just shy of the 3 month mark -

are ideas starting to come to you for your peace day project? 

i have had a bit of a shift in how i am working - it is more fiber oriented (ok, almost completely fiber oriented). 

i was thinking on dream catchers - actually, i was thinking upon the open heart and how it makes you available to positive things, but also vulnerable to the negative. which then got me thinking on dream catchers. 

dream catchers are native american in origin. designed like a spider's web with a hole in the middle, they allow positive thoughts and visions in through the center while catching the negative in the web. allowing people to do the most good and contribute to harmony in nature. the light of the sun would clear the web of any negative dreams or visions. 

so i thought what we need is a dream catcher over our hearts - preventing the negative from getting in and keeping ourselves from releasing negative energy as well. 

but the dream catcher has its purpose and and method of working... 

how about a tiny basket - a basket to hold something precious, a stone or shell, words, intentions and keep it all safe? worn near to the heart, perhaps the threads could keep the contents pure, acting as the spider web. the spaces between allowing it to drift out gently into the world or to seep into our skin and become a part of us? 

and what if they were bigger? i was speaking to a friend and the idea began to coalesce that they could hang from a tree, perhaps with a protective copper lid - and you could put things into it that you wanted to set free? the air could move through and carry the thoughts or wishes away -

i think this is the direction i am headed in this year. 

anyone else have ideas? we'd love to hear you brainstorm about them - 

in peace and metta - 

mary jane

Om Ah Hum...

Trees of Peace

This year as well as creating a flag for peace, I am hoping to facilitate the creation of two Trees of Peace. Both trees will be made from 12 guage fencing wire.

The tree below has been twisted into shape - it is about 1.5m high. It is likely that it will become the focus of a children's art activity in our local library on the 21 September. Children will create peace leaves and attach their leaves with messages on them to the tree framework thus creating the Peace Tree.

©2013 Barry Smith - Bones of the childrens' Peace Tree

I also hope to create a larger  Peace Tree out the front of our block. This one will be about 2-2.5m high. Personally I will attach quite a number of anodised aluminium peace leaves on the tree. However I'm hoping to invite other people to send me leaves that I will attach to the tree thereby creating a communal  Peace Tree. The tree will be in place for the week leading up to Peace Day - and maybe for sometime after it. We live on a tourist road so I'm hoping folks will stop and engage with the tree and its meaning.

words are abundant,

but are they intentional?

what i am reading 

if there is a profusion 

of anything 

these days

it must be of words -

blogging

tweeting

facebook posting

texting

you name it - 

but are they chosen well?

intended not to harm,

but to help?

to encourage?

to connect?

to bring the world peace?

words can travel across thousands of miles.

may my words create mutual understanding

and love. 

may they be as beautiful as gems,

as lovely as flowers. 

(p. 98)

we are at the four month mark before the international day of peace -

do you have any ideas about how you will leave your mark?

don't forget to visit peaceoneday.org - they have issued an interesting and powerful challenge. 

A Flags for Peace book

Towards the end of last year, our local artists' group COMA (Collaboration of Maleny Artists) won a small grant to publish a photographic book about the Peace Flags local artists made and flew around International Day of Peace 2012.

We have recently published the book and have begun distributing it to local schools and libraries and elsewhere.

Here are some images from the book. Whilst we were focused on our local artists, we also put together a compilation of most of the international artists - but we may have missed one or two sorry.

If you would like to see a preview of the full book (38 pages) you can click here.

It is a beautiful way to share this project - for people to hold the book in their hands, read the stories and gaze at the flags...we hope it might mean more people join in this year. 

A VOICE THAT CALMS

Ethereal by Mitja Kobal

A voice that calms, movements that calm,
eyes that quiet - dreams that also do the
same, and enliven too....

Be a precious donor of peace and hope.
Give love to all you meet,

for so many in this world are being torn
apart.

-  Rumi

Follow Your Bliss...

Happy Wednesday everyone...

Follow your bliss and don't be afraid, and doors will open where you didn't know they were going to be.  ~Joseph Campbell