Category: Poetic PEACE Pilgrimage

Poetic Peace Pilgrimage – Year 10 – Day 44 – 1/29/2023

Jo Beall

sixty years ago today, beloved poet, Robert Frost died… he is with me today as i re-member sixty-two years ago being at the inauguration of JFK where Frost delivered the inaugural poem which was to be “Dedication” only the sun’s glare off of the snow kept him from being able to see the words so he recited another of his poems, “The Gift Outright”….

funny, i would have sworn it was this poem or Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, perhaps because it was such a bitterly cold day in DC following a heavy snowfall so that we had to take a train from Richmond… as with so many people, that day began a lifelong love of his poetry with The Road Less Traveled taking center stage:

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“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”

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this meditation on choice, such a touchstone, as we all come to forks in the road where we need to pause and tune in to the silence of the heart… listening… listening… for love’s heartsong which whispers the way…

yes, when it comes down to it as to what is essential and how to best serve the whole, soul answers the call of the wild and saunters along the path of adventure, to traverse a path asking for wholehearted, wholeinterbeeing devotion…

with every breath, with every step, may we commit to being present in, trusting and surrendering to divine flow – the stillpoint of our essence of love where the dance of life begins…

take this moment of true refuge as pregnant pause to rest in the gap, the space between formless and form, the silence from which the dancing pours forth to simply be… in this moment, this wild and precious moment…

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Poetic Peace Pilgrimage – Year 10 – Day 43 – 1/28/2023

Jo Beall

today’s singing light in the dark pilgrimage is dedicated to Pete Seeger who died 9 years ago today, the father of  folk music and a shepherd extraordinaire still calling us to embody our better angels by singing love and to the crew of Challenger who died 37 years ago on this day… for nearly seven decades, Seeger was a musical and political icon who helped create the modern American folk music movement… seeing himself as a sower of seeds, Pete lit quite a path from the 1930’s through to 2014 when he died…

a prominent civil rights activist, Seeger helped popularize the anthem “We Shall Overcome,” in the 1960s, he was a vocal critic of the Vietnam War inspiring generations of protest singers and later he was at the center of the environmental and anti-nuclear movements…

let’s perfume this honoring of Pete with a few of his songs that nudged us all along lightening the way… re-member or if you are young enough, member these words, interbee with them opening to what stirs within…

“If I had a hammer,
I’d hammer in the morning,
I’d hammer in the evening,
All over this land,
I’d hammer out danger,
I’d hammer out a warning,
I’d hammer out love between,
My brothers and my sisters,
All over this land.”

“Where have all the graveyards gone?
Long time passing.
Where have all the graveyards gone?
Long time ago.
Where have all the graveyards gone?
Covered with flowers every one.
When will we ever learn?
When will we ever learn?”

“We shall overcome.
We shall overcome.
We shall overcome some day.
Oh, deep in my heart,
I know that I do believe,
We shall overcome…”

thanks bee for this archive of America’s music and conscience, a testament of the power of song and culture to nudge history along and as Pete would say, one teaspoon at a time…

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Poetic Peace Pilgrimage – Year 10 – Day 42 – 1/27/2023

Jo Beall

on this day 78 years ago, the Soviet Red Army liberated the Jewish concentration camp of Auschwitz, in Poland… this day came to be known as the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust… this post is dedicated to all who liberate and to all of us who are liberated…

in keeping with this dedication, i share an ever deepening journey of aspiring to walk lightly on the journey of the pathless path of liberation and illumination home trusting our one heart to guide the way as we saunter in good company, beloved community, with the sangha of letting go, a caravan of re-joy-sing, as we surrender in service to the implicate order awakening to that which cannot be named… quantum leaping into the void (vortex of ineffable dimensionality) whose signposts can only point to where we are wandering as:

hollow reed, drop of dew, bubble floating in a stream

flickering light, phantom of the night, luminous, numinous dream

coming home to true emptiness, place of great silence, ground zero of all being

whirlwind spiraling silently while dancing stars form effortlessly

in open spaciousness of great mystery

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The Real Work

“It may be that when we no longer know what to do
we have come to our real work,

and that when we no longer know which way to go
we have come to our real journey.

The mind that is not baffled is not employed.

The impeded stream is the one that sings.”

