Dona Nobis Pacem 2025 ~ We All Speak Together

 

 

The theme for this 20th anniversary Blogblast for Peace is SPEAK LOVE. 

I had to dig deep for this one as it's not been a year that spoke love, personally or globally. I lost contact with loved ones this year due to their disapproval of my views on politics and life choices, I'm in danger of losing my home and community due to things beyond my control, and the news from all around the planet is utterly dire. 

How do we Speak Love when our hearts are tired and our optimism eroded away? How do we even begin to believe we can make a difference when we are so few; a scattered handful of bloggers and peace lovers?

And then I saw him on a meme, the most ridiculous of creatures - a lone frog standing down a row of men with riot gear and guns. It was absurd, ludicrous, and a bit horrifying when you watched him being pepper-sprayed. I mean, seriously, an inflatable frog?  

But then, the very next day, there were three more frogs! And then a panda, several cartoon characters and a unicorn. Over the next days the menagerie grew until, finally, MORE frogs in a completely different city, dancing with Baby Shark and a T rex! 

I was curious... who was this masque'd amphibian? I found him being interviewed about his reasons. It's worth listening to, but if you want the quick route, I've quoted Seth Todd, the Portland protest frog, below.  

"We are humans and we're not supposed to be treating other people unfairly just because we have the power to do so."

Oh my dear frog, how beautiful your words were to my tired heart. You summed up everything Peace stands for: not to treat others unfairly simply because we have the power to do so. 

And you reminded me of a deeper truth, that speaking love can be scary and even dangerous, because at its core speaking love means standing up to that which is cruel, that which is unfair, that which hurts or harms the innocent or vulnerable. 

There are more ways to speak love than merely say words out loud; you can write love, mime love, dance or sing love, paint it into a picture or gift it in a smile and a hug. 

Or just maybe, you'll show your compassion for others by dressing up as a frog. After all, it was frogs who first taught me how wonderful things can be when we all stand together.

Win or lose, sink or swim
One thing is certain, we'll never give in
Side by side, hand in hand
We all stand together

Play the game, fight the fight
But what's the point on a beautiful night?
Arm in arm, hand in hand
We all stand together

Love
Keeping us warm in the night
la la la la love 
Walk in the light
You'll get it right!

Dona Nobis Pacem ~ Hold the Light

I am out of words this year, so I'm using some lovely lyrics from a song by a very talented duo called Our Atlantic Roots.

 

 

 

 

 With thanks to Debbie Edwards for the lantern lady artwork. 

 

 

Dona Nobis Pacem ~ Live in Truth

 

 This year, Queen Mimi's peace challenge was to "Change the Room":

"How do you keep your peace when all around you is chaos? The planet is groaning for peace and stability. We can change the atmosphere by walking in daily calmness and joy, even during the darkest of days. What fuels your inner peace? Tell us how you do it. We'll learn from each other."

Every story has to start from the truth, and my truth is that the last time I remember feeling peace was a very long time ago. A friend made me find that truth. She asked me to walk my spiral, to return to my centre and find that moment I lost my sense of peace.

I was about eight years old and beginning to realise my country was at war. I read my first newspaper story about a man and his wife being tortured. Not in some faraway unknown land but in my own back yard area. And the ground beneath my feet, that had felt so permanent and comforting, turned to mist.

"Never apologize for showing feeling.
When you do so, you apologize for the truth."

Benjamin Disraeli

So here is my truth. I had my first panic attack in a new country where the same old patterns of violence and war were being repeated all over again. I was 18, but that seed of anxiety was sown ten years earlier when that little me read about unbelievable cruelty and realised it was real. Real people doing terrible things to real people.

I hid my anxiety for decades, ashamed of what I saw as a flaw, a weakness. I hid myself away behind many masks. I was the clown and the joker, the comforter and advice-giver, the person who (according to many) "lit up the room."

If I could not feel peace, I could be peace.

