The Power of Intention

“Once you choose hope, anything is possible.”
Christopher Reeve

In October 2004, I went to the USA to deliver a Dare to Dream workshop in a beautiful place called Bellingham, Washington State. The Iraq War had been going on for a number of months and we decided to have a peace concert on the Friday night. We also decided to create a children’s peace cloth with the intention of sending it from the USA to Iraq as a gift of peace. This basically involved putting our handprints, messages of peace and feelings of peace on a large sheet. We had no idea of how we could get the peace cloth into Iraq, but we held the intention that it would happen.

I brought the cloth home with me to Ireland. After a few months nothing had happened then a friend in the USA, Jenny, told me she had met someone from an organisation called Operation Iraqi Children, and they said they could get the cloth into Iraq. This was great news, so I gathered my children, their cousins and others to put some Irish children’s handprints on the cloth and, of course, their feelings and a letter to the children in Iraq, who would receive it.
Here are copies of the letters:

Sean M Kelly
Ireland
28th Jan 2005

To the US Marines

Do you know how special a butterfly is?

I recently heard that just before a caterpillar becomes a butterfly some of its cells become very greedy and eat as much as they can until they are full of toxins - they are the greedy cells, and try to get everything for themselves. However, also within the caterpillar there is a gene that lies dormant while this is going on. Let’s call this gene the ‘sunshine gene’.

When it seems like the caterpillar will explode, the sunshine gene wakes up. It begins to clean out all the toxins, and the greedy cells die off. It also triggers other sunshine genes that have been dormant until the caterpillar is transformed into a beautiful butterfly.

Each morning on our planet the sun rises and each night it sets. We have much to be grateful for - if one day it decided not to rise, we could all die! Sometimes it’s interesting to realise that the sun shines on everyone and everything on our planet. No matter who we are, no matter where we are, no matter what religion we are, no matter what culture we are, no matter what we have or have not done, the sun will always shine on us. Metaphorically speaking it is a beautiful example of pure unconditional love. If we as a race could embrace this simple loving wisdom maybe there would be no need for any wars.

As you read this letter in some faraway place, I do hope that whatever circumstances you find yourself in, you allow your true light to shine. Of course bringing the Children’s Peace Cloth to Iraq is one great example, and with all my heart I thank you for this.

Did you also know that quite recently scientists found the sunshine gene in the human heart?

May you be forever blessed!
Seán
www.seanMkelly.com

Sean M Kelly
Ireland
28th Jan 2005

To all the beautiful Children of Iraq

Did you know how many children have now helped to create the Children’s Peace Cloth? Hundreds if not thousands! They are from many countries around the world. This part of the peace cloth is a special gift for you all, and may it help to create much magic, joy and peace in your lives.
I wonder do you know how special you are? One time when I was small I was very sad. I didn’t know what to do. I went into our back garden and found a lovely quiet spot where I could sit and watch the ants crawling around doing their work. Did you ever notice how ants work so well together to build their homes and share their food? Anyway, as I wondered how I could make myself happy again one of the little people appeared. These are called Leprechauns where I live.

He told me his name was, ‘Sean the Leprechaun’. What a great name, I thought! He saw I was sad and asked if he could help. I said, ‘Yes please, I feel so sad and I want to be happy again’. He smiled and giggled and said, ‘Well, what do you love to do?’. I thought for a moment and said, ‘I love to sing’. He said, ‘Well, there’s your answer - sing a song’. He joined me as I sang one of the happiest songs I know, ‘This Little Light of Mine’. When we finished he said, ‘It’s always good to do what you love whatever it is, because it helps make you happy’. He said, “There are also two other things you should remember to help yourself be happy’.

‘Firstly, always remember how special you are. There will never be another you. You are totally unique. You have many special talents and gifts, which can help many people.’

‘And one of the greatest ways to make yourself happy is to help someone else be happy. For example, you could sing them a song, or draw a lovely picture or give them a big hug. It is so good to give to people,’ he said. ‘Sometimes life’s greatest lessons are learned in giving.’ Then he said, ‘Well, I must be off now, I have to help other little people find their way. If you ever need me though, just ask a question and listen carefully for the answer - sometimes you will feel it in your heart’.

May you all be forever blessed!
Seán
www.seanMkelly.com

One very important step in manifesting anything in your life is to give thanks in advance. A number of years ago I heard a story of how certain monks in Nepal would sit in a circle to visualise what they wished to manifest. They would stay in the circle until they could clearly see what they wished to manifest and could feel as if it was already manifested. Once they achieved this, they would leave the circle and let the universe work on the ‘how’ of the manifestation. They would then take guided action when necessary. This is the way of gentle manifestation.

We sent the cloth back to the USA and Jenny gave it to Operation Iraqi Children. The months passed and we heard nothing, but we still held on to the original intention that it would get to children in Iraq. Of course there was a part of me that wondered, but as St Augustine said, ‘Faith is to believe in what you do not yet see, the reward for that faith is to see what you believe’. We needed to keep believing and allow the universe to manifest it in its own time, not according to our schedule.

I then received one of the most amazing Christmas gifts I could ever wish for. I got an email from a captain in the USAF, who had come across the cloth, which had made its way to Baghdad Airport. His email read:

“Yesterday, I went with a team to deliver medical attention, med supplies, school supplies, clothes and some candy for kids in a village just outside Baghdad. It was great knowing I was helping out and I was surprised when I found your banner. I had some children hold it and explained to them what it was and the words at the top, reaffirming the idea of what ‘peace’ means to us and them. Most of the children don’t understand English, but they are smart and understood almost everything I was saying, and were happy just to be in the picture. We helped about fifty folks yesterday and it was a great experience.”

In 1981 the UN passed resolution 36/67 declaring an International Day of Peace each year on September 21. The resolution declares, ‘that the International Day of Peace shall henceforth be observed as a day of global ceasefire and non-violence, an invitation to all nations and people to honour a cessation of hostilities for the duration of the Day…’.

So, what will you do on September 21 next? Remember it is an invitation to ‘be peaceful’ for a day. Your participation makes a huge difference, perhaps more than you will ever know.

Here are some websites where you can get information about World Peace Day:

www.peaceoneday.org
www.internationaldayofpeace.org
www.worldpeace.org

We can all make a positive difference for peace. What will you do? At least let other people know about the day.

An Invitation to Create a Peace Corner/Garden

Create a space in your house or garden for peace. Let it be a sacred space where you can be peaceful. Design it whatever way you like with whatever you’d like to have there - candles, a peace cloth, angels, Buddhas, statues, rosary beads, pictures, plants. If it is in your garden you might like to have water in it and a comfortable chair on which to sit. What is most important is choosing a space and regularly sitting there peacefully. As you do, the peaceful energy will grow and it will be a space where you can truly relax, let go and be at peace with yourself.
 
As another suggestion, once you’ve done the above go there and write an inspirational, thoughtful and heart-centred letter to someone in the world who is perceived to be ‘evil’ or ‘bad’.

Ask the universe for guidance on how to get it to them then send it, with or without your contact details. What is most important is you are coming from a place of unconditional love.