• sewing machines
• thread
• sewing scissors
• art supplies for the one room schoolhouse
• *markers, crayons, paints, canvas, sketchbooks, etc.
• lap top computers and printers
• ink for printers

Featured at the retreat will be Ram Dass, a beloved spiritual teacher, Krishna Das , a renowed practicitioner of Bhakti Yoga-the yoga of devotion, leading Kirtans around the workd – chanting the Names of God, Saul David Raye, a leading Yoga, Healing & Spirituality teacher, Therese Fitzgerald, Meditation Instructor and dharma holder of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Mindfulness Vietnamese Zen tradition and Lei’ohu Ryder …

At this yearly retreat the International Peace Belt will likely be worn by:

Lei’ohu Ryder is a spiritual leader, visionary, healer, singer/songwriter, and educator on Maui. She is an emissary of aloha and an advocate for the indigenous mind in all people, blind to the labels (race, creed, nationality, ideology, etc.) that can separate us from experiencing the true nature of our selves and others.

Auntie Lei’s love and knowledge of Na Mea Hawaii, help us connect with our selves, with spirit, and be pono (balanced in right alignment). Lei’ohu offers her gifts to you in Maui and throughout the world, through blessings, music, public speaking, intensives, counseling, healing work, wedding ceremonies, and funeral services… all with aloha.

Lei’ohu’s talents and knowledge are honored and loved in her community and the world. Her work has been recognized by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Peace Corps and the United Nations. Lei’ohu was awarded the Gandhi-King Peace Hero Award in 2002 and in 2003 the Peace Corps Peace Educator Award. She has shared her gifts all around the world including Japan, Israel, India, and most of Europe.

“I have been trained by a lot of the spirits of the places that called me. Many of my teachers are in that form. So one walks and learns at the same time. One trusts the creator to help. One must come face to face with the walk itself. You cannot plot your destination. It’s not all gravy. You’re not on a constant high. It is respect and surrender to the highest calling of your spirit that takes you to your origin of place of spirit.

The message is “Aloha,” that breath of love, that breath of light that goes back to our original intent, love. Spirit is love. When we are fully present, the spirit of place is all about love and compassion and allowing love to transcend all things. When you love, you don’t judge, you don’t separate. When you love, you have mercy and forgiveness. When you love, you understand that you are connected with a greater whole.

The biggest message I can give to the people of the world is to know that we are all aloha. We are all spirit. We are all connected to something much greater than ourselves. We are spirit of place. We don’t have to save money for ten years to buy a place ticket to Hawaii. Spirit of place is where you are. It is where the creator has placed you. And you don’t have to have money or position. All you have to be is spirit itself, humble, smiling, playing, being life, being aloha, knowing that you are part of that rainbow bridge, that breath of aloha.

Aloha is an energy. It’s not just a word; it’s not just love. When you say, “Aloha,” your body fills with the spirit. Aloha energy connects the spirit of place within our bodies with the full spirit of the Universe, of Mother Earth. Just like the beautiful food we eat that is organically grown. You can taste the energy in the food that is loved and cared for. Or when you see a person smile, you are seeing the spirit of place in that person. Their spirit is coming inside you. You can feel that. Tell people to say “Aloha.” When you say, “Aloha,” you can feel your body tingling, your cells erasing all the barnacles that you carry, eradicating all the resentment, hate, and sorrow that have been transmitted from generation to generation through your DNA. Keep saying, “Aloha, Aloha, Aloha,” and visualizing that Aloha. It will be the biggest medicine in your spirit of place that you ever had so you can walk more fully in your divineness.”

Ram Dass first went to India in 1967. He was still Dr. Richard Alpert, an already eminent Harvard psychologist and psychedelic pioneer with Dr.Timothy Leary. He had continued his psychedelic research until that fateful Eastern trip in 1967, when he traveled to India. In India, he met his guru, Neem Karoli Baba, affectionately known as Maharajji, who gave Ram Dass his name, which means “servant of God.” Everything changed then – his intense dharmic life started, and he became a pivotal influence on a culture that has reverberated with the words “Be Here Now” ever since. Ram Dass’s spirit has been a guiding light for three generations, carrying along millions on the journey, helping free them from their bonds as he has worked his way through his own.