“To live in the light of a new day and an unimaginable and unpredictable future, you must become fully present to a deeper truth – not a truth from your head, but a truth from your heart; not a truth from your ego, but a truth from the highest source.”

Debbie Ford

My truth is that I have never truly felt safe since before I was 8 years old, but recently I have finally begun to feel inner peace. I have accomplished that by doing two things:

1. Owning my truth. 
2. Accepting there is no solid ground beneath my feet.

My room is a sailing ship out at sea. I have learned to rise and fall with the ocean below me, to weather sudden storms and not drown in irrational fear. I surf my moments of extreme anxiety like the dolphin in the water below me. I am learning how to swim with them, to dive deep and not lose my breath.

There can be peace on the ocean as well as on the solid shore. 

I found this beautiful song this year. Thank you, Bukahara. It's the perfect way to end this blog post.

We are the strangers
Everyone's heard of
No one has ever seen before
'Cause we make no sound

 

It's like eight hundred people
Watching the same rain fall
From up there on the 17th floor
All the way down to the ground

 

We are the faces
Behind the windows
There may be names on every door
But they never leave home

 

It's like we're clocks that show no time
In a house that has no stairs
But if no one cares
No one will ever let you down   

So tell me now 

If we will never be the same kind of people
In the eyes of those
Who believe that we're still on the run
Then everyone who feels the same
Way as we do should rise
From the house we live in

'Cause the time has come

 

We are the stories
That no one has ever told
If we weren't quiet no more
Would our names be known?

 

It's like we're singing songs on the balconies
In a choir that has no tongues
But if no one runs
We will never be alone
So tell me now

 

If we will never be the same kind of people
In the eyes of those
Who believe that we're still on the run
Then everyone who feels the same
Way as we do should rise
From the house we live in

 

'Cause the time has come to see
Time has come to show
Time has come to let you know we are here

So tell me now

 

If we will never be the same kind of people
In the eyes of those
Who believe that we're still on the run
Then everyone who feels the same way as we do
Should rise from the house we live in
'Cause the time has come

Dona Nobis Pacem ~ Freedom is an Illusion

This year,  the theme for Blog for Peace is No Freedom, No Peace

"It's hard to remain unbound
when the world wants to keep you in chains. 

 Are you free? And if you're not, what is holding you back?
I am convinced that no amount of peace can spring from even a sliver of bondage.
Figure it out. What is keeping you bound? 

When you fight for your freedom you are fighting for your peace.
When we fight for OUR freedom, we are fighting for our peace.
That's everything."

I must admit, this one stumped me. Am I literally free? No. What keeps me bound, what is holding me back? Lack of money. Can I fix that? Unlikely.

Then I thought about the gloriously ironic problem facing the mega-rich preppers. It seems many super-rich are building survival bunkers, in case of the collapse of civilisation due to an apocalyptic event or 3rd world war. Thing is... once the world falls apart, money ceases to have meaning. These darling rich dumbos have realised, after carefully constructing the ultimate luxury survival bases, that those people they take with them as bodyguards and servants won't see any salary as worthwhile once money has no worth.  And then? What if the bodyguards just kick you out and take over your secret blankie fort?

In a post-apocalypse world, money will have no power.
Money as freedom will be an illusion. 

Such a hilarious conundrum! 

Are the mega-rich paranoid? Are we seeing the collapse of civilisation?  It's possible. Many modern nations possess weapons capable of destroying entire cities or small countries. The modern nuclear bombs are 80 times more powerful than those used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. How much land can you destroy with a bomb 80 times bigger?

And even before we get to that stage (which seems more and more possible, recently), there's the other problem so many places are facing - internal disintegration. I'm watching my American friends online talking about the polarisation and paranoid hate of their opposing political parties. There's mass-hysteria and paranoia everywhere I turn. I'm seeing it in news and family/friend stories from Africa, Asia, Europe, Britain... our old political systems are collapsing. They will go extinct, same as any other dinosaur, but until that is over our lives are all affected. We are living in a time of flux and change. We cannot stop this; it is inevitable. And that is scary, but also exciting. 

