I stare at the ad on Facebook, for the flowery bellbottom jeans, way too long. In fact, I click on it and wrestle with the desire to purchase while twirling a handful of hair that has now reached several inches below my collarbones. Usually when my hair reaches this length, I end up chopping it off to my chin, only to grow it out once again. But, on this day, I want to grow it out even longer as nostalgia washes over me and I see my inner thirteen year old stitching that huge yarn pillow that I made five decades ago. It has a gigantic peace symbol in the middle. John Lennon is softly singing Imagine on my record player that sits on the dresser amid several lit candles. It’s true, I used to be way cool, baby!
Whatever happened to the ideology of the 60s and early 70s? The non-violent ethics embraced by the counterculture movement seemed so hopeful for ushering in the Aquarian Age that promised a better world for all. A sexual revolution was born and women’s rights took a gigantic step forward. Plus, Martin Luther King Jr.’s stance on peaceful protest opened the eyes of many toward racial injustice. Now, however, those ideals seem to have stalled given the threat of war, political divisiveness and the environmental destruction that we are faced with.
I believe it is the lack of spiritual awareness that is at the heart of what ails us as a species. Maybe the late 60s did derail people somewhat due to the overuse of psychedelic drugs. But, that behavior may have stemmed from a yearning to know that there is more to life than what seemed to be ~ a desire to engage in mysticism as a way of bringing in deeper meaning to our existence.
I was saddened to hear of the passing of Vietnamese Zen Master, Thich Nhat Han. He died on the 22nd of January this year. In 1966 he traveled to the US and Europe advocating for the end of the Viet Nam war. Though he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, he was also exiled from his country for nearly 40 years. That didn’t stop him from writing over 100 books embracing peace and compassion for all of life.
He brought mindfulness to the west in his Wake-Up Schools that taught many forms of meditation ~ walking meditation, sitting meditation, eating meditation, working meditation, total relaxation and breathing mindfully.
Here is my favorite quote by Thich Nhat Han
“Meditation is not to escape from society, but to come back to ourselves and see what is going on. Once there is seeing, there must be acting. With mindfulness we know what to do and what not to do to help.“
Best part ~ no drugs needed to engage in spirit world!
If everyone practiced getting in touch with their spiritual nature, and let that Source be their guide, I believe the dream of peace on Earth that was born in the 60s would become our reality now. May a new time of hippy happiness wash over the world bringing love and peace to all of life.
Pen Augustin is author of Waves of Light and The Priestess Tale series. Pen loves to give messages about how we can heal ourselves and bring balance to our beloved planet. Living near the beautiful shores of Lake Michigan, she enjoys spending time in nature and communing with the local wildlife.