Sangha of Auspicious Companions

August 16, 2020

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Small Joys are Essential to Resilience

“For Persians, one of our most precious ways to summon joy is with poetry. I remember one night, in particular, in my home city of Shiraz, Iran, during the war. While sirens blared and the electricity was shut off, warning of an imminent attack, my family and I (feeling especially brave) snuck to our rooftop to watch the anti-aircraft missiles shoot into the air. To my 7-year-old eyes, the brilliant red patterns in the pitch-black sky rivaled the most magnificent fireworks display. But underneath the awe there was a simmering terror brewing in my belly of not knowing who was going to die next. Was it going to be me? My best friend? My sister in Tehran? My teacher? And then someone from another rooftop shouted a verse of Rumi’s poetry into the clear night air…” This inspiring article from YES magazine explores the relationship between resilience and the capacity to cultivate joy even in the midst of great crisis. { read more }

Be The Change

Make a practice of tuning into the small joys of your day — consider taking note of them in a daily journal and see

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August 15, 2020

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The Church Forests of Ethiopia

Over the past century, nearly all of Ethiopia’s native forests have been cleared for farming and grazing. Now it is up to the Orthodox Churches–who for centuries have safeguarded pockets of primary forest that grow around them–to preserve Ethiopias quickly shrinking biodiversity and teach people how to live with forests. { read more }

Be The Change

Check out the Global Oneness Project, a treasure trove of multi-media stories that play a powerful role in education. { more }

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August 14, 2020

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Human Connections in ‘This Brilliant Darkness’

“This Brilliant Darkness is a book born of insomnia. It’s a collection of snapshots and written profiles by author Jeff Sharlet that take us deep into other people’s lives. And by doing that, Sharlet says, he’s really trying to tell us his own story. “I originally sort of thought of it as a memoir through other people’s lives. It’s bookended by two heart attacks, my father’s, and then two years later, my own,” he says. “I’m a journalist, and my life was sort of falling apart and the only way I knew how to put it together was through stories. So it’s a collection of the strangers whose stories I shared, they shared with me in those years between those heart attacks, and attempting to find a narrative together.”” NPR shares more. { read more }

Be The Change

What have you learned in the darkness that you could not have learned in the light?

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The Church Forests of Ethiopia

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August 13, 2020

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The Soil’s Story is the Story of Us

“Thousands of years of taking have caught up with us–and our soil. Approximately 40 percent of agricultural soils worldwide are degraded or seriously degraded; we lose an estimated 36 billion tons of topsoil every year. Scientists warn us that we only have about 60 years of productive soil left. What will happen when the Earth has lost all of its soil and can no longer produce food? While this is a dire future, it doesn’t have to be our destiny. It’s time to act. And the solution is under our feet. This is the story of how each of us came to see soil as a solution to one of our biggest environmental problems–and as a tool to build more resilient communities.” “The Story of Stuff” creator Annie Leonard shares more. { read more }

Be The Change

Join this Saturday’s Awakin Call with biodynamic farming practitioner Laura Riccardi Lyvers, “Living with the Earth: Overcoming Materialism”, more details and RSVP info here. { more }

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August 12, 2020

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Seven Ways to Live in the Direction of Your Purpose

“How do you go about finding your purpose if its not obvious to you? Is it something you develop naturally over the course of a lifetime? Or are there steps you can take to encourage more purpose in your life? Likely both, says Kendall Bronk, a researcher who directs the Adolescent Moral Development Lab at Claremont Graduate University. People can find a sense of purpose organically–or through deliberate exercises and self-reflection. Sometimes, just having someone talk to you about what matters to you makes you think EditSign more intentionally about your life and your purpose, says Bronk.” { read more }

Be The Change

Take a moment to reflect on the connection between joy and purpose in your life.

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August 11, 2020

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Connect & Find Joy While Social Distancing

“Social distancing recommendations will remain in place for months to come, and until there’s a vaccine, limits on big gatherings will likely continue. For the elderly or those who live alone, the isolation can be particularly grueling. But, people are finding new ways to interact with each other, even under extraordinary circumstances.” NPR offers some strategies to connect with others. { read more }

Be The Change

This week carve out time to connect with another in a new way.

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August 10, 2020

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Celebrating Wendell Berry

“Wendell Berry has been an Orion contributor and advisor since the magazine’s beginnings in 1982. Berry is the author of over forty books of poetry, fiction, and essays, and has farmed in Port Royal, Kentucky, for over forty years.” Orion celebrated Wendell Berry’s eighty-sixth birthday by compiling their all-time favorite writings from Berry, published in Orion over the past four decades. Check it out here. { read more }

Be The Change

For more inspiration, check out Wendell Berry’s powerful piece, “What Are People For?” { more }

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