The positive thing about the mega-rich realising money is an illusion is that it shows us where the power actually lies. Real power is in your hands. It always has been and always will be. Power comes from people working together. Freedom comes from realising there is no "YOU vs ME", only "US".

We are all one species on a planet that could very possibly tear itself apart. The only way we can get through that, and thrive rather than merely survive, is by realising we are all one. No countries, no races, no ridiculous prejudices based on inconsequential man-made things like politics and religions. We are ONE species, quite as capable of extinction as any other. But we need to wake up and realise that.

Ultimately, the only freedom you have lies within you, not around you. Your mind is your freedom. Your soul/conscience is your freedom. You are as free as your thoughts, when you decide for yourself rather than allowing others to influence or manipulate what you think. You are as free as your integrity, when you base it on your spiritual connection to Creator/Creation rather than the morality of other peoples' ideologies. 

Freedom is an illusion until you claim your core freedoms.

And that Peace cannot be taken from you.

 

I've chosen a quote from one of my books, this year. It sums up my personal opinions as well as the opinion of my book character. 

One world - one species. 

We are all brothers and sisters. 

Dona Nobis Pacem ~ Turn, Turn, Turn

For two decades (how did the time go by so fast?) I've taken part in Blogblast for Peace, every November. I've watched it continue to grow, steadily spiralled outwards as we draw, write and create in the name of Peace. But this year I'm turning around and following the spiral back to the centre. 

It's time to turn. 

Because no matter how much of a difference we might make in fighting for world peace, there is no greater battle, nothing ever more important or courageous, than ensuring your own personal peace. Your well-being has to come first. 

Your mental and emotional health,

                 your sense of spiritual or ethical integrity,

your self-respect, 

                                                                    your personal sovereignty,  

your inner peace. 

Because when there is no peace within... there can be no peace without.

 As wonderful as it is, to belong to a large group all battling for positive change, I'm also seeing a lot of burn out. People who are saying they feel exhausted; long past running on empty. So this season of Peace, I'm asking you to turn the spiral inwards. I want you to check your inner core; is it steady? Is it calm? Is it a sanctuary? Are your boundaries clearly marked and are you brave enough to hold them firm? Because it takes tremendous courage to stand up for yourself whilst still staying centred in peace and love.

The hardest thing to do is to love yourself and treat yourself with kindness, because the world will fight you on that. Our society prefers people who are obedient to others. It ridicules those who choose to put themselves first. But the boss who implies you are lazy or not pulling your weight if you ask for sick leave... will he be there for you when your health collapses? The "friend" who calls you selfish or unkind for refusing to constantly help... will they be there for you when you collapse from exhaustion?

It's not your duty to take care of everyone on the planet as well as fighting for Peace and the planet itself.  That burden is too great; no-one can carry that much. You will burn out. 

For two decades we have all cried "NO MORE" for world peace; now we must do it for our selves. No more giving without receiving back. No more draining yourself dry in the hope that somehow, some day, all that sacrifice will be appreciated and recognised. No more giving parts of your self away. No more self-destruction and lack of inner peace. 

Turn, turn, turn ...

Blog for Peace 2020 ~ Perfect Vision

When I first sat down to write a post for this year's event... words left me. There was no room for them. All the space inside me was taken up with emotion.

This has been an exceptionally emotional year on a global level. We started with devastating fires in Australia (how we worried for friends and family over there!) and went straight on into Covid19 with its assorted political chaos, worldwide protests and then even more climate disasters. We have been inside a storm, not for days but for months. All of us. Everyone. No one is untouched by this year's events.

Canberra, Orroral Valley, January 28, 2020. New research suggests the recent record-breaking heat in Australia, which is linked to climate change, helped increase the region’s fire risk by at least 30 percent.

