Spiritual Architecture
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Photo Jigsaw Puzzle of Asia, Thailand, from Danita Delimont Sale Price: $24.99  |
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Photo Puzzle, Asia, Thailand,. Asia, Thailand, Bangkok. Grand Palace, statues. Chosen by Danita Delimont. 10x14 Photo Puzzle with 252 pieces. Packed in black cardboard box of dimensions 5 5/8 x 7 5/8 x 1 1/5... |
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Photo Jigsaw Puzzle of Detail of a wall painting of the Life of the Buddha, showing Prince Siddartha from Robert Harding Sale Price: $24.99 |
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Photo Puzzle, Detail of a wall painting of the Life of the Buddha, showing Prince Siddartha. Detail of a wall painting of the Life of the Buddha, showing Prince Siddartha encountering old age, sickness, death, and an ascetic spiritual seeker, Seoul, South Korea, Asia... |
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Photo Jigsaw Puzzle of Lalibela, Magi from Danita Delimont Sale Price: $24.99 |
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Photo Puzzle, Lalibela, Magi. Lalibela, Magi visit Christ child. Christian icon. ETHIOPIA. NOTE This image avail. up to 100MB. Call for details. Chosen by Danita Delimont. 10x14 Photo Puzzle with 252 pieces... |
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The Spirit of the Liturgy List Price: $21.95 Sale Price: $13.27 |
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Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger Considered by Ratzinger devotees as his greatest work on the Liturgy, this profound and beautifully written treatment of the "great prayer of the Church" will help readers rediscover the Liturgy in all its hidden spiritual wealth and transcendent grandeur as the very center of our Christian life... |
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The Permanent Revolution: Apostolic Imagination and Practice for the 21st Century Church (Jossey-Bass Leadership Network Series) List Price: $24.95 |
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A new brand of apostolic ministry for today's world The Permanent Revolution is a work of theological re-imagination and re-construction that draws from biblical studies, theology, organizational theory, leadership studies, and key social sciences... |
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The Divine Home: Living with Spiritual Objects List Price: $60.00 Sale Price: $15.49 |
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For the millions of Americans combining the spiritual and the decorative in their homesâfrom dramatic crosses in a modern log cabin to handcrafted Native American spirit masks in a sprawling Southwestern ranchâthis beautifully rendered book of interior design depicts how the serene touch of religious design elements can be effortlessly incorporated with a modern sensibility... |
Peace Architecture
I don’t remember how I came across The Peace Arch, but I do remember wondering at the time what Peace Architecture might look like. Sentient beings are notoriously sensitive to the spaces they inhabit whether they know it or not.
The thing about the Peace Arch that touched me is that it’s all about space, empty, open space. Peace needs space in order to be itself. One of the reasons we don’t have a consistent peace on our planet is that there isn’t enough space for it.
Here’s a bit of Wikipedia’s history of the Peace Arch:
The Peace Arch is a monument situated on the Canada/United States border between the communities of Blaine, Washington and Surrey, British Columbia. The Peace Arch, which stands 20.5 meters (67.2 ft) tall, was built by Sam Hill and dedicated in September of 1921, and commemorates the signing of the Treaty of Ghent in 1814. The monument is built on the exact United States, Canada boundary, between Interstate 5 and Highway 99, in the grass, "central reservation" median between the northbound and southbound lanes.
The Peace Arch has the flags of the U.S. and Canada mounted on its crown, and two inscriptions on both sides of its frieze. The inscription on the U.S. side of the Peace Arch reads "Children of a common mother," and the words on the Canadian side read "Brethren dwelling together in unity."
Within the arch, each side has an iron gate hinged on either side of the border with an inscription above reading "May these gates never be closed." Peace Arch Park consists of Peace Arch Provincial Park on the Canadian side and Peace Arch State Park on the American side of the border. Within the park is a major border crossing which has never closed, symbolizing a long history of peace between the two nations.
In Canada, the crossing is officially named Douglas in honor of Sir James Douglas, the first governor of the Colony of British Columbia. Because of the Peace Arch monument, however, the border crossing between Surrey and Blaine is popularly known as the "Peace Arch Border Crossing," one of the busiest border crossings between Canada and the United States. It is the busiest such crossing west of Detroit.
As of January 2008, construction is currently taking place at the Peace Arch Crossing. While it is still open, it is recommended to go through the Pacific Border Crossing (#15) as there are fewer delays. One book extensively covers the history of the International Peace Arch. It bears the title, "Sam Hill's Peace Arch: Remembrance of Dreams Past" by Richard Clark (2005).
“Children of a common mother.” That Mother has to be Earth Herself. Spiritually, the energy of the mother is the energy of space. Space to be. Space to live. Space to choose. Space to thrive. An architecture of peace has to be an architecture of space.
Since the U. S. Presidential election, my email inbox has been filled with declarations of “a new world.” Would that that new world be a world of peace. Our first task is to make space for it.
About the Author
Spiritual author and counselor for 25 years; ordained omnifaith minister, corporate consultant on the spirit of business; blogger for Ode Magazine on peace and for The Huffington Post on spirituality in the world. For all Dr. Corso loves and creates, continually visit http://www.susancorso.com
