Peace One Day?

This Friday, September 21, 2012, commemorates World Peace Day, set aside by the UN over 10 years ago for celebration and observance of an international day of cease fire and non-violence. It got me thinking , what are we really doing in our lives to foster a more-peaceful world? Is this world in fact a more peaceful place than it was 10 years ago and if not why and what can we do about that?

For what seemed like a no-brainer, it took the organizer, British actor Jeremy Gilley, 15 years to bring together enough nations to back and proclaim the resolution. I doubt if you were to interview men and women on the streets, in refugee camps and on the front lines anywhere in the world there would be more than 5% saying that they wanted anything less than to live their lives in peace. Why do we have such a difficult time doing this?

I have been involved in a week-long string of events sponsored by Return to Honor that helps bring awareness to ways of creating a culture of peace. We have shown the movie Peace One Day, involved the schools with movies about bullying and writing essays and expressing in art what peace looks like to them. Sunday spiritual leaders from various religious persuasions came together in a forum where we looked at our concerns and beliefs about creating a more peaceful world. We sang together songs of peace, signed the petition to make Sedona a City of Peace and the mayor has proclaimed Friday Peace One Day in Sedona. On Friday, the high school will form a peace sign on the football field to be filmed from a helicopter for inclusion with the YouTube promotion of the event. There is a live benefit concert and even a community campout in the park. We say we are all about peace.

If we are all in this world together and all looking to live in peace, what is preventing us from behaving as peace-loving people? I believe it has a lot to do with our focusing on the things that separate us than those bring us together. We all view life through our own filters of experience and preconceived ideas.

Case in point – As part of the preparations for Peace Week in Sedona we engaged a local artist to design a poster to publicize events. He did a beautiful painting of a family raising a white flag with a peace sign on it over a tank with flowers in the barrel. Many, because they had been through the 60’s and 70’s, understood the symbolism and thought it expressed their sentiments beautifully. Given my past experiences, I thought “Oh no, the fundamentalists are going to be offended and not join us because they consider this to be a satanic symbol”. My friend, an ex-military man, thought immediately that this was a sign of surrender.  We are all a product of our experience and conditioning and see life through these filters.

I see little chance of coming together as One in Peace if we are not willing to start from this point forward and to begin to find the cords that connect us and weave together a future that honors and celebrates our differences rather than raising our hands in anger to those that knowingly or unknowingly offend us. If we are not mindful in dealing with others, we will not be able to avoid the mine (mind) fields that can derail even the best of intentions. It is only by dialoguing about the things that pain and offend us in respectful ways that we will be able to foster awareness and come together in mutual respect and peace. One Day…

Namaste, Penny

Healing Injustice

Why do I feel the pain of injustice so deeply? Why do I feel the need to speak up when I see things that reek of fear rather than Love? If I am not being personally threatened, why do I feel I must step in rather than to allow their Karmic dance to play out?
Once again I gave advice where it wasn’t wanted or appreciated. Once again I stirred the waters and caused others to go deep into their own inner reserves for answers. Is anything accomplished by dislodging others from their righteous stance? We all feel we are “right” or “justified” in some way or we wouldn’t be doing what we are doing. We want someone to be accountable for our pain and suffering. Does shining a light on perceived injustice really accomplish anything?

In this case I was placed in the middle. I heard and understood both “sides” and could see both the real and unreal in each. But then the only thing that is REAL is Love – anything else is part of the illusion. How do we heal the unreal? I also believe that thinking there are sides is the unreal. 

I went deeper with this to track my motivation and response.

In a past lifetime in Poland I was a child of six. We were shunned, ostracized and banished. No one spoke up in our behalf. I died of starvation in Dachau.

I also was present when He said “As you do this to the least of these my brethren, you do it to Me”.

So these are the soul lessons I bring with me into this lifetime to help guide me and others through the fog of illusion.  I know that there is NOTHING anyone could do that would make me subject another to what I have experienced. I know I would be willing to die rather than go there but others have not had the lessons I have and would probably not understand as I do.

How do we heal this wound in the body of God?

