It’s so easy to find ourselves living with a sense of despair as we contemplate what is happening to our planet, especially when we consider events such as the continuing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. But despair equates to disempowerment–a place which leaves us fearful, hopeless, and victim-bound. So how can we awaken our sense of hope and empowerment? Much lies in looking at our humanity–who we are, where we’ve been, and what we’re made of. As I prepared last week for the Awakening the Dreamer Symposium facilitator training, I was deeply inspired by the prerequisite reading, which spoke of these human aspects and qualities.

The following paragraphs are taken from The Optimism of Uncertainty by Howard Zinn: “Revolutionary change does not come as one cataclysmic moment (beware of such moments!) but as an endless succession of surprises, moving zigzag toward a more decent society. We don’t have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in the process of change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world. Even when we don’t “win,” there is fun and fulfillment in the fact that we have been involved, with other good people, in something worthwhile. We need hope.

“An optimist isn’t necessarily a blithe, slightly sappy whistler in the dark of our time. To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places–and there are so many–where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.” The Optimism of Uncertainty by Howard Zinn; November 6, 2004

The following is excerpted from the twelve Principles of Spiritual Leadership by Will Keepin. I have chosen the two that speak to me most deeply today:

“The first principle is that the motivation underlying our activism for social change must be transformed from anger and despair to compassion and love. This is a major challenge for the environmental movement, for example. This is not to deny the legitimacy of noble anger or outrage at injustice of any kind. Rather, we seek to work for love, rather than against evil. We need to adopt compassion and love as our foundational intention, and do whatever inner work is required to implement this intention. Even if our outer actions remain the same, there is a major difference in results if our underlying intention supports love rather than defeating evil. The Dalai Lama says, ‘A positive future can never emerge from the mind of anger and despair.’

“The ninth principle is: do not insulate yourself from the pain of the world. We must allow our hearts to be broken-broken open-by the pain of the world. As that happens, as we let that pain in, we become the vehicles for transformation. If we block the pain, we are actually preventing our own participation in the world’s attempt to heal itself. As we allow our hearts to break open, the pain that comes is the medicine by which the Earth heals itself, and we become the agents of that healing. This is a vital principle that is quite alien to our usual Western ways of thinking.” Principles of Spiritual Leadership Adapted from a presentation given by Will Keepin at Schumacher College Totnes, England, July 17, 1997

Lastly, for today, I include an excerpt from First Draft of a Manifesto For Our Times by Vicki Robin: “You’ve heard the bad news. Yes, it’s bad. Everywhere you look, problems are multiplying faster than technology can wipe them up, faster than laws can contain them, faster than wisdom can put them in perspective. Everyday people – you and me – feel disconnected and powerless. But there’s good news. We’re a healthy species. We’re a young species. We’re designed for success. And every single one of us is a member of the species, so we all have the capacity to think and feel and experiment our way into a future that’s healthy for all life. Here are some principles you can count on. (For today, I’ve included the first four of Ms. Robin’s principles.)

“1. We’re not dumb. Ask anyone what the biggest challenges facing the world are in the next decade and you’ll get the same list. We know what’s wrong. We even know a bit of what “right” would look like. It’s a child’s vision of happiness: sunshine, family, flowers, friends, good stuff to do. The problem seems to be a sense of powerlessness. We’re up against a wall. There is no door. We want to do what’s right but every day we contribute to what’s wrong by doing what we must – driving our cars, working for large corporations, buying food grown with poisons, sending our kids to inadequate schools, watching stupid, violent TV programs to numb out. There must be a way to put into practice what we want to be real, what we know to be right. Therefore, we are people committed to creating a door in the wall and opening it so that everyone can have a decent life.”
2. We are not greedy. We are a generous species, given half a chance. Once we know we have enough and feel secure that it won’t be taken away (which is totally possible in the world as it is), simple playground fairness tells us we won’t ever be really happy until everyone has enough. Physical appetite teaches us that over-consuming leads to belly aches. You can’t get enough of what you don’t really want. Once you have enough to meet your real and perceived needs, you can liberate yourself from building personal material security and devote yourself to assuring the collective material security for all life. In this context, barter, sharing, gifting, generosity all make sense and are a source of real wealth. Therefore, we are people who pledge to understand and have compassion for our needs, to fill them wisely and to devote the ample overflow of intelligence, care, attention, creativity, love and inventiveness to contributing to the health, sanity and sustainability of life on earth.
3. Good work and good works. We’re a helpful bunch. We like to work (but not all the time, for Heaven’s sakes!). The purpose of work is not just to make money. CEO’s know that. Child care workers know that. Unpaid volunteers know that. We work to learn, to participate in the work of the world, to challenge ourselves, to pass the time, to get out and meet people, to prove ourselves, to play. Therefore, we are people who pledge ourselves, to the best of our ability, to work for the good of the world while assuring our own well-being and that we meet our financial obligations.
4. Success. We are not the “best” species, but we are a wonderful species – full of creativity, compassion, tenacity and devotion. The fact that we are, in this moment, contributing to a major die-off of other species and degradation of the biosphere isn’t proof that we are bad. It shows that we are immature and need to grow up. The young of any species must learn the consequences of their actions. As a young species, our task is to face the dark side of our expansiveness and become collectively as wise as our great wise ones: Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, and Confucius – to name just a few. We are people who pledge ourselves to face our errors, to correct our errors and to become wise and generous companions to other people, cultures and species.“

