As I said, I had much down time there, allowing me to do my most recent favorite thing, blogging and exploring the blogs of others. I came across a blog called Jerusalem Wanderings....http://jerusalemgypsy.blogspot.com/) and on it I found the following description of an event, about which I wish everyone who blogs about PEACE IN OUR TIMES would read. So, if you happened upon my Meanderings and like what you are about to read....PLEASE, PLEASE do cut and paste and add it to your own blog or better yet, send your readers and friends to to read it, here, on mine. By the by, I asked permission of the source (actually not exactly the source, but the source's friend) to post it here and she was all to happy for me to do so. Now if only people.......all kinds of people.....would read it and take it to heart.
Saturday, April 01, 2006
The Women's Tent
I couldn't go because my boss wanted me to work on Friday which ruined my day off. The gathering sounded wonderful though and someone who was lucky enough to be there wrote about it. I'm printing excerpts here with her permission - dedicated to those who are pessimistic about co-existence....and for those who know it is possible.
My Experiences at the Women’s tent
The women’s tent occurred on Thursday-Friday 30-31st March 2006.
500 Druze, Muslim and Christian Arab, Jewish, American, Australian, Italian WOMEN gathered for 2 days of sharing ,ceremony, workshops, singing, food, dance and togetherness.
Imagine a place filled with love. There are people from all over the world. All gathered, all dancing. Smiling sharing and singing. These are people I would not normally be in communication with. They are my sisters on the path to another world a place of peace where we can be one. For some hours on Thursday, 30 March, the day after the solar eclipse, we had that, we had a new world. It was for me a beautiful world.
To see the women there congregating all with love, all with open hearts, all wanting to give, to learn, to see, to be. G-d and the angels and the light where with us that day. They received, I think, our blessings and they received our intentions and looked on with love. In returned they showered us with love from above.
Our dreams can come true. On Thursday dreams turned into reality. On Thursday women hugged. Druze women, Arab women, Jews, Christians, Americans and Europeans. We were all there. We were all present and counted for. Each woman brought her self, her friends, her love and her faith. What ever her faith maybe. Each woman opened her heart. There were no borders. The love flowed. I believe that g-d witnessed this and g-d, or the g-d in each one of us, G-d took over.
The organizers worried before the event about organization. Will people get involved? Will people mix and will there be a connection? I witnessed this worry. I witnessed the opposite at the event. The love just flowed. When it was the time of the workshops everyone was involved. There was no one outside. It was a miracle. It was at it should be.
I felt so much warmth. I just wanted to hug everybody. The day was intense. There was the opening ceremony where we celebrated all faiths then we got up and danced and danced and felt the ecstasy that broke the borders of who we are (Jews, Druze, Arab, other) and opened our hearts so that as one we danced and sang and became a circle or a tribe of women with tears of joy in our eyes sharing and celebrating and embracing a wonderful moment of pure joy.
We ate together the delicious food of the Druze community – Canafe and humous, labane and pitta.
We circled, we joined in ceremony and then again we sang. Our voices filled space and rose above. The voices of angels.
We returned to our Druze host families. Exhausted and sated.
The next day we joined and in the fashion of containing, we shared our stories and our experiences.
We ended the event with a tour of Daliyat El Karmel. We learnt from the Druze a little bit about their history their culture and their beliefs.
I learnt that the more I give the more I receive. I opened my heart and gave and received so much at times I felt I could burst with love.
I am writing this because I feel so much hope in my heart that this is the way. This is the way of the new community and here we witnessed a glimpse of a possible future. A future that today’s reality could deem impossible but the hope in my heart shouts this is what can be. If we hold it in our hearts this IS possible, this can be. More and more circles all over the world and they are happening – in 6 continents in September women will gather and hold space. In august the Sulha where thousands of people – Arabs, Jews, Druze and friends for all over will gather for 3 days of talking circles, workshops , dancing and music. Where again borders will be broken down and the language of love and hope will be spoken. There are so many events so many places in Israel at this time for our hearts to open. I feel so grateful. Festivals, workshops, singing groups. There can be a new reality – it is already happening now.
Tanya Lyons
posted by jerusalemgypsy
IMAGINE....
2 comments:
This is beautiful. If only we could do this on a global level, or if only we could do this on an multi-ethnic community level in the U.S. The world could be changed.
There is so much division in the world, but I think behind all those walls are mostly just people wishing to be understood, valued, and left to live their lives in peace.
When the first Native Americans came to negotiate the first peace treaties with their European agressors, they were shocked to find no women at the negotiations.
"How can you find peace without your women?" We didn't. And we still haven't. Peace is woman's business.
"Peace is woman's business"
You got that right, Diane.
S
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