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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Work on new park underway Police reports Weather change should help clear smoke from fires 10 things to know for Friday Rabbi Lerner visits Ashland to speak, lead workshops Education Getting a 'Fresh Start' Ashland Kiwanis Club donates to AHS emergency fund Getting the low down on high school SOU ROAR's to life Middle schoolers get a taste of college living Environment Talent earns Bee City USA designation Ashland marchers won't give up on climate change message Deadly virus stalks Southern Oregon deer National monument area still faces threats What do you think of the return of wolves to Jackson County? 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Two views City sets example on marijuana tax Letters Letters to the Editor, Aug. 30 Letters to the Editor, Aug. 29 Letters to the Editor, Aug. 28 Letters to the Editor, Aug. 27 Letter to the Editor, Aug. 26 Guest opinions Two seemingly disparate moments in history Rauch replies: Frustrating, yes — yet there is method in't The summer of my discontent: An open letter to Bill Rauch Opportunities for civic involvement are plentiful in Ashland Hamas supporters spread anti-Semitism around the world Revels Latest Stories Community blog: Poet Willa Schneberg at Bloomsbury Books Community blog:Ashland Book and Author Festival Coming Soon Ashland's On The Fly Improv had the audience rolling Community blog:Poet Laureate Peter Sears in Ashland World of Wine celebrates local varietals Theater Wise cracks and hot licks make for super show OSF adds 'Wrinkle in Time' Family Night Daedalus Project 2014 Music The Jeff Stanley Trio at Lounge South 'On the Fly' Visual Art Movies Movie listings: Aug. 27-Sept. 4 'Calvary' is about darkness and dialogue Varsity Theatre, Ashland Street Cinemas movie listings: Aug. 22-26 'What If' hits the sweet spot Varsity Theatre, Ashland Street Cinemas movie listings: Aug. 15-21 Food and Drink World of Wine celebrates local varietals Lifestyle Latest Stories Nonviolence as a transformative way to peace Community Blog: Take a Joyful World tour! Grand days for grandparents and 'grand-others' Michelle Teheux: Kids aren’t as expensive as you think Gluten-free support Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos NEWS NOW 10 things to know for Friday ... Fire crews stop blaze before it spreads from cars to house ... UPDATED: Interstate 5's northbound lanes south of Ashland reopen after truck fire ... 10 things to know for Friday ... Fire crews stop blaze before it spreads from cars to house ... UPDATED: Interstate 5's northbound lanes south of Ashland reopen after truck fire ... COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTOR: INNER PEACE Nonviolence as a transformative way to peace By Joanna Niemann For the Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joanna Niemann For the Daily Tidings Posted Aug. 29, 2014 @ 2:50 pm By Joanna Niemann For the Daily Tidings Posted Aug. 29, 2014 @ 2:50 pm Tell us about your Inner Peace --> The Ashland Daily Tidings invites residents of the Rogue Valley to submit articles on all aspects of inner peace, including intuition, inner guidance, mind training, courage, fearlessness, forgiven... » Read more X Tell us about your Inner Peace The Ashland Daily Tidings invites residents of the Rogue Valley to submit articles on all aspects of inner peace, including intuition, inner guidance, mind training, courage, fearlessness, forgiveness of self or others, honesty, gentleness, humor, open mindedness, friendship, tolerance, trust, faith, kindness, gratitude, overcoming and/or accepting life’s challenges of addictions, loss, grief, pain, awareness of presence and more. Send 600- to 700-word articles to Sally McKirgan, [email protected] . » Social News While at Findhorn Community in Scotland last month, I realized that my strategy for experiencing inner peace was flawed. My erroneous strategy had been: "be quiet, don’t muddy the water, don’t rock the boat. Imagine what's up for the other to have them believe that, say that, do that. Then let it go; accept them without judgment. And, if the silence is deafening, make some innocuous comment that doesn’t challenge or let them know we are not in agreement." I liked it that way. It felt warm, easy and safe. The most extreme example of my using this strategy was when, as a child, I hid in the corner of a closet and pulled clothes all around me and kept myself not only from being heard, but also from being seen, for hours. It was peaceful. The light-bulb moment took place the second evening of our seven-day nonviolence program. Thirty-five people sat in a big circle and in the middle was a cloth slightly larger than a square yard. Each corner held something; on one some dried leaves, on another an empty bowl, on the third a big stick and the fourth a stone. Every gathering the entire week was voluntary, so it was always our choice whether to show up and to participate or not. That evening we were invited to express things not usually expressed publicly. One at a time we came to the center, picked up an object and talked about how it was to feel what that object symbolized. The dry leaves symbolized grief, the bowl emptiness, the stick anger and the stone fear. How acute was our desire to be heard! Some wanted their grief and anger to be heard. Others lifted up their fears and emptiness. My emptiness was about the Central American children, their long journey on foot, their hunger and fear and confusion. It was about their future, and about their parents. I cried. When I had no more tears and no more to say, I went back to my place as the others all said, “We hear you.” Everyone wanted to be heard. An hour and a half beyond our quitting time, still we were not finished. We are affected by occurrences, but our culture seems to not have space for this kind of speaking and hearing. I got clear about the chasm between speaking and not speaking, and sensed the peace that comes when my words matter to others. I realized my earlier strategy was actually violent; you see, I might as well not have existed. In my speaking, I became someone, part of community, my voice joined with those of the others. Nonviolence desires the spoken truths of each one of us. (Joanna Macy created this exercise in the ’80s, and there is even more to it.) All week we were to speak our truth and discern ways we like being heard and hear others. We were also invited to speak the unspeakable, that which had never been said nor heard before. And, when we heard another’s "unspeakable story," we were to find the place in ourselves where that could have been true for us, too. Speaking truth engendered inner peace for us — far more comfortable than hiding in the closet or retreating into the emptiness of not speaking. Dominic Barter and Kit Miller, who guided us at Findhorn, will host an exploration called "A Lived Practice of Nonviolence." It will certainly be a different experience from the one I had at Findhorn, because it will serve those who come, which will be a much larger group with two days together rather than seven. Please join us to align our inner compasses with the world our hearts know is possible from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 9 and 10 at Southern Oregon University in Ashland. The gentleness and fearless honesty brought to us by Kit and Dominic may well lead you to inner peace and its accompanying comfort.   Joanna Niemann hosts Restorative Circles and is an artist. Contact her at [email protected] or 541-482-5940. By Joanna Niemann For the Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joanna Niemann For the Daily Tidings Posted Aug. 29, 2014 @ 2:50 pm » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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