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/australia-wildfires-climate-change Nick-D/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

All of this has taken its toll. I'm seeing more angry people than ever before. Because fear makes people angry, it's a natural survival mechanism. Fear makes us feel out of control - rage gives back the feeling of control. Rage helped us fight off the predatory beasts when we were a young species still throwing rocks and sticks.

Anger can be very useful as it gives us the courage to face our demons, but it has to be wielded with calm and a clear mind. Thoughtless anger is chaos. It's the mob burning innocent women as witches and the person refusing to wear a mask during Covid19 because they are secretly, deeply, afraid. Terrified that the virus really exists, so they pretend it's a hoax. Terrified that if it is a hoax some secret and even worse harm is being done to them, such as taking away their personal power and freedoms.

Terrified.

Just as you have to turn and face the wolves on the path, you have to face what you fear. You cannot fix the problem, or slay the demon, without first understanding the fear beneath your anger.

For me, it's been the realisation that I get most angry when I see people being irrational. Why? Because I fear they might do/say things they will regret once they've calmed down enough to see the truth. My rage is based on my fear of them doing terrible harm: to me or to others, to themselves and to their countries or our planet. But to find that truth I had to step back and see with my heart.

What secret fear drives your anger? 

Turn around and face it.

Find the truth in your heart.

Then take that truth and reclaim your power.

The phrase "2020 vision" means to have perfect eyesight; to see with utter clarity. Could there be a better wish for this 2020 year than that? To see clearly, from the heart? 

This is my hope and my prayer...

 

If being separated from each other during Covid19 has only one positive result it should be this: that in being forced apart we finally realised we are all in this together. One planet and one humanity. 

Dona Nobis Pacem... in 2020 vision.

Dona Nobis Pacem ~ Think for Peace

This is my tenth anniversary of taking part in Blog for Peace.  Ten amazing years of creating a global community all focussed on one topic - peace. We are huge, on every continent including Antarctica, but have we made a difference?

That has bothered me lately, as I look at the chaos on media news. If so many people worldwide want peace, why are we still so far from our goal? It took some arguments on Facebook, an ancient maxim and a song to make me realise what I'd been overlooking: that we need to THINK for peace.

The arguments came about due to my friends being a very varied bunch of people. I've learnt so much from them, especially the ones whose politics, culture or religions are very different from my own. I'm ok with differences, but there are many who aren't ok. I have friends who openly fear "those people" who are also my friends. Worst of all... because they fear each other, they begin to resent or even hate each other. And that's when I remembered that ancient Roman maxim: DIVIDE AND RULE.

It's a very simple technique that was used in warfare and is now used in business and political strategy. Here's the basics of how it works:

• create or encourage divisions among others to prevent alliances that could challenge the balance of power
• foster distrust and enmity
• encourage meaningless expenditures that reduce the capability for others to rebel

...and those last words triggered the memory of a song: "Work For Peace" by Gil Scott-Heron.

The Military and the Monetary,
get together whenever they think its necessary,

they are determined to keep the citizens secondary, 

they make so many decisions that are arbitrary.

The only thing wrong with Peace,
is that you can't make no money from it.

 

There it was - my missing link. World powers and big business do not want peace because there is no money to be made from it. So they talk a lot of words about peace, but they foster the old maxim of divide and rule.

How many news items have you seen this year where the message was that the other side is not to be trusted?
How many internet sites have sent you information on why you should fear people who are different to you?
How many times has the military and the monetary tried to force us apart?

I watched a TV movie a few months back. It was a sci-fi thing about aliens invading the planet. Young soldiers were given special goggles through which they could see these "invisible aliens" in order to hunt them down and kill them. But one young man loses his goggles and realises that they're actually killing human beings. The battle isn't about aliens, it's about the government wanting to cull over population. There was no enemy; no alien invasion. Only divide and rule.   

