Grace and Brotherly Love

I painted the stone in this photo. On the left is an infinity wheel, representing the eternal whirling of the sacred celestial circle of life. On the right is the word ‘love’ in the ancient Celtic Druidic Ogham writing. Together, the meaning is that the power of love is forever. Nothing is more powerful than love. Although I am quite certain my Irish forebears were Catholic, by the time I was born that tradition had changed in my family. Thus, I did not grow up attending church. And yet, there was always tradition around Easter, and I surely know today what it is. On this Easter Sunday, I am thinking about grace and brotherly love. I am thinking about Ukraine and Russia. Not so much the governments, but the people. One need only to take a brief peruse of world history to come away with the unmistakable truth that human beings have yet to learn how to love one another and live in peace together. From ancient times to the present, we have fought and killed one another over religion, land and power. When will we learn? Ancient, earth-based communal societies had a secret wisdom – they shared everything. No one could pile up endless possessions and gorge themselves while others froze and starved. To do so would be to heap shame upon oneself, such is the way of communal society. The shameless accumulation of enormous monetary wealth and unbridled power is a by-product of a system that has lost touch with the humility and wisdom that comes from a close connection with the earth. It is that connection that shows us the way to grace and brotherly love. It helps us all to see that we are relatives, that we need each other, and that we depend on a healthy earth for our very existence. Will humanity ever find a way to live in peace on this earth? I do not have the answer. But I do know that if we ever do find a way, it will be because the people decide to make a collective decision to stop fighting and destroying each other on behalf of those in power. Again, there are no easy answers. And so, on this Easter Sunday, as I gather with family and friends, my prayer is for peace. My prayer is for the people in Ukraine and the people in Russia. My prayer is for humanity. May we someday, somehow, someway find our way to peace on earth through the eternal power of grace, and brotherly love.

'Of Mist and Stone - A Journey into the Oneness of Two Ancient Worlds'

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