Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

One Peace, Many Paths hosting World Peace Flag ceremony, first Earth and Spirit Festival

By Nina Culver For The Spokesman-Review

The fourth annual World Peace Flag Ceremony and the first Earth and Spirit Festival will be held this weekend in Spokane as part of the Compassion Games.

Communities compete in the Compassion Games every September and April to see who can contribute the most hours of community, raise the most money for charity and gather the largest number of volunteers. The September games started Sept. 8 and will end Sunday.

Co-directors Hank and Joan Broeckling founded One Peace, Many Paths 10 years ago and are hosting both events.

“This year we’ve taken a greater focus on how to live sustainably and how to reconnect more deeply with nature,” Joan Broeckling said. “The whole goal is to create a more compassionate world.”

The flag ceremony will begin at 7 p.m. Friday at Gonzaga University’s Hemmingson Center at 702 E. DeSmet Ave. It will include the flag of every country and local Native American tribes. The flags are arranged in a large spiral during the ceremony.

“It’s basically a way to honor all the people of the world,” said Hank Broeckling. “When it’s done it’s a beautiful mosaic spiral.”

The Earth and Spirit Festival will be held Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Unity Spiritual Center at 2900 S. Bernard St. The couple hopes the festival will become an annual event.

The schedule includes workshops, a resource fair, an art show, music and activities for children. The first workshop is “Building a Sustainable Spokane” featuring Ben Stuckart, president of the Spokane City Council, and other community leaders.

Other workshops will include “Spotlight on Local Sustainability,” “Interfaith Approaches to Stewarding the Earth” and “Healing with Horses.” Roger Vielle, a member of the Blackfeet Tribe and American Indian Studies professor at the University of Idaho will lead a workshop on the connection between nature and Native American culture.

An Equinox ceremony featuring drumming and poetry from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. will close the day.

There will be free child care for children 5 and under and activities for children ages 6-11. The activities include crafts, yoga, games, Native American stories, music and more. Children will be supervised by volunteers and must be signed in and out.

Admission is $5 per person at the door with a maximum of $15 per family.

“We want this to be affordable for people,” said Hank Broeckling. “We don’t want this to be a financial burden.”

The goal of the events is to help people find peace, he said. “Our purpose and goal is to help people know and experience peace in their lives,” he said. “There is so much chaos in the world these days. Peace is an internal experience.”

Joan Broeckling said she enjoys being a part of the Compassion Games every year. This month One Peace, Many Paths organized or encouraged participation in several service projects. They sorted food at Northwest Harvest, helped the annual Spokane River Cleanup sponsored by the Lands Council and cleaned up Drumheller Springs Park.

“Compassion is not a noun, it’s a verb,” she said. “It’s something you do. It’s fun to be a part of something that’s worldwide.”