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 ~ 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 ...

Countdown to Blogblast - BRAVE!

The theme for Blogblast for Peace this year (Nov 4-7 2021) is..

 

"Courageous Peace in a Time of Great Change"
 

Please join us!

I'm ready! :) And here's my inspiration... Brave!

You can be amazing
You can turn a phrase into a weapon or a drug
You can be the outcast
Or be the backlash of somebody's lack of love
Or you can start speaking up
...
Say what you wanna say
And let the words fall out
Honestly, I wanna see you be brave
With what you want to say
And let the words fall out
Honestly, I wanna see you be brave

Musical Monday for the Chinese New Year - The Dog Days Are Over

The Chinese Dog year ends today. Tomorrow is the New year of the Pig.
This seemed the perfect song to celebrate that fact.

Musical Monday - New Year Party with Electro Swing

Suzy by Caravan Palace.

Music for Christmas Eve - O Holy Night

Musical Monday - The Holly and the Ivy

One of my favourites.

Musical Monday ~ Letter from Home

I love Ryan Farish. :)

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.

Fear is the Blame Game

I recently read an excellent post by Jeff Gregory​ about hate. I tend to defend the underdog and speak out about things I feel are wrong. A lot of people think that means I hate A or B, but it's not that simple. I do hate injustice and cruelty, but I can still pity the person doing the "act of evil" because so often it is the broken who then go on to break others. As you Jeff says in his post - hate isn't the answer. We need to find more ways to say "no, I don't want this" without making it a word used while carrying weapons and torches. This planet has seen far too many tragedies based on the hate of mass hysteria.

I've come up against this a lot with the recent fear/hate between political parties and against specific religions. Personally, I don't follow either Left or Right in politics (I'm Green first )and I see religions as the ways humanity experience and love creation/creator. I really don't think God cares how we express that love, only that we love. I don't think there is a single Way to God; each path is unique to each person. but sadly, there are two religions that have a history of using extreme force in order to convert others to a single "way": Christianity and Islam.

I have had to defend the rights of my Muslim friends a lot recently, which has led to some people thinking I'm anti-Christianity. Not so! I am depressed and afraid of the levels of hate in BOTH radical versions of these two religions. Yet neither religion was created by a man proposing using cruelty and fear to convert followers...

So how did it all go so wrong and how can we ensure it does not continue into our future? 

It has to begin with letting go of hate and that means facing our fears, because most of the time hate is the way we protect ourselves from things we fear. We fear the different and unknown and we fear things that have hurt us in the past or that we worry will hurt us in the future. Fear is a primal instinct of survival, but it has limitations. It drains your energy and strips away your ability to think clearly. This is why so many brainwashing techniques use tiredness and fear, because you lose all ability to think for yourself. You become a puppet.

And the only way you can ever battle fear is through Love - the type of love that walks with tolerance, understanding and compassion.

Thank you, Jeff, for reminding me of that simple fact. It's so easy to lose sight of what really matters when you're frustrated and scared for the future. I'd like to repay you with a video by a favourite group of mine who say it beautifully in this song.  

If there is grace in this world

If there is light on this earth

Let us use it

Let us see it

Starting right now...

Peace, love, more tolerance

Faith, hope trust in the same god in whose

Name we die for, take an innocent life for

That's not what He means

And it doesn't matter what book you read

Musical Monday ~ Hunger

An awesome one this week. Listen to the lyrics and you'll know what I mean. Video is superb as well.


Florence and The Machine - Hunger

Work for Peace

It's a month before Blog for Peace, so I'm setting the mood with an old song that has been haunting me lately.

"Work For Peace" by Gil Scott-Heron

Americans no longer fight to keep their shores safe,
Just to keep the jobs going in the arms-making workplace.
Then they pretend to be gripped by some sort of political reflex,
But all they're doing is paying dues to the Military Industrial Complex.

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

They turn our brothers and sisters into mercenaries, 

they are turning the planet into a cemetery.
The Military and the Monetary, 

use the media as intermediaries,
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.

The Military and the Monetary,
they get together whenever they think its necessary,
they've turned our brothers and sisters into mercenaries,
they are turning the planet, into a cemetery.

Got to work for Peace,
Peace ain't coming this way.

We should not allow ourselves to be mislead,
by talk of entering a time of Peace,
Peace is not the absence of war,
it is the absence of the rules of war and the threats of war and the preparation for war.

So this is a song about tomorrow and about how tomorrow can be better. 

If we all,
"Each one reach one, Each one try to teach one".

Nobody can do everything,
but everybody can do something,
everyone must play a part,
everyone got to go to work, Work for Peace.

Spirit Say Work, Work for Peace

Wonder Full

Stunning water sculptures by Malgorzata Chodakowska. You can see the entire collection HERE.

