Order of WhiteOak - ORD NA DARACH GILE

Summer Solstice, 2002

Solstice Message of Peace from the Whiteoak Druids (Ord na Darach Gile)

In the name of the Ancestors, the Nature Spirits and the Goddes;

By the inspiration of Fire, the Blessings of Water and the Mediating Power
of the Sacred Tree;

We believe that peace is part of the living tapestry of life. We believe
that each individual must find acceptance of their own being and that from
such acceptance comes inner peace. At that point of spiritual maturity the
individual is ready to offer their service to the world and add their peace
to it.

We believe that helping others to accept themselves and grow to that point
of maturity brings about peace in the world.

We understand that a peaceful society is one where the weakest are cared for
and respected; the sick, the elderly, women, children, and those of minority
beliefs and religions.

Our wish is that humanity will come to realize the interconnectedness of all
living things. Our wish is that humanity will come to understand that peace
is directly related to collective well being and that a commitment to peace
requires a commitment to challenging injustice and exploitation of the
people, the Earth, and Her creatures. We wish for strength, courage and
inspiration for those who already understand this intimate relationship, may
they serve as guides for others.

We hope that all people will strive to know their true nature. Knowing
themselves may they find peace within, and making peace within may they
spread it without, to others and to all the worlds.
_____________________________________

A prophecy of peace proclaimed possibly 4,000 years ago, by the Morrigan
after the Battle of Moytura* in Eire. It is a universal vision of peace that
all peoples in all times can relate to;

(*Battle of Mag Tuired between the Fomoire and the Tuatha de Danan)

The Morrigan's Prophecy

Peace to Heaven:
Heaven over Earth
Earth beneath heaven
Blessed be all.

To the brim full:
Fullness of honey
Honey-sweet blessings
Summer in Winter.

Spears backed by shields:
Shields backed by forts
Forts ever ready.

Sod-thick wool,
Woods teem with antlers,
Finally, forever, destruction departed.

Nuts on the trees,
Tree branches drooping,
A drooping rich yield.

Wealth for a son
Yes, a son! (very learned!)

A bull in yoke,
Like a bull famed in song.

Knots in the wood
Wood for a fire
A fire when you want it.

Bright new palisades!
Their victory? Salmon!
The Boyne their dwelling
A dwelling unending.

New growth after spring!
Autumn? Horses increase.
The land held secure:
A land poets honor.

Blessed be the eternal
Most excellent forests;

Peace reach to Heaven, be nine times eternal.
Peace reach to Heaven, be nine times eternal.
Peace reach to Heaven, be nine times eternal.

This webpage is copyright © 2002 c.e., Order of the Whiteoak. Permission is
granted to forward as long as nothing is removed or altered including this
permission statement.

***********************************

Remembering September 11, 2001
by Ellen Evert Hopman, Druidess
Order of the Whiteoak

OUR GRIEF IS NOT A CRY FOR WAR

Most religions agree on one basic principle; that creation comes from one
eternal SOURCE. Some call it Goddess, some call it God and some call it The
Mother of Ten Thousand Things. Whatever its ultimate nature, we are all a
part of it.

When faced with a tragedy like September 11 we are faced with an aspect of
ourselves that we may have a hard time looking upon and living with. Yet it,
too, is a part of sacred creation.

Over the next week the media and the government will be doing their utmost
to revive the feelings of shock and despair that we first experienced a year
ago. Whether it is being done to increase ratings, to sell papers, or to
build the propaganda effort for a war against Iraq, we will find ourselves
awash in sentiments that were first born on that terrible day a year ago.

As human beings we have a choice in how we handle the emotions that will
arise in us and in our fellows. In the words of Gregg Braden (author of
Walking Between the Worlds);

"What if one person chooses to see beyond hate for those who oppress, while
still living among those who oppress? This does not mean that they condone,
agree with, or would ever choose to have oppression in their lives. It
simply means that one person has chosen to become more than the
circumstances they find themselves immersed within, breaking the cycle of
response that has been, becoming the higher choice".

As we experience the renewed drum beats for war and remembrance, we would do
well to remember that every actor in the drama; perpetrator, victim, and
witness, is an aspect of the sacred, a part of the divine whole. As Gregg
has described in his book, we should use this anniverary of grief to witness
our own responses and as a tool for growth.

The most primitive response to the memory of 9/11 is to react with rage,
demanding vengeance. For many this will be the most immediate and lasting
response.

Another understandable, but no less primitive, response will be denial.There
are those who refuse to watch television, or read newspapers, or listen to
the news, preferring to "stay happy" and focus "only on the positive", in a
kind of New Age never never land. Growth cannot occur in this walled off
state, nor will this numbness spurr us to take the necessary compassionate
action.

Pain and suffering are evident all around us, as they have been continually
in the last year. The bombing of civilians in Afghanistan, the deaths of
children in Iraq, brought on by sanction driven deprivation, the tit for tat
violence in Palestine and Israel, are all aspects of our common crisis.

It is only by facing these events directly, and by allowing the full horror
to penetrate, that we can finally respond with compassion and begin the
steps to change our present circumstances.

"I am in all beings.
All beings are in me.
This is the whole truth."

-Ashtavakra Gita 6:3-4

All beings are aspects of one creative SOURCE, constantly evolving and
seeking to know itself.

As we gaze, clear eyed, at the suffering around us, let us bless the actions
of those who have taken life, for seeking to know themselves in the taking
of life.

Let us bless the victims who have given their lives, for seeking to know
themselves in the giving of life.

And let us bless the witnesses who seek to know themselves in the
witnessing.

In the words of the Midewewin (open heart)teachings of the (Native American)
Anishnabe;

"All life is sacred and every act is a ritual"

Let us conduct ourselves well this week of the anniversary of 9/11 by
wishing health and happiness on all beings, of every race, religion and
color, in every corner of our small planet. And let us gaze upon sorrow with
compassion and without a futhering of violence.

copyright Ellen Evert Hopman
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