New Year’s Eve evokes many visions. Friends, partying, joy, food, laughter. Mine was filled with a gentle excitement filled with laughter, smiles, and prayers. But after the celebration waned and all was quiet, I pondered the energy of peace. I awoke this morning in the same spirit that I went to sleep. So, as I contemplate the new year ahead, I think about ancient cultures and their philosophy of peace.

In my studies of indigenous spirituality and culture, I’ve noticed that peace is a common prayer. It is the goal that should be sought in every moment of life. Everyone has their own vision of peace. In indigenous cultures, peace is harmony. It is contentment. But the wise ones know that peace is sometimes filled with dissident notes that call our attention to something new. They would also teach that the experience of contentment is not without the possibility of uncomfortable events that serve to shake our souls and usher in growth. Watch Full Movie Online Streaming Online and Download

As such, peace is not the denial of feelings or emotion. Nor is it a forced sense of hazy happiness. In fact, peace is balance. Peace is thought and emotions balanced in the heart. And while we grasp peace as a personal concept, it is also all encompassing. It is universal. Ultimate peace is balance in the universe. And in the full circle of life and all that is, universal peace begins within. As Buddha has taught, “Peace comes from within.  Do not seek it without.” And it is when we, the universe of we, have inner peace that we begin to experience and observe true peace in our outer lives.

As we begin the new year, may you be filled with peace – the powerful kind that emanates your being and showers our Earth with the joyful promise of compassion-filled balance and harmony. Happy New Year of Peace.