Recently I came across a new book, Nature and the Human Soul by Bill Plotkin His website (http://www.natureandthehumansoul.com/newbook/) offers the first chapter to read. The book describes an ecopsychological development from birth to death that beautifully weaves together the work of Joanna Macy, David Korten, Paul Hawken, among others.

Dear Friends, 

We are writing to ask your support for two beloved friends of ours, Stephen and Ondrea Levine. They are currently facing significant difficulty. After a life-time of giving, they are now at a time to receive from those of us whose lives have been touched by their presence and teaching.

Their greatest needs are financial. Ondrea has Leukemia and the costs of her insurance and treatment have used up their savings. Stephen's health is not good either, and he is too frail to travel or teach. When we heard about this, we felt moved to contribute to a fund set up for them, and to encourage others to do the same.

Stephen and Ondrea have been among our generation's most important teachers, demonstrating and encouraging others to embrace the power of love and generosity. For three years, they ran a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week free phone line for those dying or in need of support. When the phone bills got too high, they sold their house to keep the project going. For decades they regularly corresponded with thousands people who were seeking spiritual guidance, giving freely to those in need, many of whom were sick or in the final years of their life.

The circle has now come around, allowing us the opportunity to give to these two life-long givers. We hope to raise several hundred thousand dollars in small and large donations to help them through this time.

Caring for friends and teachers is an essential part of any spiritual life. As we age, spiritual friends are more important than ever. Stephen and Ondrea have been dear spiritual friends to us and to thousands of others through their books, workshops, and correspondence. 

If you are one of these people and are moved to give, below are three ways to donate to the Levine Fund at Bread for the Journey. Bread for the Journey informs us that donations are tax deductible.

With gratitude and love,

Jack Kornfield, Ram Dass, and Sharon Salzberg

As we move full throttle into the holiday season, we come face to face with our own consumptive behavior. What a time for self-reflection and examining our own relationship with how we seek external happiness through what we buy. To see the bigger picture, I strongly recommend a brilliant video call The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard produced by Free Range Studios.

I recently watched an interview by Amy Goodman with feminist Naomi Wolf on her new book "The End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot." She discusses her fear about watching America transform into fascism. The book covers historically other nations that have succumbed to fascism and how the terminology used in these nations is currently being used in our own country. She lists ten steps that lead toward fascism:

1. Invoke a terrifying internal and external enemy.
2. Create secret prisons where torture takes place.
3. Develop a thug caste or paramilitary force not answerable to citizens.
4. Set up an internal surveillance system.
5. Harass citizens' groups.
6. Engage in arbitrary detention and release.
7. Target key individuals.
8. Control the press.
9. Declare all dissent to be treason.
10. Suspend the rule of law.


My wifel and I watched the interview and it triggered in her the feeling of, I know this has been happening all along and I just can't bear to hear this. Unable to sleep, I suggested we use Joanna Macy's Breathing Thru meditation and it had a calming effect on both of us.

So again, what do we do with this information on a daily basis? How do we carry it? It seems so easy to push it aside and not think about it. As the dark cloak of fascism darkens the horizons of hope, where do we go and how do we live? I am not one prone to pessimism, but I am searching for ways to stay engaged in this beautiful world of ours with the hope that future beings will see our efforts were for their benefit.

You can watch or listen to the interview at:

As our children grow, as parents we are unlikely to notice the day to day changes, but suddenly they have outgrown their clothes, begun dating, or are preparing to leave home. In the same manner, those of us so busy working for peace and social justice in this world, may have failed to notice how the largest movement for change has come into being, which is the topic of Paul Hawken’s book Blessed Unrest. Like peaceful warrior, or fierce grace, the use of an oxymoron to describe this movement seems so fitting where paradoxically when the earth and its inhabitants seem to be struggling for survival, we might be at the greatest turning point of positive change due to the self-organizing of hundreds of thousands of activist groups of all kinds, who have emerged from a longing of the heart to bring about peace and harmony.

As we support each other to do this work, (zaadz being an excellent example), let the words of Paul Hawken encourage us to follow our intention with fierceness. Blessed Unrest  gives us the capacity to respond, even as our hearts break open to the suffering of the world. Listen with your heart to Paul’s five minute talk at the  Bioneer’s 2006 conference.


blessings,

werner

“The armoring of the heart is directly related to the hardness in the belly.”
                                                                                    - Stephen Levine

Stephen Levine, in his work with the dying and as a teacher of Buddhist meditation, uses ‘soft belly’ meditation to bring our awareness to the levels of sensation in the body. In our culture the mere mention of soft belly brings images of flabbiness and self-criticism. Men strive for the six-pack muscular hardness of the abdominal region and women are constantly reminded in our narcissistic advertising media the virtue of a flat well-toned stomach. Yet a soft belly can become an excellent signal of how we are responding to life. Can we feel the softness of belly that makes room for it all, or does a stressful situation tighten the muscles of the belly, closing our hearts from allowing us to feel the present moment.

In a world where stress seems to be so prevalent, soft belly can become a place we continually come back to, reminding us to keep our hearts open to whatever presents itself in the moment, and giving us the capacity to work from a place of love instead of fear.

The following 15 minute meditation is an excerpt from Stephen and Ondrea Levine’s workshop ‘To Love and Be Loved’.