What if this were the truth right now? What if there were only a handful of genuine "bad guys" and those allowed to flourish in order to keep us all so afraid we toed the line and obeyed all the rules? What if we stopped thinking for ourselves and let THEM think for us... 

Is it that far fetched? I don't know. All I know for certain is that my Facebook wall is made up of THEM. My friends are black, white, Asian and Native American. They are Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Atheist, Hindu and Pagan. I have witches chatting to church-going good folk on my Facebook wall. I have a Kosher vegetarian and a Halal vegetarian. I have an atheist vegan and a meat-eating Hindu. I have politically Left friends wanting the world to be a better place... I have politically Right friends who want the same.

They may have different things they believe and ways of living, but all of them want the same basic things: a decent salary, a nice home, safety for their families, healthy food, clean water and a better world for their children.

THEY. ALL. WANT. THE. SAME. THINGS.

Let that sink in for a moment, please and then... THINK.

Think before you allow random (and often fake) news to fill you with fear. 

Think before you allow others to tell you who to hate. 

Trust your intuition or trust in your God.

Keep calm and think for yourself.

THINK.

I based that design on a British World War II poster made to help people cope with the ongoing stress and fear of war. The message is just as important now as it was then. Keep calm and carry on. We absolutely cannot achieve peace by becoming angry or fearful of each other. We have to find ways to communicate, to share our similarities as we balance our differences.

Stronger ~ Dona Nobis Pacem 2017

I've been doing Blogblast for Peace for nine years and this was the first time I felt like quitting. Why? Because I felt a complete lack of hope. Let's face it, 2017 has been a year of stark revelations. Our climate is going crazy with fires and floods, our media is full of stories of abuse, lies and corruption and too many of our world leaders have turned into petulant toddlers.  

But then the most unlikely event brought me back - a complete lack of hope. 

You see, one of my dearest blog and internet friends died this Nov 1st. "Tint" had been fighting cancer for several years and I do mean fighting quite literally. This was an epic battle, but Tint was never a quitter, no matter what life threw at her. I haven't one single memory of her acting negative or defeated. She tackled every setback with cheerful determination. Tint had a rainbow aura, full of joy, humour and kick-ass hope.  I've never seen a photo of her where she isn't smiling or laughing.

I've spent this past week in a chat room vigils with Tint's friends and loved ones, all of us waiting and waiting.... We were gathered together by Tint's daughter and we have stayed there in love and support, but in the full knowledge that there was no hope of a last minute miracle.

No hope. 

Now I'm sitting here writing this and thinking.... It seems to me that all of us who want Peace and a better world have been just the same, constantly setting out with cheery optimism and hope that change is possible. But what do we do when there is no hope? What do we do when a war is inevitable, violence explodes around us and the world staggers towards hate and fear? What do we do when we lose hope?

I think I know. When you lose hope... you find Grace. 

Hope is wonderful, there's no denying, but it can also be a burden. It implies that failing is bad or wrong; that we didn't try hard enough. Truth is that sometimes we can try as hard as possible and still fail.  So here's the thing, dear Peace bloggers and world-changers. We may never stop war entirely. We may never see humanity reach a stage where there aren't some still capable of violence and destruction. We may never save every species from extinction or save every child from trauma and tragedy. 

The loss of hope does not automatically mean failure. Tint's death has shown me that. Her life was a rip-roaring adventure, full of unexpected twists. She lived it to the full and left a legacy of friends all over the world whose lives are changed for the better for knowing her. And she leaves behind a daughter who is one of the most lovely young women I have ever been honoured to know and a new baby grandchild who shows every sign of growing up to be as wonderful as his mother and grand-mum.

When Hope leaves... love remains.

Love doesn't bring about miracles, it is the miracle. Nothing is stronger than Love. The greatest gift we have is this connection to each other. The love found in friendship is a miracle we often take for granted. I have spent this past week in vigil for my friend Tint with the most amazing bunch of men and women. I am now asking you all to join me and hold vigil for our planet. Do we have hope? I don't know... and maybe I no longer care. We have each other and we have love. That is enough.  

