Sabine Lichtenfels - Spiritual Work

To all Peaceworkers,

Over and over again the Earth is in uproar. She is agitated. It is hard to bear the images that we see in the news about Haiti. The women and men lying in the debris, the children that could be our own. What can we do? Is there a responsible contribution for healing? Would it have been possible for a warning system to give an alarm about the approaching earthquake?

Once again we come to the question of whether the Earth can still be saved.

Pictures from the Tsunami in 2004 came to my mind. Why was it that the indigenous people and the animals were able to save themselves? How come we are not able to be aware and hear the organism Earth?

Finally, are we aware of the Earth as a living organism and are we aware that the life of the "rich western world" could have a lot to do with the victims in totally different parts of the world?

In the interview "It is a curse but not a fate", about the catastrophe of the earthquake in Haiti, and after an extensive overview of Haiti's history, Haiti expert Claude Ribbe said: "It is so horrible in Haiti because people live on one or two dollars a day and simply cannot afford a roof over their heads. Floods after hurricanes are especially bad in Haiti since under colonial rule the country was completely deforested and turned into one huge sugarcane plantation. To work the plantations, 50.000 slaves were imported from Africa every year. No wonder that only one day after the quake, the rumour of an approaching Tsunami creates a second wave of panic. All of these Haitian dramas keep feeding the vicious circle of underdevelopment and external paternalism, of oppression and violence, of exploitation and misery." As a text of empowerment, I have chosen an excerpt from the book "GRACE - Pilgrimage for a Future without War". As far as I am concerned, the words are as pertinent today as they were when I first wrote them in 2005. It is an appeal I wrote when taking off to go on my first pilgrimage in 2005.

Text of Empowerment

First letter of a pilgrim: My Steps against War – Creating Perspective for Peace

From: Grace - Pilgrimage for Future without War, by Sabine Lichtenfels. Meiga Publishing 2006

Before leaving for the pilgrimage I sent the following appeal out to our network: “If we want to survive the ecological and social crisis which we have brought about, we would be well advised to embark on entirely new and dramatic community ventures”.

(Lynn Margulis)

The Earth is in upheaval. The Tsunami carried off more than 300.000 lives. (...) Never before have there been so many wars on Earth. Very bravely we Germans still speak of the post-war period as one of peace for over 60 years. What do we have to do with the suffering on the other side of the world? How closely is my own well-being in my part of the world connected to the suffering in other parts? Very close! Is it my duty to think about this? Yes. Yet are we aware that human beings are the cause of the trouble and that we have to also develop the intelligence to put an end to it?

(...)

If we do want to change the world, then we shall have to change ourselves. External peace can only come about if we are capable of creating peace within. Those who are against the war need a workable vision for peace. The globalisation of violence will only be overcome by a realistic globalisation of peace. What the well known biologist, Lynn Magulis, formulated, namely, that we would be forced to undertake entirely new, dramatic community ventures has now become an imperative for us. From my longstanding community experience I know, that at first we have to create social structures that allow peace and trust to become possible. Create systems for living together and for trusting each other in which war does not exist anymore! Another life is possible!

Already now!

(...)

From my spiritual research I know, that if we want to be successful, we have to listen to the voice of life and the voice of nature. I am thinking of the Tsunami. I see before me the village elder Salaman of the indigenous tribe Morgan, who lives on an island off Thailand. Before the Tsunami tidal wave hit their island he instinctively followed his inner voice, took his people up a mountain and saved them all. What was it that had warned him? Or, the animals which survived? Why were they able to save themselves? Since a long time non-violent communication and cooperation with animals has been part of our peace concept. Animals are animated frequency and information carriers and form part of the worldwide peace syndicate, if only they are integrated in a good way.

Power Sentence: Those who are against the war need a vision for peace.

With best wishes!

Sabine Lichtenfels