Pray for Peace

I was in a store in Reno recently named The Melting Pot. Betsy and the girls call it the hippie store, which meant I would probably be right at home. I was on the way to Whole Foods to get a supplement to help me clear my very congested lungs and I knew the Melting Pot was on the way, so I stopped in. There was a decent selection of candles and an excellent selection of incense, lots of tie dyed clothing, alot of jewelry and some cute gifts. They had a back room, sporting a big sign "18 and Older Only", which housed a wide variety of bongs and other smoking paraphernalia. No books, which kind of surprised me. But the find of the decade for me was a line of perfume oils by Auric Blend. I had been given some as a gift in the mid nineties, used up my bottle in about 5 years,(yes, it lasted that long), but have never seen it in stores since. I was so excited to find it and even more excited that it was only $6 a bottle. Well, the Melting Pot did not have the fragrance I wanted but told me I could probably find it on the Auric Blend website, which would be much cheaper than if they special ordered the one I wanted. Score.

I went to the website today and ordered my favorite scent, still reasonable at $7 a bottle and cheap to ship via USPS. In 3-5 days I will be smelling like a slice of heaven. Yeah!

While I was on the website, I checked out the "about" section of the company and on it there was the following piece, which moved me so much I am compelled to share it with you:

Why do we say Pray for Peace?

The definition of peace that most of us are familiar with is the absence of war or other hostilities. But peace has a much broader meaning and deeper context. Peace also means freedom from disagreement and nonharmonious relations. It means inner contentment and serenity, freedom from strife. It also suggests silence, tranquility and the absence of mental stress or anxiety.

And so when we say Pray for Peace, we don’t only mean an end to violent conflict around the world or in our cities or neighborhoods. We mean praying for peace of mind, praying for a serene existence, praying for harmony in all our relations and a prayer for the world that we may learn to accept all ideologies and focus on what we have in common, instead of scrutinizing our differences. Peace is equal to compassion.

We believe that people would benefit from cultivating peace in some form in their everyday life. Where and how can peace be cultivated? The earth is truly the foundation of our existence. Without the oxygen in the air, without water and dirt to grow our food we could not survive. Peace can be cultivated by respecting the planet, planting seeds or trees, recycling and using healthy cleaning products.

Meditation cultivates a peaceful state of mind and promotes compassion, respect and honesty. Take up your practice today, and send out a prayer for peace.

Namaste and have a great day!