2020

Posted on October 31, 2020 by Jo Beall

dancing in the dark

seeing spirit everywhere

ancestors guide us home

on this very night, and what a night it is being both full moon and a blue one and super at that along with all hallows eve, it is known to those initiated in great mysteries that both the souls of the trapped will be freed and that the inverse reality of souls serving the other side of the lower world will come topside to create their own ability to remain amongst the world of the living… this gateway creates an opportunity to repent, clear karma, raise consciousness and return to love once more…

great homage is given to the ancestors who come and go through the making of potions and preparation of food made for both the living and for those loved ones who have passed and are unable to participate in the physical expression of ingesting the libation offerings…

the celebation of samhain, all hallows eve, all hollows eve and the energies of this profound portal represent the veils of consciousness thinning within us, our hollowing, hallowing and our ability to transcend darkness and density into light as we metaphorically bubble in the cauldron of transformation with the potions where we move from death to rebirth in a sangha field, true refuge in the rains’ deluge… sacred space built on compassion, generosity, harmony and lovingkindness with a mission to eradicate all suffering… in this place devoted to honoring the ancestors while serving all with every breath a practice of dharma, every breath an exhalation of love, we arrive and come home to our one heart living with all in harmony…

may we all breathe together… may we all breathe together more and more loving presence and more and more trust and more and more surrender into the creative process of love where we are all walking each other home into the heart of the present moment, the only moment, the all that is… may we all breathe together in perfect cosmic harmony where all is well eternally…

love, love, love from the full moon and this night of the dark portal from whence we all come and will return… tending the fires and stirring the cauldron of transformation are calling us, singing us – may we hollow in and answer the call….

Poetic Peace Pilgrimage – Year 7 – Day 319 – 10/30/2020

Posted on October 30, 2020 by Jo Beall

Each day has a moment of eternity waiting for you. Each day has a portal, a threshold, a liminal moment in which everything could open up and reveal itself to the eye that can see. ~ WilliamBlake ~

the pacific northwest provides a perfect backdrop today for the eve of all hallow’s eve, an ancient celtic fire festival known as samhain… a season for leaping into the void and welcoming the oncoming darkness and accompanying reflection cycle while honoring the spirits now present during the thinning of veils between upper and lower worlds… yes, the pacific northwest serves as a perfect backdrop with her blustery winds and earth softened soil ready to receive divination and other worldly communications in this season of letting all fall away, of coming home to quintessence, coming home to the present moment, to the breath of eternal life…

when we surrender to this natural movement of our soul, we can and must bring forth pieces of the personal and collective shadow that need to come into the light for healing, evolving, becoming… yes to letting the hallows dance of life begin!

howlelujah! we celebrate however you name this day as a witching hour calling for culling, releasing, co-creating changes in consciousness/weaving magic… in this liminal space, we prepare the nest for the birth of the new, a sacred space for us to be like shedding snakes or trees… shedding our old skins or leaves and resting in the dark while the fire turns to ash and is spread on the earth to germinate the new…

a day to reflect on what to die to, what to let go of as we embark on a journey of trust and surrender into the unknown… a day to connect with ancestors and the unchanging wisdom of the sages…

a day to dance in the dark, in great mystery… a day to surrender to the rhythm of eternity… in truth, there is no separation… no veils, no closed doors, no locked gates… today, let us release limitation and loosen the sail of imagination… let us valorously sally forth and stand unconditionally in a gathering of boundless love…

Poetic Peace Pilgrimage – Year 7 – Day 318 – 10/29/2020

Posted on October 29, 2020 by Jo Beall

fifty-eight years ago on this very day, the cuban missle crisis came to an end with a collective sigh of relief that our better angels had prevailed, in deed, fear was reborn as courage, our one heart opened expansively…

today, as everyday, we can choose to presence the astonishing light of interbeing into our lives and welcome this moment as openly as a hollow reed… bearing witness to the viruses of fear, separation and dominance while mourning the injustices of the world and taking compassionate actions of waging peace and lovingkindness, returning to the cosmic rhythm of harmony and re-membering and celebrating our ability to turn lead to gold, fear to courage…

