Peace & Year of The Fire Horse

I’ve been sitting with so many things since making my way downtown to witness the energetic presence of the Buddhist monks walking for peace.

If you missed it, these Theravada Buddhist monks walked from Fort Worth, Texas to Washington DC, over 2,300 miles. Through cold weather, taunts from opposing groups, and long stretches of silence, sometimes barefoot, they walked in mindful presence.

I first heard about them around Christmas and felt completely captivated and of course, by Aloka, the “dog monk” who accompanied them the entire way.

As they drew closer to DC, conversations about their journey began showing up everywhere, with clients, friends, and family. I felt an undeniable pull to go and witness them in person.

To support peace.

I’ve struggled with the politics of our country and haven’t felt called to engage through protest or opposition. Instead, standing in quiet presence felt more aligned for me.

This sparked many conversations:

What does it mean to create change? What’s needed for change…Protest or peace?
Is fighting against something the way forward?
Or is cultivating peace and presence itself an equally powerful act?

I’m genuinely curious where you land with that.

The night after seeing the monks, I had one of the most profound teachings about human suffering I’ve ever experienced.

As a practicing Tibetan Buddhist and Buddhist minister, I know the teachings conceptually… that suffering arises through attachment, aversion, and misunderstanding. I’ve studied this and taught it many times.

But this time, it landed differently.

The insight gained through a meditation was simple and powerful:

We each participate and are responsible in creating our own suffering.

That realization hit me deeply. It challenged what I thought I understood and at the same time felt incredibly liberating.

Because if we are participating in creating our suffering… then we also have agency.

We can choose how we respond.
We can choose where we place our attention.
We can choose how we meet the world.

For those of us who like a little sense of control 😉… this teaching offers something profound: responsibility not as burden, but as freedom.

And almost simultaneously, we welcomed the Lunar New Year – the year of the Fire Horse.

We just completed an intense year of the Snake. Anyone resonate with shedding old skins? Releasing patterns? Letting go of what no longer fits?

The Fire Horse brings a different energy … movement, momentum, passion, forward motion.

And for those who have followed me for a while, you know horses have been some of my greatest teachers.

Horses are emotional mirrors. They reflect back what we carry internally, even when we aren’t aware of it ourselves. Their power comes from their deep attunement – to nature, to energy, to presence.

So if the Fire Horse arrives hot, passionate, and ready to move…

Can you meet that energy? Are you ready to move with it? Or does it bring up irritation?

If it feels anxious or overwhelming…

Can you become the calm presence that helps regulate it?

This is the invitation I feel for this year:

*Alignment with our own nature.
*Learning to embody both peace and fire…calm and excitement.
*Choosing presence while still moving forward, with passion and clarity.

Because maybe peace isn’t passive at all. Maybe peace is the grounded center from which powerful movement arises.

I’d love to hear what’s stirring for you right now… where you feel movement, where you feel resistance, or where you’re being invited to choose peace and presence over fear.

Connect with me on my website to find out about more ways we can work together.

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