Clear Path to Peace

“Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.

Today we celebrate the vision, dedication and genius of Martin Luther King, Jr.  His message of peace continues to inspire good-hearted people throughout the world.

Martin has been one of my favorite peace heroes since I was in high school. His speeches bring tears to my eyes every time I read or hear them. Why? Because they are so TRUE. My soul rings with the truth and dedication of his words, and his life.   With Martin as our example, today is a powerful time to look within and ask

• What am I doing and how am I being that gives more peace to the world?
• Where are the blocks in my heart and mind that keep me from being a gift of peace?
• What do I need to do to release them so that I can offer the world my simple serenity?

“The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood.” — Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love

We are beacons of love. Our love shines brightest when we’re committed, courageous and ready to give the full force of our creativity and light.   But sometimes we get disappointed and disillusioned. I know I do. Choosing beyond the feeling of discouragement is a major meditation for me. It can seem hard, but this is how we build our inner muscles of dedication.   Martin must have felt a bit of this, too, at some point. So if you feel discouraged,

• Find a friend and lift each other up.
• Read about peace from your favorite authors.
• Forgive the past and learn from its lessons.
• Discover the treasures buried within your life story.
• Build upon your inner strength.
• Share your light and love with others, and with the Earth.

If you need help to feel more centered and aligned, so you can deepen your dream as Martin deepened his, please give me a call or email me for a free consultation. All sessions are 15% off until 1/31/12.  530-926-4639 or go to www.anaholub.com

My mission is to teach you simple, elegant methods of peace and forgiveness. Once you learn them, you can pass them on to others. We need each other’s peaceful, dedicated, sincere passion right now. The Earth needs you. It’s 2012 – time to jump into the river of love!

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal… I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” — Martin Luther King Jr., I Have a Dream, 1963

It’s holiday time again, and some of us are ecstatic….and some of us are not. Holidays are usually a time when memories and emotions reappear from childhood, and they aren’t always the easiest ones to negotiate. Even if we are not consciously aware of it, longings and expectations about what “family” is, or what “Christmas” or “New Year” are supposed to be, can feel heavy and affect our emotional lives.

Many of us experience a lot of stress around this time of year – triggered by lack of sunlight during the dark winter solstice, or our mounting credit card bills, or from family dynamics that often play out during “festive” gatherings. Fortunately, there is help, and it is easy. All it takes is using something we already have – our breath.

As a peace educator, I have a lot of respect for using breath as a tool to center ourselves. Conscious breathing will help you feel more grounded and calm.

If you notice that you’re feeling anxious in any way, take some time…a few moments…to become aware of your breath. Notice yourself, your body, your thoughts. Probably, you are holding your breath or not breathing very deeply. So stop your busyness – and give yourself the gift of a deep breath. Or two. Or five. Fill your belly and your lungs. Allow your entire torso to fill with good oxygen on the inhale and empty fully on the exhale.

One really important point about tuning in to your breath is to be especially aware of the difference between your inhale and your exhale. They are two separate parts of one breath, and you can use them for different needs.

For relaxation and stress reduction, use the exhale as your point of focus. Try breathing out about twice as long as you breathe in. So if you inhale for two counts, exhale for four. Next breath, experiment with inhaling for three counts and exhaling for six. Remember to exhale very slowly and evenly. Take as long as you want to get to the end of your breath.

While you are relaxing into your breath, begin letting go of any tension that has built up in your head, neck, jaw and shoulders. Consciously release the grip in your mind and body, thoughts and muscles and allow the tension to drop down towards the ground. Inhale some good, fresh oxygen and positivity as a replacement for the tension you’ve just released.

During your exhale, you will be lowering your heart rate and releasing tension from your muscles. Your inhale brings nutrients to your body, newness to your mind and enlivens your blood. Your head will clear, and you’ll be able to handle your holiday gathering much, much better.

Hope this helps. When I teach in San Quentin Prison, the men often remark upon how much this simple relaxing breath technique helps them. I figure if it works for them, in an intense place like San Quentin, it can work for you and me.

Try it, and let me know how it goes. Happy Holidays!

When Jesus walked the planet, he didn’t have a plan to create a massive holiday of gift-giving…complete with stressed out gift givers.  Jesus came to remind us of our eternal holiness, our pure innocence, and the love of God for each one of us.

