Sangha of Auspicious Companions

November 23, 2018

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The Japanese Words for “Space”

“Thinking about spaces in a more âJapaneseâ way can open up new ways of organizing our lives and focusing on the relationships that matter to us. Building spaces that deepen relationships (wa), generate new knowledge (ba), connect to the world around us (tokoro), and allow moments of quiet and integration (ma) can enrich our experience of the world and that of those around us.” Instead of thinking of space in terms of surroundings, the Japanese consider what is going on between people in terms of interactions and relationships. When spaces are designed with this in mind, it allows people to be social, independent, or anything in between–to have a conversation, meditate, exchange ideas, or share feelings. This piece from Quartz invites us to consider how spaces affect our outer and inner lives.

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Submitted by: Pancho Ramos Stierle

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Intentionally create a space to connect with a loved one today.

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Iran’s “Wall of Kindness” Helps People Stay Warm

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November 22, 2018

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Sustainability and the Sacred

Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Sufi teacher and author, implores us to change our present global predicament by changing our consciousness. Our current mindset sees Earth as a resource. He argues that this worldview creates a sense of separation and one in which we have forgotten the sacred nature of the Earth. If we embrace the sacred in all of life, we will remember our primal relationship to the Earth, reconnect with an ancient knowing and respond from a place of balance. This is the nature of real sustainability and what we need to avoid ecological disaster. { read more }

Be The Change

As you go about your day, take a moment to remember the small things in your life that nourish and sustain you: freedom of movement, the ability to breathe deeply, seeing the sunshine or rain, hearing the sounds of others or the Earth. { more }

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November 21, 2018

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The Meadow Across the Creek

At age twelve, Thomas Berry became acquainted with a meadow. That magic moment came to be normative for his thinking: that which preserves and enhances the meadow is good and that which opposes or negates the meadow is not good. He applies this life orientation to economic, political, educational, religious, etc. endeavors. He believes it is by experiencing lilies blooming in a meadow that we remember to coordinate our meaning with the meaning of our surroundings, orient our children to the center of the universe so they can orient themselves to their own centers, give voice to the mysteries of existence, become universe-referent, celebrate the universe, and ultimately, join the symphony called to heal the planet. { read more }

Submitted by: Pancho Ramos Stierle

Be The Change

Sit outside and look at the stars, find a meadow and listen for an afternoon, take an early morning walk in a park or on a path where you can experience nature.

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November 20, 2018

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Amplifying Data Through Art

With challenges such as overfishing, ocean acidification, and sea level rise rapidly changing our marine environments, it’s more important than ever to help people understand and care about what’s going on. To this end, artists are working with scientific data and translating complex concepts and new findings into visually stimulating, thought-provoking works. When Philadelphia-based artist Rebecca Rutstein was aboard the exploration vessel Nautilus last year, expedition leader Robert Ballard made an apt analogy she won’t soon forget: “Exploring the deep ocean is like standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon in the dark. The artist can turn the light on.” Here are five artists who are turning on lights, helping us look at scientific data differently. { read more }

Be The Change

Give yourself the gift of an hour to follow the rich visual threads in this stunning article. Then go out and see the world around you “with the lights turned on”.

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November 19, 2018

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In the Footsteps of Kabir

Possibly the most-quoted poet-saint of north India is Kabir, the illiterate, 15th century mystic who belonged to a class of weavers in the ancient city of Varanasi. Kabir was a ‘nirguni’, one who believes in a formless divinity that can be discovered both within and without. With whip-like wit, his poetry scorns outward rituals and displays of piety exhorting his listeners to seek the divine through self-interrogation, and to recognise the impermanence of manifest reality. Read on for an extract from ‘The Bijak of Kabir’, one of the most important anthologies of the Eastern tradition of Kabir’s verses. { read more }

Submitted by: Gayathri Ramachandran

Be The Change

What relationship do you have with what seems to be inexpressible? This week take notice of how you use words, and how words can skilfully point to the truth. For more inspiration join this Saturday’s Awakin Call with Shabnam Virmani, a singer of Kabir folk songs and the documentary filmmaker who helmed the Kabir Project films. More details and RSVP info here. { more }

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November 18, 2018

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Gardening and the Secret of Happiness

“By a shower of gifts and a heavy rain of lessons,” a good mother loves her children. This is how author and botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer came to the awakening of true happiness as she realized that the time spent and lost in her garden were the happiest moments of her days. Like her children lost in the wonder of digging in the soil, Kimmerer saw what was most important in her life as she was picking beans from within the “spiraling vines of her tepee trellis.” Kimmerer awakened to the beauty of being on this earth as part of a loving relationship with the Otherwith Mother Earth and all she nurtures. Read and listen to more of Kimmerer’s thoughts on nature. { read more }

Be The Change

Reflect on a moment when you have been happily “lost” in an activity or experience. Consider how can you “make more time” for these timeless moments of happiness?

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November 17, 2018

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The Man on a Mission to End Loneliness

Mike Niles had a high paying job in London, but felt that something was missing from his life. He gave up his lucrative position to start a charity, b:Friend, to help to eliminate loneliness among isolated elders. In Niles’ home town of Doncaster, a quarter of its elderly population is classified as “chronically lonely” by Age UK. An idea that took root after he visited an elderly neighbor who was lonely has led to what he calls the best job he has ever had. The companionship among the befrienders and their older neighbors show the true meaning of community. { read more }

Be The Change

Who do you know who is lonely? What can you do today to brighten that person’s life?

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