For you, Tint, see? pink hair! <3

Dona Nobis Pacem 2016 ~ Butterflies Cloaked in Blue Fire

I've used this photo from NASA in my 2016 Blog4Peace globe design. Isn't it stunning? All those stars... 

Did you know that astronomers estimate there may be 100 thousand million stars in the Milky Way alone? How vast this place we call reality is... and how utterly small and insignificant our world events seem by comparison. The violence, wars and politics that rip our lives apart here on Earth fade to nothing when seen beneath the light of 100 thousand million suns.

All that light and energy swirling around us... it reminds me of a photo I've seen of the great visionary inventor and scientist, Nikola Tesla. Here he is, sitting with his "magnifying transmitter" in the Colorado Springs Laboratory.

Tesla performed many experiments at his Colorado Springs lab, including ones to investigate atmospheric electricity and lightning.

The Fantastic Inventions of Nikola Tesla by Nikola Tesla, David Hatcher-Childress

I knew about Tesla's experiments, but it was only recently that I discovered he was passionately anti-war. That's why I decided to use a Tesla quote on my Peace globe this year:

"Peace can only come as a natural consequence of universal enlightenment." 

When I first read that quote, I wondered... are humans capable of reaching a state of universal enlightenment? I look around at the world and it seems like the more we try to make a difference and bring peace the more things refuse to change. Generations of people talking, writing, creating art and protesting for peace and yet too many humans still see the use of force as the only solution to any problem. 

What chance do the peace makers have of making a difference? We are a scattering of people on a little planet floating in a galaxy of 100 thousand million stars.

... and then I remembered Tesla's butterflies, haloed in blue fire.

Tesla showed the world a new way to see and use energy. He even put forward the concept of the Earth having its own resonance - it's own vibrational secret song. Can we learn from that? Can we use his discoveries in other ways? 

What if enlightenment was something you created through energy rather than action? 

What if it wasn't the effort we put in, but the resonance we send out 

that made the world change?

There's another famous butterfly in science - the butterfly effect. It's the theory that a small random thing (such as a butterfly) can ripple out to create a much larger effect.What if every human heart was merely a peace butterfly waiting to be set free? Holding in its radiant blue peace fire, simply waiting for the right moment to change the world. No more fighting for peace or struggling towards it... just letting it resonate in our hearts and letting that longing free...

like butterflies cloaked in blue fire. 

Could we burn the world free from out-dated political systems and old-fashioned mind sets? I think we could... no wait... I KNOW we can.

It's time.

Dona Nobis Pacem 2015 ~The Power of Love

When Mimi declared this year's blogblast theme of Peace and the Power of love... my mind went blank. So many famous people have written or spoken on this topic. was there really anything new I could say? I couldn't think of anything to write, but then someone sent me this quote:

“Everyone says love hurts, but that is not true. Loneliness hurts. Rejection hurts. Losing someone hurts. Envy hurts. Everyone gets these things confused with love, but in reality love is the only thing in this world that covers up all pain and makes someone feel wonderful again. Love is the only thing in this world that does not hurt.”

Meša Selimović

Mesa was Bosnian-Serbian. His most famous book, Death and the Dervish, is based on his failed attempt to save his brother from execution during WWII. His book deals with the cruelty and injustice of war, which makes his quote on love all the more poignant.

 

Mesa was right - love never hurts or harms; only the lack of love can do that. And that includes self-love, because if you cannot love and respect yourself you will never be able to show it to others. Statistics show that humans are becoming less violent. 

But there's still a lot to be done. 

Statistics also show that children from peaceful loving homes are far less likely to become involved in violence. We teach our children by our actions, not by our words. 

To put it plain and simple:

We create our future society based on the way we raise our children.

And that means ALL children. 