That is what I receive from his message, anyway.  What do you receive?

This Holy Day season, let’s remember that it is a season of peace.

This means that we can be peaceful about the season! We don’t need to create anxiety about buying stuff, or whether or not we’ve given “enough” to our kids or family members.  Even children who are used to getting a lot of presents can be re-trained to value gratitude, service to others, and simple (maybe handmade) gifts instead of the mountains of plastic they expect. Re-training ourselves and our children is going to take some work and inner fortitude. I know we can do it – if we commit to it.

This isn’t simply a stress management issue. In addition to our emotional health, we need to safeguard the resources of our beautiful planet. So cutting back on Christmas consumerism is an essential environmental issue as well.

Peace is our birthright. It is our very nature. We’ve lost track of that, and Christmas stress is a great barometer for how far we can lose ourselves in the expectations and habits of consumer society. But we can divorce ourselves from the madness, and claim the simplicity of true Christ consciousness.  It is within us, every moment of every day. Let’s find it together.

Merry Christmas!

(Reposted from 11/30/2008)

Beloved Friends,
I can’t begin to express to you (but I’ll try) … how much we need each other now. So much is happening. Loved ones are passing on, whole aspects of “civilization” are crumbling. The Earth’s systems are stretched to their utmost capacity.

Not only are we the 99%; we are truly the 100% – with every gorgeous soul included and loved by our Creator. Our healing rests upon the truth of our ONENESS.

A Course in Miracles says, “The present is forgiveness.” So as we stand for justice, let’s open to the miracle of the Holy Instant, the one blessed and alive moment that is NOW. It’s from here that change will come, and healing will pour over and into us.

In order to directly experience the Heaven we crave, we need to realize how connected we are. ALL of us…including those who’ve passed on and those who’ve yet to be born… including those you think you love and those you never want to see again…ALL of us make up the body of the Christ. None can be left out. This is the love of the present moment. It is the mercy given each one of us on the forgiveness path.

So let’s open wide the doors of our Heart and let ourselves FEEL how much we need each other. Know you are never isolated and alone, but always linked with your sisters and brothers everywhere. Strong, vital, united and free. With this salve and salvation, we’ll build our new world.

Happy day,
Ana

On the day before Thanksgiving, I went with my two children to Zuccotti Park at the southern tip of Manhattan. Desiring to share in the activism and idealism of the Occupy Movement, we went to the spot where Occupy Wall Street (OWS) was born. To our disappointment, we found a small, bedraggled crowd standing around in the cold drizzle. Nine days earlier, police had completely destroyed the OWS camp. The only traces left were barricades, security personnel, police and a few people with drooping, battered signs of protest.

Walking through an opening into the barricaded park, I was struck by how small the space is. Not a trace of the People’s Library, the 200 tents or the trash survived. Yet something was still alive here, if bruised and brooding. I stopped to listen to two young women in their 20s being filmed for an interview. “The Occupy Movement was incredible while it was here in Liberty Square,” said one. “But now it’s moved to other locations. OWS lives on in cities throughout this country, and the world. We’re hurting here; in fact, someone just got arrested 15 minutes ago for lying down in the park. The police won’t let anything happen. We need to regroup and reorganize. But we’re not dead!”

Leaving the park, we walked a couple of blocks to Wall St., where the New York Stock Exchange, J.P. Morgan’s imposing stone mansion and a statue of George Washington stand together in a triangular vortex of political and financial power. Breathing deeply, I took some time to release my judgments while I stood at this crossroad of American hegemony, symbolizing the Empire of the 1%. “Those greedy people,” whispered my judgments, “I bet they just care about making billions for themselves. They aren’t concerned about the environment or justice or sustainability! etc. etc.” There were many emotions, too, rising up for my attention. Anger, superiority, guilt, blame. None of it was pretty.

I released it all with my breath and turned to prayer. Standing beside the statue of George Washington, gazing at the Stock Exchange, I prayed, “Beloved One, may this spot on Earth be uplifted. May greed and domination of one over another be healed. May everyone here come to peace and equality. May the truth of our union be returned to this land. May the joy of our oneness heal the errors of our ways.” Knowing the power of prayer is real, I blessed the Occupy Movement AND Wall Street. Together. Equally.

