In a time where there seems to be a real need to practice peace more then ever, I thought I would share Deepak Chopra's Seven Practices for Peace May we begin it now and continue practicing these until we have universal peace on earth
The program for peacemakers asks you to follow a specific practice every day, each one centered on the theme of peace.
Sunday: Being for Peace
Monday: Thinking for Peace
Tuesday: Feeling for Peace
Wednesday: Speaking for Peace
Thursday: Acting for Peace
Friday: Creating for Peace
Saturday: Sharing for Peace
"Our hope is that you will create peace on every level of your life. Each practice takes only a few minutes. You can be as private or outspoken as you wish. But those around you will know that you are for peace, not just thorough good intentions but by the way you conduct your life on a daily basis.
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So I have been thinking about practical ways to practice meaning in our everyday lives. One of my sources of inspiration this month came from one of the women who was at our anniversary celebration. She suggested we have a wall in our kitchen/gathering area where people could write inspirational words or phrases. This got me thinking what if we all did this. What if we create a wall or a mural of proverbs? They could come from one faith tradition, or in our space, a myriad of faith traditions. They could come from the Book of Proverbs in the Hebrew Bible or one of numerous other collections of proverbs. Here is a list of three of my favorite collections of proverbs:
- Like a Yeti Catching Marmots: A Little Treasury of Tibetan Proverbs·
- Soul Would Have No Rainbow if the Eyes Had No Tears and Other Native American Proverbs·
- African Proverbs, Parables and Wise Sayings
Do you have one you would like to share?
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A friend of mine was recently talking about the foods available at her local food bank. In every community, there is a food bank where people can receive food to sustain themselves and their family. However, at the same time, each of us in our own ways is a distribution center, a spiritual food bank of sorts. The question is what is on your shelves. We each have gifts, talents, skills, and the capacity to be kind and compassionate, however, where are they. Are they in your private stash for personal consumption or on the shelves of your spiritual distribution center?
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Over the course of my life, I have heard God referred to in a number of ways, but until this past Saturday night I had never stopped to think about God as a DJ. While I had thought quite a bit about God, I had given little thought to DJ’s. What little I know about DJ’s I can summarize in a few sentences. I know they select and play music for a diversity of audiences and in a diversity of settings. Ok, so maybe I could tell you what I know about DJ’s in one sentence. It was not until I heard Pink’s song, God is a DJ, that I began to think about whether or not I could envision God as my personal DJ.
I have to admit I had this moment when I envisioned this huge radiating heart with arms up in a booth with shades on introducing music. I wondered if anybody else had ever envisioned God as a DJ and was amazed at how many images there were of Jesus, Buddha, God, and other spiritual images as DJ’s. None quite looked like mine, but there was something comforting in knowing that others had similar images as I was having.
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