by Meryl Ann Butler
OpEdNews.com
"Let each one, as a son, as a daughter of the living God, feed His
lambs, feed His sheep. With what? The spirit of truth, the spirit of
peace!"
(Edgar Cayce Reading 3976-27)
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"I have seen the dynamic of faith in self, faith in one's ability to
change things, faith in one's ability to prevail against the odds through
an appeal to the spirit of the world for help, through an appeal to the
spirit of community for participation, through an appeal to the spirit of
co-operation, which multiplies energy"When you feel this principal (of
unity) at work, when you see spiritual principals form the basis of active
citizenship, you are reminded once again of the merging of stardust and
spirit. There is creativity. There is magic. There is alchemy."
It was June 2002; Dubrovnik, Croatia. My daughter, Rainbow Angelica, 24,
listened as an American Congressman spoke these words at harpist Georgia
Kelly's Praxis Peace Conference. Thrilled, she couldn't wait to call me,
half a world away. "Momma! You're not going to believe this! I found
a politician with a Soul!"
Surely, this Congressman's words sounded more like those of a mystic than
a politician. Later, as I read the transcript of his speech, I was
reminded of Edgar Cayce, America's most well known psychic's, admonition
to "" know thy ideal in politics as well as in religion, and know
they MUST come from the same spiritual source. And they must be one, for
the Lord thy God is one, - as thy body, mind and soul are one."
(2784-1)
The Congressman continued, "As citizen-activists the world over
merge, they can become an irresistible force to create peace and protect
the planet"Active citizenship begins with an envisioning of the desired
outcome and a conscious application of spiritual principles." One
almost expected him to add the familiar Cayce adage, "for mind is the
builder!"
This Ohio Congressman, Dennis J. Kucinich, is a practical idealist who has
a plan on his website for each new path he suggests. He introduced a bill
in July of 2001 to create a cabinet level Department of Peace, which would
"build not only a structure for peace within our government, but
infuse a consciousness for peace within our society, as has the Department
of Defense reflected a consciousness of war." Sound like a radical
new idea? Surprisingly, it's been around for longer than most of us might
think. According to the Department of Peace coalition website http://www.dopc.us/,
George Washington introduced a Department of Peace bill into Congress in
1793. But 210 years and 146 bills later, Americans are still waiting.
Kucinich reintroduced his Department of Peace bill as HR 1673 in April
2003. The DoP website says, "It is the first federal bill to
emphasize nonviolence-or freedom from violence-as a human right."
Marianne Williamson's Global Renaissance Alliance is a strong supporter of
this bill, holding conferences and acting as a focal point for citizen
activism.
Kucinich says, "The Department of Peace will facilitate the dream and
vision of Dr. Martin Luther King, that dream which still seeks to make
nonviolence an organizing principle in our society, and we can do that
through education, through teaching our children peace-sharing,
peace-giving and mutuality.
"The same power that brought to our nation freedom, bids us to free
ourselves from the shackles of violence through making non-violence a
structured part of the everyday life of our nation - to teach peace, to
teach conflict resolution, to free our homes and to free our communities
of violence, to prove that the American evolution is within and when peace
becomes innermost it then becomes outermost in our communities and in our
nation.
This is the moment when the hand of peace, which seeks to create
conditions where all nations live together and coexist peacefully, is so
needed. America cannot put its foot on the accelerator of war and advocate
peace simultaneously!"
The Department of Peace would be funded by at least 1% of the Department
of Defense budget, according to the bill. So, at the current fiscal
levels, the DoP would operate on $8 billion a year. This legislation is
supported by a variety of groups including Amnesty International, the
National Organization for Women, Physicians for Social Responsibility,
Tikkun and Veterans for Peace.
The Department of Peace bill offers a practical path towards global
co-operation. It provides a roadmap toward the ideal alluded to by Abraham
Lincoln, when he said that the only really effective way to destroy one's
enemies is to transform them into friends. And Edgar Cayce foresaw that
'No longer may any land or nation indicate that they are
self-sufficient," (257-252), and "without [the brotherhood] of
the world there will again come the Armageddon." (900-272).
We are one world, ready or not.
Kucinich was honored with the Annual Gandhi Award in 2003. This
prestigious award, given to a "distinguished peacemaker"for
contributions made in the promotion of international peace and
goodwill," placed Kucinich in the company of recipients such as
Eleanor Roosevelt, Linus Pauling and U Thant. In his acceptance speech,
Kucinich said, "..we can use this power which is within us, this
light inside of our hearts"and let it shine so that this alternative
vision of peace"can be the vision by which our country expresses
itself."
Finally, it appears that we have moved up to "Code: Green" - the
expression of the healing energy of the heart chakra.
Congressman Kucinich answered the following questions:
MAB- Ideally, what role do you see the USA playing in bringing about peace
on earth?
DJK- First of all the United States must end the occupation of Iraq. If it
was wrong for us to invade Iraq, then it is wrong for us to stay there. We
are not stuck. It is time to get the US out and the UN in, and the plan on
my website describes how to do that in 90 days.
