“When there’s happiness in the heart, there’s harmony in the home.
When there’s harmony in the home, there’s order in the nation.
When there’s order in the nation, there’s peace in the world.
When there’s peace in the world, there’s happiness in the heart.” (Repeat)
– Sufi song

Last week I attended a conference, “The Inner Dimensions of Climate Change: A Retreat for Young Contemplatives” hosted by the Global Peace Initiative of Women and the Dharma Drum Retreat Center in Pine Bush, New York. Though I’m still processing all the wonderment from four days of intense conversation and singing and dancing and documentary-viewing with 50 people from many different corners of the country, I can say that it was spiritually grounding, reinforcing, and enlivening.

The song above was shared by one of the attendees, and it captures the essence of the conference–peace begins in the mirror, in our own heart. It’s to be sung round and round so that you keep looping together the interconnectedness between your own peace and the peace and healing of the planet. Without the former, you can’t have the latter. When the heart is happy, it has a much better chance of affecting healing, positive change for the earth.

[Image via: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Planet_Love.gif]

Like what you see? Click here to subscribe and get Fresh Living in your in-box every day.