Day 21... imagine

“The Great Turning... is about joining together to act for the sake of life on Earth.”

— Joanna Macy and Molly Brown from Coming Back To Life

“Imagine” in Central Park. Photo used with permission from Roy Tamashiro, peace pilgrim.

And today, completes our 21-day pilgrimage with peace. Sometimes you don’t even know you are on a pilgrimage until you find yourself in the middle of a journey and then realize this had more meaning than the sum of it’s parts.

“Peace is the wholeness created by right relationships with oneself, other persons, other cultures, other life, Earth, and the larger whole of which all are a part.”

— The Earth Charter, Principle 16f

Over the past 3 weeks, we’ve explored peace as it relates to self, others, and the Earth as a means of creating “right relationships” or as I like to think of it, “connections.” And when we began, the journey 21 days ago, I myself, didn’t really know where we were going… only that we needed to engage in this process. It wasn’t until the second day that I realized the structure I would use… and that was based on the Earth Charter.

On my own journey with peace… I rely on the Earth Charter definition time and time again. The charter resonates with me as it brings me back to the Earth… nature, the “place” that nourishes my soul.

And yes, this year was less about knitting which is perhaps reflective of my own current state… that knitting is becoming something more personal and meditative for me. Knitting is an act of peace for self, others and even the Earth (with wise and ethical consumer practices). Yet, the deeper I dive into learning about “peace,” the harder it is for me to always connect knitting with peace.

Today, on this day of a turning point, the winter solstice, where the days begin to get just a bit lighter, we too, have the opportunity to bring more light into the world… for self, others, and the Earth.

All hands on deck (or needles if you wish)…

we must act now…

to knit the world together in peace.

Today, we move forward on this peace journey…

a sequence of single acts that add up to more than the sum of their parts.

As always, it has been a privilege and an honor to be with you these past 21 days. Sharing these early mornings with all of you has given me hope and inspiration. You’ve motivated me to dig deeper and to continue cultivating my relationship with peace… for self, others, and the Earth.

“You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope some day you’ll join us
And the world will live as one”

— Imagine, John Lennon

Daily peace tip #21

A friend recently introduced me to this musical group, Pentatonix. Here’s their version of Imagine by John Lennon (their might be an ad at the beginning). Perhaps take a moment today to listen to this song.

On this solstice, also known as our “group-proclaimed” World Wide Knit for Peace Day, please take a moment to knit in solitude or with a group and contemplate peace in your life/lives. Also, take a moment of silence with 1000’s of others around the world.

Give-aways

Give-away #3… goes to Michelle A. for her wonderful comment about healthy snacks as a way of teaching kids about peace. Thank you Michelle! Send me an email and we’ll make arrangements for how you can get your wonderful peaceful package!

Final give-away… 2 skeins of fingering weight yarn from my stash, a project bag, project peace stitch markers and a Net Loft peace sticker. All give-aways will be mailed the weekend of December 28. Please leave a comment by December 27 in response to the following:

How will you cultivate more peace in your life… whether that’s for self, others or the Earth?

Imagine peace

Commit to peace

Create peace…

Cordova, AK

Day 20... forest

“The moral covenant of reciprocity calls us to honor our responsibilities for all we have been given, for all that we have taken. It’s our turn now, long overdue.”

— Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass

Ponderosa Park, McCall, Idaho

Each year for Project Peace, I’ve written a sort of folktale that pulls together many elements of our 21-day journey. Today, I share with you a folkish poem. So, pull up a chair and a beverage of your choosing and enjoy this brief little tale.

A lone woman

A lone woman leaps in the forest…

        She dances for joy

        Where all Kingdoms, Eubacteria, Archaebacteria, Fungi, Plantae, Protista, Animalia thrive

        Pollen mingles, nuts transported, life moves above and below

        A watercolor in motion… red, brown, green, orange 

        A place where the interconnectedness of life prevails

A lone woman weeps in the forest…

               She bows her head

               The streams move no more, water only found in her tears

               Objects foreign lay scattered on the once thriving floor

               Silence lingers beneath the rocks and fallen trees

               A dullness pervades

               Death lurks…

A lone woman sweeps in the forest…

                       She persists with her head lifted once more

                       Purify, extract, and atone for the choices made

                       Remedy, rectify, and restore

                       For the colors to return, the chatter to fill the air

                       And for all Kingdoms to thrive once again…

A lone woman sleeps in the forest…

                              The task too great for one alone

                              To bear the burden of so many

                              Work not yet completed

                              She lays down her head and waits

                              For those that have created this mess

 to choose authenticity,

                              simplicity,

a way that honors the Earth.