~ Wendell Berry ~

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may we all awaken to the inner call of the heart, hear our soul song, let go, let go, let go  to trust in cosmic flow being the impeded stream dancing and singing under the iridescent circle of great rainbow mystery…

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Poetic Peace Pilgrimage – Year 10 – Day 41 – 1/26/2023

Jo Beall

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“come 
let’s fall 
in love 
again

let’s turn 
all the dirt 
in this world 
to shiny gold 

come 
let’s be 
a new spring 
a love reborn 

find our aroma 
from the essence 
of all who 
emit heavenly fragrance 

like a fresh tree 
bloom and spread 
all the blessings 
right from inside“

~ Rumi ~

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here we are in the last days of the first moonth of this turn around the sun in the moon of dreaming, the moon of stardust and it’s the moment of eternity to in joy the astonishing light of being… i’m re-minded and re-heartened daily by cascading down like water deeper and deeper into the dream cave to how important awakening to the dream within, the soul song here in the deepest recess of our one cosmic heart, to how important this act of creation, of co-creation is for as Thay and so many relatives remind us – our very survival depends on it…

like brother martin, like you, i have a dream of my own personally and for all of us collectively of our being more aware of our unity real-eye-sing there is only one of us here and each of our thoughts, words and deeds affects all our thoughts words and deeds and creates, co-creates reality, the unitive field of the implicate order…

i will be silently present with you now being peace while echoing the words of Rumi as we dwell for this moment, the only moment, in dreamtime, the stillpoint of creation, the formless void from whence the light of pure love emanates…

may your dreams come alive today, may our dream come alive today as we fall in love with the earth of our being again…

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Poetic Peace Pilgrimage – Year 10 – Day 40 – 1/25/2023

Jo Beall

deepest bows to grandmother spider… always weaving a web of such amazing, intricate interconnectedness demonstrating beyond the shadow of a doubt that we live in a cosmos of implicate order, great mystery unfolding, yes, below the deep river of suffering is another river always bubbling and whispering all is well…

there is so much every day to share about walking this spirit path along the rainbow trail, yesterday between the Doomsday Clock’s annual announcement and my websites still acting as if still under the spell of Mercury retrograde challenges i didn’t write of the dreams this day always seems to bring and i really want to honor them in this moonth of dreaming…  so, i’ll begin with re-membering a lucid dream of seven years ago on this very (yester)day, a potent dream of grace, so perfect for these times when we are called to listen, listen, listen to the heartsong of the council of ancestors – rainbow sky, the stone people, brother sun, sister moon, floating clouds, mother waters…

 i’m in a car and we’re winding around a mountain road when i real-eyes no one is driving the car… i look around and feel the presence of pure love auto piloting the vehicle and in that moment i know i can relax and trust this journey… looking out to the left, i see beloved ocean below flowing in and out and i am filled with peace, love and joy as we continue our spiraling trek around the mountain into the land of rainbow sky where i breathe this moment of awe and rest on the trail of wandering in wonder knowing everything is grace, especially important on a day like today to be reminded and to hear the lost falls’ echoes rising from the river below the river whispering… be here now standing in the center one with cosmic flow of love powering the vehicle… fast forward to last year when i arose with the words of the lucid dream that we had gone to war and that even so, all is well… one month later the US/NATO war against Russia would escalate and still i have the rainbow’s promise that all is well in a cosmic sense and now we come to yesterday’s lucid dream of sitting in council and given sacred instructions to walk a path of liberation freeing myself of all save the essential while opening the heart ever more widely meeting each relative with aloha always coming back to the breath, to this moment of eternity, home to our one cosmic heart of pure love…

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Poetic Peace Pilgrimage – Year 10 – Day 39 – 1/24/2023

Jo Beall

“Being a victim of oppression in the United States is not enough to make you revolutionary, just as dropping out of your mother’s womb is not enough to make you human. People who are full of hate and anger against their oppressors or who only see Us versus Them can make a rebellion but not a revolution. The oppressed internalize the values of the oppressor. Therefore, any group that achieves power, no matter how oppressed, is not going to act differently from their oppressors as long as they have not confronted the values that they have internalized and consciously adopted different values.” ~ Grace Lee Boggs ~

today, as i re-member the quest ion Grace Lee Boggs would always ask – what time is it on the clock of the world – the Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a disarmament advocacy group founded in 1945 by Albert Einstein announced the moving of the hands of the “Doomsday Clock” that reflects the risk of nuclear conflict ten seconds forward from the current 100 seconds to 90 seconds to midnight… this decision is thought by many experts to not align with the gravity of the situation we face with the US/NATO/EU proxy war against Russia waged in Ukraine and their refusal to negotiate with Russia and so would push it from 90 seconds to one second or a nanosecond which brings me right to the lineage of the order of the  zen peacemakers and their practices which open the space for the deep peace arising from the emptiness of our true self, when we do the inner work of changing consciousness from dominator to partner… let us go to the edge trusting in the implicate order to bring all that is into cosmic balance…

SiddhiZen Peacemaking

THREE REFUGES OF A ZEN PEACEMAKER

Inviting all creations into the mandala of my practice and vowing to serve them, I take refuge in:
Buddha, the awakened nature of all beings.
Dharma, the ocean of wisdom and compassion.
Sangha, the community of those living in harmony with all Buddhas and Dharmas.

