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The Pray for Peace Altar
Please visit the newly installed Pray for Peace on-line sanctuary. This temple exists only in cyberspace. Please add your prayers for loved ones to the POW prayer circle, partake of herbal medicines with respect and thanksgiving, and contemplate the Spiritual Roadmap provided by the New American Church Association.
Link to PF Altar
The New American Church Association's
Spiritual Roadmap for the Respectful Use of Marijuana
by Guy Mount
Take herbs with prayer -- Thank God for pot.
Avoid alcohol and other manufactured drugs.
Seek a personal vision and follow a path with heart.
Attend an earthcircle -- Sing, dance and play music.
Get your identity from the earth, not an empire.
Honor all your relatives -- Plants, animals and people.
Use your power to make things better for everybody.
Be part of the solution -- Respect, protect and perpetuate Mother Earth.
Make Love, Not War -- Forgive your enemies.
Clean your house, tend the garden, study hard and support your family.
Practice the Golden Rule -- Be cheerful, friendly and kind.
Take time-out for yourself.
Support NACA through the Sweetlight bookstore
(this site is off line, does anyone have a new address?)
Sweetlight Books offers works of poetry, fiction and non-fiction, concerning sacred plants and the medicine path. Titles include:
The Benefits of Marijuana, Physical, Psychological and Spiritual Joan Bello, 1996, 160 pages, $13
The Marijuana Mystery, A Love Story from Northern California Guy Mount, 1996, 160 pages, $10
The Peyote Book, A Study of Native Medicine Compiled and edited by Guy Mount, 1993, 144 pages, $10.
Canyon de Chelly: The Timeless Fold, Navajo History and Environment Conger Beasley, Jr, 1988, 128 pages, $9
Not for Innocent Ears Spiritual Traditions of a Desert Cahuilla Medicine Woman" Ruby Modesto and Guy Mount, 1986, 128 pages, $10
PRAYERS FOR SEPTEMBER
om tryambakam yajamahe
sugandhim pustivardhanam
urvarukamiva bandhanan
mrtyor muksiya ma mrtat
A prayer to Lord Shiva: We adore the Father of the three worlds, Tryambaka of auspicious fame, increaser of fullness and strength. Grant me that at the time of death, I may cling to you, just as the cucumber clings to the vine.
premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena
santah sadaiva hridayesu vilokayanti
yam syamasundaram acintya-guna-svarupam
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
A prayer to Lord Krishna from the Brahma-samhita (text 38): I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is Syamasundar, Krishna Himself with inconceivable innumerable attributes, whom the pure devotees see in their heart of hearts with the eye of devotion tinged with the salve of love.
LEGALIZE! MANIFESTO's
6 REASONS Why the Prohibition of Drugs Must End--
Prohibition is by far the largest cause of crime.
The economic and financial damage caused by prohibition is enormous.
Prohibition causes social and personal harm on a worldwide scale.
Prohibition doesn't have any of its intended effects.
Moral standards are declining because of prohibition.
The actual health problem which prohibition is supposed to solve is minor in comparison to other health problems.
For state-by-state election info., go to the Legalize! web site
NOVEMBER COALITION STATEMENT
We are a growing body of citizens whose lives have been gravely affected by our government's present drug policy. Our goal is to make our voice heard, expose the folly of America's War on Drugs and demand change in current policy. . . .
We seek to enlighten people about unjust sentencing laws, the increasing turmoil in the federal judiciary and about the manner in which politics are turned into law - bad law particularly - in ways inconsistent with safeguarding our essential freedoms. Our message is important, a case of now or never, and it is vital for our readers to comprehend that government is not society, but only a societal tool. That concept has been reversed and it is time to get it straight again.
Visit the November Coalition
PRAYERS FOR OCTOBER
Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof; and these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving. --Peyote Way Church of God, Arizona
My mission is to bring freedom to the world. I hold an intention for everyone to embody freedom. --Affirmation from Marshall House
Why is my liberty judged of another man's conscience? For if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that which I give thanks. Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. --I Corinthians 10: 29-31
Morning Star Woman
by Guy Mount
Out in the garden growing
like a goddess from the ground
there stands a woman singing
in a green and golden gown
I love to see her lift her arms
and greet the rising sun
her flowers opened by the moon
and now, her gardener's sound
I've come to till the soil
that merges with her feet
and give her roots a gentle touch
of moisture, sweet and deep
And when it's time to harvest
the flowers, stalk and seeds
I'll thank this lady kindly
for meeting all my needs
President Clinton in Mexico
On a recent visit to Mexico, President Clinton acknowledged America's appalling drug problem when he told his audience, "With less than five percent of the world's population, the United States consumes nearly half of the world's illicit drugs."
The Enemy is Us
Robert H. Dowd, Lieutenant Colonel, USAF-Ret., author of, "The Enemy Is Us: How to Defeat Drug Abuse and End the War on Drugs," said, "The legacy of drug prohibition has been crime, violence, guns and corruption. We have greater drug use today than when all drugs were legal and very available. . . . The American people can regain control of drugs in America by demanding a complete repeal of drug prohibition and concentrating on reduction in demand. This will help eradicate the entire illegal drug enterprise--cartels, drug lords and drug dealers. Moreover, our children will no longer be enticed into drug use by juveniles in drug gangs. Yes, the American family needs to be rejuvenated but first, we must stop this violent drug war, bind our wounds, and stop the bleeding."
