Winchester, United Kingdom

report by Kyoko Yasuda

I was very happy to be able to participate in the SOPP again this year. Over the years, I have celebrated the SOPP in various places in England, several times in Japan, and last year online at a hotel in Japan.

Up until this year, I had joined in the SOPP by following its program, listening to what each of the prayer leaders and guests had to say. This year, as I watched the presentation on the Mandala Project, I had an image of each participant as a snowflake falling from the heavens to the earth, each one unique, as if each person were a different religion. Seen up close, each snowflake has its own individuality, but when we look at the falling snow we see it as one. The flakes do not obstruct or interfere with one another, but earnestly do their part in their own way. This image made me think of our prayer colleagues all around the world, forming the Divine Spark IN day after day.

I also visited a couple of prayer colleagues in another part of the UK this May, and held a small SOPP ceremony with them. We first connected our spirits with the heavens through yoga practice outside in the garden. Then, back indoors, we offered prayers from fourteen different religions. After that we held a flag ceremony to pray for each country and region, and then formed the Divine Spark IN to close.

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