It is through taking the best of what we are as human beings–and there is so much to celebrate about being human–to continue awakening. Through that awakening–through our questioning, curiosity and inquiry–combined with our creativity, compassion, tenacity and devotion, we can realize a world of sustainability, justice and spiritual fulfillment for all!

One great way to continue awakening is to attend the Awakening the Dreamer Symposium, which takes place in many locations around the world. Please go to the Awakening the Dreamer website to find a location near you. I, along with my team, will soon be offering symposiums between Denver and Colorado Springs and I will definitely post those times and dates as they get finalized.

Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

This past weekend, as I attended the training to become a facilitator for the Pachamama Alliance “Awakening the Dreamer” Symposium, I was profoundly moved. I am still processing all that I felt, heard, and participated in. In community with twelve other individuals, we shared the essence of the symposium and prepared for the profound honor and awesome responsibility of spreading the messages contained within it.

I experienced many emotions as we explored the three-fold mission of the Awakening the Dreamer Symposium: to bring forth an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling and socially just human presence on Planet Earth. Today, as I try to put into words all that the symposium means to me, the words “justice” and “reverence” stand out. For me, Pachamama Alliance and the Awakening the Dreamer symposium are about connecting to a desire for justice in our world and a reverence for all life.

Additionally, the words “knowing” and “awakening” resonate with me as I write this. When I first heard about the Awakening the Dreamer symposium, I intuitively knew I had to attend. At the conclusion of the symposium, I intuitively knew I had to become a facilitator. Today, after becoming a facilitator, I know that I want to–and must–share with others the messages of this incredible alliance through the symposiums and beyond. It is in awakening that we can all find ways to act–in life-affirming, just, and reverent ways–honoring ourselves and each other, bringing holistic wellness to Mother Earth and all her inhabitants.

The problems in our world are enormous, yet the potential solutions are endless! It is in EACH thought and EACH step taken by EACH one of us–one person at a time–that amazing change happens–change that will carry us beyond the crises of our times. And it is through EACH of us awakening to our universal connection with all others, including our dear planet, that a new dream will continue to emerge. A new dream, a new vision, a new way of life that honors our connection to Source, to each other, and to Mother Earth. A new dream rooted in love. A new dream rooted in reverence for All Life.

As Barry Lopez expressed on Bill Moyers’ final “Journal” episode, “We’re so afraid. There’s so much to be afraid of. I mean, look at the government we have at the moment, I mean, there’s so many places you can go, that make you think, ‘What in the world are we doing? And how can it be brought to heal?’ But we– I believe that there is a way for people to communicate with each other that they have never known before. It’s never, I mean, part of this electronic world we live in, you know? It’s got its darkness as well as its light. But for people all over the world, in small groups, to be in touch with each other about what is welling up in every country, among every group of people, which is a desire for justice.

“What brought me fully to life as a child was the natural world. So, when I came to New York and immersed myself in, you know, the- in high culture, I didn’t lose what I was given as a child. But the way I understood what I wanted to write about was using these metaphors of landscapes that I traveled in. And, you know, that’s what I do. But I’m not writing about nature. I’m writing about humanity. And if I have a subject, it is justice. And the rediscovery of the manifold way in which our lives can be shaped by the recovery of a sense of reverence for life.”

May the words of Barry Lopez resonate with each of us and make us awaken to that sense of justice and reverence.

May the video that follows also stir in each of us the notion of endless possibilities and the desire to become part of a new dream! Namaste.

This weekend I will be involved in the training required to become a facilitator of Pachamama Alliance’s Awakening the Dreamer Symposium. I am excited, awestruck, and nervous as I become a part of this monumental bridge of past and present to create a sustainable future for all life.

As I’ve been reading my preparatory materials, I’ve come across some rather thought-provoking excerpts. Here is a portion of them for your consideration this weekend:

The following paragraphs are taken from The Dream of the Earth by Thomas Berry: “In relation to the earth, we have been autistic for centuries. Only now have we begun to listen with some attention and with a willingness to respond to the earth’s demands that we cease our industrial assault, that we abandon our inner rage against the conditions of our earthly existence, that we renew our human participation in the grand liturgy of the universe.