This is the greatest challenge humanity faces, as our planet hurtles towards and unknown and seemingly unsettled future. We need to teach our world's children how to be peaceful; how to love themselves and others. 

Never be afraid to love. It is the greatest gift you have to share. It knows no boundaries of species, space or time.

When everything else fails... love remains.

Dona Nobis Pacem 2014 ~ Sowing the Seeds

  We're sowing the seeds of love

Did you know that the seeds of the gigantic redwood trees are tiny? Each seed is barely bigger than a match head. You could fit a potential forest into a tablespoon.

 

There's something miraculous about that fact; that something so minuscule has the potential to grow into one of the world's tallest trees. A good reminder to never underestimate the small or seemingly fragile.

Sometimes words can feel as small and insignificant as tiny seeds.

That is especially true this Blogblast for Peace, as we come to the final months of a year littered with humanity's failings; tragedies, disclosures, scandals and lies.

 Without love and a promised land

We're fools to the rules of a government plan

I've seen, or been sent, global examples of TV media blackouts on vital issues. Things such as major protests and marches; from Ireland's tens of thousands against water charges and New York's 400,000 marching for global warming to the most recent appalling treatment of peaceful protesters at London's Occupy Democracy. 

 

 As the headline says you're free to choose

One of these days they're gonna call in the ruse
 

There's been disclosures of voting and election fraud in several countries.

Could you be, could you be squeaky clean

And smash any hope of democracy?
 

Pushed through laws and budget cuts that target the most defenceless: the disabled, elderly and poor...  

 Now what does that remind me of?

 

Feel the pain, talk about it,  
 If you're a worried man then shout about it  
 

 Pollution, big business greed and deception, political avarice and the constant push for wars.

 Open hearts, feel about it, 
Open minds, think about it  
 

Everyone read about it, 
 Everyone scream about it

It has been an exceptionally depressing year. One that has left many feeling bitter, despairing or angry as hopes for a better future vanished.

I spy tears in their eyes

They look to the skies 

for some kind of divine intervention

How does hope rise above all that despair? How does peace stand firm when filled with bitterness or anger? The only way is through love, because love has no time to bother with being disappointed, hurt or angry.

When you're sowing the seeds of love

anything is possible  
 

Just like a giant redwood tree, love soars above such trivialities. 

Love understands that we all fall short along the way. None of us is perfect. Love remembers this and is willing to hold out a hand of comfort and sympathy. Love isn't a fool, but it understands the need for reconciliation, determination and persistence.

Love offers seemingly small gifts: patience, protection, empathy, fairplay; little words of encouragement and understanding. Such things may seem pointless and small, but small words in the hands of love are very powerful seeds.

Everyone read about it, read about it

We're sowing the seeds of love. 

We are facing hard times on this planet. There's no use sugar-coating the facts. Things are bad. And tough times need tough love; real Love.

 And I believe in love power 
(open your eyes)
 

 The kind of Love that stands with dignity and calm in the storms, like a redwood tree.

We're sowing the seeds of love
 

Love offers protection to the helpless, compassion to the weak and a voice to those who cannot speak for themselves. Love persists and quietly insists on being taken seriously. Love keeps standing up, taking part and speaking out.

Sowing the seeds... 

So we hold onto love and we keep talking about peace...

of love power

We keep writing about peace...

We're sowing the seeds of love
 

And most important of all, regardless of religion, nationality or political affiliation... we hold onto that tough love and we rise above the masses like a forest of redwood trees.

High time we made a stand

And shook up the views of the common man

 We have to be leaders rather than followers. Way showers. Light keepers in the dark. 


As Gandhi put it: "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." 

Well...   I've been through the ignored and laughed at. That means I've only got one more stage to get through. I think I can manage that. ;-)

And I believe in love power  (open your eyes)

We're sowing the seeds of love

 

 

 
 Sowing the seeds,
An end to need, 
And the politics of greed 

with Love

Dona Nobis Pacem 2013 ~ Believe

My blogblast message this year is a very different one... I never wrote it. This year, for the first time, I didn't have a clue what to say.