Again I invade everyone’s space and call for compassion, Love and understanding. Everyone is polarized in their woundedness so they resist but perhaps some begin to come into resonance.

In the stages of grief and dying enumerated by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross we go through the denial and anger, the bargaining, and depression before we get to the acceptance and therefore the peace. Perhaps this is what is necessary as we die to the old ways of being together. Do we need others to “get” their lessons or is it really about our experiencing our own? Is it enough that we tried and “failed” or is this all part of the process of coming together as One.

In the movie “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” the young man kept saying  ”All will be perfect in the end and if it was not perfect, then it was not the end”. So evidently it is not yet the end. I am assuming that by my causing all to go deeper in their own process and examining their own motivations and assumptions this will be healed in ways that are incomprehensible to my linear mind. That is certainly my intention. Sometimes it is necessary to lance an infection in order to affect healing. It is my hope that being the “thorn in the side” of those in conflict that I have served some purpose in affecting a more conscious outcome. But of course it is not “over” until we are all Home.

Namaste, Penny

BEing - In the Eye of the Hurricane

As the pictures of Irene move ever closer to the lives of millions, I am reminded of what it is like to be in the throws of a storm. As we are tossed around by the challenges of life, we come to realize that the only control we have is our attitude and acceptance. The storms of the physical world are merely reflective of the turmoil we create in our lives by our unwillingness to come from a space of Love. It is in that calm, Loving center that we find true peace.

Having grown up in Houston, I have witnessed my share of hurricanes. I also remember the calm in the eye of the storm. I remember looking up and seeing the sun and blue sky where moments ago were raging winds and rain. That is where I choose to make my home. For me it is just a case of being fully conscious in the present, despite what appears to be turmoil around me. That is the illusion. For me there is only the now.

If I have but one life to live and am making it up as I go along, why would I choose other than to make it Loving and honoring of myself and others? If there is no present or future, only now, what more could I ask than being in a space of calm and Love. This is where I choose to be and what I choose to experience.

Going back to the eye of the hurricane…this is not a stagnant spot. As structures and lives are torn asunder, the eye continues to move over new territory for growth. Around me is devastation caused by the precursors of what is to follow. It is not easy to see what has happened unless you are able to take the broader view of destruction being necessary for creation on higher ground. I believe this is what is happening in the physical as well as the social and spiritual.

Societies and belief systems are being torn apart by the winds of change. The crumbling effigies to greed and fear are unable to withstand the earthquakes of awakening consciousness. The phoenix is emerging from the ashes and the sky is blue and bright with promise. The second wave is coming but only the fearful and inflexible will be washed out with the tide of change. Those who have aligned themselves with the attitudes of Love and forgiveness, compassion and courage have the tools required to weather the storms of life.

I am grateful to BE in the moment and riding the rising tide of growth and understanding. All else is illusion.

Penny

What If

I work daily with Return to Honor helping people on both sides of prison bars redirecting their lives in positive ways.  I was asked to write a few words of encouragement to those inside. It occurs to me that those on the other side are in many ways prisoners as well - trapped in their own self-limiting ways.  To me personal freedom is a choice we all make through our attitudes and choices.  I am  including the few words of encouragement I have come up with  express these views.

What If?

It seems life has given you a little “time out”. The only thing you really have that you can call your own is how you choose to perceive and experience this. This is the story you tell yourself and others that creates the reality you experience.

Some might say that life isn’t fair and it might not be. Some might say that they deserve an even break and they probably do. Some might think that the deck is stacked against them and it probably is. So??? How do you begin to change the things in your life that are not working for you? Perhaps what is called for is an attitude adjustment.

Since only you can choose how you deal with life, given the “realities” of what is, how do you intend to change the only thing you have control over which is your attitude? What if, just for today, you choose to treat ALL people honorably and respectfully – just because that is how you would like to be treated? What if, just for today, you choose to show up as someone who is caring and loving – just because that is how you would like to feel? What if, just for today, you choose to ignore the taunts and jeers of others, knowing that they are wounded and hurting themselves? What if, just for today, you step outside your fear and allow the true you to shine forth and enrich the lives of others? You can try this – just for today - and see how it feels to wear these new feelings. You may find that you rather like the new you and certainly those around you will feel and notice the difference.