PFPF News comments: Amen! To obtain a copy of "The Enemy is Us," go to Amazom.com, or any fine bookstore. Available in paperback.
Forfeiture Bill Wending through Congress
MPP (Marijuana Policy Project) informs us that U.S. Rep Henry Hyde introduced a humanitarian reform bill (H.R. 1835) intended to curb unconstitutional forfeiture laws. However, according to a report in High Times magazine (March 98, p. 70), the Justice Department has subsequently sabotaged the bill and turned it around, so that if it passes now it will make forfeiture laws even more oppressive than they were before.
Read High Times for the latest on legislative controversies and give generously to MPP, our lobbyists on the Hill.
To contact Congress: Congressional Switchboard (202) 225-3121 (tell them where you live and they will connect you).
To contact MPP: P.O. Box 77492, Capitol Hill, Washington, DC 20013; MPP.org
To read High Times on-line go to Hight Times
Christmas List Ideas
CHA, the Coalition for Hemp Awareness, sells Navajo hemp rugs, weavings, paintings, medicine bags and Kachina dolls in their Scottsdale gallery. These goods are authentic & collectible. Bring your gold card (prices are high due to the laws against hemp cultivation). For more information, contact the international CHA headquarters, P.O. Box 9068, Chandler Heights, AZ 85227; tel.: (602) 988-9355, or the CHA Gallery, 7101 E. Stetson, Scottsdale, AZ 85251; tel.: (602) 675-0287.
December Feature Article:
Join Pray for Peace in a Hindu Christmas
What do Hindus do at Christmas? Frankly, nothing. Their major holidays are in Summer (Janmastami, the birth of Lord Krishna) an in Fall (Diwali, the return of Rama from exile), so how to get in the holiday gift-giving spirit?
The editors at the Himalayan Institute offer a suggestion in their December issue of Hinduism Today. Their guru, Swami Subramuniyaswami, prescribes a gift-giving festival called Pancha Ganapati. "Pancha" means "five" and "Ganapati" is the elephant head god, so it refers to a form of Ganesh with five heads. During each of the five days before Christmas, the family observes a special sadhana, or spiritual discipline. They dress or decorate the statue of Ganesh in a different color each day, symbolizing his five shaktis, or powers, and come together to sing songs about Ganesh, offer sweets, and give presents to the children. The children place the gifts in front of Ganesh to be opened on Christmas day.
Dec. 21, yellow: Make an altar to Pancha Ganapati and invoke his spirit through traditional puja [worship]. When Lord Ganapati is spiritually present, the family of worshipers come together to discuss and make amends for any wrongs committed to each other over the year, and then exchange gifts.
Dec. 22, blue: The second day is devoted to extending the feeling of harmony to friends and relations outside the home. Family members may write letters and make phone calls to reach loved ones far away.
Dec. 23, red: The third day is for creating harmony with business associates, customers, fellow workers, employers and employees, by giving gifts and thanks.
Dec. 24, green: The fourth day is to appreciate the joy and harmony that come from music, art, drama and dance. Friends and relatives share and appreciate their artistic gifts. They gather before Lord Ganesh to discuss dharma [religion] and how to bring more cultural refinement into the home.
Dec. 25, orange: On the final day, the family prays for love and harmony throughout the universe. Because of the five days of prayer and gratitude, they can rejoice in Lord Ganesh's mercy and experience an outpouring of love from the great god himself. His blessings fill the home and the hearts of everyone in it.
To reach the Himalayan Institute & Hinduism Today
Meet Ganesh
Ancient Hindu scriptures state that when Shiva, Lord of the Dance, returned to his wife after many years of austerity, he found her speaking to a young man in their home. Assuming himself betrayed, Shiva became enraged and beheaded the young man, only to discover that the youth was his son. Repentant, Shiva replaced the boy's head with that of an elephant. Ganesh is a symbol of luck, prosperity and success. Hindus believe that abundance will come to the home in which a Ganesh is placed because they affectionately regard him as the most powerful remover of obstacles. There is an interesting connection between the much-adored and respected Ganesh and Lord Jesus (Christmas' real reason) as the SON of God. Lord Ganesh is the SON too, of Lord Shiva, an avatar of the highest degree. Both are also worshipped and depicted at times as babies in their mothers' arms--Mother Mary and Srimati Durgadevi.
Pray for Peace News est. 1995
Pray for Peace News was founded to spread awareness, education and devotion to the Great and Holy Mystery that is God. We accept all paths as true; all religions are but branches of the same tree. We promote interfaith dialogue and exchange programs to develop tolerance between religions.
Pray for Peace News is dedicated to nonviolence (vegetarian diet) and daily meditation. Pray for Peace News editors are committed to the legalization of sacred natural medicines for spiritual healing, for all people.
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