"May there be peace in the North;
May there be peace in the South;
May there be peace in the West;
May there be peace in the East.
May there be peace throughout the whole world."
___ Druidic blessing given to the four directions
The giving of peace to the directions symbolically actually changes the whole ambiance of a circle meeting, and the relationship of the people within it to each other and to all that lies beyond its limits. It is a calling together or re-formation of a primal web of unity and harmony that individual and corporate acts have torn or fragmented.
When we open to sacred space and focus spiritually, we first need to put ourselves in right relationship to the whole world, in both its seen and unseen aspects. To proceed without some act of truce, some easing of earthly anxieties and expectations, is to proceed unprepared, to view the sacred heart of the ceremony, prayer, or meeting, through the eyes of our fears and disquietings.
The circle itself is a restatement of the web of life, of connection and unity. Whenever we meet together in this way, we potentially recreate its delicate networks of connection. Even within each encounter with another person, we have to carry this intention of peacefulness, to send over to that person a thread that can become a pathway to peace. If we meet in anger, disgust, or scorn, we sever all possible connections that can exist between us. When we have learned what maintains us within the circle of life, then we are able to be in right relationship to its supporting web.
"Create your own act of reconciliation with the apparent and unseen worlds, for use beforee you open sacred space."
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]
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