Flags fly in rain, shine, sleet, snow and wind

The Solstice is almost upon us. This seasonal transition from darkness to light honors that life is always moving, always in transition. What is now light will be dark and what is now dark will return to light. Without darkness we would not know light. As the Woven Voices prayer flags go out into the world, I know that they will fly on sunny days as well as days with no hope for sun. Today here in Maine we are experiencing a Nor'easter with a veritable mixed bag of precipitation.

The little prayer flags here in my yard are weathering this storm with ease and grace. This is what I strive for in my life ~ a grace in understanding that all things pass. I strive to fly my own spiritual flag in all kinds of weather.

The Woven Voices project continues to grow and blossom. To date I have collected over 1600 messages
of hope and peace. We have woven and sent out to the world over 300 flags. I continue to receive messages and invite weavers to join me in my studio.

My biggest challenge is to gather photos of the installed flags. For a variety of reasons, documenting where the prayer flags hang is often difficult, tricky or impossible. This letter from a friend who works for the Slum Doctor program illustrates ~

"The prayer flags were a very touching gift to the girls and staff at the Ombogo Girls Academy. We presented them at a final assembly for our group in the evening without an external lighting source, other than kerosene lamps and flashlights, not conducive to photography. We left early the next day to head back to Nairobi.


To make a long story short I asked the school to take photos of the prayer flags and email them to me, but so far that hasn't happened, even after two reminders. What would be a simple request here, isn't so easy over there, mostly due to lack of energy sources."

At the same time, my friend who lives in Bali sent me a painting of her prayer flags hanging. Another friend in Washington has posted images on her blog. Enjoy these new images as well as those in the on-line gallery.

Namaste, light and love ~ Sarah

Prayer flags at a Traditional Hindu Temple in Pennsylvania.

NEWS FLASH~ Local newspaper article about my art work in the community. Check it out!

Foster's Daily Democrat ~ Sunday Citizen December 13, 2009

The Power Of Peace ~ radio interview Nov 2nd, 6 PM PST

Greetings from gloriously beautiful New England !

This time of year is a visual feast for those of us lucky enough to live here and for those who visit us in the fall. As I was driving to teach yesterday morning I looked over my left shoulder to see the sun rising over the marshes of southern NH. I also noticed a flock of starlings (black birds) swirling as one mass, moving like a black speckled river.

Over a period of seconds, this mass of twirling birds m

over and shifted as if guided by a single conductor. There must have been over 2000 birds. From one horizon to the other, all I could see was a swirling dance of black specks. Magnificence in motion and a physical reminder of how precious life is in each moment.

Now for the BIG news ~

Monday November 2nd, 2009, 6 PM PST (That's 9 PM EST), you can listen to an interview between me and Gabriele Bartholomew, host of the radio show called The Power of Peace on KSER Independent Public radio out of Snohomish County Washington.

Gabriele has been following the Woven Voices project for almost about a year, has been a wonderful supporter by sending messages of peace and now has offered me this unique opportunity to tell my story over the air waves.

I hope that you will be able to tune in and listen! You can access the show easily over the Internet. Just click on the link above.

Come weave if you are nearby, send messages of hope and peace where ever you are.

Photos here are from a Middle School in Kansas! Thanks for the messages students!

Sarah

Peace Flag hung on International Day of Peace!

Yesterday, nearly one month to the day of receiving it, the PEACE flag has been installed on our house. This seemed like a fitting way to honor The International day of Peace, September 21st.

With the help of dear husband Ben, I hung it high up on the garage. Today, as I came back from my final swim (I think) of the season,, I as greeted by a brilliant ray of sun hitting the flag, illuminating the word PEACE.

Also yesterday, I had an hour long interview with a colleague from Everett, Washington. Gabriele has a talk show that airs once a month on a community radio station, KSER . I will send out news when I know that the interview will be broadcast.

Until then, please consider coming to weave if you are near by. As always, your messages of peace and hope are welcome.

Namaste, Sarah

Voices in the Square

September 11th 2009.

