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 The Key to Peace

Whether you are celebrating Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, the Winter Solstice or Christmas, this time of year traditionally brings family and friends together to celebrate each other.  It can be lovely to gather as a family or with friends but it can also be draining or complicated.  Therefore, it can be very valuable to consciously make the effort to think about creating peace within ourselves which then creates peace around us.

Incorporating Mindfulness into our lives can be one way of achieving this.  In addition, our ego is known for sending a constant stream of judgmental thoughts running through our mind, but if we can choose to let go of these judgmental thoughts and replace them with thoughts of love or compassion, we will feel more calm and peaceful.

John Denver wrote the beautiful song “A Christmas Wish” and as he wrote so eloquently,

“If you believe in love that will be more than enough”

It’s impossible to be thinking of someone with loving thoughts and negative/judgmental thoughts at the same time.  He also wrote that

“Christmas is a time to come together, and put all differences aside”

Again, if you can release the judgmental thoughts you may be having of someone, and replace the feelings of anger or hurt with compassion or love, you will feel better within yourself.  For example, on a minor scale, have you noticed the amount of “road rage” during these holidays?  Do you feel better if you get all worked up and angry with the person who just about caused an accident swerving around you trying to get one car ahead, or do you feel better to let them in and remain peaceful?  We can choose our thoughts which then create our emotions which then create our actions.

The Key to Forgiveness

Being “right” is a function of the ego part of our mind.

Proving to yourself that you are the victim in a situation is also a sign of the ego at work.

Forgiving someone is what releases all our negative pent up emotions.  Forgiveness is an act of heart.  It does not mean that you need to invite an abusive person back into your life, it means that you accept that this person as they are, send them loving thoughts and release all the hurt or anger that you may feel.

 Eckart Tolle’s excellent book A New Earth (and his podcasts with Oprah) are a great resource for more information on understanding the ego.  Forgiveness frees us, allowing us to live life more happily and peacefully.

This is the best gift we can give our children.  They will always remember the atmosphere of emotions that they were raised in, just as we all do.  Peace begins at home.

*Click to hear this beautiful song: If You Believe in Love (from Kathryn Nicholson – this is my favourite version as the John Denver version is sung with the Muppets)

“A Christmas Wish” by John Denver

I don’t know if you believe in Christmas
or if you have presents underneath a Christmas tree
but if you believe in love
that will be more than enough
for you to come and celebrate with me
for I have held the precious gift that love brings
even though I never saw a Christmas star
I know there is a light I have felt it burn inside
and I have seen it shining from afar

Christmas is the time to come together
a time to put all differences aside
and I reach out my hand to the family of man
to share the joy I feel at Christmas time

for the truth that binds us all together
I would like to say a simple prayer
that at this special time you will have true peace of mind
and love to last throughout the coming year

and if you believe in love
that will be more than enough
for peace to last throughout the coming year
and peace on earth will last throughout the year.

Warmly,

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