Uniting nations?
The UN meditation room in New York, Dag Hammarskjöld's vision, Bo Beskow's painting and the question of whether shared silence can unite humanity. (7 min read)
In my meditation a few days ago I was guided to visit the United Nations in New York and leave a Casa crystal for the planet. The instruction was to leave it in the meditation room or chapel. So today I did this. It was my first visit to the UN. I had no idea whether there would even be a meditation room but, of course, there was and it was pretty much the first thing I saw inside the building.
The meditation room at the UN is very simple. It was designed by the second Secretary General (Dag Hammarskjöld) in 1957 and is intentionally lacking in any kind of religious symbolism. It contains a single abstract painting by the Swedish artist Bo Beskow. The painting is obviously dedicated to the light and it complements a large rectangular iron ore altar (6.5 tons) donated by Sweden. A single beam of light strikes the altar.
For me, the room felt like the holy of holies in Karnak Temple in Luxor, Egypt and the rock had about as much energy as the altar in that temple.
This is from the flyer that Dag wrote for visitors to the meditation room:
“We all have within us a center of stillness surrounded by silence.
This house, dedicated to work and debate in the service of peace, should have one room dedicated to silence in the outward sense and stillness in the inner sense.
It has been the aim to create in this small room a place where the doors may be open to the infinite lands of thought and prayer.
People of many faiths will meet here, and for that reason none of the symbols to which we are accustomed in our meditation could be used.
However, there are simple things which speak to us all with the same language. We have sought for such things and we believe that we have found them in the shaft of light striking the shimmering surface of solid rock.
So, in the middle of the room we see a symbol of how, daily, the light of the skies gives life to the earth on which we stand, a symbol to many of us of how the light of the spirit gives life to matter. But the stone in the middle of the room has more to tell us. We may see it as an altar, empty not because there is no God, not because it is an altar to an unknown god, but because it is dedicated to the God whom man worships under many names and in many forms.
The stone in the middle of the room reminds us also of the firm and permanent in a world of movement and change. The block of iron ore has the weight and solidity of the everlasting. It is a reminder of that cornerstone of endurance and faith on which all human endeavour must be based. The material of the stone leads our thoughts to the necessity for choice between destruction and construction, between war and peace. Of iron man has forged his swords, of iron he has also made his ploughshares. Of iron he has constructed tanks, but of iron he has likewise built homes for man. The block of iron ore is part of the wealth we have inherited on this earth of ours. How are we to use it?
The shaft of light strikes the stone in a room of utter simplicity. There are no other symbols, there is nothing to distract our attention or to break in on the stillness within ourselves. When our eyes travel from these symbols to the front wall, they meet a simple pattern opening up the room to the harmony, freedom and balance of space.
There is an ancient saying that the sense of a vessel is not in its shell but in the void. So it is with this room. It is for those who come here to fill the void with what they find in their center of stillness.”
See the mediation room here: https://www.un.org/ungifts/meditation-room
I wasn’t surprised to have the meditation room to myself and it was very simple to call in the good spirits and ask them to over-light the work in this important place. Their presence was palpable in the meditation room and also as I toured other important rooms, such as the General Assembly and the Security Council.
Some good work is happening at the UN. There are currently some very moving exhibits about curing land mines in former war torn areas, how kids over the world get to school and about the history of slavery.
There are also some lovely gifts from member nations, including a World Peace Stupa from Thailand, on display at the UN. However, the building is badly in need of refurbishment and is quite tatty – a bit like the institution itself. Thankfully, the refurbishment is underway.
There is a cool bookstore in the basement and I was able to buy flags of the various countries I have visited in recent years.
Namaste.
© Paul McCarthy & Iluminar.au
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