I have imagined an inclusive sanctuary that supports a place of meditation, a retreat for contemplation. I have dreamed of a place of peace and a place of healing with brilliant gardens and quiet walking trails, and I have envisioned in this same place a coming together of disciplines in shared refuge. When a Buddhist comes to Spirit First, she is at home. When a Hindu priest or a Christian minister is here, he is at home. Jewish music, Islamic poetry, Native American art...are at home here. Sufis dance. Yogis practice. A visitor walks the labyrinth.
It has become my vision to build such a place and I am now founding Spirit First Incorporated, a nonprofit organization in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The official launching of Spirit First is set for July 19, 2008. On that same day I will be hosting a fundraising celebration in Silver Spring, Maryland. Opening ceremonies will include prayers and blessings from several disciplines—monks and priests and nuns who are Buddhist, Hindu, Christian, Jewish, Islamic, and Native American. Throughout the day we will have musicians playing and singing in classical, new-age, and spiritual genres. We will be serving Indian, Caribbean, Ethiopian, and American cuisines, which will also include vegetarian and vegan fare. Friends are beginning to plan to attend this event and we have guests coming from Delaware, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and, of course, Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.
You are welcome to join us. Please contact me for more information.
In the coming days and weeks I will keep you posted on the progress of our plans and the becoming of Spirit First.
art by permission
rassouli
2 comments:
you are living as your nature would have you. i see no fear, i hear no cursing, i taste no bitterness, i smell nothing foul, i touch nothing unpleasant.
may the ceremony fill every heart with abundance.
This is a fabulous celebration!!!
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