Uruguay

2 events: Florida, Solymar

Florida, Uruguay: report by Elena Becú

The first full SOPP ceremony in Uruguay took place on the 7th of June in the city of Florida. About 200 people attended the gathering, which included 11 prayer leaders from various faiths and spiritual traditions: Judaism, Catholicism, Evangelism, Mormonism, Taoism, Yoga, the Isha Foundation, and others.

The ceremony started with a ritual for Mother Earth, connecting with the four elements in gratitude. After that, one by one the prayer leaders guided participants in beautiful prayers of peace and for peace, bringing out the feeling that in our wish for peace we are one, and that we can live in unity within diversity.

The local choir and local children’s band played and sang some peace songs, and to close the ceremony we held a ‘flags of peace’ ceremony, which was very moving, and in which everyone participated wholeheartedly.

With our hearts full of joy we danced and embraced, and shared some homemade bread. Andrea and Amelia, who came to give me a hand, and I all felt that this ceremony was a breakthrough in our peace work in Uruguay.

 

Solymar, Uruguay: report by Alicia Olivera

The SOPP gathering in Solymar was held on a beautiful, sunny day in a very rustic place, with no roads and no electricity, and where the houses are made of wood or mud.

To begin, we talked about the significance of the event, and held a guided meditation. It helped the eight of us to feel that we were on the same wavelength. We introduced the practice of writing mandalas, and began to make a large collective mandala, with feelings of great love. While two people prepared our peace pole, we started to write bright intentions and to make drawings on the pole in a very harmonious and fun atmosphere. Then we planted the pole, shared a prayer for world peace, and performed wordless prayers.

We ended up dancing around the peace pole, with the beautiful sunshine warming our hearts. I felt a sense of infinite gratitude for everything we experience!

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