Many thanks to the ten folks who joined me yesterday to read about 200 messages of hope, peace and goodwill. I am very grateful for your support to sustain this project and keep peace alive.

Each time I show up to read in Market Square in Portsmouth, I uncover new truths about myself and the world in which I live. Yesterday, the simple truth that revealed herself was the importance of reflection. After each message that was read, we paused and savored the words as well as the intent of the writer.

Some of the messages were as simple a three year old child saying"I want everyone to have cake". While others held loftier visions of all national leaders speaking truth.

With each message reading and reflection, I felt a deep sense of honor being offered to that voice.

Blessings and gratitude to those friends who read, laughed and paused yesterday to honor these wise and heartfelt messages.

My studio door is open to weavers, and messages are always welcome. Keep peace alive through your daily actions.

Namaste, Sarah

Sarah Farmer Peace Award

On Saturday August 22nd, I was presented with the Sarah Farmer Peace Award at Green Acre Baha'i School in Eliot, Maine. "The Woven Voices: Messages from the Heart" project was especially honored, and the audience was diverse, including two Swamis from the Vedanta Society of Boston.

Randy Armstrong performed an original sitar piece, and Lee Hosack sang her original composition, "Raise the Flag, Sarah", remembering peacemaker and Green Acre founder Sarah Jane Farmer. There were two looms set up for folks to weave more prayer flags and the hall was decorated with over 30 handwoven prayer flags. We also gathered over 50 more messages of peace and hope.

I am deeply honored and lifted up by this recognition. Many thanks and blessings to all who attended and participated in this event and award. Images here capture the event.

Please join me on September 11th, Market Square, Portsmouth, NH at noon. I will be reading messages that have be collected since June. I welcome listeners as well as readers. I hope to see you there, rain or shine!

In peace and gratitude,
Sarah

Let's celebrate again!

Just a brief news flash here:

There is an article about the Woven Voices project in a local paper.

And the BIG news is that I will be awarded the 2009 Sarah Farmer Peace Award on August, 22, 2009. The Sarah Farmer Peace Award is presented annually by the Baha’i
Community of the Greater Seacoast Region to recognize the
contributions of area individuals and groups who take effective local action to promote world peace and understanding among nations and members of the human family.

The award is named after Sarah Jane Farmer, a turn-of-the century peace heroine who was born in Dover, N.H., in 1847. She founded the Green Acre Conferences in Eliot where the first peace flag in the world was hoisted in 1894, and where a peace flag has been flown every year since then.

The Aug. 22nd event marks the fifth Sarah Farmer Peace Award. This year the celebration will be held on Saturday, August 22nd, 7:30pm, at Reimer Hall at Green Acre Baha'i School in Eliot, with the public warmly invited. There will be a display of some of my work in the hall, and slides of my work as part of the program.

More information, including a flyer and press release, will be out soon. If you are local, or in the area, please come celebrate!!

Thanks to all for your support.
Peace, Sarah

Once again

Once again , the simple power of this project has lifted my heart. On June 11th, 2009 I showed up at Market Sq. Portsmouth to read over 250 messages. Like most of the past month it was a grey drizzly day. My dear son Robin came to shoot a short video.

By 12:45, the rain really settled in. So we packed up the flags and other stuff. I had almost completed reading all the messages that I collected to date. Then, to my surprise in that day's mail delivery....about 40 new messages from a young woman in Everett, Washington. Thanks Gabriele!!

And then an invitation to send flags along with a group called Slum Doctor. Slum Doctor Programme is a grassroots organization of concerned individuals that began in 2000 as a small voice, a cry for help and hope, for the 22 million Africans who live mostly in silence with AIDS. Early next week, I will get a set of flags out for delivery to Omobogo Girls' Academy in Kenya.

Photos of installed prayer flags arrive now and then too. Here are two images~ a rug hookers group from Corea, in Down East ME and three lovely German women holding the prayer flags in front of the cathedral in Paderborn, Germany (the home town of my artist friend Brigitte). Thanks to all !!

Simple gestures made bold by the energy and effort of many.
Namaste ~
Sarah