Find a comfortable place to sit and relax, observe, and allow.


in softness,

werner

"If we expect our lives to be up and down, our lives will be far more peaceful."
                                                                                        -Suzuki Roshi

An unexpected wind of change required me to pay more attention to what is significant in my life. As my energy flowed in the direction of changing the world, my own world changed among the people closest to me. To meet the needs of relationship in my own life, a rebalancing of my energy was required. These days I find myself spending more time in the garden (just harvested 100 cloves of garlic),  and visiting Minto, my most intimate of relationships. Minto-Brown Island, a 900 acre natural park of open and wooded areas, has offered comfort and advice over the last 28 years I have known her. I have run thousands of miles along her winding paths, harvested nettles, St. John’s wort, and blackberries, and shared countless hours with friends enjoying her wildness.

More recently, a good friend and I religiously meet once a week to share a cup of coffee, a taste of cannabis, and let Tika, our spiritual beta-wolf guide, remind us of our place in the natural order of things, as we bicycle through the meadows and forests experiencing what I call gratitude work.

As my writing mind returns from a leave of absence, I want to share with you some more recent inspirations through the words of Pete Seeger, Grace Lee Boggs, and Margaret Wheatley, all amazing bodhisattvas.

Recently, Pete Seeger was interviewed by Amy Goodman of Democracy Now. When asked what he might say to young people who aren’t so hopeful, he answered,

“Realize that little things lead to bigger things. That's what Seeds is all about. And this wonderful parable in the New Testament: the sower scatters seeds. Some seeds fall in the pathway and get stamped on, and they don't grow. Some fall on the rocks, and they don't grow. But some seeds fall on fallow ground, and they grow and multiply a thousand fold. Who knows where some good little thing that you've done may bring results years later that you never dreamed of.”

You can view/listen to the entire interview by clicking here.

This connected with the words of Grace Lee Boggs, a 91 year-old activist, who was interviewed by Bill Moyer who asked her of an example where the peace and justice movement is going today. She said,

“I see the signs in the various-- small groups that are emerging all over the place to try and regain our humanity in very practical ways. For example in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Will Allen, who is a former basketball player has purchased-- two and a half acres of land, with five greenhouses on it, and he is beginning to grow food, healthy food for his community. And communities are growing up around that idea. I mean, that's a huge change in the way that we think of the city. I mean, the things we have to restore are so elemental. Not just food, and not just healthy food, but a different way of relating to time and history and to the earth.”

The entire interview is viewable by clicking here.

And finally, I became aware of a beautifully intelligent woman, Margaret Wheatley, who works with the concepts of living system theories and the idea of networking leading to communities of practice, and emergence. She talks about the four freedoms of hopeless, groundless, empty, fearless that allow her to walk into difficult places and remain sane. Her work, among others, is published in FieldNotes by the Shambhala Institute Community. Several of her articles are referenced below.

• To Be Free From
• Eight Fearless Questions
• Using Emergence to Take Social Innovations to Scale

So as we journey into the mystery of our own lives, lets keep the sense doors wide open and let our shared experiences be the connecting thread that weaves together this beautiful tapestry of life.

with gratitude,

werner

What does the word freedom mean in the 21st Century. The word ‘freedom’ as defined in the dictionary states "the power to act, think, or speak as one wants without hindrance or restraint." At first glance, one might think that this is the case in our own country (USA), but as we look inwardly, how much fear resides in our own hearts that prevents us from speaking our truth. Does our society promote love or hate? Are we a nation of cooperation or competition? Power with or power over? As we look at our actions, are they motivated by love or fear.

Since 911, we hear the word freedom being used in ways that are destructive to people of other nations. Operation Enduring Freedom is one example. Are the people of Iraq free. Are they better off today than before the fall of Saddam Hussein? In this country where so many people can not afford health care, is this a system that supports freedom or oppression. Where we live should not determine whether we live. My intention here is not to debate how free our society is, but to examine more closely what type of action we must take personally and politically to truly promote freedom at a global level.

The Campaign to Liberate Freedom has produced a powerful video that asks us to examine what freedom means and to take action. Take a few minutes and watch the video and let me know what you think.



may you go in peace,
werner

The Universal Declaraiton of Human Rights mentioned in the video can be viewed here.

Those of us who were seekers during the sixties will remember Ram Dass, a spiritual teacher who has always been part of the vanguard in relation to spirituality, service, and aging and dying. His psychedelic explorations lead him to India where he met his guru, Neem Karoli Baba. He arrived in India as Richard Alpert, ex-Harvard professor and returned as Ram Dass, dedicating his life to service for others. His classic book, Be Here Now, became a spiritual guide book for so many of us.

As most of us moved into the 'Me' generation of the 1980's , Ram Dass founded the Seva Foundation whose mission was to alleviate suffering in the world caused by disease and poverty.

In the 1990's, he exposed the cultural bias against aging and began working on Still Here. He survived a severe stroke in 1997 that left him partially paralyzed and speech impaired. He referred to his experience as Fierce Grace, which became the title of a biographical documentary film. Over the years he made a remarkable recovery and now lives in Maui enjoying the healing climate and warm ocean where, in his own words, he is learning to age peacefully. His service continues as he offers  monthly satsang and kirtan which reaches a global audience through webcam technology. Registered members at his website can participate in scheduled 1/2 hour one on one conversations. A library of his talks span three generations and are available in video and audio format.

RamDass.org is a beautiful example how internet technology offers his teachings to a global audience. Enjoy a sample of one of his talks now.



Namaste,
Werner

Watch Ron Kovic passionately ask us to bring our troops home. From his own experience  of being paralyzed in the Vietnam War, his heart-felt words reach deep into our own hearts as we feel his compassion for the wounded vets of this generation.




You can help by donating to MoveOn.org to help air the Bring the Troops Home Now ad directed by Oliver Stone.

Go in Peace,

Werner