Stasia's Place Of Grace

Friday, December 31, 2004

 

UPDATED - IMPORTANT SPIRITUAL REQUEST

I just received this message from Eleanor Wiley. You might know her as the author of "A String And A Prayer", a wonderful book on creating and using prayer/meditation bead strands. She inspired me to make some beads that I showed here some time ago.

Here is her message:

Dear Friends-I rarely send messages on but I am feeling that we must come together in both pray and action to make this a peace filled New Year. This seems like a wonderful place to begin. You are in my thoughts and prayers please remember me from time to time. Namaste, Eleanor

Spiritual Request

A couple of months ago, some Navajo Holy People saw a sign in the sky that indicated to them that it was time to send a message out to Holy People and Spiritual Leaders around the world to gather their people together to pray for "Peaceful Solutions to the World's Problems".

This message comes from a Navajo elder that I know whose name is Grace Smith Yellow Hammer. I have immense respect for Grace, and know her as a good, strong woman of integrity.

The request is specific: Pray for "peaceful solutions to the world's problems from 12 noon on December 31st, starting in the Eastern time zones and continuing through 12 noon January 1st."

All people are invited to participate in this wave of good will and intentions that will be woven around the world during this time. If you can, gather with others to make this prayer. If you can't gather with others for this purpose, please take time during this period to make your own prayers and imagine them being sent out far and wide. If you are affiliated with a church or religious group, perhaps you can mention this to the leader there.

Please feel free to cut and paste whatever part of this message about this prayer request on to your own message to be sent out to your own mailing lists. This prayer request has been endorsed by the following people:

Grace Smith Yellow Hammer, Dineh
yhammer@cybertrails.com

Grandfather William Commanda, Annishinabe
Keeper of the Seven Fires Prophecy Belts

Reverend Betsy Stang, The Wittenberg Center,
bebird@aol.com

Elizabeth Stinson, Director Peace & Justice Center of Sonoma County Santa Rosa, California
http://www.peaceandjusticesonomaco.org/

Roberto Borrero, United Confederation of Taino People
mayohuacan@yahoo.com

World Peace Prayer Society, Reverend Dr Dave Randle, Executive Director, The Whale Center
whale@globalhealing.net

Reverend Ilfra Halley, Center for the Living Earth
ilfra@wamc.org

Pennie Opal Plant, Mestiza Yaqui Gathering Tribes
mestizagal@aol.com

Eleanor Wiley
Contemporary Prayer Beads
1402 Santa Clara Avenue
Alameda, CA 94501
510-865-1349
www.prayerbdzs.com
prayerbdzs@aol.com

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Out With The Old, In With The New

Happy New Year! I hope that 2005 will be a year for those of us in the USA to come together as a nation. We have been used by a media that sought to divide us during the last Presidential election. I was heartened to learn that we are actually more alike, and less polarized, than we realized:

No real red, no real blue, just one nation in wonderful purpleness.
Map by Jeff Culver - check out his CafePress shop.

My goal for the coming year is to keep my political views politely to myself, and instead of spewing forth negativity (or accepting it from others), to send forth good thoughts and prayers for our unity as a nation, and as a planet.

After all, if every thought you think puts out energy, I'd rather send out energy that will bring peace into the world. I'd rather focus on my interactions with individual people in my daily life, than waste energy worrying about "the uncontrolableness of it all"... wouldn't you?

In her book "Positive Energy", Judith Orloff, M.D. writes:

Potential collective gains from meditation are compelling. Studies ... showed that when a test group in high-crime neighborhoods regularly meditated on nonviolence, crime rates decreased. The stunning implications: the positive energy field emitted by meditators can be felt by people nearby.

Also consider the ramifications for world peace: the real possibility of overcoming violence with love by reconfiguring the negative energy field around people, cities, continents. Hatred leaves a residue of energetic pollution that meditation can help clear. Love invisibly insinuates itself in even the hardest of hearts. By consistently mobilizing it, as groups or individuals, we can potentiate a more peaceful atmosphere. ...[K]now your love travels far. Meditation, as a spiritual practice, is the launching pad.

For some people, I guess it's easier or more desirable to get upset and get vocal, to place blame on others while at the same time focusing attention only on themselves and what they think, than to sit quietly (alone, attracting no attention or interest from others) for 15 minutes a day and send forth good energy. I am choosing the latter path. Want to join me? Actually, I want to join Jen:

Button by Jennifer Fleury

The button above is from the JenLa gals' Blog. Jen writes:

I made it in response to all the blue states against the red states anger. I just thought some of the angry rhetoric was hurting us, and that we have to put the gang mentality aside and work together. There's not an actual [online] group. Please feel free to download away and there's no credit or link back necessary, it just makes me feel good that a few people feel this way, too!

A gal after my own heart. Thanks, Jen!

I found the button via Beth. After you've visited her blog, check out Kate's - she designed the neat scarf (for Knitty) that Beth is making. I feel the need to make one, too!

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Five Gratitudes Of The Day

Homemade cinnamon swirl bread.

Temperatures in the 50s. Yes, 50s, F! In Wisconsin! In practically January!

A great hippotherapy session (see below).

Chinese take-out for dinner, after a special-treat trip to the bookstore with Jeff, who had the afternoon off. We got some books on Buddhism (Jeff is planning a trip to Bhutan) and a great one on artisanal bread baking called "The Bread Baker's Apprentice", by Peter Reinhart.

Being greeted, when we got back home, by loving dogs with no floury mess on the carpet this time. Maybe I will actually have enough flour left to try one of these bread recipes!

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In Fibery News...

I was able to find mitten/glove gusset information (actually, I have learned that the things are called gores) in the Winter, 2003 issue of Interweave Knits, and also a little bit in Folk Mittens by Marica Lewandowski. Still, that info didn't sink in well enough to prevent me from frogging these fingerless mitts a la Claudia five times so far. How hard can it be? Apparently, for me, pretty hard!

The un-fuzzy-but-soft angora-blend yarn is a pleasure to work with, though - as its name suggests - so things could be worse.

Although it's warm here today, temps have been bone-chilling recently, and poor Hubby says he needs a nightcap. So I'm busy at work with some Koigu KPPPM on something for him:

I love the tanzanite-colored Swarovski crystal stitch marker I made, which I'm using on this hat. Working with beautiful, functional tools - in anything you do - adds so much joy to life. In 2005 I would like to pay attention - to how I do things, to enjoying the process more, to using good materials. (Pretty baubles never hurt.)

Stay tuned for an update of fibery mistakes made in 2004 that I'd rather not repeat in 2005!

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Shameless Pride

To spare those of you who couldn't care less, I have put photos of me at today's hippotherapy session here. I graduated to a new horse! I'm sorry... I'm just really, really proud of myself for getting back on a horse again.

If you knew you could not fail, what would you attempt this year? If you knew you only had one year left to live, would that make you fearless, determined, gutsy, flamboyant, or self-confident enough to try something new - or something old? What childhood dream have you put away on a shelf? It's time for you to dust off that dream, or attempt a thwarted goal, and see what you can make of it now. The feeling you get if you do this is tremendous and indescribable. Trust me...never say never!

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Thank you for sharing 2004 with me.

I wish you peace, prosperity, creativity, joy, positive energy, and spiritual connection with that which is sacred to you in 2005. Namaste.

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