| Peacemaking"May the tree of our life be firmly rooted in the soil of love. Let good deeds be the leaves on that tree. May words of kindness form it's flowers. And may peace be its fruits." – Amma The Five Core Practices of Compassionate Listening:
Spiritual PeacemakingPastoral Counseling and support.In August 2008 I was ordained by James Twyman and the Beloved Community as a Minster of Spiritual Peacemaking. This Franciscan-influenced Seminary Program and circle of Beloveds served to support me in stepping forward with my palette of cultural immersions, and new endorsement, to make my offerings to spiritual peacemaking. Through practices in Compassionate Listening, Non-violent Communication, Intentional Community; the arts of "Karma Cleaning" (Arica), SomatoEmotional Release (CranioSacral Therapy); forgiveness pule of the huna; service as waterpourer for sweatlodge, and, finally – as initiated Crone... I offer you my presence and desire to serve as conduit for Higher Purpose and Understanding. Also, as an ordained minister, I offer marriage ceremony and support in commemorating personal and planetary events and moments. And, in its second year of development, Lakshmi's Garden Retreat (pdf) is an opportunity to live in at A Healing Place Within in Waldport, OR and to enjoy custom-designed programs for you / your small group that explore some of the warp and the weft of peacemaking through permaculture, massage treatment and diet options, meditation, and wilderness outings. Pathways to Peace ... each of us has devices that we use to calm the fear and anxiety and disorientation that we face daily throughout our lives. We take refuge in the adage Peace Begins at Home and find that we regain control when we refuse "to be taken out" by the temptations to descend into dualistic thinking and the betrayal of separation from the Beloved... The spiritual search ends and its fruits are enjoyed when the Beloved is found again – radiant; free from fear, anxiety, yesterday and tomorrow.
The Emissary Wheel is a "yantra"[sanscrit word for an "instrument"] that serves as a conduit to revelation / higher recognition. [Some familiar "yantras" include the Sri-Yantra of Hindu Tantric tradition, the Medicine Wheel of Native American tradition, the Star of David (Hebrew and other traditions... ) ]. Yantra is a mystery space to enter and to explore! The figure of the Emissary Wheel hails back to ancient Egypt, with suggestions of a yet deeper history; and it re-emerged, among other appearances, in the lineage of the "Beloved Disciple" John, of the early Christian Church. [Unfortunately this teaching /expression of Christianity was persecuted and driven underground. The expression re-surfaced notably in the practice of the Cathars of 12-13th Century France, who in turn were persecuted... but fear not!] James Twyman, while serving as a Peacemaker in Bosnia, was introduced to the Emissary Wheel when he encountered a group of mystics who identified themselves as the Emissaries of Light.... The Wheel, they explained, represents the feminine aspect of Christianity: direct relationship to "Christ" consciousness and attainment through transcending the intellect. Transcendence may be achieved simply by meditating on the sacred form of the wheel; and exponentially enlarged upon by embodying the attributes of the Emissary Wheel.  There is another more subtle "movement" in the glyph amongst the attributes, and that is through the triads that connect one attribute to two other attributes radiating through and greatly animating the Emissary Wheel In describing the quality of the leaps in consciousness that are catalyzed by exploring these pathways and connections, I employ Joan Ocean's term "holographic information bundle" = suddenly there is an inflow of information/recognition – a view of a higher scheme of things, a joyous hint of the presence of the intelligence of the One Peace. Etching such a figure (or yantra) as the Emissary Wheel upon one's psyche through repetitive exploration / practice is a quality of learning and knowing that defies our normal use of language. And it is achieved by using our skills of visualization and attentiveness. James Twyman – Peace Troubadour, author, filmmaker, Franciscan – claims that through creating Peace within, by definition one creates a condition within which violence cannot co-exist, and Peace may be enlarged. He has demonstrated his faith in this belief over and over through having the courage to accept invitations from diverse leaders, populaces, and situations in danger and in critical need of Peace... to appear and to lead prayers and songs for Peace. Anecdotal stories of cathartic moments, peace treaties, and other "miracles" abound. Take some time on the internet to explore tales about and by James Twyman ... in Bosnia, Iraq, Israel. ... enjoy "US Capitol Miracle"/ "Cloth of Many Colors.", and keep up with unfolding opportunities to join (from diverse sources) in universal prayers for peace. Wonderfully, this mode of focusing energy and intent has been gaining in usage in the west since the east/west-pollinated spiritual stirrings of the sixty's and seventy's. Germane to up-welling spirituality of the era, was the intensified level of scientific exploration of emergent modalities (scientific mysticism) in the US –an example would be the TM [Transcendental Meditation] movement. I experienced serious practitioners doing advanced siddhi's in the late 70's ... while living in community with them. Research within and without the movement confirmed the precept of critical mass: that in communities where 10% of its population engaged in regular meditation practice, the profile of the entire community shifted measurably upwards in peacefulness and courtesy amongst citizens... I read an interesting piece or two on the internet a few years ago about meetings between members of the TM movement and the US Government. The presentation was based upon the above research and substantially accepted in the human potential movement – now individuals in the government were reportedly responding privately that they personally understood the implications of the research even though their colleagues didn't have a clue: What the TM people cited was that in India there are people who are actually employed ... to pray, focus, on a