December 2005: Peace, Shalom, Salam, Peace Bonds

Peace, Shalom, Salam, Peace Bonds

During the holiday season, Peace comes to mind and heart….Peace on Earth, goodwill toward all beings.  Lately a song I learned in high school choir- Let There Be Peace on Earth and Let It Begin with Me – has been singing itself from my mouth almost daily.  And I find myself wondering, what is peace?  Is it the absence of violence?  Is it a thing, a feeling, a process? To me peace feels deep, calm and quiet. It feels like a deep well where I can go to drink patience and understanding, where I can pause and choose how to respond to a difficult situation instead of reacting in a habitual way from an ingrained mindset.  For me, peace feels compassion and moves through wisdom.

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Black Gooseberry Flower Essence

Black Gooseberry (Ribes lacustre), a US Pacific Northwest native deciduous perennial shrub, has numerous “fuzzy” golden prickles with larger thorns at the leaf nodes and black, round berries that are edible for humans and wildlife. On the flower essence level, it invites each of us to look beyond our thorny armor to the fruit of our deepest truths and wisdom, which is the process of Peace.

On the flower essence level, Black Gooseberry says this about itself: