Weeping Trout

Earth Mama Angel

Posted on 24 January 2010

Sheroes Peace

Oh my God, oh my, I can not begin to tell you how glad I am to you (if you know it!) of the stellar, brilliant, inspiring, ever-deepening work of Urban Shaman Queen Mama Donna Henes. What appears below is an excerpt from their newsletter Queen's Chronicles. Her latest book, "The Queen of Myself, is a daily inspiration to me. Find out more or sign up for The Queen's Chroniclesat her go .

Song of praise to one of my favorite peace Sheroes my heart to sing Donna's. So begins the school year, I invite you to swim, Donna's in wonderful prose about Peace Pilgrim. It is followed by a prayer for peace written by Ellen Bass that end, I was crying from their triumph.

Queen of Peace

Peace Pilgrim dedicated to go almost 30 years of her life and speak for peace. Born Mildred Lisette Norman in 1908 on a small chicken farm in Egg Harbor City, New Jersey. She was the oldest of three children in a loving, close, extended family of nine.

The Norman Ancestors had fled Germany for America in the mid-19th century to escape conflict and militarism. Her parents instilled a strong peace ethic in their children, promoting the discussion on social and political issues, and pursuit of the moral issues. The family considered themselves "free thinkers" sought the answers by Reason and logic.

After leaving school, Mildred Norman took secretarial jobs. As a young adult, she led an active social life and in old age of 25 she was burning with Stanley Ryder, a businessman. They were very consistent and the marriage was fractious from the start. Stanley wanted a traditional family life and children; Mildred does not. He loved to drink, did not Mildred. Stanley believed in the war, did not Mildred. With each year the couple grew further apart.

Ironically, while the Great Depression Mildred learned that money was easy and that it was foolish spending entirely meaningless. She knew that this not not know their fate, but what was.

She did know that she was unhappy living with her. It was increasingly uncomfortable with so much while others starve. In 1938 she spent all night long to discover on foot through the woods for prayer guidelines for their vocation, and she experienced a profound spiritual awakening experience,

I felt a complete willingness, without any reservations to – my life to devote my life – to service. "If you can use me for all to use, Me please! "I prayed to God." Here I am, all of me, use me as you will. Do I hold back nothing. "Then a great peace came over me. I experienced a complete willingness to unconditionally Anyway, give my life to something beyond my own.

Thus began a 15-year period, intensive internal Transformation. She said: "I tell you it is a point of no return. Then you can never go back to live completely self-centered."

For the entire decade the 1940s, Mildred searched diligently for the service, she felt she was called to undertake. Initially she worked with seniors and people with emotional problems. Then reported for peace organizations: the Quaker American Friends Service Committee, the Philadelphia Fellowship Commission and the United Nations Council of Philadelphia and the Women's International League For Peace and Freedom.

When she entered their midlife, Mildred began to radically simplify their lives. She decided to get rid of unnecessary possessions and frivolous activities. It solves her unhappy marriage. She became a vegetarian disciplined, live on ten dollars a week and compared their wardrobe, two dresses. Their goal was to do it "and learn to appreciate the great freedom of simplicity."

She described this period as a time when, in a large Struggle between ego and conscience, or between her "low, was given the task self-centered nature" and the "higher, God-nature-centered." She tried are to overcome selfishness in order to achieve inner peace and spiritual maturity.

Mildred is the Endurance Hiking Club and took wilderness hikes to increase their physical to gain strength and experience in simple living. In 1952 she became the first woman on the entire 2050-mile length of the Appalachian Trail in one season walk.

agreed that life on track with her. Hiking reinforced their belief in simplicity and confirmed their ability to live in harmony must be level for long periods in all weather conditions. She managed, equipped in the open for five months with only one pair of pants, a shirt, a sweater, a blanket and two sheets of plastic . Live

Your menu, in the morning and the evening was two cups of uncooked oatmeal soaked in the water and flavored with brown sugar, noon, she had two cups double strength milk powder, and all berries, nuts or green, that they found in the woods.

Their experience convinced that their material have possessions were simply a burden, and that to achieve a state of grace daily, they would maintain that for simplicity you got out of the track.

Her long walk led to a period of concentrated inner questioning about what she, a person could, in the cause of peace to do. This midlife meditation culminated in her experiencing a powerful spiritual vision, an undeniable epiphany. She came to understand that their fate to be, "was a wanderer until mankind has learned the ways of peace. "

Then I saw in my mind's eye, even walking along and wearing the costume of my mission … I saw a Map of the United States with major cities marked – and it was as if someone had taken crayons and marked a zigzag line across, from coast to coast and border to border, from Los Angeles to New York City. I knew what I was doing. I will talk with everyone that I will be on the road to peace heard. I am even planning to sign, take the back reads, "Walking Coast to Coast for Peace" and the front, "Peace Pilgrim.

She gave away all her possessions – including her name – and be ready to embark on the incredible pilgrimage that she would maintain for the rest of their Life.

Step by step. . . Mile after mile. . . Walking. . . Marching. . . Dancing
Becoming a moving force for peace.
-DH

On the morning of the first January 1953 at the age of 44, Mildred Norman Ryder took the name of Peace Pilgrim, put on a pair of sneakers, drew dark blue pants, blouse and a skirt – blue color for international peace – and moved from Pasadena, California after walking the length of the country. She promised to run until she was given shelter and fasting, until she was offered food.

They marched before the Rose Parade, where thousands of people could see them off on their way. Your tunic bore her name, Peace Pilgrim, on the front and the back was her goal: printed 10,000 miles for World Peace. She was carrying their few belongings – a comb, a toothbrush, a pen, a some stamps and nothing else, not a penny – in his pockets.

Peace Pilgrim came for peace in faith alone, and therefore, undertook a daring and pioneering Performance, the enormous moral courage represented. On this first trip, in the middle of the Korean War, the Cold War, and at the height of the McCarthy era, she was 5000 miles from California New York, from coast to coast and from border to border, sharing their message of peace.

It is not as secure as the one who humbly Walks and harmlessly with great love and great faith. For such a person by the good in others (and it is good in each), and therefore can not be harmed. This works between individuals, between groups it works and it would work if between nations nations had the courage to try.

She gave everyone she met a printed statement of their passage, that the simple message carried. "This is the way to peace – overcome evil with good, falsehood with Truth and hatred with love. "She rarely missed more than three meals, before they are offered food. If they offered no shelter, they slept in fields, under bridges and on more than one occasion, in prison.

During her 28 years on the road, Peace Queen surpassed its initial target miles. As it has crossed the 25,000-mile mark, she stopped counting, but it continues to run for 17 more years. She went through 29 pairs of sneakers with an average of 1500 Miles per pair. At this rate, it passed 43,500 miles.

At the time of her death in 1981, they had in the United States were visited seven times Canada's Provinces and in parts of Mexico ten, spread her message of hope for peace and inspiration to the countless thousands of people who crossed her extraordinary path.

Peace Pilgrim's my shero. I can only pray for the wisdom and determination to follow in their footsteps.

In order to achieve inner peace you must actually give your life, not just your possessions. If you give at the end of your life – start targeting your beliefs and the way Way you live – then and only then, you can begin to find inner peace.

This has to read, be one of the most beautiful prayers I always for peace. This was followed by Donna's essay in her Queen's Chronicles.

Pray for Peace

Pray to whomever you kneel on:
Jesus nailed to his wooden or marble or plastic cross,
his suffering face bent to kiss,
Buddha still under the Bo tree in scorching heat,
Adonai, Allah. Raise your arms to Mary
that she can lay her palm on our foreheads,
to Shekinhah, Queen of Heaven and Earth,
Inanna, undressed in order to decline.

Pray to the bus driver who takes you to work,
Pray on the bus to pray for all, drive the bus
and for all buses in the world.
If you're not on a bus in a long time
climb the few steps, drop some Silver and pray.

Waiting in line for the movies, for the ATM,
for your latte and croissant, offer your plea.
Make your food and Drinking a plea.
Make your cut carrots a holy act,
each translucent layer of the onion, a deeper prayer.

Hawk or Wolf, or the great whale pray
Bow to terriers and shepherds and Siamese cats.
Fields of artichokes and strawberries elegant.

Make the brushing of hair a prayer, each strand
his own voice, sings in the choir on your head.
How do you wash your face, the water slide
through the fingers, a prayer: Water,
softest Thing on earth, gentleness
that wears away stone.

Making love is, of course, have a prayer.
Skin and open mouths of worship that skin,
the fragile case we are poured in,

If you're hungry, pray. If you're tired.
Pray to Gandhi and Dorothy Day.
Shakespeare. Sappho. Sojourner Truth.

If you walk to your car, on the mailbox
To save the video, let each step
be a prayer that we all keep our legs,
that we do not blow off someone's legs.
Or crush their skulls.
And if you ride a bike
or a skateboard, in a wheelchair, each rotation
the wheels a prayer as the earth revolves
We will do less damage, less damage, less damage.

And while you work Typing with a new manicure,
a tiny palm tree painted on one pearlescent nail
or delivering soda or drawing good blood
in rubber-capped vials, writing on a blackboard
with yellow chalk, twirling pizzas –

With each breath in, take in the faith of those who
Who have believed it if foolish faith appeared
who persistently. With each breath out to estimate.

Pull weeds for peace, turn in bed for peace,
to feed birds for peace, each shiny seed
that leaks to the ground, a second of peace.
Wash your dishes, call your mother, drink wine.

Shovel leaves or snow or trash from your sidewalk.
Make a path. Fold a photo of a dead child
your VISA card. Gnaw your crust.
Murmur together like a crazy person, stumbling
Your prayer through the streets.

Ellen Bass. her book The Human Line from 2007 Published by Copper Canyon Press,

Laboring always for peace. . .

Visit Susan Corso's spiritual blog or subscribe to Seeds at www.seedsforsanctuary.com .

About the Author

Spiritual author and counselor for 25 years; ordained omnifaith minister, corporate consultant on the spirit of business; blogger for Ode Magazine on peace and for The Huffington Post on spirituality in the world. For all Dr. Corso loves and creates, continually visit http://www.susancorso.com

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