Do not be daunted
by the enormity
of the world’s grief.
Do justly, now.
Love mercy, now.
Walk humbly, now.
You are not obligated
to complete the work,
but neither are you free
to abandon it.
~ The Talmud ~

let us perfume this moment of deep descent into the portal of transformation with the ancient words of the ho’oponopono purification chant:

i’m so sorry

please forgive me

thank you

i love you

and now, may we rest in…

SWEET DARKNESS

When your eyes are tired
the world is tired also.
When your vision has gone
no part of the world can find you.
It’s time to go into the night
where the dark has eyes
to recognize its own.
It’s time to go into the dark
where the night has eyes
to recognize its own.
There you
can be sure
you are not beyond love.
The dark will make a home for you tonight.
The night
will give you a horizon
further than you can see.
You must learn one thing.
The world was made to be free in.
Give up all the other worlds
except the one to which you belong.
Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet
confinement of your aloneness
to learn
anything or anyone
that does not bring you alive
is too small for you.

~ David Whyte ~

Poetic Peace Pilgrimage – Year 7 – Day 317 – 10/28/2020

Posted on October 28, 2020 by Jo Beall

Each day has a moment of eternity waiting for you. Each day has a portal, a threshold, a liminal moment in which everything could open up and reveal itself to the eye that can see. ~ WilliamBlake ~

as we approach the almost full harvest moon, let’s walk out to the field and into the sacred grove to survey the harvest, what has been growing in us over the past few moons… some fruits we savor, some we compost… in this field of silence under the waxing moon, we hear whispers of this season to go to ground, to root in the earth, our belonging place, to germinate and contemplate what wants to emerge as we walk deeper and deeper into the earth of being and becoming and through the rains with shimmering light filtering through revealing a golden treasure along the rainbow trail… our transforming Self in glowing detail…

listen to the whispering sounds of silence for where the soul is pulling on us to venture now, to what we are now called to in this one wild and precious life…

Poetic Peace Pilgrimage – Year 7 – Day 316 – 10/27/2020

Posted on October 27, 2020 by Jo Beall

Each day has a moment of eternity waiting for you. Each day has a portal, a threshold, a liminal moment in which everything could open up and reveal itself to the eye that can see. ~ WilliamBlake ~

here’s a long moment of eternity to share with you and a wonderful practice to begin and end the day with, a wonder-filled way to luxuriate in reverence…

Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address Greetings to the Natural World

The People

Today we have gathered and we see that the cycles of life continue. We have been given the duty to live in balance and harmony with each other and all living things. So now, we bring our minds together as one as we give greetings and thanks to each other as people.

Now our minds are one.

The Earth Mother

We are all thankful to our Mother, the Earth, for she gives us all that we need for life. She supports our feet as we walk about upon her. It gives us joy that she continues to care for us as she has from the beginning of time. To our mother, we send greetings and thanks.

Now our minds are one.

The Waters

We give thanks to all the waters of the world for quenching our thirst and providing us with strength. Water is life. We know its power in many forms- waterfalls and rain, mists and streams, rivers and oceans. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to the spirit of Water.

Now our minds are one.

The Fish

We turn our minds to the all the Fish life in the water. They were instructed to cleanse and purify the water. They also give themselves to us as food. We are grateful that we can still find pure water. So, we turn now to the Fish and send our greetings and thanks.

Now our minds are one.

The Plants

Now we turn toward the vast fields of Plant life. As far as the eye can see, the Plants grow, working many wonders. They sustain many life forms. With our minds gathered together, we give thanks and look forward to seeing Plant life for many generations to come.

Now our minds are one.

The Food Plants

With one mind, we turn to honor and thank all the Food Plants we harvest from the garden. Since the beginning of time, the grains, vegetables, beans and berries have helped the people survive. Many other living things draw strength from them too. We gather all the Plant Foods together as one and send them a greeting of thanks.

Now our minds are one.

The Medicine Herbs

Now we turn to all the Medicine herbs of the world. From the beginning they were instructed to take away sickness. They are always waiting and ready to heal us. We are happy there are still among us those special few who remember how to use these plants for healing. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to the Medicines and to the keepers of the Medicines.

Now our minds are one.

The Animals

We gather our minds together to send greetings and thanks to all the Animal life in the world. They have many things to teach us as people. We are honored by them when they give up their lives so we may use their bodies as food for our people. We see them near our homes and in the deep forests. We are glad they are still here and we hope that it will always be so.

