I had the honor and privilege of participating in the One World Family Interfaith Prayer event this past Sunday at Holiday Park in Fort Lauderdale. About one hundred of us gathered under the shade of two beautiful banyan trees with the intention to dissolve the illusory walls of separation and come together in the spirit of oneness. No one was there against anything. We were only there for Love. A representative from Islam, New Thought, Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism each shared a prayer from their tradition, many in both English and their own sacred language. It was very powerful. The prayers were woven together with music provided by a talented flautist and the amazing Daniela de Mari and Orlando Sandoval from the musical group Breath of Life. One of the highlights for me was when Daniela first took the stage and simply stood there in silence holding up a set of wind chimes. Mother Nature provided some wind gusts and the metal bars danced and played as Orlando slowly added some beautiful notes with his keyboard. Then Daniela began to sing with that unmistakable operatic voice of hers, and it felt like she were inviting the angelic realm to join our gathering. I have no doubt angels heard the call and were hovering all around. (Click HERE for a small sample.)
As many of you know, one of the “woo woo” things I like to do is to plant tiny rose quartz crystals wherever I go. Rose quartz is said to hold the frequency of unconditional love and compassion, and I enjoy adding this energy to the places I visit. The first thing I did upon arrival was sprinkle some rose quartz at the base of the two banyan trees, and then my friend Steven and I placed some in the grass where we were sitting. I envisioned the loving energy of oneness that was created in the hearts of everyone at that event spreading out through the rose quartz grid to the entire planet. Isn’t that a nice visual?
Some may say, “Yes, John. That’s a nice visual. But how can a few stones and one hundred people getting together to sing and pray under a banyan tree change anything?” A Course in Miracles says:
The world you see is the witness to your state of mind, the outside picture of an inward condition. As a man thinketh, so does he perceive. Therefore, seek not to change the world, but choose to change your mind about the world.
Peace cannot be found in the outside world until it is found within. If one heart opens up to the possibility that another’s beliefs are not all that different from their own, change has occurred. This was demonstrated beautifully by a story the rabbi shared about Muslims, Jews, and Quakers coming together to clean up a Jewish cemetery in Philadelphia that had been vandalized. I agree with him. Peace happens when people from different traditions set aside their differences and come together in the name of love to help each other.
Many thanks to the organizers, donors, and all who contributed their time and talents to make this event a success. If you missed it, don’t worry. They plan to make this an annual event. I have no doubt next year’s gathering will be even more powerful. You can still make a tax deductible donation to help cover costs of the event by clicking HERE.
If you are having a difficult time finding peace within, I would be honored to help you with Life Coaching or Family Constellations. Both are amazing tools that can shift your inward condition so that the outside picture can follow. Please look around my website for more information or contact me by email with any questions you may have.
Until next time, may you always remember that we are indeed One World Family…