Peace Possibilities

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Comment by shree c k p swamiji on January 14, 2011 at 9:51am

dear soul we greetings everybody

new spirit

new thought

new aim

we do good work for whole universe

we all are one

best of blessings

swamiji

Comment by Tor Myrvang on May 18, 2010 at 9:08pm

THE PEACE MARCH FROM PERUGIA TO ASSISI

Dear all,

This is my first posting to the PeaceNext site, but I hope to become a regular contributor!

Assisi has a long history of ecumenism, and both religious and secular oriented people participate in the bi-annual Peace March. This year, the 23 kilometre long Peace March from Perugia to Assisi took place on Sunday 16 May. More than 100,000 people are believed to have taken part, from Italy and around the world, which set off from Perugia at about 9.00 AM.

In the vanguard were a group of boy scouts and girl guides carrying an extremely long rainbow-coloured flag. Some of them are pictured here passing through the town of Bastia, which is somewhat beyond the half-way point, at approximately 12.30 PM, which is where I joined the March:

The Peace Flag, which often bears the word “PACE” (Italian for Peace), was introduced in the very first Peace March in 1961, but participants carried a wide variety of other banners, including those of some 635 Italian municipalities, most of whose mayors were present, recognizable by their tricolour sashes. Many handicapped persons were pushed along in wheelchairs, and babies were pushed in their perambulators, while some youngsters zipped past on roller skates.

My own banner bore the Pantheist Seal and the slogan ‘PANTEISTI PER LA PACE’ on both sides It is shown here propped up against the door of the Cathedral in Bastia:

While the main theme of this year’s March was the protection and promotion of Human Rights, many participants had special concerns ranging from vegetarianism to freedom for Tibet. Participants from all over Italy and Europe approached me to find out about Pantheism, and I distributed a large number of leaflets on the subject.

After two hours of marching over fairly flat terrain, I reached the outskirts of Assisi, and the square of the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli whose dome may be seen in the background of this photo:

The float ahead of me was that of a group of young socialists, who were singing a lively version of the Partisan song ‘Bella Ciao’:

At about 3.00 PM, it began to rain heavily, and I took refuge inside a restaurant, where I was greeted by a group of participants from Rimini, who invited me to join them. When the rain abated, I got them all to sign my rainbow-coloured umbrella with a felt-tipped pen as a souvenir of the March.

From then on, the road became steadily steeper. Many were already making their way down from the walled city to the railway station, and I felt that I became something of a straggler. I persevered up past the lawn in front of the Basilica of Saint Francis where the following photo was taken:

At long last, I arrived at the Rocca Maggiore, just as the television crew were packing up. By that time, I had acquired a crochet rainbow-coloured cap, and had the distinction of being the very last participant to complete the March, so I felt entitled to a small gesture of triumph!

The next Peace March will be on 25 September 2011, which is the fiftieth anniversary of the original March. Hopefully members of PeaceNext will participate in large numbers!

With best wishes, Tor

Comment by Richard A Fletcher on March 16, 2010 at 8:26pm

Good on you Jenny, good to hear from you and please have a look at our new website still in progress... www.universalpeacesociety.org God Bless you all!

Comment by Rowan Fairgrove on January 14, 2010 at 3:47pm

I have walked the Peace Flag ceremony many times and visited peace poles in many locations. May Peace Prevail among us all, May Peace Prevail on Earth.

Comment by Jenny Funston on January 14, 2010 at 3:22pm

Would love to have a photo of your cairn and peace pole. It sounds so wonderful. I remember you speaking about this when we chatted at the Mandala exhibition.
Part of my husband's lineage is from the McQueens from the island of St Kilda, off the Scottish coast. I've just been reading about them and life was pretty amazing. Joy & peace.

Comment by Deirdre Pulgram Arthen on January 14, 2010 at 3:08pm

At our sanctuary here at Glenwood Farm in Massachusetts USA, in connection with the 1999 Parliament in Capetown, we built a Peace Cairn - a sacred place near a gently flowing stream where visitors and residents can go to meditate and work toward peace - within themselves or in the world. The Peace Cairn is made of stones that people bring from all around the world, linking our land with all of those locations and creating a powerful web of connections through which we can send out our wishes for peace. In 2001 a member of EarthSpirit donated a Peace Pole to increase those outward connections further still. Ours is inscribed with the language of the people native to this land, with Gaelic to connect us with our Scottish spiritual heritage, with paw prints to honor all of the other beings who share the land with us and in English, which we most often use to communicate with each other here. May peace prevail on Earth and within us all!

Comment by shree c k p swamiji on January 12, 2010 at 2:33am

dear soul ,
great idea we support your group
we love peace we all say' my nation& all unverse 'peace prevail on earth'
with blessings
swamiji