Thursday, November 4, 2010

Dona Nobis Pacem













Grant us peace.

Hundreds of bloggers are talking about peace today. Hundreds more are placing their wishes for peace as their status on Facebook. And even more people are tweeting peace on Twitter.

When a unified prayer like this reaches out into the Universe, it's a powerful force for change. I want to thank all of you who are reading this, posting about it and tweeting peace for reaching out to one another today.

For my Blog Blast post this year, I'm turning to my great passion - dance.

In the clip below, Louise Lecavalier performs a section of a larger dance piece for La La La Human Steps, a contemporary dance company from Quebec, here in Canada.

I had the incredible pleasure of seeing this company perform live while I worked at the performing arts theatre in Toronto in the 90's. And as I set my mind working on what to post for Blog Blast this year, I found myself gravitating toward Louise Lecavalier's signature struggling movements.

I thought about our tendency to fight things.

Not just one another in war's great theatre. Not just parental figures, romantic partners or career rivals. We fight all of these and we fight ourselves. It's the essential ingredient that makes up conflict, and where would we writers be without it to construct our heart-stopping stories?

The thing that I love about this dance piece is what happens when Louise decides to stop fighting. When she surrenders to her partner, or, on a deeper level, to the inevitable.

What would happen if we all decided to stop fighting for a moment? If we all stood still, stopped flailing, stopped using our energy to avoid, to evade and push away?

What would happen if we stopped thinking of surrender as a form of loss? Perhaps surrender is a form of courage. Peace cannot enter if we're in perpetual motion.

On this day of wishes for peace, I wish all of you that sweet moment of surrender, when we catch our breath and feel how wonderful it is to simply BE.



SIGN UP HERE to join the Blog Blast. Scroll down to the bottom of this link to find Mr. Linky.



If you'd like to take this Peace Globe and fly it, please do!

Thank you to Mimi Lenox for launching this incredible event four years ago. It just grows and grows and grows.

27 comments:

Charles Gramlich said...

I love the sentiment expressed in the Peace Globe.

DrillerAA09 said...

Very nice globes.
Thank you for stopping by Driller's Place. Peace be with you and yours.

Dawn Drover said...

Julia this is a beautiful post and your globe is wonderful!

"Perhaps surrender is a form of courage."

I believe this to be true.

I am posting at 12am NL time here:
http://aurorastears.blogspot.com

and here:
http://totally-pissed-off.blogspot.com/

Annelisa said...

Wow! The energy in that dance - it was amazing! I've never seen anything like it!

What a lovely Peace Post. I'm glad I stopped by here before going to bed...it has left me with something to think about...

Peace to you and yours, Julia x

Annelisa said...

Love your globe tooo! :-D

HeatherK said...

I like the quote on your peace globe:)

Sans Pantaloons said...

Well said Julia.
[[hugs]]

Jennie Marsland said...

I think that surrender is the ultimate expression of courage in some situations. Without surrender, how can there be real love? Peace to you and yours, Julia.

~*~Patty S said...

Beautiful Peace post Julia
Sending Peace * Love and Light to all
oxo

Billie Greenwood said...

May the energy of the dance be a metaphor for the energy we direct to the work of peace!

Anndi said...

I had never seen the quote on your globe. Perfect! Why friction indeed!

And as a blogger from Montreal, wooohooo for Lalala Human Steps!

Paix

Akelamalu said...

Great post today Julia.

Peace to you and yours m'deario. x

Anonymous said...

Hello Julia in Nova Scotia! I'm peace post blog-hopping today. I'm working through the nunmbered list on Mimi's page. I finally got to your post. Wow! that's some dance link you shared. that's incredible. And I liked the quote you shared with us today, too. Hope your day is great!

Bev Pettersen said...

Beautiful post, Julia. Peace to you!

Mimi Lenox said...

Ahhh....sweet surrender. Oh what a lovely contribution for BlogBlast For Peace day. I am in awe of your ability to wrap the sublime into your post and take us with you into the dance of peace.

We are all sharing a common dance today. May it reach more and more people until the whole world wants to dance.

And surrender.

Mimi Lenox said...

P.S. When Travis sees this he's going to go "thump"
Wait and see.

rose AKA Walk in the Woods - she/her said...

Surrender in Life holds a different meaning altogether than surrender in war. At the least, it takes courage … at the most, it is courage.

Peace.

Teri and her Stylish Adventure Cats said...

Amazing and thoughful, thoughtfilled and a reminder on this day. Thank you for a beautiful post.

Unknown said...

Peace to you, dear Julia.

Kate said...

Found you from the Dona Nobis Pacem. I love your site. I’m going to poke around a little bit, but don’t worry I’ll put everything back where I found it!!

j said...

"When a unified prayer like this reaches out into the Universe, it's a powerful force for change."

I do love the way you expressed this. When so many things divide, how nice that a desire for peace unites.

PEACE!

Speedcat Hollydale said...

Isn't it great to see all the peace globes out there ?!! I doubt if I will make it to all of them, but travelling the internet has never been so good ;-)

Hello, and "peace" from Hollydale!

Robin said...

Wonderful.

Peace be with you, with all of us.

-----------------------------------
My photography is available for purchase - visit Around the Island Photography and bring home something beautiful today!

Minnesota Mamaleh said...

this was wonderful, inspiring and peaceful, indeed. i believe that, btw, that all of our energy going in one unified place-- that's powerful stuff right there! thanks much for such a refreshing post!

Travis Cody said...

Excellent ideas here...we sometimes focus so much on the "win" that we forget that sometimes the win comes from compromise.

Peace.

Susan Demeter said...

Love your post :) Peace!

Lynette Killam said...

"Peace cannot enter if we are in perpetual motion" - these words really struck home with me! I find them as relevant to my own personal life as I do to the greater world in general. This day of peaceful reflection, of sharing and commitment is exactly what is needed...it's wonderful to see so many of us taking a deep breath, looking about us with fresh eyes, and resolving anew to work toward the greater good.

And thank you so much for stopping by my place...:)

Lynette