Continuing the celebration of the upcoming royal wedding, here's my latest column for Confluence Daily in the "Why Royal Weddings Matter" series. Enjoy "Channeling Kindness"....reprinted below.
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Channeling Kindness
“Well, is he nice?” Meghan Markle asked about
Prince Harry of Wales when a well-connected friend offered to arrange a blind
date between the two famous thirty-somethings. Only familiar with the royals
via media headlines, she explained, everything else about the prince was a moot
point for her “if he wasn’t kind.”
As most of the world now knows, the couple got
engaged last fall and will marry in May. It appears Meghan, an activist and
humanitarian, found a common spirit in her kind-hearted prince. They have
already made a dynamic partnership in their altruistic work together focused on
the youth of the world. “Meghan is going to be a force,” People magazine reported, citing a palace source. “She will help
him define his role and relate to the public in a way that he wouldn’t have
been able to do before. It was worth the wait.”
Harry
and Meghan want as many people as possible to benefit from the
generosity of spirit that bubbles up around wedding celebrations. So, continuing the precedent set by William
and Kate (and now the trend with regular couples, who were, in turn, inspired
by the young royals), they are asking the public to “channel kindness,” noted Natalie
Hinde in Huffington Post, requesting
any wedding gifts be made in the form of a donation to one of their personally
selected charities—they chose seven “which reflect their shared values.” (Plus,
I doubt they really need any household items or another cut crystal bowl!)
Considered
a “personal” wedding (distinct from a “state” occasion where it’s appropriate
to invite heads of state from around the world), Harry and Meghan’s ceremony is
rather small compared to other Windsor weddings. (Only 600 friends and family
members received the coveted invitations to attend the wedding service at St.
George’s Chapel and following reception. Yet Harry, who remained close to his
mother’s family, invited the Spencer clan—Diana’s three siblings and their
families—to both wedding and reception, including the evening’s
let-your-hair-down party for 200 at Frogmore Hall.) Nonetheless, Harry and
Meghan have extended special invitations to almost 2700 people “from every
corner of the United Kingdom”—people of all ages and backgrounds who have
served their communities, plus members of the royal household—to be part of
their wedding by gathering on the grounds of Windsor Castle to watch the comings
and goings of the day’s festivities. (I’d like to be part of that group!)
I find it a pleasure to be drawn into the love
story of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Given the archetypal nature of
royalty, representing something stirring in the collective consciousness, it’s
most heartening to know that a deep level of “kindness” is brewing on such a
glittering world stage to help counteract the harshness that’s been unleashed in
the world of late.
Kindness has indeed taken a hit recently in
the rude realm of “trumpery,” but as British novelist Amelia Edith Barr wrote: “Kindness is
always fashionable.” Both of Princess Diana and Prince Charles’ sons inherited
a tender, thoughtful side from their parents—and both William and Harry
attracted life partners who seem to nurture and encourage that tenderness. (The
expression “real men are kind-hearted” comes to mind!)
“Channel
kindness” is an apt directive today—and perhaps a reason so many people are captivated
by this vibrant couple who are creating such joy in being in service to others.
I say let’s all enjoy and celebrate this royal wedding, immersing ourselves in
heart-centered energy—and feel the spirit of kindness rising in the world, then
pass it forward.~
[I'm working on a new book, A Memory of Beauty: The Spiritual Mission of
a Princess—which explores the transformational nature of kindness.]
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