Sangha of Auspicious Companions

July 17, 2019

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Vesuvius at Home: The Power of Emily Dickinson

“For years I have been not so much envisioning Emily Dickinson as trying to visit, to enter her mind, through her poems and letters, and through my own intimations of what it could have meant to be one of the two mid-19th-century American geniuses, and a woman, living in Amherst, Massachusetts. Of the other genius, Walt Whitman, Dickinson wrote that she had heard his poems were “disgraceful.” She knew her own were unacceptable by her world’s standards of poetic convention, and of what was appropriate, in particular, for a woman poet. Seven were published in her lifetime, all edited by other hands; more than a thousand were laid away in her bedroom chest, to be discovered after her death.[…]I have a notion that genius knows itself; that Dickinson chose her seclusion, knowing she was exceptional and knowing what she needed. It was, moreover, no hermetic retreat, but a seclusion which included a wide range of people, of reading and correspondence.” This essay by Adrienne Rich offers profound perspectives on the enigmatic writer hailed as ‘the mother of American poetry.’ { read more }

Be The Change

How have words moved you in your own life? Is there a particular word that “shines” for you? For more inspiration, check out Emily Dickinson’s Herbarium — less well-known than her poetry, but remarkable in its own way. { more }

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July 16, 2019

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How to Have Difficult Conversations

What if collective introspection would help us to better persuade, to better advocate for a more beautiful world? What are the tools we need to disagree better? How can we improve our ability to listen and learn – especially from those we disagree with? Marcela Lopez Levy asks powerful questions to inspire us and perhaps even entice us in having more difficult conversations. Join her on this journey into open space, non-violent communication and leading forums like the Campaigning forum – where long-term community building is based on cooperation, openness, and not knowing. { read more }

Be The Change

How could you create a safe space in your environment – to make it easier for someone to disagree with you – and still know that they are included and loved? Or maybe from your own perspective – what would you need to feel safe – to openly disagree and to feel good about sharing your different views?

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July 15, 2019

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5 Scientists on the Heroes Who Changed Their Lives

Every hero and innovator stands on the shoulders of the giants who came before. But sometimes the power of influence one has on another is subtle or indirect. Perhaps it is a life spirit shared by Helen Keller in her autobiography that inspires a scientist to fully engage in her study of plants. Perhaps it is a shy physicist who plants the seed in a student that he, too, can aspire to something great. In this article from Nautilus Magazine, five scientists share the somewhat surprising stories about who inspired them in their work. { read more }

Be The Change

Consider a “retinue,” a constellation of influential and supportive people whom one imagines in an enveloping cloud as one meditates. Who is in your retinue? Who are your mentors? Say a word of thanks for these people and look for opportunities to mentor others yourself.

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July 14, 2019

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When Old and Young Connect

“Forty years ago, the eminent Cornell University professor and child psychologist Urie Bronfenbrenner famously concluded, Every child needs at least one adult who is irrationally crazy about him or her. The benefits of a caring adult mentor on childrens well-being have been reinforced in study after study, as well as reports from youth themselves–including research I was engaged with early in my career.” The following excerpt delves into the benefits that arise when young and old connect. { read more }

Be The Change

Reflect on your own intergenerational relationships and how they have influenced your life.

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July 13, 2019

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The Work that Reconnects

In this hour-long tribute to “The Work the Reconnects,” Pat van Boeckel explores the stories of activists who have used Joanna Macys writings to enhance and support their service and their lives. Van Boeckel does not flinch in describing the devastation now facing the world or equivocate on the justification for despair. Despite the trauma inflicted on the earth and ourselves, she gently leads us through Macys words and toward embracing hope. { read more }

Be The Change

oin others seeking to uncover and experience their innate connections with each other and the web of life by attending one of many on-line, in-person Work that Reconnects events. { more }

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July 12, 2019

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Creating Welcoming Space

“Hospitality means creating welcoming space for the other. Henri J. Nouwen notes that the Dutch word for hospitality, gastvrijheid, means ‘the freedom of the guest.’ It entails creating not just physical room but emotional spaciousness where the stranger can enter and be himself or herself, where the stranger can become ally instead of threat, friend instead of enemy.” In a time when it is more crucial than ever for humanity to revisit its relationship to strangers, this passage from Sr. Marilyn Lacey shines like a beacon. { read more }

Be The Change

Expand your practice of hospitality this week– this year– this lifetime.

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