This is an extract from Susan Carew-Holmes book ‘A Fool for Peace’.
The fools journey depicts how I chose to be a Fool and trust my heart against all the odds and follow what I know to be true for me. Yes I did carry a little bundle on my back, this was filled with questions, courage, values, honesty and love. I walked alone yet my intuition guided my steps and gave me the trust to step off the cliff into the unknown. It is a journey you cannot plan and would seem impossible if proposed, yet it unfolded as naturally as placing one foot in front of the other. It was Lao Tzu, the famous old Chinese philosopher who proposed that the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. This means action taken from stillness. Whenever I step into the air solid ground appears beneath my feet. Some call it landing on your feet, but I have always found that life supports my every step.
From the archetype of the traditional Fool (or Jester) I have created my own clown character Peacefull, or depending on my mood, Peace Fool. Jesters are known for speaking truth to power, and on this journey I found myself following the invisible threads to weave truth and love. When I closed my eyes I saw Gandhi as a silent traveller beside me gently nudging me to not give up and find the road less travelled. Always his vision came to me to be the change you wish to see in the world. This mantra disciplined me to walk the talk.
In 1998 I had a dream that I was teaching peace and this opened me up to my own quest, though I didn’t realise I was reaching for my personal Holy Grail. The question arises is the Holy Grail a real cup or is it a mythical cup? Perhaps it is a metaphor for the real gold of life or what I call the Fools Gold. Perhaps this is the gold of self realisation. Many have spoken of the alchemy of transforming base metal into gold. Perhaps in truth it is really about personal transformation, transforming negativity into positivity as the real gold of life.
I am going to take you on a fantastic journey that only a Fool could make. We are going to step off the cliff of what is perceive as the solid ground of life to find the real magic in life.
Come with me and let’s go on a journey to discover the peace within. Perhaps you are a Fool for Peace?
My Dream of Peace (1998)
In 1988, Susan had a dream she was teaching peace.
The Zen Koan evokes:
‘In clapping both hands a sound is heard:
what is the sound of the one hand?’
– Zen Koen
Many stop and try to hear the sound; they become puzzled. Peace is a puzzle that has not been solved by humanity, as we have approached the problem as two hands clapping. Peace requires each of us to see differently, for in the past we were seeking applause, rather than to pause in the silence to deeply listen to ourselves, for all answers live in the heart of each of us. That is why peace is present in every moment, every day, and expressed in simple ways, as wisely stated by the Rotary International former President Sakuji.
Another question to consider is – ‘Is peace present the moment you start thinking about it?’ Can we think about peace, or is what we are grasping for beyond thought? Is it universal? Is it inherent within our very nature?
We are indeed threads within a web of life that is intricately woven and balanced. We did not create this web, we are a thread within it. As we ask questions we open up to possibilities that allow us to see what we cannot see to find that peace is not what we think, it is who we are. Some may ask – is the dream real?
In 1998 I dreamed I was teaching peace to children. I awoke in the middle of the night, excited. The next day I rang a friend of mine who is a teacher and asked: ‘Does anyone teach peace to children? Is there a dedicated subject or curriculum?’ he stated there was Social Studies which had elements of war and peace in it, but there was no dedicated subject called Peace.
Unbeknown to me this dream would gently catapult my life onto a new track. I subtly began to shift from the secure track of working as a market analyst, to a new life living from what was unknown. I had no idea how I would teach peace to children, but the seed was planted in the dream. I certainly didn’t want to enrol in a four year degree to get qualified as a teacher, so I let it go and life showed me the Fool’s Way.