Hold vigil with me?

This is not an art-related story; rather a “here we are, and what do we do now?” moment.

So I wanted to share something with you that I’m creating, in collaboration with The Anima Collective—a Vigil for Peace, to be held during the evenings next week. We are inviting people to meditate or pray for peace in response to all that’s happening in the world. The suffering and violence in the Middle East are weighing on our spirits, and we are hoping to activate loving people to hold space for healing and reconciliation. Please read below for details on how to participate.

---

Vigil for Peace

Evenings of Monday, Oct 16 - Friday, Oct 20

Join us in a vigil for peace, a time of prayer or meditation to support those who are suffering as a result of the conflict in the Middle East. It’s a simple ritual that you can do from anywhere, alone or with friends. We invite you to meditate or pray for peace for a few minutes each evening during the week of October 16th, sending love to all who are impacted by the violence; and holding space for true healing and reconciliation. As you do this practice, we encourage you to focus your energy on being in service to our human brothers and sisters around the world.

Here are some suggested steps for this practice:

• find a quiet place

• light a candle

• repeat the prayer below (or your own) for several minutes

• close your session with gratitude and snuff out the candle

You can do your practice at any time, on any of these days. We suggest joining us in the evenings at a consistent time (for example, after you finish work, before dinner, or before going to bed). Feel free to also share an image of your candle and invite others to join you in the vigil.

Suggested prayer / mantra:

We ask for peace; we ask for an end to separation, division, and violence.

We have compassion for all who are suffering and experiencing pain.

We send love to everyone who is grieving.

We hold space for true healing and reconciliation.

May peace come quickly.