And Mimi even set a theme this year, to make it easier. She said:

"What Do I Want My World To Look Like?"

Oh boy... :-\ The more I sat and thought about that the less I knew what to write. Let's face it, this has not been an easy year for our planet. Oh there have been good stories and moments of wonderful kindness happening out there, but those stories are usually tucked away in difficult to find places. The main news media blares out the ongoing grim failures of mankind and there have been plenty of those in 2013. Fukoshima, simmering wars, greed and selfishness, festering political rivalries, cruel budget cuts, bickering, bullying, poverty and pollution. :-(

    I know exactly what I want my world NOT to look like!

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But what do I want? And how do we create it? I was stumped. In desperation I decided to ask a friend for ideas and he sent me his thoughts. He's a special friend, one I trust deeply. I knew he'd have thoughts worth sharing and he did not disappoint me.

Here's what he had to say:

"Dona Nobis Pacem ... (may God) grant us peace.

They are beautiful words, but entirely wrong. It was never up to God to grant Peace since it never was God who took peace away from mankind. For far too long we have watched in growing agony as mankind begs for peace, prays for peace and all the time forgets that the power to create peace always lay within his/her own hands. Peace is not a gift to be given by God to mankind, it is a natural birthright of every child. It is already within your hearts and in ready reach of your hands. You are the ones who forget your own power as you grow and the suffering of this world overwhelms you. It was never up to God, it was always up to you.

Your world sits at a crossroads and you are the ones who must choose which direction it takes. All the prayer in the world cannot save you from your own selves, only you can do that. It does not have to be anything more than one gesture, one small forgiveness instead of an angry word. Peace starts small, like a seed. Let it grow naturally inside you and don't be afraid to use it as it grows. It is stronger than it looks, fuelled by love and constantly watched over by whatever you choose to call God. It will grow and it will prevail, but only if you stop looking outward for your answers and turn to look within. You will not find God's grace in prayer, you find it each time you hold out your hand to another living being, in kindness or compassion.

Until mankind realises that every life is equal in the eyes of God there truly cannot be Peace on Earth. All life is equally precious, an eagle is no more or less than a mosquito. A human living in Africa is no more or less than another living in Asia or Europe. No religion, no gender, no political party holds the key or stands higher than the next. There is only one world you have to live upon and yet what do you do? You fight over so many stupid things and find so many reasons to hate each other. Even those of you who swear you follow the paths of peace will admit in your hearts to feeling superior to someone else you know, whether it is through enlightenment, education or financial superiority. It does not matter. It never did. It never has. It never will. You were born perfect and you will die perfect. In between is up to you."

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I'm figuring you might have read some of that and been a little puzzled. Especially as to why he wrote about watching mankind? You see, the dear friend who wrote that is my spirit guide. You might call him my guardian angel, really. :-) I've known him for over ten years now. I see the words he speaks in my mind, or images. This time he kept the words nice and slow, so I could write them down as he gave them to me. I normally don't share what he has to say, since it's usually personal and only meant for me. I prefer it that way and so does my guide, 'Sol'. He's a modest kind of guy, but he has strong opinions, as you can see! ;-)

He's right though - this is our responsibility. God created the world perfect. We're the ones who came in and messed it up and it is up to us to fix it. With God's help perhaps, but it is still up to us. 

So what do I want for my future world? 

I want a world where people claim back personal responsibility.

 

 

 Where people don't blame their neighbour, the other country, the opposing political party or another religion for the world's problems. This is OUR world, regardless of who we are, where we are, what version of God we worship in or what language we speak. OUR world and OUR responsibility.

It's a new dawn. We can choose to greet it together, in joy and hope, or keep on pointing fingers until the world is completely destroyed.

I know what I'm choosing...