Warning!!! Once you have begun this journey to self-understanding and self-appreciation it may be hard to return to the pain and misery of self-doubt and recrimination. That too is your choice. If things are working wonderfully for you and you feel loved and fulfilled, there is little motivation to change. If things are less than perfect, perhaps it is something you might wish to try on to see how you can create a more joyful reality. No charge but big rewards. You deserve it. Keep up the good work.

Penny Genter

Getting Clear

We are swimming in a primordial soup of experience. The patterns of life swirl around us and we attempt to decide which are capable of supporting us and getting us to the shore of fulfillment. How might this serve me in the short run? Will it evolve into something of greater meaning and promise? Should I keep paddling and risk going under or grasp what might be a life-raft of safety and security? Are my visions of Shangri-La unrealistic and unattainable or do they come from a place greater clarity and higher vision of what my soul is trying to show me? What lies around the bend that might change everything?

I for one have trod the calmer waters. While it was not uneventful, it gave me the opportunity to hone my skills as a navigator and get my sea legs. I know what to expect and have tested myself in many challenging situations. I have achieved my mastery. I am ready to move to the next level. I have the inner clarity to guide me through the fog.

One of the gifts of maturity is the ability to reflect on experiences and to discern the patterns that we have lived and how we might circumvent the next pitfalls in life. I choose not to take the dead ends again and to blaze new trails that lead to higher experience. This is the culmination of a life of my making. I intend to make it eventful and fulfilling.

Many are unwilling to let go of the safe and the known and venture past their comfort level. I know this to be a trap that would put me on a never-ending spiral of complacency. This is not what I have signed up for this time. I have been there and am wise enough to reach out and extricate myself from the trap. If not now, when would I be ready to step off the cliff of the unknown?

I choose to experience the richness of life filled with passion and experience. I will use the good china and crystal – not saving anything for the coming tomorrow. I intend to dance in the experience of life and not sit on the sidelines. This is the prime time and I fully intend to make it the best I can, holding nothing back. There is only now and it is magnificent because I choose to make and perceive it so.

I am willing to risk the scraps and bruises that come from being in the fray. They are the price we pay for living in the fullness of life. I Know that without risk, there is no reward. I intend to be richly rewarded because I choose to give to my fullest capacity – love, respect, and compassion. These are the seeds I am planting and this is the crop I intend to harvest. Everything else is fertilizer.

What this will look like – I haven’t a clue. I am stepping off the cliff and where the winds take me has yet to be determined. All I can control is how I choose to perceive life. It is my intention to make it a grand, passionate adventure. Everything else is details.

I have no doubt…

Penny

I AM Beauty

Beauty is the vibration of Love Divine

I find beauty in the change that nature is modeling.

The hope of the bright new greens of spring mature into the darker, fully realized ones of summer.

The yellows and reds of autumn are a celebration of the transformation of life in motion.

As the browns of fall disintegrate into the dust of winter, we are nourished by the silence where we are able to appreciate the gifts of change and growth in the cycles of life and rebirth.

How Beautiful!!!

Morphing

I am grateful to have “friends in high places” who give me insights and help me keep on track and aware of the fractal patterns of my life.

They gave me a wonderful gift this week in an image that I have been mulling over in my mind in order to understand it better. They said that my life is like a pointillist painting comprised of millions of dots of color. It is only when I step back and view it from a distance that the patterns and images are revealed.

What might be seen as chaos in these times is merely a dissolving of the matrix that is holding the old patterns in place. My life is in fact morphing into a whole new expression of experience.

This made sense to me and I have chosen to view each box that I move from the old place to the new as a dot of color that is creating the masterpiece of my new life.

I believe we are all in a state of flux, redefining what is obsolete or no longer working and what we wish to be the new earth experience. Time to leave behind the old and worn out and embrace the new. I know that if I step back far enough I will be able to see the larger picture that is emerging.

Namaste, Penny