situation/condition for its Peaceful and compassionate resolution. What if... our own government employed this "mode" of focus for peacemaking ... that would be a huge paradigm shift, ya? Relative to TM meditation and ADHD in children, please check out this YouTube piece. HEART CIRCLESA few weeks ago (Feb '11) a member of a conversation group I am newly a part of read the conditions of a "heart" circle as enumerated by Ashland, Oregon author and transformation facilitator, Tej Steiner in his book Heart Circles. [cf heartcirclenetwork.com]. We found, a bit to our surprise that our group coincidentally embodied the conditions he listed. As I took inventory of the groups and organizations I have allied and sat with in circle ... I discovered that I had a natural gravitation to these experiences, especially after participating in new alchemy circles and later experiencing residential trainings offered during the 1970's by Arica Institute. The potential of all dreams and intentions clearly became expanded as an extension of "sitting in circle*" with an open and generous attitude. [*"sitting in circle" = drum circle, prayer circle, think tank, action committee, sports team, choral group... many variations]. Of an added dimension, I cite the conceptual circles we enhance in exploring such templates as the Attributes of the Emissary Wheel and the Virtues of the Enneagon (cf Meditations)...DIAGRAM OF CIRCLE WORKThe image to the left illustrates the quantum energetics potential in the creation of a circle of inwardly focused attention. This leap in energy [imagine the inner sphere quantum leaping to the outer sphere // the whole equaling more than the sum of its parts!]The illustration was created by Selma Martha and published in her book: Circle Work, Intuitive Technology. You can access this work through her website: selahmartha.com/circle.pdf "There is no exclusive way to the truth, not even one best way, though each of us may think so. The Work, like Nature, produces a vast multitude of seeds and scatters them abroad to ensure that, however many may fall by the wayside, the harvest at the time of reaping will come. We must nurture our own seeds, but not for that, neglect those of others." J.G. Bennett 1974 A precious gift to humanity, and...The Cornerstone of the Seminary of Spiritual PeacemakingPrayers for Peace (comprising the Sacred Office of Peace) were offered by leaders of the "twelve" major religions of the world, who, at the invitation of Pope John Paul II, met in Assissi, Italy to celebrate a DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE WORLD during the United Nations International Year of Peace in 1986. The prayers portray with eloquence and passion, a diverse expressions of a universal yearning.
There is some moment during which the
shining star must rise and maintain a fixed point over the Shrine of focus... Focus as perseverance, perseverance in resolving all issues through the heart. –she  THE SHIFT FROM MIND TO HEART CONSCIOUSNESS
There are two great ancient civilizations that today hold the key to living from the heart – the Mayans and the Aboriginal people. They still live from the heart and they are the ones who are teaching us now to start living from the heart again. Since the fall of Atlantis, human civilization has developed in a particular way. We have developed the capacity of our rational minds to the extent that we have made great cities and inventions, and in very recent years have made a huge leap in our discovery of new technologies. We have done some amazing things. But the problem is that we have left the heart behind. We stopped acting from and making decisions from the heart, and from a feeling of connectedness to all of life and to Mother Earth. We have overvalued the rational logical mind, and believe in only what we can see and experience with our bodily senses. This was never how it was intended to be. We are being asked now to start living from the heart again – and this is one of the messages I have been asked specifically to help share and teach.Kiesha Crowther "Little Grandmother" greatmystery.org/events/glastonbury2011.html It is a universal law that I have been taught – that the more loving you are, the more intelligent you become. If you can imagine everything we have created from our minds in the last ten years even – all the advancements and technologies. Yet we still cannot solve some of the most urgent problems facing us today. The largest problem is how to heal what we have done to the Earth already, and how to stop doing what we have been doing to her ever since human beings forgot their connection in the web of life. If we have been able to create so much using just our minds, imagine what we might create if we were operating from the heart! Mind would not be inactive or unused – it would grow much more powerful, because it would be in right relationship to heart – to the source of being, and to creation. If we stop operating from an ego-driven, mental consciousness, we stop striving for meaningless things that gratify only the smallest part of who we are. We stop wasting our mental energy and can start directing every ounce of our hearts and minds to healing the earth and creating bounty for all beings. We could create a paradise on earth, unlike anything we have seen before. I have been taught by Spirit that Mother Earth is sacred and that human beings will not be allowed to kill her. She is sacred to all life forms in the universe, not just to human beings. If human beings will not be allowed to kill her – then we need to raise our vibration high enough so that we can shift with her into a higher being, because we have been causing her great harm for so long that something major must happen to correct the path we are on, to help her to breathe again. For human beings, the situation is urgent. We must shift into a higher consciousness if we are to remain on planet Earth as her children. I am very delighted for the effort and focus of author, teacher, musician Charles Breaux and his new book QUANTUM GOSPEL ... for compiling persuasive evidence and correlation for a quantum leap in knowing the universal and intrinsic "Christ"... the open loving and compassionate Heart and the Peace that surpasses understanding...
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