Now our minds are one

The Trees

We now turn our thoughts to the Trees. The Earth has many families of Trees who have their own instructions and uses. Some provide us with shelter and shade, others with fruit, beauty and other useful things. Many people of the world use a Tree as a symbol of peace and strength. With one mind, we greet and thank the Tree life.

Now our minds are one.

The Birds

We put our minds together as one and thank all the Birds who move and fly about over our heads. The Creator gave them beautiful songs. Each day they remind us to enjoy and appreciate life. The Eagle was chosen to be their leader. To all the Birds-from the smallest to the largest-we send our joyful greetings and thanks.

Now our minds are one.

The Four Winds

We are all thankful to the powers we know as the Four Winds. We hear their voices in the moving air as they refresh us and purify the air we breathe. They help us to bring the change of seasons. From the four directions they come, bringing us messages and giving us strength. With one mind, we send our greetings and thanks to the Four Winds.

Now our minds are one.

The Thunderers

Now we turn to the west where our grandfathers, the Thunder Beings, live. With lightning and thundering voices, they bring with them the water that renews life. We are thankful that they keep those evil things made by Okwiseres underground. We bring our minds together as one to send greetings and thanks to our Grandfathers, the Thunderers.

Now our minds are one.

The Sun

We now send greetings and thanks to our eldest Brother, the Sun. Each day without fail he travels the sky from east to west, bringing the light of a new day. He is the source of all the fires of life. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to our Brother, the Sun.

Now our minds are one.

Grandmother Moon

We put our minds together to give thanks to our oldest Grandmother, the Moon, who lights the night-time sky. She is the leader of woman all over the world, and she governs the movement of the ocean tides. By her changing face we measure time, and it is the Moon who watches over the arrival of children here on Earth. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to our Grandmother, the Moon.

Now our minds are one.

The Stars

We give thanks to the Stars who are spread across the sky like jewelry. We see them in the night, helping the Moon to light the darkness and bringing dew to the gardens and growing things. When we travel at night, they guide us home. With our minds gathered together as one, we send greetings and thanks to the Stars.

Now our minds are one.

The Enlightened Teachers

We gather our minds to greet and thank the enlightened Teachers who have come to help throughout the ages. When we forget how to live in harmony, they remind us of the way we were instructed to live as people. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to these caring teachers.

Now our minds are one.

The Creator

Now we turn our thoughts to the Creator, or Great Spirit, and send greetings and thanks for all the gifts of Creation. Everything we need to live a good life is here on this Mother Earth. For all the love that is still around us, we gather our minds together as one and send our choicest words of greetings and thanks to the Creator.

Now our minds are one.

Closing Words

We have now arrived at the place where we end our words. Of all the things we have named, it was not our intention to leave anything out. If something was forgotten, we leave it to each individual to send such greetings and thanks in their own way.

Now our minds are one.

Poetic Peace Pilgrimage – Year 7 – Day 315 – 10/26/2020

Posted on October 26, 2020 by Jo Beall

giving birth to imaginal cellf

dewy wings warmed by the sun

waxing with moon, rising from sea

free and easy wanderer of infinity

soaring/singing throughout the multiversity

always resting in the still silence of the cavernous heart of luminosity

As is the human body, so is the cosmic body.
As is the human mind, so is the cosmic mind.
As is the microcosm, so is the macrocosm.
As is the atom, so is the universe”
~ The Upanishads ~

thank you chaos/primordial space for gestating a dancing blue star down the birth canal tunnel through a long dark night with moments of questioning would there be light… a long dark night to contemplate flow and how to proceed when it’s a no go… a long dark night of staying present, of trusting, of surrendering until the sun rises and reveals the way to be in flow… breathing in, inspiring; breathing out, releasing a dancing star…

aloha! being of the blue star light, being of the chaotic, turbulent long night, being of the cosmic/human body mind spirit soul, being that turns lead into gold, integrating beingness into a true self…

Poetic Peace Pilgrimage – Year 7 – Day 314 – 10/25/2020

Posted on October 25, 2020 by Jo Beall

on this day of celebrating the astonishing light of being and on the heels of celebrating United Nations Day and the ratification of the Treaty of Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, as we enter the samhain portal, may we continue to stand together in love and hope re-membering ourstory is built on compassion, sacrifice, courage and loving kindness…

“Let our standing be a mindful gesture: mindful of the ground on which we are standing, the one little plot of land on this earth not belonging to one nation, but to all nations united. It is a very small piece of land, indeed, but it is a symbol of human concord, a symbol of the truth that this poor, mistreated earth belongs to all of us together.