THREE TENETS OF A ZEN PEACEMAKER

Taking refuge and entering the stream of Engaged Spirituality, I vow to live a life of:

Not knowing, thereby giving up fixed ideas about myself and the universe.
Bearing witness to the joy and suffering of the world.
Healing myself and others.

TEN PRACTICES OF A ZEN PEACEMAKER

  1. Peacemakers throughout all space and time recognize that they are not separate from all that is.  This is the practice of Non-Killing.  I will not lead a harmful life nor encourage others to do so, and will abstain from killing living beings, thus living in harmony with all life and the environment sustaining it.
  2. Peacemakers throughout all space and time are satisfied with what they have.  This is the practice of Non-Stealing.  I will not take anything not given, and will freely give, ask for, and accept what is needed.
  3. Peacemakers throughout all space and time encounter all creations with respect and dignity.  This is the practice of Chaste Conduct.  I will give and accept love and friendship without using or clinging.
  4. Peacemakers throughout all space and time listen and speak truthfully and compassionately.  This is the practice of Non-Lying.  I will compassionately and constructively speak the truth as I perceive it, purposely deceiving no one.
  5. Peacemakers throughout all space and time cultivate a mind that sees clearly.  This is the practice of Not Being Deluded.  I will embrace all experience directly.
  6. Peacemakers throughout all space and time realize lovingkindness.  This is the practice of Not Talking About Others’ Errors and Faults.  Accepting what each moment offers, I will realize that I am not separate from any aspect of life.
  7. Peacemakers throughout all space and time realize equanimity.  This is the practice of Not Elevating Oneself and Blaming Others.  I will not blame, judge, or criticize others, nor compete with others or covet recognition.  In this way, I practice inclusiveness.
  8. Peacemakers throughout all space and time are generous.  This is the practice of Not Being Stingy.  I will not foster a mind of poverty in myself or others, and will use all the ingredients of my life, giving my best effort and accepting the result.
  9. Peacemakers throughout all space and time transform suffering into wisdom.  This is the practice of Not Being Angry.  I will not harbor resentment, rage, or revenge, and will roll all negative experience into my practice.
  10. Peacemakers throughout all space and time honor their lives as instruments of peacemaking.  This is the practice of Not Thinking Ill of the Three Refuges.  I will recognize that I and all beings are expressions of oneness, diversity, and harmony.

shanti, shanti, shantihi…

~

Poetic Peace Pilgrimage – Year 10 – Day 38 – 1/23/2023

Jo Beall

a day of perfect wind, spirit , breath gently rushing through the dream cave bringing a moment of lucidity on the true nature of reality, of interbeing, of liberation coming as a lesson on impermanence, dynamism, flux, fluidity, riding the waves of life gracefully…

being deep peace of the flowing wave and boundless sky…

for you , my co- psychonauts and deep sea journeyers, a blessing for our voyage home into the present moment…

“Every time you leave home,
Another road takes you
Into a world you were never in.

New strangers on other paths await.
New places that have never seen you
Will startle a little at your entry.
Old places that know you well
Will pretend nothing
Changed since your last visit.

When you travel, you find yourself
Alone in a different way,
More attentive now
To the self you bring along,
Your more subtle eye watching
You abroad; and how what meets you
Touches that part of the heart
That lies low at home:

How you unexpectedly attune
To the timbre in some voice,
Opening in conversation
You want to take in
To where your longing
Has pressed hard enough
Inward, on some unsaid dark,
To create a crystal of insight
You could not have known
You needed
To illuminate
Your way.

When you travel,
A new silence
Goes with you,
And if you listen,
You will hear
What your heart would
Love to say.

A journey can become a sacred thing:
Make sure, before you go,
To take the time
To bless your going forth,
To free your heart of ballast
So that the compass of your soul
Might direct you toward
The territories of spirit
Where you will discover
More of your hidden life,
And the urgencies
That deserve to claim you.

May you travel in an awakened way,
Gathered wisely into your inner ground;
That you may not waste the invitations
Which wait along the way to transform you.

May you travel safely, arrive refreshed,
And live your time away to its fullest;
Return home more enriched, and free
To balance the gift of days which call you.”

