On January 15, 2024, we opened the 17th Feast for the Soul with reading from many religious and philosophical traditions. They included the following:
Sarah McLean read a prayer from the Buddhist Tradition:
The Bodhisattva Prayer For Humanity
May I be a guard for those who need protection,
A guide for those on the path,
A boat, a raft, a bridge for those who wish to cross the flood.
May I be a lamp in the darkness,
A resting place for the weary,
A healing medicine for all who are sick
A vase of plenty, a tree of miracles.
And for the boundless multitudes of living beings
May I bring sustenance and awakening,
Enduring like the earth and sky
Until all beings are freed from sorrow
And all are awakened. – – Shantideva (Buddhist scholar around 700 AD)
Sue Cooper read an excerpt representing humankind:
Courage of kindness
“Every day, think as you wake up,
Today I am fortunate to be alive.
I have a precious human life,
I am not going to waste it.
I am going to use all my energies to develop myself,
To expand my heart out to others,
To achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings.
I am going to have kind thoughts towards others.
I am not going to get angry or think badly about others.
I am going to benefit others as much as I can.
My religion is very simple, my religion is kindness” – Dalai Lama
(an excerpt from a public talk)
Suzi von Mensenkampff read a prayer representing the Natural World:
Prayer for World Peace
We pray that we may grow
in our understanding of the nature of all living beings
and our connectedness with the natural world;
that we may become ever more filled with
generosity of spirit and true compassion and love for all life;
that we may value each and every human being
for who he is, for who she is,
reaching to the spirit that is within,
knowing the power of each individual to change the world.
We pray for these things with humility;
We pray because of the hope that is within us,
and because of a faith in the ultimate triumph of the human spirit;
We pray because of our love for Creation,
and because of our trust in God.
We pray, above all, for peace throughout the world. – Dr. Jane Goodall, excerpt from Prayer for World Peace
David Lorimer read an offering from the Christian Tradition:
Conjunctio 2020
There came a man out of the land of Yehuda, sent from the Spirit, whose name was Yeshua. In him was life, and that life was the light of humanity, the light that shines against the darkness, and never has the darkness overcome it. – Gospel of the Beloved Companion 2:1
Jupiter and Saturn
Coming together,
Moving apart
In a cosmic dance,
The pulse of life itself.
Expanding and contracting,
Rising and setting,
Ascending and descending,
Growth and decay,
Light and dark
Shading into each other.
An iron grip of
Darkness and fear
Tightens around us,
Grasping, clasping,
An all-seeing eye
Penetrating
Our innermost recesses
With prying intent,
Seeking total control,
Stifling dissent
To keep us safe and secure.
In the meantime,
The fresh water of life
Still flows freely
Into clear new crystal vases
Of trust and transparency.
Hope arises in the air,
Grounded in firm resolve,
The blazing light of truth abroad,
A flame of incandescent love
Cascades across the sky
Enlightening and illuminating
Our hearts and minds within.
Moving apart,
Coming together,
Soul and spirit,
Love and Wisdom
Interweave,
Merge in sacred marriage.
New life is born in freedom,
New healing light in peace.
And never
Shall the darkness
Overcome it.
Standing Upright
Upright I sit
On the ancient Chair of Isis,
Spine straight,
Vertically aligned for grace,
With columns of light
Descending,
Open to receive
The strength of the Spirit.
The Upright Self
Stands up for Justice,
Stands up for Goodness,
Stands up for Truth,
Resolute in intent,
Strengthened and anchored
From deep within.
So stand firm,
Stand still,
Stand upright,
Stand straight,
Stand in your power,
Deeply rooted,
Deeply grounded
In the strength of Love,
Deeply held
In the sacred embrace
Of Peace and Love of Life together.
Ashley Schlosser read a passage in honor of the Christian Tradition:
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8).
Mary Walsh read a passage in honor of the Christian Tradition:
Serenity Prayer
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can, and
wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace
Taking, as He did, this sinful (troubled) world as it is,
Not as I would have it.
Trusting that He will make all things right If I surrender to His will;
that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
and supremely happy With Him forever in the next,
Amen. – by Reinhold Niebuhr.
Shaun Glossop read a passage in honor of the Shaivite Tradition
Within Saivism, the Divine is understood in a particular way, as a unitary-whole that has two aspects: Shiva and Shakti.
Lord Shiva is God. He is male. He is the male face of the Godhead, the Divine Masculine. But He has another side, for His Highest Self also expresses itself as Shakti, the Great Mother, the Devine feminine. Shakti is the Goddess. She is said (poetically) to be the sister, wife, and lover of Her brother, Lord Shiva. This is simply a way of saying that Shiva and Shakti are not two, they are one. They are non-dual. They are Yamala, the ‘Divine Couple’, locked in perpetual, eternal embrace. They inter-are.
Shiva and Shakti are the father and mother of the universe. He is the Heavenly Father and She is the Earthly Mother. All life, all beings and all things are their children. But at heart, the Heavenly Father and the Earthly Mother are one. They share one inner dimension, which is sometimes called Anuttara, meaning the ‘Unsurpassed Reality.’
Anuttara is said to be vibrant, it shimmers with vibrant life. It “trembles” with a joyful, blissful, ecstatically serene energy. The word Anuttara is understood to signify ‘the Heart’ – this Heart is the marriage-bed of Shiva and Shakti. It is Their joint Heart. And it is the true heart of us all. This one Heart is the foundation of the universe, it is the foundation of this world and all worlds. It is our true home. Anuttara – the ‘Unsurpassed Reality’ – has its own mantra, which is Aham, meaning “I Am.” And this “I Am” is said to be the innermost essence of everything and of all life. For me, this universal sense of “I Am” is communicated wonderfully by the early American mystic Wingate Paine, who wrote the following beautiful words:
Call Me Omega
Or God, or Jehovah, or Brahman, or Allah,
Or anything else you would like to call Me,
I AM all of these. Yet I AM also none of them.