Since 1968, Ram Dass has pursued a panoramic array of spiritual methods and practices from potent ancient wisdom traditions, including bhakti or devotional yoga focused on the Hindu deity Hanuman; Buddhist meditation in the Theravadin, Mahayana Tibetan and Zen Buddhist schools, and Sufi and Jewish mystical studies. Perhaps most significantly, his practice of karma yoga or spiritual service has opened up millions of other souls to their deep, yet individuated spiritual practice and path. Ram Dass continues to uphold the boddhisatva ideal for others through his compassionate sharing of true knowledge and vision. His unique skill in getting people to cut through and feel divine love without dogma is still a positive influence on many, many people from all over the planet.

Ram Dass is a co-founder and advisory board member of the Seva Foundation (“seva” means “spiritual service” in Sanskrit), an international service organization. Seva supports programs designed to help wipe out curable blindness in India and Nepal, restore the agricultural life of impoverished villagers in Guatemala, assist in primary health care for American Indians, and to bring attention to the issues of homelessness and environmental degradation in the United States, along with other nations.

On February 19th 1997, Ram Dass suffered a near-fatal stroke, which left him paralyzed on the right side of his body and expressive aphasia limiting his ability to speak, along with other challenging ailments.

The after effects of the stroke have once again changed his life and vastly altered his day, but he has been able to resume teaching and continues to share and teach. In 2004, following a life threatening infection, Ram Dass was forced to curtail travel and focus on recovering his health.

Ram Dass now resides on Maui, where he shares satsang, kirtan, and where he can amplify the healing process in the air and waters of Hawaii. His work continues to be a path of teaching and inspiration to so many. The Internet is a new vehicle for Ram Dass to share his being at www.ramdass.org.

http://www.inkct.com/uploads/April09_Ink.pdf (PDF)

Building on The International Peace Belt project, we have set out to improve the lives of our world’s children. Since Artists for World Peace’s inception, we have held an annual food and clothing drive to benefit families on the Rose Bud Reservation in South Dakota, collecting tens of thousands of items with the help of hundreds of volunteers. (Click here for photos and stories) On the local level, we have collected food for the Amazing Grace Food Pantry in Middletown, Connecticut at each of our events. At our “500 Shoes” art show and benefit, we collected 1,200 pairs of shoes that we distributed to children in Ecuador, Haiti, and across the United States.  The benefit also raised money to help build a school in Ecuador through Vijali Hamilton’s World Wheel Project.  On an international scale, we have undertaken “Children of Peace” to financially support children in need around the world; we currently sponsor children in the United Stat
es, Haiti, India, China, Ecuador, and Cambodia. (Click here) Proceeds from the sale of our “Voices for Peace” CD will enable us to sponsor additional children.  The CD features our recordings of people from around the worlds’ thoughts on peace, set to music by composer Robert Nasta, Artists for World Peace’s musical director.  Please check our website for the CD release date and for updates on the “Voices for Peace” project, a traveling studio dedicated to recording thoughts on peace internationally.

In February 2008, thirty artists came together for our first Hats for a Cause. After designing and creating 150 hats, we raffled them at Cold Stone Creamery, in Middletown, Connecticut. With the $4,000.00 we raised, Artists for World Peace built its first safe house for battered women in Cambodia.  I am happy to say the safe house is up and running and helps women and children on a daily basis.  Some of the money also went to our Children of Peace projects.

This February, 2009, we held our second annual Hats for a Cause at the Winter Carnivale in Chester, Connecticut. All donations went directly to buying  food and supplies for food banks and soup kitchens around Connecticut, as well as New Horizons Women’s Shelter in Middletown, Connecticut. Thanks to Price Rite in Cromwell, Connecticut our trucks were full and easy to load directly from the skids.

During the coming months, we look forward to updating our DVD of The International Peace Belt’s global travels, producing our CD, “Voices for Peace,” and hosting art events throughout the United States. As we continue to expand our peace projects, we are working with a widening circle of artists and peace keepers around the world. We are continually collecting new warm blankets, food, and winter clothes for families on the Rosebud Reservation and, we are busy planning our upcoming events. Artists for World Peace thanks all of its supporters and volunteers for making our vision possible. We hope you will stay tuned as we continue to grow.

In Peace,

Wendy Black-Nasta
Founder and Executive Director, Artists for World Peace, Inc.