~ John O’Donohue ~

may we rise gracefully in each moment to weave a world of peace built on justice and guided by love…

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Poetic Peace Pilgrimage – Year 10 – Day 37 – 1/22/2023

Jo Beall

one turn around the sun ago, “The International Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism announces that our beloved teacher Thich Nhat Hanh has passed away peacefully at Từ Hiếu Temple in Huế, Vietnam, at 00:00hrs on 22nd January, 2022, at the age of 95.”

Thay addressed his death with the following words:

“Even when the cloud is not there, it continues as snow or rain. It is impossible for the cloud to die. It can become rain or ice, but it cannot become nothing. The cloud does not need to have a soul in order to continue. There’s no beginning and no end. I will never die. There will be a dissolution of this body, but that does not mean my death. I will continue, always.”

we are called to continue honoring the father of mindfulness, this bodhisattva of peace by coming back to our mindful breathing and walking generating the energy of peace, compassion, and gratitude to offer our beloved Thay taking refuge in our friends and community and family resolving to do our best over the coming days to generate the energy of mindfulness, peace, and compassion, to send to our beloved Teacher…

in closing on this day of Tet, lunar new year and when we celebrate the astonishing light of our interbeingness, a poem of Thay’s:

Oneness

“The moment I die, I will try to come back to you as quickly as possible. I promise it will not take long. Isn’t it true I am already with you, as I die each moment? I come back to you in every moment. Just look, feel my presence. If you want to cry, please cry. And know that I will cry with you. The tears you shed will heal us both. Your tears are mine. The earth I tread this morning transcends history. Spring and Winter are both present in the moment. The young leaf and the dead leaf are really one. My feet touch deathlessness, and my feet are yours. Walk with me now. Let us enter the dimension of oneness and see the cherry tree blossom in Winter. Why should we talk about death? I don’t need to die to be back with you.”

Published in Thich Nhat Hanh, Call Me by My True Names (1993)

rest in peace, Thay, we are all here for you and feel your eternal presence with us with every breath…

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Poetic Peace Pilgrimage – Year 10 – Day 36 – 1/21/2023

Jo Beall

Happy New Moon in Aquarius and Lunar Imbolc!

this new moon and imbolc portal of oracles and omens emphasizes social and collective concerns which we are seeing abundantly in the outer world with the energy of the divine feminine and democracy rising spontaneously and organically across the planet… the imbolc portal opening today and continuing for a fortnight is a threshold of re-emergence and re-birth, an excellent time to plant seeds of energy for a world that works for all and to water these seeds under this dark moon nourishing the tap root connected to our one heart re-membering that even though we can’t see the blooms or even the sprouts yet, our collective cultivation of justice is taking root riotously while we do our work daily of being peace with every step and waging justice for all… deepening into the dreaming moonth and coming at such a powerful moment of eternity, this moon calls us to be free within which is where everything takes root, to think outside the box, to re-imagine what is possible for our life, to re-ignite inspiration and re-activate sacred visions for the benefit of All… this moon energizes fresh starts and fledging – yes, winging our way into the land of impossible dreams coming into reality…this is the moment to set big goals for forward movement and to initiate unusual or radical undertakings bringing your wildest dreams into being… living the quest ions:

why am I here?
what am I here to offer?
what do I wish to share and express?
what support do I need to birth my visions?
what gifts of mine are ready to be offered with the world?
what does sacred service mean to me and how is it emerge in my life now? 

thanks be for our collectively pouring love abundantly into our dream seeds creating an even more activated field of peace and harmony…

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Poetic Peace Pilgrimage – Year 10 – Day 35 – 1/20/2023

Jo Beall

honoring MLK with his words and our being and our seeing justice rolling down like waters…

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“I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to “order” than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: “I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action”; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a “more convenient season.”

Letter from Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963

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“I am convinced that if we are to get on the right side of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. … We must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.”

Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence, April 4, 1967

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“America is at a crossroads of history, and it is critically important for us, as a nation and a society, to choose a new path and move upon it with resolution and courage. … Consider, for example, the spectacle of … a nation gorged on money while millions of its citizens are denied a good education, adequate health services, decent housing, meaningful employment, and even respect, and are then told to be responsible.”

Poor People’s March on Washington Announcement, December 4, 1967

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fifty-five years later after the June 19, 1968 march which MLK did not attend as he had been assassinated in April, we are at a perilous crossroads and must choose a new path which we follow unwaveringly and with great courage, great heart to be beloved community respecting the inner light, the divine spark in all our relations understanding none of us have the whole truth, we each have a thread of the truth and it is our sacred response ability to weave our thread into the web as we all co-create a cosmos that works for all… “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality tied into a single garment of destiny. We are made to live together because of the interrelated structure of reality. It all boils down to this; that all life is interrelated.” ~ Dr. Martin Luther King ~

may the source be with us and may peace prevail on earth…

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