A lone woman rests in peace in the forest…

                                      She waits patiently

                                      She will persist

                                      For one day, the colors will return

                                      The birds will frolic on the waves of the wind and water

                                      Purity to the water and the air will be restored

                                      Reciprocity will be the chosen way…

A lone woman and all her children,

flora, fauna, animals and more,

shout for joy in the forest.

“Whatever our gift, we are called to give it and to dance for the renewal of the world. In return for the privilege of breath.”

— Robin Wall Kimmerer

Daily peace tip #20

Who is the woman in the forest?

Today’s tip is simple…be intentional about making space for peace. What will you do today, the 2nd to last day of Project Peace to assure you say “yes” to peace. Perhaps your “yes” was as simple as taking the time to read this post… perhaps it’s a walk in the park, or meeting a friend for a cup of coffee.

I want to make you aware of something special happening tomorrow. It’s a minute of silence occurring around the world on December 21. Here’s a link to the details.

peace to all,

Christina

Day 19... lichens

“Lichens are a couple in which the whole is more than the sum of its parts.”

— Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass

Green, orange, white…

The union of a fungus and an algae… to become one being yet two separate parts.

It’s not a new being yet nor is it just a collective new name for these joint entities.

It’s a relationship entered into for survival for mutual benefit…

providing nutrients to one another…

when one cannot exist alone.

The lichen is not parasitic in the fact that it does not consume one part at the expense of another; rather it enters into a relationship… one part provides vital minerals, the other the sugar. They are not plants, nor flowers or mosses… they are lichens.

It is thought that 6% of the Earth is covered with lichens and that over 20,000 species exist. They are thought to be some of the longest living creatures on the planet. These resilient beings can survive in the coldest and hottest environments and regenerate oxygen from carbon dioxide. Plus, they retain environmental pollutants further protecting the planet from toxins…

Co-existing in the harshest environments and the most precarious of places…

Lichens in the winter, Maine. Image used with permission, Mary Jane Mucklestone.

Lichens as peace. Two beings, oh so different, they even come from different Kingdoms, yet they don’t just co-exist, they thrive.

Oh, the lessons available to us from nature.

Reciprocity… the Earth provides for us and we are here to be good stewards of the land.

A mutual relationship…

“Undaunted, lichens volunteered to put down roots and homestead stone - metaphorically, of course, since they have no roots. This is an asset when there is no soil. Lichens have no roots, no leaves, no flowers. They are life at its most basic.”

— Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass

Sweet lichens and buttercups, Cordova, AK

Daily peace tip #19

Look for lichens today! Lichens are an example of peace… surviving and perhaps thriving in the given environment.

Where do you spy lichens?

My other favorite book from this year is called “Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer. It’s so good I began pacing myself and savoring each chapter not wanting the book to end. This book is peace AND hope. The main theme is “reciprocity.” With all the reading I did this year about the food system, the climate crisis and the despair I would feel, I would return to this book. If you do nothing else as a result of Project Peace… read this book.

Resources: The Hidden Forest and Wikipedia

Day 18... love

Falling in love… with a place.

Finding peace in that space…

To be called from the inside out to be there…

where one’s own time stands still…

to just be, in the moment.

Westerwick, Shetland, UK.

Shetland, UK is one of those places for me. There’s something about this land that calls my entire being to this rock in the North Atlantic Ocean. I’m perplexed by my love for this place as it is treeless and trees move my soul like nothing else.

Yet there’s this energy that vibrates from this land that I cannot escape as I find myself returning time and time again…

Perhaps it’s the peat. Yesterday, I discussed the amazing powers of peat. This vibrant source of energy…capturing the product of our excesses.

The Deeps, Shetland, UK

Or the waters silent at the moment yet stormy the next; filled with abundant life below the surface.

A place where the old meets the new. Sheep abound providing a livelihood for so many on the island…

connecting with place…

falling in love with a space…

finding peace that nourishes the soul.

Reawick Church, Shetland, UK

Daily peace tip #18

Connecting with the Earth, our third aspect of peace. Where is it that place that you find peace? What element of nature captures your attention and sparks your interest tp learn more? Perhaps it’s the ocean, a forest, a river? Maybe it’s trees, flowers, fungi, birds? Nature has so much to teach us if we allow ourselves the opportunity to slow down and listen.

Identify one element of nature that draws you in to learn more?

What aspect of nature do you LOVE?

Find your peace in that moment…