Our women's group traveled between Israel and the Occupied Territories/Palestine, meeting people on both sides of the on-going battle for homeland and security. We listened to the stories of a diversity of people as we were hosted, fed, housed, and educated to "the truth"--as they each perceived it. We tried to understand the rationale for the actions that are taking place on both sides and see if there were things that any of us could do to promote peace in the Middle East. We marched and held vigils on both sides, to stand for the idea that killing from either side is not likely to bring anyone closer to peace and security--a fact that seems to be increasingly obvious, day by day, as the killings intensify in recent weeks.
Dianne Brause
A Middle-Eastern Pilgrimage: Being a Welcomed Guest in the Homes of the "Enemy"
2004 Spring | Dianne Brause
Last fall, I went on an extended pilgrimage to Turkey, Syria, Palestine, and Israel. As a fairly new Mevlevi Sufi (Whirling Dervish), I had the marvelous opportunity of visiting Esin Celebi, the 22nd generation great grand-daughter of Jelaluddin Rumi, the poet now famous in America as his poetry (written in the 13th century) is translated into English. Then I went to Syria on an Interfaith Peace Pilgrimage with others interested in positive interaction among various faiths in the Middle East. Following three more weeks on my own in Syria, I traveled by land to Israel where I joined about 100 women, mostly over 50 and primarily from Europe, Canada, and the USA, who were part of an International Human Rights March of Women.
Carrie's Journey: Becoming the Goddess
2002 Summer | Dianne Brause
When I first met her, about a year ago, Carrie dressed in a style that reminded me that I didn't really know much about what young people were thinking in this modern age. She often wore drab colored, low-hung, and loose-fitting pants with the little top that didn't quite cover her belly or the tattoo on her back. Her heavy work shoes seemed to go with the outfit--a fashion statement of the sort I didn't know how to interpret. Her eyes were at times downcast, and I couldn't quite decipher her facial expression; I often wondered if it was safe or wise to approach. Did she dislike me? Or was she just uncomfortable with herself or unhappy with the world?
And yet sometimes, even in those first weeks, she would break into a fresh and beatific smile, mysterious and glowing. Sometimes there appeared a flash of fire in her eyes that let me know that she was in her power and ready to do battle with dragons of her own making or those set in front of her on her chosen path. It was clear to me, even then, that Carrie was not a simple woman, easy to understand, nor was she ready to simply be put into a box or dehumanized by a label that was supposed to describe who she was and how she ought to act.
Y2K: An Opportunity in Disguise?
1999 Winter | Dianne Brause
For the last year I have been following the developments around the "Y2K-Millennium Bug" and its accompanying "embedded chip" problems. On some days I'm sure that it marks the entire end of Western Civilization as we know it and on other days I think it's just a gigantic scam to sell gold futures and upgraded models of everything possible that runs by computer chips (which is pretty much everything that has moving parts, these days). And depending on the day, I either have the audacity to think I might be able to "make a difference" by organizing my local neighborhood, or I am in despair because there is nothing that I can do to change the larger picture or I'm tired of it all and just don't care.