On the subway, I contemplated the 99%. People are coming together around the world to make a stand for justice, truth and balance. Everywhere I hear stories of “ordinary” people becoming heroes as they step out with courage, facing police brutality, racism and fear. Some of our neighbors are taking pepper spray in the face — and worse. It’s going to take massive discipline to create lasting change. With satyagraha, the peaceful commitment of Gandhi, I know we can do it.

And while I’m inspired by the 99%, my heart also goes to the 1%. Without including everyone, we cannot forgive and start anew. As Starhawk informs the violent dictators in her story, The Fifth Sacred Thing, “Even now, there is room for you at our table.” That line always moves me, because it tells me that even at the very last moment, there is a place for everyone. It’s an extraordinary welcome, giving the chance of grace to each person, as long as they come to the table of thanksgiving, where each person is sacred and respected.

Admittedly, it seems we’re a long way from such a resolution, however delightful it may appear. Many people, rich and poor, have no intention of renouncing violence. They may never choose to take their seat at the meal of plenty. Still, we who love peace carry on.

There’s much work to do, and we have the opportunity to do it with conscious awareness and gratitude. We need an entirely new framework, though, because all too often, leaders of the 99% devolve into the 1% once they ascend to power (see Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Pol Pot of Cambodia, and the history of France and the United States). Eventually, a new cycle of revolution begins and the process repeats itself endlessly — unless we change it.

One essential way to shift the global situation from a battle between the 99% and the 1%, or “us” vs. the “others,” is to deepen our spiritual abilities. For success, we must listen to the still, small voice within. When everyone begins acting upon this inner wisdom, each person will intuitively know what to do, when to do it, and who to do it with. And in case you’re wondering which of the many voices in your head to listen to, remember that action from this state of consciousness is always truthful, loving and compassionate.

Bringing meditation practices to the forefront of our personal lives complements our action in the streets. The compassionate nature of Reality offers wisdom when we examine the option of switching our bank accounts from corporate giants to credit unions. This is no longer a time for an either-or mentality when it comes to living on Earth. We aren’t spiritual OR political. It’s time to be both. Your inner listening will guide you to right action.

One obstacle you may encounter is the idea that peaceniks are weak. Many protesters wonder how they’ll have any impact without their anger. So a big part of our transformation demands grabbing a-hold of the immense power of Creation. Rather than the temporal muscle of Wall St., we choose, instead, the supremacy of the force-which-gives-us-life.

Walking off the battlefield altogether, we’ll find that we still show up at meetings and protests in the street, but now with a sense of serenity and determination. Listening to and acting on our inner guidance, we gain the kind of power that served Gandhi and Martin. In addition to being gentle at heart, we’re fiercely committed to liberty and justice for all. We agitate for what we DO want, rather than ranting against what we DON’T want, receiving increasing clarity from our inner vision. Taking time to be still, we’re energized to spread the message of peace and respect for the Earth who sustains us.

If you need some inspiration, let me tell you about our brother Pancho, who lives at Casa de Paz in Oakland, CA. Pancho fasted for 9 days to dispute nuclear weapons research in the UC system. Sitting peacefully with locked arms at a student protest, he invited his arresting officer to a Mexican meal, saying, “I tell you what, when I get done with this and you get done with this, I’d like to break my fast with you. What do you say?” At another arrest during Occupy Oakland, he wrote on a piece of paper: “On Mondays, I practice silence.  But I’d like you to hear that I love you.”  The officer smiled.[1]

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[1] “If You Want To Be a Rebel, Be Kind” by Nipun Mehta. Find it at www.dailygood.org/view.php?sid=127

Dear Friend,

What are your changes? Seems like everyone is going through at least a few. Mine have been momentous: selling my dream temple-home, packing up, giving stuff away, cleaning cleaning cleaning, moving out, putting most everything in storage and…moving into a tent! Oh, and parenting and running a business, too. Recently, I’ve moved out of the tent (which was deliciously fantastic) into a small home that’s cozy, simple and close to everything so I can walk and bike everywhere.

It’s been really intense and also exciting.  I hope you are creating your own version of life that includes everything you love and enjoy.