If Books had Soundtracks

If books had soundtracks, this would make up mine for Wisdoms of the Light.

 

I wrote my book to these songs, often repeated over and over for certain chapters or scenes. I don't want to add spoilers, but I think those who've read the book will guess enough if I add a few hints. ;) 

First and foremost... this is Evelah's song. I found the theme for her existence the first time I watched this.

https://youtu.be/V9Wvwl9NQ5g

Large chunks of the story were written to this...

https://youtu.be/tBgboVI42qA 

And this...

https://youtu.be/mAh--lH0H3U

 The South...

https://youtu.be/C3lWwBslWqg

Return to Amyth...

https://youtu.be/Dlr90NLDp-0 

The dark city...

https://youtu.be/vVrsaZGBvk4

Evelah's music...

https://youtu.be/03_ZzsHH2mA

 Love in the city...

https://youtu.be/8fgWs5mFmoM

 Broken hearts...

https://youtu.be/Dddrq61sq4U

... and misunderstandings...

https://youtu.be/myc_RViTHhY

 Fighting the darkness...

https://youtu.be/YDDkCiUhHCc

Idrith finds his power...

https://youtu.be/0Zv8uZ5FEsA 

Revelations, energy waves and endings/beginnings...

https://youtu.be/BaF0W6n0PZE

https://youtu.be/Ah3vTq2ZxYk 

https://youtu.be/y3nCkymyVHI

Winter Wonder by The Florin Street Band

Merry Christmas!

glitter-graphics.com

My Favourite Time of Year by The Florin Street Band

A new Christmas song to start this December. I really like this one! :)

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

3 ~ Harvest Love

3 of the 60 ways of Peace challenge - Harvest Love

It's all about planting the right seeds...

Harvest ~ Andreas Vollenweider

looking up through the clouds of my imagination

these doctrines of delusion don’t deliver

the children bear the traces of a thousand years of fear

even true love – true love, breathes fire onto mirrors

find me at the gates of wisdom, questions falling, falling on deaf ears

so I set my ship out on the waters, trying to reach faith’s holy mount

but the dove I send ahead returns with just a hungry seed of doubt

this is the harvest of the world

this is the garden of our works

winding through the alleyways in the hour of the wolf

turn me out on the edge of town in a field of solid earth

I can’t resist the impulse to sow some wild kind of seed

and reap the ripened fruit of all I've grown upon the vines of every deed

this is the harvest of the world

this is the garden of our works

seeds of doubt grow vines of judgement

vines of judgement - thorns of blame

seeds of beauty - fields of wonder

seeds of anger - blades of shame

seeds of knowledge - trees of wisdom

trees of wisdom - fruits of grace

seeds of tears -  vines of forgiveness

seeds of sorrow bring the wild flowers of faith

seeds of truthfulness grow the tangled roots of feeling

seeds of joy - the vines of laughter

fruits of laughter finally bring the wine of healing

Today...

Scotland goes out to vote today.

Four YES votes in this family. ;-)

I thought I'd put up a song for the day. Everyone seems to be putting up Dougie MacLean singing Caledonia. So I went with something different. One of my favourite musicians, who also happens to be a YES campaigner -  Eddie Reader. Singing a slightly different version of one of my all time favourite songs by Fairground Attraction - Perfect.

58 ~ Sing the Perfect Song

I'm starting the 60 ways of Peace challenge a few days late. 

58 - Sing the Perfect Song. :-) For me that is my all-time most favourite song, "What He Means" by South African group, Just Jinjer.

If there is Grace in this world

If there is light on this earth

Let us use it, let us see it...

starting right now

Can we be down with ourselves?

Respectful and mindful of one

Of one another, your significant other,

Your sister or brother?

Peace, Love, more tolerance.

Faith, hope, trust 

in the same name of God

Peace, Love, more tolerance.

Faith, hope, trust 

in the same name of God in whose

name we die for, take an innocent life for

well that's not what he means..

and it doesn't matter what Book you read

Is there relief up ahead?

Cos Judgement and hearing await

A weight on our minds to bear,

A shame on our hearts to wear

Where is Salvation now?

Now that we have what we want

Now that we have our wars..

Peace, Love, more tolerance.

Faith, hope, trust 

in the same name of God in whose

name we die for, take an innocent life for

well that's not what he means..

and it doesn't matter what Book you read

with a little bit of ease and little bit of calm

acceptance is the key to all we know

what about a stir of compassion and

lenience?

what about some understanding?

what about some sympathy?

Peace, Love, more tolerance.

Faith, hope, trust 

in the same name of God in whose

name we die for, take an innocent life for

well that's not what he means..

and it doesn't matter what Book you read

FREEDOM, KINDNESS, 

WARM DELIVERANCE,

COMFORT, MERCY, 

REDEMPTION SONG!!