As we stand, then, like plants standing on a good plot of ground, let us sink our roots deep into our hidden unity. Allow yourself to feel what it means to stand and to extend your inner roots.

Rooted in the soil of the heart, let us expose ourselves to the wind of the Spirit, the one Spirit who moves all who let themselves be moved. Let us breathe deeply the breath of the one Spirit.

Let our standing bear witness that we take a stand on common ground.

Let our standing be an expression of reverence for all those who before us have taken a stand for human unity.

Let us stand with reverence on the ground of our common human endeavor, joining all those who stood on this ground, from the first shaper of tools to the engineers of the most complex machines and institutions.

Let us stand with reverence on the common ground of the human quest for meaning, side by side with all who ever stood on this ground in their searching thought, in their celebration of beauty, in their dedicated service.

Let us stand in reverence before all those who on our common ground stood up to be counted, stood up – and were cut down.

Let us remember that to stand up as we have now stood up implies a readiness to lay down one’s life for that for which one stands.

Let us stand in awe before those thousands upon thousands – known and unknown – who have laid down their lives for the common cause of our human family.

Let us stand and bow our heads, because we stand under judgment.

We stand under judgment, for ‘One is the human Spirit.’ If we are one with the heroes and prophets, we are also one with those who persecuted and killed them. One with the henchmen as we are one with the victims. We all share the glory of human greatness and the shame of human failure.

Allow me to invite you now to focus your mind on the most inhuman act of destruction you can find in your memory. And now take this, together with all human violence, all human greed, injustice, stupidity, hypocrisy, all human misery, and lift it all up, with all the strength of your heart, into the stream of compassion and healing that pulsates through the heart of the world – that center in which all our hearts are one. This is not an easy gesture. It may almost seem too difficult for some of us. But until we can reach and tap with our deepest roots this common source of concord and compassion, we have not yet claimed within our own hearts that oneness that is our common human birthright.

Standing firm, then, in this oneness, let us close our eyes.

Let us close our eyes to bring home to ourselves our blindness as we face the future.

Let us close our eyes to focus our minds on the inner light, our one common light, in whose brightness we shall be able to walk together even in the dark.

Let us close our eyes as a gesture of trust in the guidance of the one Spirit who will move us if we open our hearts.

‘One is the human Spirit,’ but the human Spirit is more than human, because the human heart is unfathomable. Into this depth let us silently sink our roots. There lies our only source of peace.

In a moment, when I will invite you to open again your eyes, I will invite you also to turn in this Spirit to the person next to you with greeting of peace. Let our celebration culminate and conclude in this gesture, by which we will send one another forth as messengers of peace. Let us do this now.

Peace be with you all!”

amazingly, this prayer was not created for yesterday’s day of action but was led by Brother David Steindl-Rast at a gathering of spiritual leaders at the 30th Anniversary of the United Nations, October 24, 1975.

let us stand together in love for love re-membering our birthright is of compassionate lovingkindness…

Poetic Peace Pilgrimage – Year 7 – Day 313 – 10/24/2020

Posted on October 24, 2020 by Jo Beall

blessed be and holy synchronisiddhi!!! on this very day 75 years ago, the UN was founded and today…. drumroll… Honduras became the 50th country to ratify the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons! 50 is the magic number for this treaty which is a huge milestone in the decades-long effort to eliminate nuclear weapons and it will officially enter into force 90 days from today, on January 22, 2021…

thanks be for more nations of the world adding their voices to the chorus demanding the elimination of nuclear weapons thus paving the way for a world of peace… as more and more people around the world take up the cause of delegitimizing the arsenals of the nuclear nations, we must hold nuclear-armed nations to account for these weapons are an urgent existential threat to human and all sentient beings security…

the future we want – a world free from threats of mass destruction – is on the tip of our consciousness…

Poetic Peace Pilgrimage – Year 7 – Day 312 – 10/23/2020

Posted on October 23, 2020 by Jo Beall