I AM the Cosmos, the Universe, Everything that Is…
I AM the First Cause.
I AM the Last Effect.
I AM spirit.
I AM soul.
I AM matter.
As spirit, I AM the inexpressible, indefinable source of All Being,
infinite and eternal.
As soul, as Spirit manifest for an Evolution.
I AM Mind. I AM Consciousness. I AM Beingness. And as Matter, as Soul manifest for an lifetime.
I AM Everyone and Everything.
I AM Perfect, and Every Cause and Every Effect and
Everyone and Everything are Part of My Perfection.
I AM THE ONE.
I AM ALSO THE MANY.
AND WHATEVER IT IS THAT SAYS “I AM,”
I AM THAT I AM.
Anne Sussman read a passage in honor of theJewish Tradition
Calling Out From Rabbi Yael Levy – an offering created with verses from various psalms.
In Hebrew, the first letters of each of these verses spells: sim shalom aleynu, Place shalom/peace upon us all.
Protect my soul and save me,
I come to you, Source of All for refuge.
May your Infinite love comfort me,
May your compassion live within me.
How essential is the flow of Divine Love,
Here we find shelter, here we take refuge.
Source of All, send forth your light and truths.
They will guide me.
You say to my heart, seek my presence,
The presence of the Infinite Mystery is what I seek.
And I, in your abundant love,
Will enter your presence
And lay myself down in awe.
I will call out from the narrow places,
Please answer me with expansiveness.
My strength comes from the song of the Infinite,
And opens the way for release.
From generation to generation, we share your faithfulness,
The earth herself is our foundation.
I sit with the mystery in the presence of the One.
Divine love and truth stand guard.
My heart is steady, Source of All, my heart is steady,
I will sing, I will make music.
And I will be my prayer to you,
Infinite Mystery,
Aligned with the Highest will.
In abundant love answer me
With your faithful presence.
Place peace/shalom upon us all, upon all the world.
Lauri Kriva read a passage in honor of the Taoist Tradition
Always we Hope – Lao Tzu 6th-century Chinese philosopher
Always we hope
Someone else has the answer
Some other place will be better,
Some other time it will all turn out.
This is it.
No one else has the answer
No other place will be better,
And it has already turned out.
At the center of your being
You have the answer,
You know who you are
And you know what you want.
There is no need
To run outside
For better seeing.
Nor to peer from a window.
Rather abide at the center of your being;
For the more you leave it, the less you learn.
Search your heart
And see
The way to do
Is to be.
Rana Mansour read a prayer in the Islam tradition:
Send Thy peace, Ya-Allah Al-Atheem ((The Magnificent, The Supreme),
which is perfect and everlasting, that our souls may radiate peace.
Send Thy peace, Ya-Allah, Al-Haleem (The Most Forbearing),
that we may think, act,
and speak harmoniously.
Send Thy peace, Ya-Allah, Ash-Shakoor, (The Most Appreciative),
that we may be contented and thankful for Thy bountiful gifts.
Send Thy peace, Ya-Allah, Al-Ahameed, (The Praiseworthy)
that amidst our worldly strife we may enjoy thy bliss.
Send Thy peace, Ya-Allah, Ar-Raheem (The Bestower of Mercy),
that we may endure all, tolerate all in the thought of thy grace and mercy.
Send Thy peace, Ya-Allah, An-Nur (The Light, The Illuminator),
that our lives may become a divine vision, and in Thy light all
darkness may vanish.
Send Thy peace, Ya-Allah, A-Waddood, (The Most Loving),
that we Thy beings on earth may all unite and breath into the
universe love and peace.
– Anonymous, Sufi Prayer for Peace
Zeffi Devi read a passage representing the Goddess/Priestess tradition:
Divine Goddess, source of grace and strength,
Bless us with your guiding light, lo
Grant us wisdom to navigate life’s intricate paths,
And courage to face challenges with total faith.
May your love be a soothing balm to heal our wounds,
And your compassion a beacon in our darkest hours.
Goddess, we humbly seek your nurturing embrace,
As we journey through the tapestry of existence.
In your name, we find solace and inspiration,
A sacred connection that transcends all boundaries.
Glorious Goddess, hear our prayer and be with us,
For in your divine presence, we find peace and purpose.
Interfaith Peace Quotes, shared by Rev. Dr. Laurel Geise, D.Min.
Christianity:
“The peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in grace”. – Philippians 4:7
Buddhism:
“Peace comes from within.
Do not seek it without”. – Siddhartha Gautama Buddha
“Only by creating peace within our own mind and helping others to do the same can we hope to achieve peace in this world”. – Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
Hinduism:
“The yogi who has inner joy,
who has inner gladness,
and has found the inner Light;
This yogi has become one with infinite peace”. – Bhagavad Gita 3:36-37
Sikhism:
“With all, I am at peace”. – Guru Nanak (the first Guru)
Islam:
“Spread peace, love and kindness wherever you go”. – Prophet Muhammad
Judaism:
“Seek peace”. – Psalms 34:15
Taoism:
“If you are depressed, you are living in the past.
If you are anxious, you are living in the future.
If you are at peace, you are living in the present”. (Lao Tzu)
Indigenous People/Native American:
“To live in peace as long as the waters run in the rivers and creeks, and as long as the stars and moon endure”. – Tamanend, The Peace Treaty
Gaelic Blessing:
“Deep peace of the running wave to you.
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the shining stars to you.
May the beauties of the earth and sky and sea
Fill your heart with lasting peace and contentment”.
