Mandala of Peace Ceremony
International Day of Peace 2018
The Cultural Arts Coalition celebrates the International Day of Peace (IDOP) every year, coming together to reflect on peace personally and to remember as a community the importance of holding a space for peace in the world.
Michelle Meyer created a sculpture, Gaia, for Judy Butzine's Here and Now space. During IDOP 2018, Michelle talked about her "Gaia Guardian for Peace" being created as a protector and conduit to the natural world. She is a representation of the elemental realm that we live within, born from Earth, Fire, Water, and Air and culminating in a representation of the 5th element, aether. Gaia holds a space in the physical sphere for people to ponder and enjoy connection to each other and the elements.
As Michelle ends, drumming begins with Muslimah Hameed, Mike Butzine, and Stephen Gonzales welcoming all to be seated near the mandala. Muslimah continues the drumming with Mike and Stephen for a few minutes.
The Tibetan Gong rings out four times, one for each element, each direction a part of the 4 Directions. (Wooden poles structures with glass lotus on top created by Mike Butzine.)
Melanie Ohm shares a poem about the Symbolism of the Mandala and the four directions, the honoring of peace box, the inner circle (uniting all spiritual beliefs) and Tree (the connector to the cosmos and earth).
Mandala
Sanskrit for circle
For us in the Here and Now, a circle of power
Representing being and moving
Solitude and community
Uniqueness and reflected likeness
A circle
The eye, I see you
A circle
The whole, ubuntu
I am because we are
A circle
The cycles of life and transition
Inner circles and outer circles
Defined for us by our own journeys
And a compass, four directions
In the Here and Now
Direction
Embodied in change
Impermanence
Seasons
The turning of the earth
Learning
Growing
And always returning to simply being.
Four directions energized
To the North by Earth
To the South by Fire
To the East by Air
To the West by Water
Four directions
Anchoring the many spaces between
Bringing us step by step
Into deeper relationship with the self
The Earth
And the All
Today we gather in love
With joy
To celebrate the journeys we’ve taken
The community we’ve created
And the peace that the world inherits from us
To old friends and strangers we say
Our heritage of peace we give to you
Today we gather with tokens
Gifts and gratitudes
Quietly we consider our intentions for peace
In this time of the year
When the force of Summer is at our backs
And the Fall, the season of gathering in
Is within reach
What did you bring today?
What token or intention?
In the center of the Mandala
A tree will take root
Over a box
Through a box
That we now fill in ceremony
After a moment of reflection
We invite you to step forward
And place your token in the box
In silence or with words of reflection
Speaking to your intention or symbolic gift. (Melanie Ohm 2018)
The physical mandala at Here and Now is based on her design combining the elements, four directions, and the symbolism of the tree. On three sides of the posts are painted her words. Melanie speaks of the reflective power of the Mandala, addressing each post and the lotus in its spiritual intention as a metaphor for our connectedness as part of creation, a humanity of persons from differing spiritual practices, united.
About the Mandala at Here and Now:
From the center radiate 4 paths, 4 quadrants, responsive to personal interpretation, needs and intentions in the cycle of life.
The Healing Mandala itself is a physical form, which invites us to walk and reflect upon our own human condition and spiritual needs, setting intentions for a life of compassion and love for oneself and others.
Resting on top of the 4-direction poles are lily pads and lotuses (created by Mike Butzine). Each lotus holds a small ceremonial cup, while the lily pad provides a place to leave tokens of intention. The Wisdom of the Lotus metaphor symbolizes the great hidden treasure of the heart, as vast as the universe itself. In learning and devotion, feelings of powerlessness are dispelled. It teaches the true great adventure of self-reformation, with the breadth and scope to embrace all people and advocate for justice, on the way to peace.
The symbol of the Lotus speaks to practices for honoring and celebrating the diversity in each person. Personal enlightenment takes many forms, many paths. When from the heart one can say, Ubuntu, I am because we are…from the heart one sees and reaches across spaces within oneself and around the world to embrace the treasure inherent in all peoples.
Words of reflection are written on three sides of each post.
Earth, North: Grounding, Protecting, Preparing
Water, West: Moving, Correcting, Connecting
Fire, South: Dreaming, Birthing, Creating
Air, East: Celebrating, Communicating, Growing
The "-ing" reminds us that we are in process on this journey, moving and learning what it means to be.
Melanie invites everyone (Keiko, Mimi, Gabrielle, Thuong, Michelle, Michael, Stephen and Muslimah) to place their intentions for peace into the box to be buried and bounded by the apple tree to be planted over it. This time of ritual and ceremony reminds us of the precious power of community in our lives through many times of transition and change. After each person has come forward and placed their token in the wooden box, the apple tree is planted.
In closing, Melanie says, "The gentle life force of the apple tree and our intentions as a community are the spiritual heartbeat of the mandala, the circle of power."
Muslimah guides the next phase in movement together through the mandala to the beat of the drum. Dancing for a time subsides to the stillness of one drum. Now silent, participants walk in the mandala's circle, outlined by 100-year-old handmade bricks, moving and setting intentions through gestures to send thoughtful actions of compassion and joy around the world. People then have time to walk the Mandala one by one with their own reflections and leave a written intention beneath a lotus or to write on a ribbon to be strung, blowing intentions for peace into the wind and throughout the earth.
Judy gave each participant the circular bead above, created by Eleanor Wiley many years ago, a shared treasure of peaceful communication and remembrance.
Stephen, a descendant of First Peoples, consecrates the area with chanting, drumming, and juniper as all stand in quiet and thoughtful reflection.
Keiko Conn places ribbons with words of peace on a sculpture created by Thuong Nguyen.
We visit following the gathering and enjoy these shared moments.
Documentation by Judy Butzine and Melanie Ohm 2018