While I’ve been a’changing, the need for forgiveness and its bounty has not gone away. I’m continuing to teach, write and counsel folks about the healing power of letting it ALL go – the pain, fear and sorrow of the past – so that new doors of divine communion can open.

Whatever the form or name, release is the only way, dear friend. We have to make room for the goodness of Life, and we need to choose it actively. No more waiting around until “something happens”.  Consciously choosing to release the past with humility and honesty brings healing. Why wait?

The only thing you’ll lose when you let go is your suffering. What you’ll gain defies description, because it is the blessing of your true nature, pure love. Experiences of peace come from here, once you’re at home inside the grace of the Divine. Think about it – you didn’t create yourself. Your Creator created you out of pure love, and that is what you are. But if you’re not feeling it, you need to release whatever’s in the way. This is the path of forgiveness, both for others, yourself, and the way of the world.

The Earth needs our sane, willing, open, honest participation, so we can work together to clean her up and live in the abundant garden she offers. We can’t do this until we’re clean enough within, listening to inner guidance and resolute upon our path. The path of forgiveness clears the way. I hope you will learn more about it, and rest deeply inside the way of joy and service that are yours for the asking.

TIPS for living on the path of peace and freedom:

1. Breathe! Breathe deeply and consciously. Your breath shows you your willingness to truly live.

2. Release immediately. Offer everything to the One Source. Give big and little pains and fears, and also give all great fortune, lessons learned and the simple happiness of your days and nights. Give it all. Surrender and be at peace.

3. Dedicate your day. Each morning, make time to enter consciously into the day, giving thanks and committing your awareness to whatever blessings you want to experience and share.

Always share the blessings!

For the past 8 years, I’ve been active as a teacher with the Insight Prison Project (IPP). IPP is a wonderful non-profit organization that teaches violent men how to heal, regain their dignity, and become valuable members of society. IPP’s courses take place inside San Quentin Prison in Marin County, California, just north of San Francisco. The following is an excerpt from an article I wrote about my experience with the inmates at San Quentin.

Men, Violence and Healing Inside San Quentin Prison

Noise is loud and harsh at San Quentin Prison. Gates clang; buzzers attack the air and our ears. Antiquated heating systems complain with knocks and pings, and electric fans emit insistent dragon hums in the classrooms. There’s no quiet here. In order to have quiet in prison, one must learn to be quiet.

San Quentin is a caged man’s world. As a volunteer Peace Education teacher, I am a foreigner — because I can freely walk out past those immense gates, and also because I’m a woman. During my monthly visits, men crowd the yard as I walk through. Most are busy with their primary occupation: building muscle. They huff and puff into their push-ups for hours each day, biding their time until they are released. A precious few greet me with an eager desire to learn. It’s these men I come here to know, to teach and to learn from. It is this tiny percentage who want to find the long buried goodness within them, no matter what, no matter where they are or what they’ve done. read more

To watch a TED talk by IPP founder, Jacques Verduin, about IPP and its great work on behalf of creating a peaceful world, click here.

The following is a guest blog post from my friend Andrew Oser, a spiritual life coach who’s been tuned in to the political scene in the United States for a long time. I hope you enjoy and ponder his words.

The tragic shooting in Arizona on Saturday is certainly a wake-up call for our country.  Let’s not make the mistake of seeing it merely as the isolated act of a lunatic.

Our political dialogue has fallen to an abysmal level over the past couple decades.  The tone, not only of  campaigns, but of our nation’s leaders in Washington, DC has become bitterly partisan and increasingly mean.   Rigid ideologies, misrepresentation of facts, and cruel personal attacks have taken the place of open dialogue, often derailing solutions to our nation’s many serious problems.

I’ve always believed that we get the leaders (as well as the commentators) we deserve.  So, let’s not point fingers at the folks in DC—or the folks spewing out hatred and misinformation over the airwaves and the Internet.  Let’s instead look in the mirror.  Let’s look at the places of judgment, self- righteousness, and even hatred in our hearts that are being reflected (as well as pandered to) by the commentators and the politicians.

