The PWR attracted over 9600 people and offered more than 300 workshops; several sacred spaces; exhibitions; all day small stage performances with music and dance from many cultures; open space activities in addition to the all-encompassing plenaries focusing on the six major concerns of this PWR. I want to emphasize that by the nature of the enormous diversity of choices, my experience was narrow and limited. I constantly had to make choices about what workshops to attend. I focused mostly on The Women’s Initiative which wove workshops throughout the five days. I discovered that I could not sustain a 12-14 hour day of active participation and spent a couple hours each day resting and absorbing what I had seen and heard. In addition, I attended only four out of the five days, departing the morning of the fifth day in order to be able to attend my writing seminar in Washington, D.C. two days later.

For a fuller understanding of the PWR I encourage you to go to the website: ParliamentOfReligions.org/watch and follow whatever interests you.The videos capture some of the delightful flavor of walking through the Salt Palace feeling the sense of co-operation and peace among the participants. It is humbling to me to realize how small a slice of the Parliament I actually experienced as well as how marvelous it was to participate in this historic gathering. My hope is that these posts and the website might spark your interest and you become involved in Interfaith Now in a way that mirrors your interest.

My next post(s) will include my reflections on the Women’s Assembly and the Focus on Women, followed with a post on my experience with the Indigenous presence at the Parliament. Then I will return to my posts on Biblical Stories of Women.