We need to reach out to the world community to create a context for
international security. There is nothing so powerful as when people unite
in a vision of a world that co-operates, a world at peace, a world of
prosperity, a world of love. It is only through international cooperation
that the United States can be truly safe. We need to reconnect with the
nations of the world and create a new fabric of peace.
MAB -What can individuals do in their own lives to help bring about peace
on earth?
DJK- The kind of peace that we seek in the world is the kind of peace that
we seek in our homes, as well. The hymn is quite true, 'Let there be peace
on earth and let it begin with me.'
Each of us has a responsibility to seek a peaceful context within our own
lives. The place that we work that out is within our own homes. Those
close relationships so central to our lives give us a chance to learn
about developing peace, to learn about cooperation, about reconciliation,
about the power of love, and about how love does surpass all. We can
create peace in the world if it starts within our own family. It is
important to bring the peace that is in our own hearts into the public
forum.
The media, it seems, is addicted to war, and then war becomes a
self-fulfilling prophecy. Suppose individuals acted from a different
paradigm? From a place of the certainty of inevitable peace? The advancing
tide of this world is toward human unity. We have the opportunity to
consciously choose a new direction, and the most powerful agent for change
is the human heart.
In the book of Isaiah, we are urged to be repairers of the breach. Our
work for peace will be strengthened when we repair the breach within our
own society"This is about healing our world. This is about what is
called in the Jewish faith, tikkun olam. We must begin this process of
reconciliation and healing. We must be repairers of the breach, and we can
help to repair the breach by creating a nation which stands for jobs for
all, health care for all, education for all! Let's use this as a moment to
lift up America!
MAB- What kind of future do you see for the USA ten or fifteen years from
now, and what kind of changes will we need to make to arrive at that
future?
DJK- We must have confidence in the authenticity of our dreams. I see a
bright future where we have lifted up the Spirit of America to soar above
poverty, racism, joblessness, and fear. Where we have created a nation and
a world where we celebrate the rights of all people. I would do this
through a presidency that spells the end of fear and the beginning of
hope, through a WPA type program that puts millions back to work
rebuilding bridges, libraries, schools and universities, through a program
where every American has health care. My vision includes an America where
pre-K and college education is available to anyone who wants it, for free.
My vision of America includes using our technological genius to create new
solutions in sustainability instead of more weapons. We need to take our
country in a new direction where peace and prosperity can exist
simultaneously."
In The Psychic Side of the American Dream, Robert W. Krajenke says
"According to Manly Palmer Hall, the dream and the goal of the
ancient seers was the eventual revival of an enlightened and democratic
world order based upon the Atlantean ideal of spiritual awareness,"
and goes on to ask, "But how can you and I lift the consciousness of
America? Perhaps the answer can be found in the words of Jesus, 'If I be
lifted up, I draw all men to me."
We all have experienced the magnetic draw to a person with an optimistic
attitude. In my first opportunity to hear Dennis Kucinich speak, I felt
the goose-bump-producing truth of this when I heard him say, "In
physics there is a process known as entrainment, in which lower
frequencies will attune to a higher vibrating frequency. In a sense, what
a president or any leader should be doing is to set the highest possible
tone for the nation, and lifting everyone up. And this should be done with
a sense of compassion and purpose, keeping focused on what you are trying
to create."
Krajenke continues, a "factor that can cause us to lose sight of our
true spiritual nature is the long-cherished faith of Americans in the
hardware of war. Defense has its place in the structure of balance
designed by our Founding Fathers, but weaponry, like materialism, has
become for many of us a 'false god,' we place in it the faith and give it
the respect that would more properly be rendered to the (Divine) and the
mystical awareness of (Its) presence in our lives." Congressman
Kucinich points out the manifestation of this imbalance in our society:
"When our children fail competency tests the schools lose funding.
When our missiles fail tests, we increase funding."
It has been said that the measure of the maturity and compassion of a
nation is in how it treats its children. Current war expenditures threaten
to smother our children and grandchildren in a legacy of debt that reaches
far into the future.
"Perhaps," says Krajenke, "we should gear up the nation not
for war, but for mysticism. Why not, if a mystic is the most appropriate
channel through which the power of God can flow?" Mystic Matthew Fox,
says, "I agree with Dennis Kucinich that the evolution of our species
requires a conscious effort to train ourselves in peace-making and not
just war-making... I see in Dennis"an optimistic belief that our country
can regain its initial values--values that are not about conquering the
world and becoming the world's judge and policeman, but that lead through
respect--respect of the environment, of women, of oppressed and poor
people--the wellsprings for true grassroots democracy" and a call to
authentic citizenship in our world today, one that can appeal to the best
in us..."
