gpiw

> Global Peace Initiative of Women <

> Kashmir Oversea USA <

www.srianandamayima.org

  www.unifem.org www.sufism.org

Global Peace Initiative of Women (GPIW) is an international network of women and men spiritual and community leaders. The group was founded on the belief that women today have a unique contribution to make in finding alternatives to violence. GPIW also places a special emphasis on building interfaith understanding and developing leadership in young community leaders worldwide.

GPIW is located in New York and was founded in 2002 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. Dena Merriam is the founder and convener. The co-chair is Joan Chittister, a dissident Roman Catholic nun. Read More: > HERE <

The Global Peace Initiative of Women (GPIW) was founded by a group of women religious and spiritual leaders to provide a global platform through which women and men, working in partnership, can foster the spiritual values of global unity, peacebuilding and the development of all the peoples of the world.

GPIW is an international network of women and men who come together to tap our collective spiritual wisdom to stimulate reconciliation and healing in areas of conflict and post-conflict, and to deepen understanding of oneness, compassion and the principles of ahimsa (non-harm) as central tenets of life. We believe that a shift in consciousness is needed, a change in heart and mind, if we are as a global community to meet the challenges of climate change, environmental degradation, poverty and hunger, violence and conflict.

Central to our work is the belief that the feminine qualities of wholeness, inclusion, and integration have a vital role to play in facilitating this shift and bringing greater balance to our world. Thus we make great effort to draw upon the resources of women spiritual leaders as we seek to empower these vital qualities.

 

www.globalonenessproject.org

Our work aims to foster respect for all peoples on Earth and for the Earth’s natural environment. We highlight humanity’s shared values, even as we profoundly appreciate the diversity of human culture and belief. We realize the importance of transmitting such values to the next generation. Thus, in our sacred work, we place special emphasis on tapping inter-spiritual wisdom and developing leadership in young adults around the world, listening to the perspectives of all as we seek together to create a more caring and compassionate world community.

Our Beginning – The Global Peace Initiative of Women has its beginnings in the process that led up to the first summit of religious leaders held at the United Nations in New York in 2000, the Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders. During the planning for that summit, it became clear that very few of the religious leaders invited to speak at the UN would be women. And indeed this was the case. During the Summit, the political and institutional issues surrounding religion came into play. In frustration, the women came together and called for a followup meeting to focus on what they had come to the UN to do – to explore how they could contribute to reconciliation and healing in areas of conflict and tension.

This meeting took place two years later at the Palais des Nations in Geneva with over 600 women from over 70 countries, and from this summit the Global Peace Initiative of Women was formed.

Welcome to the Newsletter from www.SriAnandamayiMa.org :

The festival of Maha Shivaratri (the great night of the worship of Lord Shiva) was celebrated in the Omkareshwar Ashram with great joy. Many devotees came from Indore and with our ashram visitors and school children, the celebration and worship went on into the night before the presence of Baba. Wonderful peace and blessing were experienced by all.

The ashram received an invitation to a conference sponsored by the Global Peace Initiative for Women (> see www.GPIW.org <) to promote a dialog between Sufis and Yogis.

Swami Mangalananda was sent as a delegate and speaker. There were prominent Sufis from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and India present, and many Yogis and Swamis from India.

In the proceeding discussions, many common practices and beliefs were discovered between the two groups which promoted a deep feeling of unity and brotherhood. The final day many practical talks were held on what the two groups can practically do to help the uplift of world consciousness, and spread the unity discovered to their respective groups. It was a highly successful and unifying event and all present vowed to meet yearly to continue the dialog.

As always, we end with Ma’s comforting words: „Your sorrow, your pain, your agony is indeed my sorrow. This body understands everything.“