Spring Equinox 2023

Dear Friends on the Path,

We are delighted to welcome Spring Equinox and hope to grow our connection with you through mindfulness practices. In this moment, we want to send a heartfelt thank you to Mary Mullaney, our former Board President and the co-founder of Cultivating Peace Vermont. In 2020, Ginger Cloud and Mary Mullaney started Cultivating Peace Vermont during the fall our of the COVID global pandemic in order to keep a local source of refuge active in a virtual space.
Over the past two years, Mary has been instrumental in offering community dharma book groups, deep relaxations, walking meditations, and spiritual guidance for Cultivating Peace Vermont. Although Mary will no longer be on our Board of Directors, she will continue with the dharma book groups, and we hope other mindfulness practices offered through Cultivating Peace Vermont.
In 2022, Cultivating Peace Vermont offered over 40 community based mindfulness actions, practicing with approximately 555 community members, and we are excited to meet this year with fresh practices to nourish peace. We welcome our newest Board Member Kathryn Tufano, a meditation practitioner and community activist. Jayne Collins, is our new BOD President, Ginger Cloud, is our BOD secretary, and Kathryn Tufano, is our BOD Treasurer. May we walk together in care and connection.

Spring Equinox: Beauty within the Blossom
Monday, March 20, 6-7pm, Online
Welcome to our Spring Equinox meditation. We will be joining together to appreciate the beginning of a renewal and a transformational time of year, coming out of the darkness of the winter and into increasing light.

Join us for a guided Spring Meditation by Brother Phap Linh of Plum Village to be followed by discussion of Spring Insights.

Cultivating Peace Vermont is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Spring Equinox, Time: Mar 20, 2023 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82595274533?pwd=S1lMSERQa0hSNjN4dFpFU3lBRkhqdz09
Meeting ID: 825 9527 4533
Passcode: 032529

When Spring arrives, it brings with her a special time of year, the Spring Equinox! This is a unique time of year where there is almost exactly the same amount of daylight and night darkness. It is a time of transformation and renewal. We feel a deep and rich breath of freshness and nourishment that seeps into our soul that only Spring can bring. It is a time of awakening from the winter darkness. Right on cue, by nature and humans; seeds are prepared, planted and cared for during this time. With longer days to come, the sun warms the soil to bring new life as well as light into our hearts. Most elegantly, leaves unfurl and blossoms open, liberating a multitude of fragrances and releasing pollen into the world and an abundance of nature’s songs bring a symphony to our ears.

The Daffodil signals the arrival of spring and represents forgiveness, trust, honesty and true love. Thay reminds us, “In April, we cannot see sunflowers in France, so we might say the sunflowers do not exist. But the local farmers have already planted thousands of seeds, and when they look at the bare hills, they may be able to see the sunflowers already. The sunflowers are there. They lack only the conditions of sun, heat, rain and July. Just because we cannot see them does not mean that they do not exist.”


May you be peaceful and at ease

May we awaken the beauty within the blossom of life.

In Mindfulness,
Jayne, Kathryn, & Ginger

To Ease Suffering

Tuesday, February 14th from 6-7 pm EST Cultivating Peace Vermont will host an online meditation to ease global suffering. In light of the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, with over 33,000 people killed and hundreds of thousands suffering, we want to extend our spiritual support to ease global pain. We hold with compassion this massive tragedy as well as humanity struggling with daily distress and acts of violence across our planet.

Together we will hear a short teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh on the Avalokiteshvara chant, followed by Plum Village monastics singing the chant. As a community we will engage in mindful listening to ease personal, community, and global suffering. After our meditation practice there will be time for sharing and deep listening.

Topic: To Ease Suffering
Time: Feb 14, 2023 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81844084138?pwd=UmNka3hoRzNDbFRidVREc3UybHZ5Zz09

Meeting ID: 818 4408 4138
Passcode: 915531

NYE Beginning Anew Ceremony

Mary Mullaney of Cultivating Peace Vermont will offer a practice of Beginning Anew with attention to “Flower Watering”, sharing regrets, and our faith aspirations for the coming year.  In this ceremony we will offer gratitude to ourselves for all the  wholesome qualities within that we have manifested and well cultivated over the past year.  In addition we will acknowledge any regrets we have around missed opportunities for personal and spiritual growth.  In conclusion we will share our intentions for furthering our spiritual paths in the coming year.  

If desired, we can also acknowledge and honor the presence of a particular blood ancestor whose spiritual gifts we were able to reap over the past year.  

Secure Zoom Link

Topic: NYE Beginning Anew
Time: Dec 31, 2022 09:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81716277494?pwd=VjZSNEpHbGdvTzVOM1NXRGl2WkM4UT09

Meeting ID: 817 1627 7494
Passcode: 516261

Relax and Prepare for Peace

Saturday December 24, 2022 at 9 am Cultivating Peace Vermont invites you to enjoy an hour of deep relaxation. Start your morning with peacefully greeting your body and planting seeds of self nourishment in your mind. Free, secure zoom session.

Topic: Deep Relaxation
Time: Dec 24, 2022 09:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89130338927?pwd=bVM4QU5BU3paMllhSjdwRWJ3TCtjUT09

Meeting ID: 891 3033 8927
Passcode: 777847

Old Path White Clouds

Book Group is now full, Please email us at cultivatingpeacevermont@gmail.com if you would like to be on the waitlist.