A selection of luminaries endorsing Kucinich and his ideals reads like the
speaker list from an A.R.E./Edgar Cayce Conference catalogue: Dr. Patch
Adams, Jean Shinoda Bolen, Arun Gandhi, Andrew Harvey, Corinne McLaughlin
and Gordon Davidson, and John Robbins, among others. Swami Beyondananda
says "Backing Dennis Kucinich is the first step in putting the
Cultural Creatives on the map as a political force"(Kucinich) is already
breaking through the "Irony Curtain" and speaking clearly for
the Silenced Majority" Imagine a government that did OUR bidding instead
of the bidding of the highest bidder!"
"We have finally found a politician who stands up for what is right
and cannot be bought or sold," say Nancy Thurlback and Sidney
Kirkpatrick (author of the bestselling Edgar Cayce: An American Prophet.)
"We personally are not into party politics and are neither Democrat
nor Republican. It just happens that Dennis Kucinich is the first
politician that we feel is worth even attending a meeting for, let alone
putting time and energy into supporting."
Former flower children Jose Arguelles, Ben &Jerry's Ben Cohen, Ram
Dass, Wayne Dyer, Willie Nelson and Pete Seeger spice up Dennis' eclectic
mix of spiritual supporters. And Kucinich counts Shirley MacLaine,
godmother to his college-age daughter, among his supporters.
Kucinich's campaign symbols for five consecutive winning elections have
all been variations on the image of light. His destiny number, in
numerology, is 11, a master number considered to be the number of the
lightbearer.
Kucinich's natal chart pegs him as a "spiritual warrior," an
astrological phrase often used to describe the mixture of energetics
between Aries (planet of war and his ascendant) and Pisces (the
"spiritual" sign, and the location of his moon.) Moon in Pisces
is indicative of great compassion, which Kucinich demonstrates. His grand
trine in fire signs with his Aries ascendant, his Pluto and his South Node
indicates energy for transformation, leadership and creativity, springing
from deep talents from the past. This grand trine is currently being
energized by his progressed sun moving toward his South Node, continuing
for roughly the next two years. Kucinich's 7th house Mars, bringing
assertive transformation through co-operation and partnership, trines the
sun in the US chart. With the US sun positioned at Kucinich's nadir, he
has the energy of Capricorn (the ruler of politicians) at his midheaven to
lift up the United States.
One of the most fascinating astrological aspects of the chart is the trine
between Dennis' Chiron (the healer) and Uranus. Indicative of unusual ways
of thinking and communication, this would also relate to his penchant for
imagery in his speeches and campaigns that relate to the healing power of
light. Kucinich's Uranus is conjunct the US Mars, indicating that his
unique rhetoric could effect a quick turn away from aggressive policies.
These planets create a grand trine with the US moon, showing that through
unusual kinds of thinking and communication, Dennis' chart is perfectly
positioned to bring balance and healing to the heart and soul of America.
Even color trends, a subtle indication of the deepest portions of the
psyche of the nation, herald a new direction. The Color Marketing Group
sees current color trends being more "therapeutic and
nurturing," and more "clear and pure and driven by a need for
more whites, lights and translucence," throughout 2004. Perhaps this
is a deep soul level response to the desire to shed more light on current
national and global situations. The palette even features a new color
called "Peace," described as a "unifying global blue that
represents peace on earth," perhaps signaling that the national
consciousness is ready to embrace the tenets of peace.
Perhaps this is the result of the pointed contrast of the current
administration which has carved out a void that is finally ready to accept
spiritual politics.
As my daughter said about Kucinich, "he is into peace, you know, mom,
like back in the 60's!"
I know, indeed. And where have all the flower children gone, (long time
passing)? After we spent the 60's protesting, we went on to raising
families, developing careers and many of us explored various paths of
spiritual development. Now here we stand at the beginning of the
Millennium. Less angry than we were in the sixties, I like to think that
many of us have finally learned that focusing on what we do want is more
likely to have the desired result than fighting against what we don't
want. More connected with spirit, we seem to have spiraled upward to the
next level of consciousness in politics. And Dennis Kucinich's ideals
reflect this perspective in the choice of his campaign theme song - John
Lennon's "Imagine."
"Imagine all the people living life in peace""
Finally, politics with soul - a very good sign on the path to the missing
Peace.
Meryl
Ann Butler
MerylAnnButler@aol.com
is a modern day renaissance woman. A professional artist since 1974, she
is also a writer, labyrinth builder, workshop facilitator, traditional
drawing and painting teacher, citizen diplomat, contemporary fiber artist
and mother of a daughter and seven stepchildren.
www.creativespirit.net/MabArt
This
article may be posted or reprinted in its entirety when the following
information is included:
Edgar Cayce, Dennis Kucinich and Spiritual Politics: the Search For The
Missing Peace c. 2004 Meryl Ann Butler. MerylAnnB@aol.com.
See also:
http://www.awarenessmag.com/sepoct3.html/so3_finally_politics_with.html
http://www.kucinich.us/movies/lightamerica.swf
http://www.labyrinthonline.com/djk_quilt.html
http://www.labyrinthonline.com/mab_oya.html
