International Peace Day takes place next Wednesday September 21 and a number of workshops and activities are on in Galway in its honour.
This is the 33rd International Peace Day to be marked by the UN and member countries, and it will see nearly 200 events co-ordinated across the globe in over 38 nations. Set up in 1982, it is dedicated to world peace, in particular to trying to get warring factions and armies to put down their arms just for one day globally. This year the focus is 'With whom do I need to make peace?'
The School of Natural Spiritual Science in Oranmore is spearheading the sequence of events. The founding philosophy of the centre is a unique and ancient brand of mindfulness meditation using sound, has helped thousands upon thousands of Irish people to build inner peace.
Organiser Anna O’Connell-Dixon says there is a packed programme of talks, workshops and family-friendly activities. "Peace is something about which we in the West are passionate."
Fellow organiser Cianán Plews says the school is delighted to be hosting and spearheading this year’s event, not just in Connacht but all of Ireland. "We are a team of dedicated professionals from all walks of life united by our own search for peace of mind, and the freedom, expansion and worldly success that inevitably arises in its wake. So it’s only fitting we should pass on what was given to us."
In a unique initiative, the school will also also be distributing Beads for Peace to thousands of Galwegians and schoolchildren nationwide. Recipients are invited to put a prayer or intention into the bead, then return it to The School of Natural Spiritual Science. The beads will then be strung together on International Peace Day and distributed to places and people around the world in need of prayers.
The day will culminate in an evening of mindfulness, linking up with dozens of other groups and centres across Ireland and the world.
For further information, check out www.schoolofnss.com, call Cianán on 091 388 965, e-mail [email protected], or find the organisation on Facebook.
