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Quotes
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“We are at odds with ourselves internally; we believe that the inner is fundamentally
different than the outer, that what is me is quite separate from the not-me, that divisions among people and nations are necessary, and yet we wonder why there are tensions, conflicts, wars in the world. The conflicts begin with the minds that believe in
fragmentation and are ignorant of wholeness.”
             ~ Vimala Thakar, Spirituality and Social Action: A Holistic Approach

"One cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war."
            ~  Albert Einstein

"All war belongs on paper. Do 'The Work', find peace inside,
and the world will follow.  It's a law."
            ~ Byron Katie

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Reflections
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Feasting Upon Peace
I am wondering what it would be like to “feast upon peace” – not to gather or taste a bit here and there but to prepare a wondrously bountiful spread for myself, my community, my world.  What would I most like to serve myself and others? Who would I ask to join me in the feast? In gathering everyone ‘round the table would I be inclusive or exclusive?

 My great-uncle Malcolm and his family were the recipients of various forms of harassment in the 1960’s for his efforts to assist in integrating the religious communities within the Civil Rights Movement. Hmmm…. Inclusive or exclusive? Love=inclusive. Fear=exclusive. What I exclude, what I resist, I deem separate.  What I deem as separate and as unlike me, I tend to fear. Fear has a tendency to grab my attention.
What I gift my attention grows within my awareness.

Do my thoughts well from fear or love? Do my thoughts serve as a springboard for fear or love? With which ingredient do I wish to flavor my feast – fear or love? Which do I believe would be most nourishing?  Which is easier to digest? Which blends better with the recipe I most enjoy following in preparing my overall life?

All I invite to join in the feast are my guests. All fellow beings upon the planet are my guests in a sense as the  essence of the feast we each prepare is part of that of the entire world. And in another sense we are all guests upon the planet.

How do I feel called from the depths of my being to treat a guest?

Hunters at times will choose to run their dogs through the land here. A bullet once shot past a neighbor’s ear while she was gardening.

Shall I create a war against the hunters? Shall I plan to destroy the hunters? What other options are there? Shall I see and declare the hunters as my enemy? “The hunters are my enemies .”

When I think that thought how do I feel within my being? Stressed. Fearful. Frenzied. Conflict. Like I need to hypervigilantly protect my world. Like I need to gather my forces and attack. Is that even true that “The hunters are my enemies .”? No.
Not unless I decide to label them as such.

Is there a peaceful reason to keep the thought “ The hunters are my enemies .”? I cannot think of a single peaceful reason to think or perpetuate that thought, no.

What then happens if I release the thought “ The hunters are my enemies .” How does I feel within my being without that thought, without seeing hunters in that light? Relaxed. Peaceful. Centered. Hmmm...  In releasing that thought I just prevented war within my being.
And I experience peace.

How many times have the hunters run their dogs through the land? Once that I have experienced.  How many times have I replayed the situation within my mind or in retelling the scenario to others? One, two, three, four, five, six, seven…  When I hold such a thought in mind as the one above do I then experience stress or peace within my being with each of these instant and delayed replays? Stress and then, well, stress and also, um, stress.

Hmmm... Don’t I become my own enemy when I fill my being, my body, with thoughts which I respond in the ways mentioned above – “Stressed. Fearful. Frenzied. Conflict. Like I need to hypervigilantly protect my world. Like I need to gather my forces and attack.”?

How does that fit with loving my neighbor as myself?

 How does stress flavor the feast? Do I even enjoy a feast flavored with stress? Do my guests? Do they even feel welcome or honored or nurtured or want to sit at the table with me or do they push me away and then suddenly we are separate?

What if I replayed peaceful scenes within my being at least as many times as I replay the stressful ones? Which would feel better within my being? Which would energize me the most in a way which was rejuvenating? Which would be most inspiring? When am I the clearest channel for creative and inspired solutions – when I am energized and peaceful or when I am drained, angry and in “attack” mode?

I decide to drive around and see if I can locate the hunter(s) that go with the dogs. I spot one on the side of the highway. I do some deep breathing before deciding to pull my car behind his truck that carries the dog cages in the back.

We chat. Hmmm…. He shot his first buck on this same land when he was 13.  He is 42 now. His dad brought him here. Lots of fond memories for him here.

He brought his nephew here today hoping to gift him with that experience. Wow. Yes, gift him in that way. To provide his nephew with an experience which meant so much to him years ago.

Shooting your first buck is a powerful rite of passage for many males in the hunting world. A world which may seem foreign to some, a world which some of us may resist.
A world which is home to others, though.

And I must say I can’t think of that many other rites of passage we provide our teens in the world today. Rites of passage which symbolize to their community of peers and adults that they are in some sense an adult now, an adult in a way they weren’t when they
woke up that morning.

A ritual between father and son then 30 years later between that son and his nephew. Between blood and blood, friend and friend. A rite of passage which calls the youth to test himself against the world in some way – in community – and that is
celebrated within community.

Chances are that aspects of my life would seem foreign to this hunter.

 No, I tell him, I don’t eat deermeat but thank you for the offer.

I hear his challenges. True, many woodlands are being cut down for construction. I hear that connecting with his buddies and sharing a mission and being in the beauty of nature are things that mean a lot to him. I hear he doesn’t eat much deermeat himself anymore but if you soak it in milk overnight before you cook it then it won’t be as tough. Have I ever had it prepared that way? No, I, can’t say I have.

Yes, I am aware of concerns of overpopulation of deer. Yes, I have had friends share that deer ate all the flowers in their gardens…

I hear a lot of the fun of hunting is no longer there – no longer there in this major way to have an adventure in life and connect with his buddies. It’s harder to find large patches of land to hunt on plus being windy as it is today, it’s hard to hear the guys over the radio and heck, he thinks with all this he’d rather be home watching TV.  Nope, in five years, he doesn’t think there will be anywhere left to hunt – not with “progress” as it is.

No, he hadn’t realized a gunshot would have gone that close to my neighbor’s ear. And, he is so very sorry to hear about that. He certainly doesn’t want anyone to be harmed. Heck, he’s been shot in the leg before, he says. He sure doesn’t want any hard feelings.
He and his buddies just like to hunt.

We talk about, wow, how the effects of our actions may ripple (or shoot) forth with us as the initiators having no clue as to what those effects might be.

What to do, we say? How to provide for different needs? Hmmm…
That's a question to ponder.

Thank you kindly for speaking with me, I say… He’ll talk to his buddies. We shake hands.

What would it be like to be the one to have to tell your community the playground has been torn down? One of your hangouts isn’t the haven it used to be or that you thought it was…

What I gift my attention grows within my awareness. I choose, consciously or not, what is included in my feast. Inclusive? Exclusive?

I desire to feast upon peace and I invite you to join me.

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Recipe
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Ponder upon the following if you like:

Are there situations within my life about which I am experiencing inner conflict?

Am I flavoring my feast, my thoughts, my relationships, my world, with fear or love?

In my self-talk, are the messages I tell myself about my life or my life situation ones of
peace or conflict?

What am I including within the feast I prepare and offer in my relationship with myself?
My body? My relationships with others? My community?

Am I feeding or energizing peace or war in each of these arenas?

What am I gifting my energy and attention?

Give a few moments each day to send love and peace to the planet.

What would I most enjoy feasting upon? Who would I like to invite to share this?

Pass the Feast!

© Elizabeth Clontz 2003