Seeds of Peace
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by Carole Crumley
Shalem's newsletter editor told us that the deadline for submission of articles for this issue was September 11. We all moaned in a collective memory of the painful events of that day five years ago. Shortly after that conversation, I had a dream in which I was asking a heart-searching question: "Can we really hope to awaken the quality of peace in others' hearts? Is it possible to do this?" An answer came immediately as a clear strong voice spoke to me in the dream: "Yes, it is possible," the voice said. "Stay close to the fire."
"Can we really hope to awaken the quality of peace in others' hearts and in our own?"
It may seem foolish to even ask this question in light of the current realities of our world. Daily we are assaulted with images of people in other countries and in our own who are the victims of terrible, often random, violence. Wars rage and the fifth anniversary of 9/11 reminds us that Americans, like the rest of the world, are vulnerable to terrorism and violence. As violence escalates and fear of it multiplies, can we really hope to awaken the quality of peace in our own hearts, much less in others?
What can we do when we seem so far from what we yearn for?
"Stay close to the fire," the dream said, "Stay close to the fire." Stay close to the fire of your yearning, the fire of your desire, even the fire of your pain and sorrow over world events.
Nan Merrill writes that this kind of pain gave birth to her new little booklet, "Peace Planet, Light for Our World." Desolate, powerless, enormously disheartened after the events of 9/11, she says that her only solace was to sit in the silence and allow the indwelling Presence to become her prayer.
A friend gave her a prayer for peace that listed countries of the world. As she prayed over each nation every day, she began to experience these countries as friends. Then she started to locate each nation on a map and read about it. Little by little, Peace Planet emerged. Each page is dedicated to a different country with a prayer for its well-being and peace. Merrill says it was born from the heart-fire of her silent prayer--her prayer response to a world-wide horror.
I've read of a Native American tradition where one person's role is to remain at peace, centered in spiritual vision, no matter what events befall the tribe. Even if everyone else slips into pain, fear, or dissension, they can rely on this person, the vision-holder, as a lifeline to the Presence.
"I am burning with my desire for peace," a colleague recently told me. As a result of the events of 9/11, I believe the world is seeded with fire souls, young and old, who are holding a vision of peace for the future. As vision-holders, their prayers take many forms. Some folks walk their prayers, others set theirs to music, and some join circles of compassion for prayer-solidarity with kindred souls. Some offer their kindness and works of mercy, unheralded, to the force of peace. Others among us look deeper at the injustices that lead to fears and prompt violence. This year we commemorate the 100th anniversary of the beginning of Gandhi's "Satyagraha" (truth-force) non-violent campaign for justice in South Africa. His talk, which began this campaign, was inspired by a Muslim author and was given on September 11, 1906.
My twenty-something niece recently gave me a children's book about peace. It's one of her favorites, she said, because it describes so many simple ways to understand peace and is delightfully illustrated. "Read this to your grandchildren," she encouraged. She might have added: "Plant seeds of peace early in the fertile soil of young hearts. Trust the Spirit to water them and pray for a bountiful harvest."
Perhaps nothing is more important for our generation than staying close to the fire, the fire of the Beloved in whose image we are made. Moment by moment, this Spirit lives in our spirits, co-creating the "shalom," the authentic peace, the Beloved Community of God. As we pray for this in the heart-fire of silence, may God's will, God's love be done.