Sangha of Auspicious Companions

March 24, 2019

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Mary Oliver: Poet of Awe

Mary Oliver was in a class by herself. Distinguished with a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Award, she was viewed with suspicion by literary critics for her status as a kind of rock star poet. For those of us who read her like a daily liturgy, her name is synonymous with other such essential words: mystery, wild, awe, terror, devotion, gratitude, grace. All of them come alive in her simple poems, that seem to rise from the crossroad of nature and spirituality, brimming with good questions. Fabiana Fondevila begins her process of saying goodbye in this essay full of beautiful snippets from the poet who helped so many of us find our way home to devotion and prayer through wonder and awe. { read more }

Be The Change

Write down your favorite poem, by Mary Oliver or someone else. Add how this poem changed you. Leave this for someone else to find, like a hand reaching out to another who wonders.

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March 23, 2019

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We Became Fragments

This powerful film chronicles the journey of Ibraheem Sarhan, a Syrian teenager, as he adapts to a new life in Winnipeg, Canada. Following the loss of his mother and four siblings in a bombing that left him injured, Ibraheem left Syria with his father. “We went out against our will and we shall return with our hope,” he says. Watch Ibraheem as he navigates his first week of high school in this story of resilience and rebuilding. { read more }

Be The Change

Learn about the local refugee organizations in your community. Read this article to get ideas of different ways you can help. { more }

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March 22, 2019

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First, the Work of Paying Attention to the World

“David George Haskell is an ecologist and evolutionary biologist whose work is located at the thrumming intersection between science and poetry. He integrates rigorous research with a deeply contemplative, immersive approach, and his subjects are unexpected and revelatory. His widely acclaimed, Pulitzer-finalist book, “The Forest Unseen,” chronicles the story of the universe in one square meter of forest ground in Tennessee. His follow-up book in 2017, “The Songs of Trees,” encompasses a study of humanity’s varied roles within biological networks, as heard through the acoustics of a dozen trees around the world. As one reviewer put it, ‘With a poet’s ear and and a naturalist’s eye, Haskell re-roots us in life’s grand creative struggle and encourages us to turn away from empty individuality. The Songs of Trees reminds us that we’re not alone and never have been.'” Haskell shares more about his work and perspectives in this interview. { read more }

Be The Change

For more inspiration read this piece by Haskell on NPR: “Life is the Network, Not the Self.” { more }

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Water from Stone

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March 21, 2019

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Why Shadows Were Invented

In ‘From These Wilds Beyond Our Fences,’ Bayo Akomolafe points out that when Seventeenth-century physicist Francesco Grimaldi directed a focused ray of sunlight in a dark room, managing the ray so that it struck a thin rod and produced a shadow on a screen, he proved that light behaves in unexpected ways. In fact, light is only one side of a whole,like yin and yang. Thus “darkness is not the absence of light — it is the very dance of light…Light and dark are not opposites or estranged cosmic forces that one side must defeatfor there are no “sides.”” { read more }

Be The Change

Psychiatrist C. G. Jung advised us to become familiar with our own shadow, the parts of us that we deny or whose influence over us we are unaware of. See if you can uncover some darkness in you that, when acknowledged, could allow you to become more whole, more wholly yourself.

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March 20, 2019

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Holding Circles of Healing

“In 2017, we released our labor of love film, “TeachMeToBeWILD: A Story of Hurt Children and their Animal Healers”. This film is a universal healing story that brings together many interconnected elements: children, animals, nature, silence and the power of safe, non-judgemental listening spaces. One of our greatest inspirations to make the film was witnessing how Steve Karlin and John Malloy do not teach the children — rather, they create a “safe space” where the children learn experientially. For more than 50 years, John Malloy has been leading healing circles in vulnerable communities.” What follows is an article and video that vividly illustrate the multi-layered wisdom of his approach. { read more }

Be The Change

When have you experienced healing, and what facilitated the process? Reflect on how you might help nurture healing spaces for others in your own life.

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March 19, 2019

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Children, Anger Control and Inuit Wisdom

“Traditional Inuit parenting is incredibly nurturing and tender. If you took all the parenting styles around the world and ranked them by their gentleness, the Inuit approach would likely rank near the top. (They even have a special kiss for babies, where you put your nose against the cheek and sniff the skin.) The culture views scolding — or even speaking to children in an angry voice — as inappropriate, says Lisa Ipeelie, a radio producer and mom who grew up with 12 siblings. “When they’re little, it doesn’t help to raise your voice,” she says. “It will just make your own heart rate go up.”” More in this fascinating article from NPR. { read more }

Be The Change

For more inspiration read, “10 Life Changing Facts About Anger”. { more }

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March 18, 2019

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The Naked Voice: Transforming Life through the Power of Sound

“Your voice is as unique as your twelve-stranded DNA. However, many don’t know how to access it. Our schools and social conditioning don’t offer many clues. Yet the human voice is everyone’s birthright. It is a universal given, a bridge between the worlds, the soul’s messenger, a gift of spirit capable of inspiring evolutionary shifts in consciousness. Your authentic singing voice is the muscle and mouthpiece of your soul. As unique as your fingerprint and DNA, your soul has a melody, a rhythm, and a resonance that is yours alone. You are the only one who can embody your voice. Your true or naked voice can access your soul song, and this resonant song reveals your authentic nature, who you really are.” Singer and educator Chloe Goodchild shares more. { read more }

Be The Change

What is your relationship with your voice? How might you begin, or continue, to nurture it?

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