During this Sacred Season for Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and the Earth, prayers for peace are particularly poignant because they are very much needed. As we read the Affirmation for Peace at the top of this page and hold in our hearts our own special thoughts for peace, we can lovingly send our prayerful energy to the people of Israel, Palestine, Ukraine, Russia, Haiti, and all nations and communities where lives are affected by the threat or reality of violence, hunger, and oppression.

From the Anglo-Saxon word lencten referring to the lengthening days of spring, Lent takes place during the weeks when light and life return to the northern hemisphere. As the days get longer and life renews itself in you, here is an inspirational quote from the Foreword of a classic Unity book by Charles Fillmore followed by a contemplative practice to keep in your mind this season and to let the answers arise from your heart.

“When we consider Lent as a well-rounded or ‘completed’ season of retreat from the things of the world for the cleansing of the mind and the recollection of the things of Spirt, it becomes a true season of preparation for the glorious Eastertide; a preparation for the resurrection of the mind from the darkness of its sins, doubts, and false-beliefs into the light of understanding (Georgiana Tree West, Keep a True Lent, Foreword).”

Here is your “Contemplation for Lent.”

What resurrection or renewal experience am I seeking this Lenten Season?

What negative and limiting thoughts am I now willing to release?

What can I put into practice that will give me the experience of new life?

Ramadan is a month-long holiday of prayerful reflection and fasting. It is based on a lunar calendar and occurs within every season over a period of thirty-three years. This year it begins on March 10th with the rising of the crescent moon and completes on April 8th.

Ramadan includes practices and expressions of kindness, forgiveness, and gratitude for all that the Divine has provided in honor of the time Muhammed received the Quran from the angel, Gabriel. It is followed by the three days of Eid Al-Fitr, or the “festival of breaking the fast.”

Let us honor all who are fasting, praying, and celebrating during this sacred time. Let us remember our brothers and sisters who struggle with the effects of terrorism and war in Israel and Palestine. Let us look for ways to support them with our love and send them our prayers for peace. Let us give thanks for a world in which the path to remembering our connection with the Divine shows up in our connections with each other.

Let go of things and thoughts you no longer need in your house and in your heart. Plant a seed for new growth in your garden and in your mind. A new season begins on March 19th with the balance of night and day. This is a good time to bring life into balance as well.