When we look in the mirror, let’s not judge ourselves harshly.  Rather, let’s see clearly how we’ve contributed to creating the climate that led to the shooting on Saturday.  Then, let’s find a place of forgiveness in our hearts, first for ourselves, then for the hate-mongering commentators and politicians, and finally for the assassin himself.

From this place of forgiveness, we’ll remember that we’re all in this together and engage in constructive dialogue, cooperatively moving toward a peaceful, prosperous America.

— Andrew Oser, Summit Coaching Services

If you’re a woman, what do you want? If you’re a man, do you know what women want? Dr. Oz, medical advisor to Oprah and ubiquitous TV gadfly, touched on the big secret recently. On his show, $5 to Look 5 Years Younger, Dr. Oz exposed his intimate knowledge of the modern woman’s psyche.

Guests on the show, Susan and Holly, each admit they spend thousands of dollars per year on beauty creams and products. How much do you spend? Think about it. My reason for asking is not to be nosy, but to suggest, as Dr. Oz does, another alternative.

Dr. Oz and his staff show us the cool home facial – for less than $5. Great idea – thanks!*

But my interest in how much you spend on beauty products, dear modern woman, is to raise your consciousness about how you are affecting your own self-esteem and the planet by your actions.

What else could you be doing with all that money, time and energy – instead of drooling over digitally enhanced 22 year old models and wishing you could turn back the clock?

Who needs your help around the globe, who could use your attention and love – instead of the multi-national corporations who scheme to get you hooked on the next, better-than-last-year’s, crone-defying snake oil?

Poor women and children, that’s who. Men, too, and environmental sustainability programs and animal rights organizations and half-way houses.

Real women want to serve a cause greater than themselves. Real women care about the health and welfare of all creatures and the Earth herself. I call to you – wake up and smell the intense need. Then do something about it with the wealth you’ve been given. For more information on how to join the revolution with the Real Woman Manifesto, click here. Thanks. Let me know your response to this. I always love to hear from you.

* Add 3 teaspoons of fresh carrot juice to 3 egg whites. Whisk together and apply to your face. Let dry for 15 minutes and rinse. Voila! Fresher, healthier, “younger looking” skin. http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/5-look-5-years-younger

For all the high profile bullying cases and heart wrenching stories of subsequent teen suicides, there are thousands of kids who suffer in pain and silence. What can we do to prevent bullying, and how do we help both the victims of cruel behavior and the perpetrators of the crimes?

In my forgiveness work, I speak about healing both the victim and the perpetrator archetypes. In reality, everyone with an ego has experienced both sides of this painful coin. One person might think of himself more as a “poor victim” and another might consider herself as basically “a bully,” but for most of us, both labels apply. And though they’re only labels, and both sides can be uplifted by the healing power of forgiveness, the violence still hurts before the healing begins.

The United Nations Charter of Rights for Children states, in part, that “every child has the right to an education and every child has the right to be safe”. One group that’s doing an incredible job helping kids find those rights is Challenge Day. I recently participated as an adult volunteer at a Challenge Day at my local high school. It was a day full of laughter, tears and miracles.

The Challenge Day trainers, youthful yet savvy Gina and Tony, enticed the students into deep honesty, openness and willingness during the 6 hour session. We all played games, made lots of noise, explored giving safe, non-sexual hugs, and shared support for our most difficult life lessons. At the end of the day, everyone (both students and adults alike) realized that there’s so much more that binds us than separates us. Roles like “cool kid” and “loser,” “jock” and “nerd” fell away once our common strengths and frailties were held with compassion and understanding. We learned about ourselves as a human family, and left with a profound sense of peace and excitement.

The challenge now is to enliven the lessons we learned during Challenge Day and make them a part of every day life at Mount Shasta High School, and at all high schools, middle schools, colleges, universities, families and throughout our entire social web.

Only this commitment to peace will prevent more kids from jumping off the George Washington Bridge, as 18 year old Tyler Clementi did this month. Maybe because I drove over that bridge every day for two years during high school, the latest suicide over a bullying incident holds symbolic meaning for me. I also love the symbol of a white bird, flying in freedom, to remind me of peace and serenity.

Whatever symbol for peace works for you, I hope you will hold it dear to your heart and make it grow. To find inspiration, contact www.challengeday.org. Be the change you want to see in the world!