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November 16, 2017

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The Gift of Cold

“For our ancestors, winter was a test of survival,” writes Fabiana Fondevila, a journalist, children’s book author and ritual maker from Buenos Aires, Argentina. She remarks that “although … many of us … have heated homes, transportation and warm clothing, the season of bare trees takes us back to the experience of that first vulnerability.” In this poignant essay on winter, Fondevila encourages us to reflect on what gifts winter brings us. “If we could for a moment disconnect from screens and lights, we would feel winter’s whisperings calling us like it calls the seeds, the leaves, the sap descending, the animals changing coat, the grass that stops in its tracks and saves its strength for spring.” { read more }

Be The Change

Take a moment to see the gift in a winter-like situation, person, or time in your life – one that leaves you feeling bare and vulnerable, and yet, more open-hearted.

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November 15, 2017

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One Activist’s Oath, First Vow Not to Burn Out

Mushim Patricia Ikeda is a teacher, artist and activist. She’s worked tirelessly for the upliftment of the marginalized. Through her work, Ikeda realized that the major danger for activists is burnout. âWe need tools to address and prevent burnout and we need to go to the root of it,â she said. It was in her earlier years during activist work that she recognized an acceptance, if not cultivation, of a mindset that understood being an activist meant martyring oneself to whatever cause they chose to work for.

Burnout was expected. Everyone was expected to work themselves into the ground and always be unable to make rent.â she said. Ikeda urges social activists to take steps to fight that bias and actively work to avoid burnout in order to be able to ultimately do the most good. { read more }

Be The Change

Take some time to consider the questions Ikeda suggests for those working on behalf of social justice: “How can you make your life sustainableâphysically, emotionally, financially, intellectually, spiritually? Are you helping create communities rooted in values of sustainability, including environmental and cultural sustainability? Do you feel that you have enough time and space to take in thoughts and images and experiences of things that are joyful and nourishing? What are your resources when you feel isolated or powerless?”

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November 14, 2017

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Pass It Along: A Luthier Shares a Song

The saying “we are all connected as one” is a seeming platitude we have all heard, yet this piece shares fascinating evidence to confirm the truth that we are indeed connected on an atomic level. “Long story short, it turns out that no matter where you go in the world — Antarctica, North Pole, Africa, you name it — every meter sphere of air around you contains 50 carbon atoms from each one of your exhales over the last year. That’s worth a pause. 50 carbon atoms from each one of your exhales over the last year will greet you no matter where you go on Planet Earth.” Fabrizio Alberico shares more in this beautiful reflection that includes a recording and the lyrics to a beautiful song titled, “Pass It Along” that poignantly reminds us of the transience of our lives, out deep interconnection, and the power of generosity. { read more }

Be The Change

The next time you are in a group of other people, no matter how different they may appear, feel the connection you have with them as you breathe and extend silent kindness to each person.

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November 13, 2017

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Breaking Free from the Tyranny of Positivity

Ever been told to ‘just be happy’ or, to ‘lighten up’? Does that really make you feel happier? For many, this advice leads to the opposite effect.
Author of Emotional Agility and leading Harvard Medical School psychologist Susan David recently teamed up with award-winning journalist and author Maria Shriver for a unique conversation on why positivity doesn’t necessarily lead to happiness. Read more to understand how our obsession with positivity undermines the truth of our authentic expressions, and is an untrue display of our experience in the world. Sometimes, we need to just admit that we are having a bad day. Both experts offer steps on how to achieve this authentic expression in your own life. Research focused on what creates resilience, empathy and joy reveals that expanding our emotional vocabulary and how we express our authentic feelings, is what allows us to transcend these emotions, and find more peace. { read more }

Be The Change

Next time someone asks you how you are doing, instead of a rote answer try checking in with yourself and responding from a more authentic place. Notice how it feels to do this.

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November 12, 2017

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The Whisper of the Order of Things

A philosopher’s questioning and a scientist’s eye shape Enrique Martnez Celaya’s original approach to art and to life. A world-renowned painter who trained as a physicist, he’s fascinated by the deeper order that “whispers” beneath the surface of things. Works of art that endure, he says, possess their own form of consciousness. And a quiet life of purpose is a particular form of prophecy. Learn more about what he has to say in this interview. { read more }

Be The Change

Martinez Celaya tells us that when he begins a new project,”rather than building upon the successes of the past or what I have done before, I go back to the holes of my process, the things that I didn’t understand well.” The next time you begin something, look for the holes in the way you’ve done it before and see if it can be done better next time.

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November 11, 2017

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The Modernization of Finnish Lament Singing

Lamenting is an ancient way of releasing emotions through a type of singing when one is feeling overwhelmed by grief, sadness, pain, anger, or other negative emotions. Before laments were sung at times of loss and upheaval, the practice was about connecting to one’s ancestors, and was often focused on helping move people from one world to another. In Finland, lamenting is rife with symbolism and rarely uses straightforward descriptions of the lament, which itself is sweet, positive, light, and bright, unless referring directly to the lamenter. But while Finland is experiencing a revival in the practice of lament singing, the rest of the world is seeing a steady decline, often due to competing religious beliefs and modernization. While previous generations of lamenters have died out, a new generation has arisen in Finland, keen on both preserving the traditions of old, and adapting them to suit modern issues. { read more }

Be The Change

What in your life are you struggling with emotionally? Write your own lament, and sing it out mournfully. Feel your grief, pain, or transition in life, and let those feelings go. If you feel comfortable, get a group of friends, family, or like-minded people together and share your laments.

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November 10, 2017

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The School that Replaced Detention with Meditation

A Baltimore school has come up with a brilliant way to curb kids from acting out in class. Instead of sending children to detention, they send kids to a Mindful Moment Room for meditation. In partnership with the Holistic Life Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes wellness, Robert W. Coleman Elementary School introduced a meditation room to help its students “calm down and re-centre.” Results so far have been impressive. Read on to learn more. { read more }

Be The Change

Share this article with someone at your neighborhood school, or consider where else a “Mindful Moment Room” could help individuals in your community learn skills for centering and calming (i.e. public library, community center, assisted living center). Then start a conversation about making it happen. { more }

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