & Tomorrow ~ Make Love

Beloved,

I have been reading many books by Persian authors of late and am in that state of joy and love that is beyond even my own understanding.

I share with you this poem by Anatole France to carry you through your seasons.


Make love now,
by night and by day,
in winter and summer...

You are in the world for that
and the rest of life is nothing
but vanity,
illusion,
waste.

There is only one science,
Love
One riches,
Love.

To make Love
is
All the law and the prophets.

Thinking

Thought for Today and Tomorrow:

"Ministry is not just for ministers:

In the new spirituality,
a minister is anyone who chooses to use our resources to tend to the wounded heart of the world.

Anything we do can be a ministry,
from menial labor to the highest professional endeavor.

It is our ministry if it is an activity we use to spread peace and forgiveness and love."
From the book Everyday Grace

Here is your Affirmation for today and tomorrow:

I Am as my Creator is
Seeing you
As you were created.
Sharing
Divine Love
With every person I encounter
Is my purpose and my joy.

An Invitation to Express Yourself

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words.

Some images leave us speechless. One such is the picture of this 27 month old baby boy in Darfur Sudan, East Africa (photographer unknown).

However, we must find our voice and speak from our heart and soul for the pain and suffering that goes on in our world. The following is a list of words that can jumpstart your thoughts on the image pictured above.

Use any one, or more, or all of the words and I will publish your responses after review (if possible). Blessings to you, Ihoha.


Fearless
Endurance
Champion
Honor
Magic
History
Supernatural
Baby
Life
Naked
Innocence
Blessing
Love
One
Peace
Devotion
Gift
Royalty
Influence

15 Things You Probably Never Knew or Thought About

1. At least 5 people in this world love you so much they would die for you.

2. At least 15 people in this world love you in some way.

3. The only reason anyone would ever hate you is because they want to be just like you.

4. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don't like you.

5. Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you before they go to sleep.

6. You mean the world to someone.

7. If not for you, someone may not be living.

8. You are special and unique.

9. Someone that you don't even know exists loves you.

10. When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good comes from it.

11. When you think the world has turned its back on you, take a look: you most likely turned your back on the world.

12. When you think you have no chance of getting what you want, you probably won't get it, but if you believe in yourself, probably, sooner or later, you will get it.

13. Always remember the compliments you received. Forget about the rude remarks.

14. Always tell someone how you feel about them; you will feel much better when they know.

15. If you have a great friend, take the time to let them know that they are great.

A Minute: They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but then an entire life to forget them.

Take the time ... to live and love.

(Note: These "15 Things..." were sent to me in an e-mail from someone in the distance. Author unknown.)

Smoke Signals

Today is a good day for sharing a primary vehicle I use to take me into spaces and places where my body oftentimes can't go. Music is that vehicle. These are some of the models I've tested and recommend when you want your trip to be smooth and easy (but expect some surprises too along the way):

Seasons of the Soul - by Lisa Lynne
A Gift of Love - by Deepak & Friends
Medicine Music - by Bobby McFerrin
Pray - by Douglas Spotted Eagle
A Gift of Love II - by Deepak Chopra & Friends
Smooth & Romantic - by Ed Robinson
Coco de Mer - by Coco de Mer
Secret Story - by Pat Metheny
Guide Me God - by Ghostland
The Salvador Concert - by Mike Rowland.

This is your quiet time. EnJoy!

Dear Friend Launches Newsletter from Holland

It isn't hard to change who you are.

The true art is staying yourself.... unconditionally!!!

Hello dear friends in America and other parts of the world.

Since 2004 Iwinkta has been sending regular newsletters to subscribers in Holland (the Netherlands). We have gotten many positive responses on them and would now take a leap and send them to all friends around the world. They are meant to give you a little support in the back for all ongoing processes and as a little reminder we are all connected and going throught the same things. Ofcourse Iwinkta also gives courses and workshops of which you will find more information on http://www.iwinkta.com.

First let us introduce ourselves. Iwinkta is a non-profit organisation who would like to help people find and live their full potential. For all of you that are not familiar with Iwinkta I will give a short explanation. Iwinkta is a word derived from the Sioux-indian and means an invitation to be a woman. We like to see it as an invitation to invite both mail and female aspects into your life. I would like to stress this goes for men and women equally! What we strive for is balance and power-thinking. We help people in seeing their true potential instead of all that you think needs changing. All you need to do is find and see your strength instead of focus on your weaknesses. In our courses and workshops we work much with learning to 'receive'. We have lost touch with the true essence of receiving. If we are able to receive energy, love and support then we can find our true potential.

Enjoy!

(Best wishes Iris)

Juliana, Queen of The Netherlands

This post is dedicated to Iris and those who are Iris-like.

Her Majesty Queen Juliana gave this address at 1:00 p.m. on December 25, 1976 and from that address, the following words have stayed with me:

THE LIGHT shines in darkness. That is what you can really call it, darkness. And in that darkness many of us are having difficulties with -- light: we are too gloomy and too troubled to see it or to search for light-points.

...Everywhere we see lasting discord, even wars, little reconciliation, little progress, and too much failure; and in it all there is a frightening lack of respect for the life and well-being of each other, and for all life on earch -- in dozens of different forms -- and this is alarming.

But such is not surprising in a world inhabited by four billion egoists. Just think of it: four billion people, all inclined to think of themselves as the center of the world. Selfishness is, in the end, self-destructive; this really is obvious. But all four billion of us do have a splendid opportunity to exchange that selfishness for a realizaation that others are more important than we ourselves...

...We would not suffer so much from all that is dark and without hope of improvement, were we not meant to be what is sometimes called "children of light."