Dear Friends on the Path,

As we notice the gentle shift into cooler nights we know that fall will bring the shedding of leaves and darker days. Our next Dharma Book & Discussion Group Old Path White CloudsWalking in the footsteps of the Buddha by Thich Nhat Hanh starts on Saturday Oct 8th from 9:00am- 10:15am EST.

We have a couple of spaces left, please email as soon as you can to expand your practice through the teachings in this beautiful story of the Buddha’s life. This Dharma Book Group will meet for approximately six months, concluding in April of 2023.

 Contact us to register for this free online Dharma Book & Discussion Group.

Old Path White Clouds

Hello Dear Friends on the Path,

We are delighted to announce our next Dharma Book & Discussion Group Old Path White Clouds, Walking in the footsteps of the Buddha by Thich Nhat Hanh with a start date of Saturday Oct 8th 9:00am- 10:15am. This Dharma Book Group will meet for approximately six months, concluding in April of 2023. Contact us to register for this free online Dharma Book & Discussion Group.

Dharma Book & Discussion Group

Our next community meditation circle/sangha is Sunday August 28th starting at 9:45 am. For more information and the zoom link see our Meditation Circle page.

Lastly, a huge thank you to all that were able to participate live or online in the Earth Keepers performance July 30th. Orca media has made the live stream available (see links below) for viewing on their youtube channel and the play will be broadcast on their Comcast cable channel 1075, Thursdays at 7:00am, Fridays at 9:00pm and Saturdays at 6:00pm through mid September.

https://www.orcamedia.net/show/cultivating-peace-vermont-earth-keepers-530-pm-performance

https://www.orcamedia.net/show/cultivating-peace-vermont-earth-keepers-115-pm-performance

In love and connection,

Cultivating Peace Vermont,

Ginger, Mary, Cathy, & Jayne

Earth Keepers! July 30 1:15 & 5:30 PM EST

Hello Friends! 

The time has come, the Earth Keepers performances are this weekend! Come, enjoy a live performance or tune in via our live stream hosted by ORCA Media! 

Live Performances: Saturday July 30, 1:15 & 5:30 Shows on State House Lawn
Live stream is available through ORCA Media Youtube channel Saturday July 30 at 5:30 EST.

Have you or a loved one been impacted by war? Participate in our Circle of Care at the Earth Keepers musical to ease suffering.
What is a circle of care? A sacred space that will be set up with flowers, an inflatable Earth and bowls of water. This is a space dedicated to those who have suffered from the impact of war. Anyone is invited to write names of people impacted by war on a piece of dissolving paper and offer it to a water bowl. As it disappears we invite the wounds of our ancestors to evaporate and find freedom in the flow of water. 

**If you are unable to attend in person and want to send us name(s) to add to the Circle of Care please email us.

We hope to see you this weekend and thank you for supporting the arts! 
In Kindness,
Ginger Cloud
Treasurer Cultivating Peace Vermont

Welcome Summer!

Dear Friends,

We want to personally invite you to our Earth Keepers Musical July 30, performances at 1:15pm and 5:30pm on the State House Lawn in Montpelier VT. Below is a teaser of one of the nine songs in the participatory 45 minute mindfulness based musical. The performances will be available in person and via livestream through ORCA Media!

Cedar Song from the Earth Keepers Musical

Sunday, June 26th, at 9:45am Mary will be leading our monthly virtual meditation circle. Community meditation is an essential part of nurturing our collective practice. We can easily get discouraged if our meditation practice is done in isolation. When we practice together our meditation and understanding of the dharma blooms like a flower.

This fall we plan to offer an extended dharma book discussion group that will be ongoing throughout the winter and into spring. We are excited to announce our next book will be Old Path White Clouds, Walking in the footsteps of the Buddha by our beloved teacher Thich Nhat Hanh.

In love with our Mother Earth,

Mary, Ginger, Cathy, & Jayne

Cultivating Peace Vermont BOD

Together We Create Peace

Dear Friends on the Path,

We want to invite you to upcoming activities with Cultivating Peace Vermont.

Mondays in May, 12-noon, in-person walking meditation at the State House in Montpelier.

Monday, May 2nd & May 23rd, 7pm Virtual Guided Deep Relaxation

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88502040049?pwd=ZzBDSzhpKzFaVi9DZkxFdXY1LzZUdz09

Meeting ID: 885 0204 0049
Passcode: 117275

Sunday, May 22nd, 9:45am Virtual Community Sangha
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82234518957?pwd=TDRvd3VyYU1vRGt4cHRUckNnWEF6Zz09

Meeting ID: 822 3451 8957
Passcode: 849666

Open Casting Call for Earth Keepers
Earth Keepers is a meditation in song and verse on humans inter-relationship with Earth, intended to be performed outdoors with audience participation.

Email CultivatingPeaceVermont@gmail.com to schedule an audition. Rehearsals are Sundays 1-3pm, in Berlin VT with performances scheduled for Saturday July 30th at the State House Lawn in Montpelier. Live stream will be available via ORCA Media.

We have openings for four singers.

In Kindness & Connection,

Cultivating Peace Vermont

Monday Mindful Walking for Peace

We invite you to engage in walking meditation with us to ease suffering and cultivate peace on Mondays at noon, meeting at the State House walkway in Montpelier. Please enjoy this video of Thay sharing on the importance and power of mindful walking together.