An Invitation to You!
from
The Prayer Vigil for the Earth
Saturday, September 29 through Sunday, September 30, 2012
Washington Monument Grounds
Washington, DC
at 15th St, NW and
Constitution Avenue, NW
Greetings!,
We are happy to invite you to enjoy and celebrate the 20th annual Prayer Vigil for the Earth where the theme is "Harmony with the Earth and Harmony with each other around the Circle.”
We welcome you to join our community, which is comprised of people from diverse spiritual and religious traditions who share their ancient ceremonies with each other. Our gathering is a 100% volunteer event and we hope you will co-create with us a weekend dedicated to mutual respect, learning, healing, and love.
- The Peace Village is designed in a circle to mirror the shape of our Earth.
- A
fire burns in the center of the circle like a fire burns in the center
of the Earth. The circle and the fire symbolize life. They are
sacred.
- You enter the sacred Peace Village through the East Gate, place of the rising sun.
- There
are many activities going on in the Peace Village. There is an area for
Silent Prayer for the Earth, a Children's Tipi, an Elder's Tipi, a
chanting/singing tipi, a labyrinth, receive healing in Jyorei tipi, do
prayers around the Hindu Yantra, a Tibetan stupa, Christian and African
altars and a Jewish Sukkah. All of these can be visited.
There is also a enriching program going on at the microphone.
- Everyone you see has volunteered their time and talents.
- Often there are children playing and adults talking quietly.
- The entire community dances, chants or participates in story telling at periodic intervals.
- Enjoy the wonderful evening programs under the stars with an opportunity to pray around the fire all night.
Everyone
is invited to bring their musical instruments, songs, prayers, and
chants on Sunday from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM as we create the sound of
people in Celebration and Prayer for Peace on Earth.
Click here to see our schedule of activities for 2012.
The Prayer Vigil for the Earth has met annually since 1993 arising from a vision on how to bring harmony to the peoples of the earth. Each year we meet to:
- Seek Unity where there has been Division
- Understanding instead of Conquering
- Honoring where the need to Covet has prevailed
We come together to do this to seek out that commonality which links us to each other, the earth and to that expression of highest principle, which each tradition recognizes and yearns to share with each other.
- From the Native Peoples – “We are all related”
- From the Christian tradition – “Where two or more are gathered in God’s name”
- From the Jewish and Islamic traditions – “There is only one God”
- And from all other traditions not mentioned – “Unity and Understanding”
At the 2012 Prayer Vigil we are asking everyone to do the following:
- To raise the level of tolerance to pioneer in a new consciousness.
- To leave the dogma and proselytizing behind.
- To allow yourself the opportunity to stretch to see other points of view.
- To do more than share your faiths, traditions and customs – take it to the next level of honoring diversity.
- To stretch beyond our own comfort zones to participate in the grand experiment to practice tolerance and peace.
- To listen.
- To be respectful and honor others without judgment.
- To focus on our commonalities.
- To focus on our relationship with the earth.
- To let go of differences and separateness.
- To BE in the place we are CHOSING to co-create.
- To invite and encourage youth dialogues.
- To participate in interfaith, multi-cultural dialogue.
Participate in the search for that which unites us and does not divide us.
To see our schedule of events for the 2012 Prayer Vigil for the Earth, please click here.
Thank you all for coming and for your support over the last 20 years!
The Prayer Vigil for the Earth