The Path of the Here and Now

Strong currents of change are sweeping over man's world these days. The political sphere is a mass of confusion as governments great and small are being rocked by scandal or plagued by economic ills, and bloody revolutions rend the lives of millions.

The challenge of the title and this first sentence to this post is that it was published in the SUNRISE magazine, February 1977.

This fact is not all that comes to haunt us as the first paragraph continues on to ask still relevant questions: What force could be impelling mankind to give vent to the powerful creative and destructive energies so evident today? Are man's knowledge and power reaching the boiling-over point, beyond which lies a nightmare of social and moral chaos? Or are we entering an era of intense inner growth and advancement?

I have one more question I would like to add as we ponder our fate: Do you have the answers?

There is much more to this article, but I would like to close this post with the first two sentences of Mr. Dougherty's second paragraph as he writes: Whatever form the consequences may eventually take, each one of us will unavoidably help to shape them. For despite the countless inequities in the present distribution of material wealth and power, the true cause of today's turmoil lies, not in the outer life of mankind, but in the inner life of each individual.

I Am a Member of the Family of Light

by H.R.H. Sophia Asaviour, copyright~1989

The future is not predestined.

I have stepped over the line called time. My decision was made before my birth. I am a Bringer of the New Dawn.

I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past does not exist, my present makes sense, and my future is secure.

I did not come to participate in low living, colorless dreams, skimpy giving, or dwarfed goals.

I need no promotions, plaudits, or common recognition. I am honored, prosperous, and exalted. I live in love by grace, stand by faith’s experience, lift by prayer/power.

My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is peace, my road is narrow, my way is Light, my companions few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear.

I cannot be bought, compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back, diluted, or delayed.

I do not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of any who work to maintain darkness, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I am a Member of the Family of Light.

I must go until Light is established on Earth, give as my Source is abundant, teach until all know, and work until evolution is complete. And when my work is finished, return to my Creator from whom I Am sent.

I am not ashamed of my Creator. I am a Member of the Family of Light.

Random Question

The following was the random question I chose to answer in my personal profile:

When your science teacher smashed a frozen rose with a hammer, did you warm the petals to bring them back to life?

My Reply:


Back in those days, when nuns wore habits, I would have been shocked to see my science teacher smash anything with a hammer.

Oh, I wasn't supposed to go that far back! Okay, let's see, college.... well, Sr. MaryAnn was a quiet, tiny something and loved everything in existence. This was why she became a scientist, because she saw the awesome uniqueness in all things. But, the question had to do with my response to a hammer wielding (mad scientist) doesn't it?

After I regained my composure, I think first, I would look at the effects that the cold had on the petals and possibly how the petal reacted to the blow and pressure -- gently observing every facet of the petal I selected. If it is true that everything in life has its own peculiar attributes, that petal would be different (in some way, no matter how infantesimally small the difference may be) from any other petal in the world.

Everything in life is a gift, it's just that everyone in life does not seem to know that they too are gifts.

Circles:The Space of Making

It is the last Tuesday of the month and I arrive a little late as usual. I drive 45 minutes to join my sisters in The Circle. We each bring a dish and once we're all here, we feast as we catch up on the events that have transpired in our lives since our last meeting. Our hostess has already lit candles around the room and the fragrance of Oxygen incense fills the space. Eventually, we all move to the couch or a comfortable chair and select two sheets of paper on which each of us will write a burning question to which we have been seeking an answer from Spirit and it has not yet been forthcoming. On the other sheet, we will each write a positive statement and each paper will be folded and put into its designated basket. Then as though a bell rings, we all quiet down and listen to some music that is a favorite of the hostess for this particular meeting. As we listen, our focus shifts from the outside world to our small community of Wise Women and we join hands as the hostess begins an opening prayer.

This is the preparation and beginning of the gathering phenomonen now known as circles. We are just one of thousands (if not millions) of groups of women who meet to share, bless, listen to and heal one another on a monthly basis. Some circles meet more or less often. Some circles begin their meeting by performing a movement prayer to the four directions.

The faces of the women in the circle testify to the varing ages within The Circle. As we close our eyes, we turn into the energy in the room. I feel safe, nutured, wrapped in a soft cocoon, highly favored and blessed.

Circles are support groups and can become a powerful and integral part of the lives of each member. Most women, if they are dedicated, are capable of starting a circle and learning to lead it.

While in East Africa, I formed two groups one The Wisdom Circle of Kibera and the other The Pretty Ladies Circle of Vihiga. And like any mother who gives birth, I am responsible for the life support of the circles until they mature to support and nuture themselves.

The Power of Place

Earlier this year, I picked up a book at the Library (yes, those are still in existence) entitled The Power of Place: Sacred Ground in Natural and Human Environments by James A Swan. The book was about nature as teacher and healer (that is - when we listen). He and his wife Roberta offer tours and symposia on the topic. I'd like to hear from anyone who has taken one of their tours or knows about a landscape architect they mention in the book by the name of Lawrence Halprin. Mr. Swan is said to be an associate professor of anthropology at the California Institute of Integral Studies.

Again, how appropriate to add the subject of space to our theme on Intimacy. The space where you live, work, play, pray can fill you with peace, joy and happiness or it can drain every ounce of energy and peace from you and leave you wanting to run away.

You know, lately I have been hearing many friends say, Well, I wouldn't call my house a home. And considering that I just returned from East Africa, most of my friends there don't call their residences in the city home either - that's just their house where they do all the necessaries. They feel that their home is in the village from which they came and where (for many of them) their family (meaning parents and some siblings) still reside. Family is still in the village maintaining home.

An Awesome Thought

Live in Peace
and
Peace will Live in You!