“Mitigation of the present situation (recycling of materials, diminishment of consumption, healing of damaged ecosystems) will be in vain if they are done to make the present industrial systems acceptable. They must be done, but in order to build a new order of things.” Thomas Berry, The Dream of the Earth

The following paragraph comes from The Great Work by Thomas Berry: “The deepest cause of the present devastation is found in a mode of consciousness that has established a radical discontinuity between the human and other modes of being and the bestowal of rights on the humans. The other-than-human modes of being are seen as having no rights. They have reality and value only through their use by the human. In this context the other-than-human becomes totally vulnerable to exploitation by the humans, an attitude that is shared by all four of the fundamental establishments that control the human realm: governments, corporations, universities and religions—the political, economic, intellectual, and religious establishments. In reality there is a single integral community of the Earth that includes all its component members…Every being has its own voice. Every being declares itself to the entire universe.” Thomas Berry, The Great Work

Look for more excerpts in the weeks to come. In the meantime, please consider these thoughts from Thomas Berry. As you go about your day-to-day life, let them reside in your heart. Contemplate them. Consider them. And question. How might the earth guide us towards a sustainable future? And what new order of things might we build? What is possible if each of us comes to understand our individual call to action–action on behalf of our planet, as well as present and future generations?

Last Saturday I attended the Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream Symposium in Boulder, Colorado, put on by the Awakening The Dreamer Initiative, which is a program of The Pachamama Alliance. These symposiums are being held throughout the world in an effort to bring awareness about current conditions and to connect with people who want to take this opportunity and find ways in our own lives to participate in the promotion of their mission: Our mission is bringing forth an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling and socially just human presence on Planet Earth.

What I found through my experience of the symposium was a heart-centered approach to looking at where we are, how we got here, what’s being done, and where might we go from here. This initiative is truly one of attraction rather than promotion. The symposium left me with an invitation rather than a demand to find ways to get involved. There was no sign-up sheet that everyone was required to commit their name to nor were there any pre-determined actions we were required to take. Primarily, we were encouraged to look into our hearts and our lives to see what we felt we might do after the symposium; however, we did not have to make any commitments to anyone then and there.

Rather, we were asked to leave the symposium and continue to ponder what might be appropriate for us to do in our own lives. The intention of the symposium was to have us leave in a state of “Blessed Unrest”–to feel renewed, hopeful, and activated to do more–which could be as simple as telling another about our experience.

I have carried the experience in my heart all week and feel blessed to have participated in such a profound heartfelt few hours. What the symposium did for me is make more clear that my business Bellisima Living is exactly where I should be. It clarified for me that the work I am doing and growing is so timely and so necessary. People do want to help but we don’t always feel empowered to do so or know how to get started or exactly what to do. My workshops provide some of the answers to those questions. Having someone show you simple ways to create a greener lifestyle–in your home, business, and leisure–is empowering! Having someone demonstrate that everyone can get involved–even the youngest in our families–is freeing and encouraging! And having someone help you see that what you do really does matter–that you matter–is so powerful!

We all do make a difference each and every day. We can either make choices that are good for our health and the health of our planet or not! And it starts with the littlest of actions–even those actions we think of as small and insignificant do count! Today, you may be able to choose to bring a reusable bag as you shop. This is big when you consider how many stores you may acquire bags from on any given day. Multiply that by the number of people in your community, in your town, in your state, in your country, and then ask yourself if this action is still small and insignificant.

If you get a chance to attend a symposium, please do so. The volunteers who facilitate the symposiums are awesome, caring individuals who give freely of their time and knowledge. Their compensation is knowing that a few more people have been touched by their message of “Blessed Unrest.” Go to this link for Upcoming Symposiums to find a location and date near you.

Just so you know, I intend to become a facilitator. It seems such a perfect compliment to my work. I was one of a few others who were touched in that way. Whether someone becomes a facilitator, hosts a symposium, begins carrying a reusable stainless steel water bottle each day, designates a regular daily practice such as meditation, prayer or yoga, we are all making a difference. Every thought, deed, or action brings health and sustainability to our planet if that is our intention. So what will your intention be today?

DID YOU KNOW…
“When a caterpillar reaches a certain point in its own evolution, it becomes over-consumptive, a voracious eater and it eats everything in sight.

What’s possible is that we’re the imaginal cells on the planet right now.”

Inspired by Elisabet Sahtouris

FOR TODAY…I will put practices in place to bring more spiritual fulfillment to my own life and spread more love, caring and the sense of our interconnectedness into the world. I will continue to add to the actions I take that promote environmental sustainability of our earth. I will get involved with more organizations which are working towards social justice.