As Tom’s red canoe vanished down the Seneca River, I admired his courage and strength to paddle alone to New York City, uncertain of his itinerary, or reception at the journey’s end. After Tom was gone from sight, I found his tent still in my minivan. I trust this 30-year veteran of organic vegetable farming to persist against adversity. Will Tom wear shoes at the UN?

I drove to the Butterfly Garden on the east lakeshore, on Onondaga Lake Parkway across from Sainte Marie. I parked so sunshine streamed in my windshield to warm my tired, aching body. With the lake spread out before me, I turned my mind to the lake, festival and the Mother.

The waters were shining, shimmering with breezes in morning’s bright light. Flocks of waterfowl floated on the lake, or flew in formation above. Life is returning to the lake; America’s most polluted lake is recovering. I wondered if our few gallons of prayer water helped generate this great growing glow of healthy radiance.

After a few minutes, a young bald eagle began to fish in the slight cove to my right. This youngster, likely ending its second year, had begun to show white head feathers. With hard wing flaps, the juvenile slowly rose in a tight spiral—then hovered, with wings in backstroke. At last, wings folded, to plummet down like a lance into the water. After half a dozen cycles of this aerial dance, the bird’s claws snagged a fish, and made a slow, low victory tour out across the lake, then curving to perch in a cottonwood 30 feet away.

While the adolescent eagle stripped fish flesh for breakfast, I listened to Public Radio’s 9-11 special, meditated on the Mother, and reflected on the festival’s first full anniversary.

Like this adolescent eagle, our infant event survived a difficult year, and matured. Clear, mild weather itself was a blessing from the Mother. I recall warm, gold sunlight beaming in my face for the closing ceremony. Like the weather, the spiritual and emotional atmosphere was very high, clear, bright, and strong. Many contributed to generate and sustain this healing, uplifting energy in the air.

Attendance was light—a “mini-festival," really—but we had a successful dress rehearsal of a structure and script for larger, longer events. The script evolved new effective features for future festivals. Folks volunteered key skills needed for next year. Hearts were touched, lives inspired by the intention and spirit of our ceremony.

The morning newspaper, with two color photos, headlined our message and mission, clear, simple and true:

A Prayer for Peace

Such a shining and perfect public image itself alone makes all our effort worthwhile. The proper message on the perfect day.

With gate receipts near $300, attendance didn’t reach 100. Income is again short of expenses. I hoped for 200, perhaps 300, but with publicity weaker than last year, low turnout is no surprise. I regret we didn’t make critical mass to spin off effective educational activities. Some speakers were disappointed.

The day’s schedule was crippled at the outset. At 2am, I went to print the 2006 Program, to discover Kinko’s is no longer open 24-hours on weekends, and didn’t re-open until 9am. So, opening ceremony delayed two hours while I went back in the morning. As a result, the afternoon was a continuous struggle to unscramble the egg. I regret in this confusion, April Kyles did not share her soaring singing with us.

Actually, attendance wasn’t my goal for 2006. A crowd of 500 would stretch our informal organization, and stress me. Rather, my focus was to consolidate and practice the script and processes of the festival’s central ceremonial purpose, and to keep our image and message in focus.

We effectively enacted the festival’s key process: to pray for peace, and pour our prayer water in the watershed as an act of connection, commitment and healing. Activities, songs, prayers, props, and procedures to lead this public ceremony emerged in a simple script to guide future events. Profound features were added:

portable rainbow ring around prayer sanctuary (thanks Maryjane Cleary)

water prayer altar with peace pole and spiritual fire

Reiki Healing (thanks John Anderson)

women’s water chant (thanks Lindamarie Hill)

woodland flute music (thanks Eric Marczak)

Peace Pilgrimage to United Nations (thanks Tom MacDonald)

peace pilgrim blessing (thanks everyone)

Fire Ceremony script

Elders Circle

This year, after the festival, I’m not totally exhausted—just weary. My day was devoted to the roles of stage and script manager, so I didn’t tell a single story, or teach at all, except as MC mouthpeace. I’m sad I again didn’t present "Quest for the Roots of Peace"—my illustrated talk on how Onondaga is one of North America's most sacred sites. And no one told The Legend of the Peacemaker—one of Onondaga Lake's most sacred stories.

Also, we didn’t do Dances of Universal Peace around our beautiful water prayer sanctuary altar. Next year for sure, right before the closing ceremony procession to the shore.

I believe people who joined this simple ritual felt connected by the meaning and subtle power of our healing ceremony and focused intention. The festival’s fundamental work is to awaken this feeling in people’s hearts. We are well on our way to fulfill this in public ceremony.

I am encouraged by the festival’s growth and consolidation this year. Our small, infant event strengthened, and stands on two legs of identity and purpose now:

The Place of Peace
and
The Earth Charter.

We realized ways to express and highlight the festival’s unusual, spiritual purpose. We have a regular, annual date (first Sunday after Labor Day), and a poster suitable to use again. We know many people are drawn to this sort of spiritual ceremony and celebration, but two more years are needed to spread awareness of the festival and establish its reputation. Meanwhile, similar events are highlighting Onondaga Lake as a place of peace and liberty.

My experiences this years convince me that wider circles of people now know Onondaga is not a polluted lake, but sacred. The festival is a known, respected effort to highlight Onondaga Lake’s profound spiritual, social and political legacies. A core of folks share a vision and responsibility to help this special celebration grow year by year. Despite this year's difficulties and low attendance, I now feel confident to invite a wider, larger audience to the 2007 festival.

I will review this year’s event with Onondaga Lake Park staff, and propose a plan to hold a fourth festival. I will submit an application for September 9, 2007, and begin to develop funding, staff and a program. Park reservation applications are approved in January. So February 2007, we can begin publicity and planning in earnest.

A decision must be made whether to stay one day, or grow to a two-day weekend. With the current minimum of finances and organization, one day is easy. Two days require significant extra funding and staff. Global events urgently call for growth to two, but my sense of cautious restraint recommends only one for one more year.

I have carried the festival forward three years since Brother Northstar appeared with his idea at Thanksgiving 2003. The efforts and donations of a few hundred people have planted, sprouted and grown this seed now for a full year. Our initiative has the potential to grow into a great tree. I understand Onondaga will be known and honored worldwide, so I took my Quest for the Roots of Peace talk to the Second World Elders Council in India in February, and became a “water angel."

To grow further, the Onondaga Lake Peace Festival will need strength, attention and creativity from many minds, hands and hearts. Please step into one of the roles required to plan and put on this annual public event. I added a “staff" keyword to the website menu. See this new webpage for details as they emerge:

www.OnondagaLakePeaceFestival.org/Staff/Staff.htm

I will also add to the website statements read at the festival by world leaders in the Earth Charter In Action book.

While the festival’s focus is to proclaim Onondaga as a sacred place, global circumstances impose an urgent priority and dimension to our mission. We gather at Onondaga Lake to bring peace to our world—between men, amongst nations, and with nature. Imagine how simple this could be. I hope you’ll join us.

Greetings from Lake Champlain’s northwest shore, where I am getting sorely needed rest and recovery at Trinity Point Holistic Center north of Plattsburgh. Healing is hard work, so this isn’t quite a vacation. The process is slow, but gradually, day-by-day, my physiological equilibrium returns. This year was physically difficult, beginning with my trip to India and a broken arm. I am grateful for a huge, deep lake to restore my body and spirit, Mount Mansfield and Green Mountain high peaks to the east. On three mornings, a light sword appeared outside my window.

For a green and peaceful planet,
David Yarrow, water angel