Sangha of Auspicious Companions

February 13, 2021

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Painting A Protest #standwithfarmers

Since September of last year, hundreds of thousands of farmers across India have been protesting against the introduction of a series of agricultural laws. “Close to where Praveen Kumar is sitting with his crutches on a scooter, a brush in one hand, talking to people around him, is a large canvas — 18 feet in length — on which he has painted images from the farmers’ protest at Singhu. Praveen has travelled some 300 kilometres to Singhu from Ludhiana, where he is an art teacher and artist. He reached the protest site at the Haryana-Delhi border on January 10, compelled, he says, to make his contribution.” { read more }

Be The Change

What is your own relationship to farming and farmers? What is one action you can regularly take to honor the growers of the food you eat? For more stories and perspectives from farmers in India, check out The People’s Archive of Rural India. { more }

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February 12, 2021

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The Energy of the Universe is Neutral: James O’ Dea on Restorati

“The central thesis of my book, ‘Creative Stress–A Path for Evolving Souls Living Through Personal and Planetary Upheaval’, is that the energy of the universe is neutral. It’s only in the last hundred years that the word “stress” has come to denote something negative. For the poet, stress is language, for the composer, stress is musical notes. So stress is a neutral concept. It’s the pressuring of energy in a particular direction. The energy of the universe comes at us, comes at us and we filter it. We create a meaning process around it. If our meaning process around it pushes it aside, we should say that the physics of energy start to apply. That energy does not go away. It needs to be transformed. So it shows up in your blood pressure, your heart.” Author James O’Dea, a former director of Amnesty International, shares more about his journey as a leading voice in the forgiveness, reconciliation and restorative justice movement and how his life seems to have been ordained by fate to take on a series of what some might call, ‘stressful’ roles. { read more }

Be The Change

In which areas of your life have you felt the stress of being torn between “the way things are” and and “the way things could be”? How have you taken time and space to reflect, stand and operate skillfully within that chasm? For more inspiration, join this Saturday’s Awakin Call with Neil Gaught: Single Organizing Idea–Creating and Operationalizing Purposeful Businesses. More details and RSVP info here. { more }

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February 11, 2021

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Happy Men

“Let me set the scene: I walk up to five men skateboarding by the statue in Prospect Park, they are hanging with each other and I approach and I say, ‘Hey, I wrote a poem about you, for you, can I read it to you?'” Winter Miller is an award-winning writer. She has a Masters in playwriting from Columbia University, and has written over 70 articles for the New York Times. She shares what happened next (and her poem) here. { read more }

Be The Change

Asks Miller in her piece, “Why not tell your muse they are your muse?” Why not tell yours today?

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Drawn into the Garden

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February 10, 2021

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Drawn Into the Garden: An Artist’s Journey

Take a stroll through Helen Stewart’s enchanted garden, and discover the allure of living in creative relationship with soil and soul. Gardening is in Helen’s blood. Her great grandfather ran the world’s largest nursery of his time. Following in his footsteps, Helen, a former sheep farmer, turned artist, author and community weaver — has gradually transformed the grounds of her heritage home in Victoria, Canada, into a place of wonder and quiet revolution. There is a combination of reverence, ecological wisdom, and whimsy to her approach. While all manner of creatures are nourished by her garden, Helen only plants things that she intends to draw, and she is guided by a conviction that gardens are meditative spaces. They deepen not just our contact with ourselves, but also our connection to the world, and give us new ways of seeing our place in it. This short film, that shares its title with Helen’s latest book, is a sanctuary onto itself. Watch, and let a little bit of Helen’s green, growing world spill into yours. { read more }

Be The Change

For more inspiration, join a special virtual conversation with Helen this Friday. More details and RSVP info here. { more }

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February 9, 2021

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The Artist’s Way, Serendipity, & My Inner Sanctuary

“Through a ‘not-so-smart’ smartphone mishap, the Universe tapped me on the shoulder recently and invited me into the Universal Flow of abundance and creativity. I’d meant to send a text message to a certain Julia I know, but my smartphone decided that a different Julia would be the recipient instead.” Eileen Rivers shares what happened next in this sweet reflection that weaves together art, poetry and the power in kindred community. { read more }

Be The Change

Move toward your dream today. For more inspiration, check out Julia Cameron’s advice on getting out of your own way. { more }

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February 8, 2021

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The Origin of Black History Month and Why It Matters

“The question that faces us today is whether or not Black History Month is still relevant. Is it still a vehicle for change? Or has it simply become one more school assignment that has limited meaning for children? Has Black History Month become a time when television and the media stack their Black material? Or is it a useful concept whose goals have been achieved?” Lonnie G. Bunch III explores the genesis of Black History Month and its relevance in today’s world. { read more }

Be The Change

In the spirit of Baldwin’s words, make time to listen to someone’s testimony this week. Notice what it brings up for you. Share your reflections with a friend or family member.

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February 7, 2021

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The Politics of Flower Cultivation

“The tradition of gifting roses for St. Valentine’s Day is actually a misguided ritual from an ecology perspective because the roses are actually transported from Kenya, for example. Roses do not grow locally in countries north of the equator during February. Because flowers are not food, we tend to overlook the fact that they are also seasonal products, and we just cannot have it all the time unless we buy it from abroad.[…] The commodification of the living is a very deep ethical question from a plant perspective, as much as from a human perspective. 10 years ago, Switzerland adopted a law that recognizes plant rights, and the underlying suffering or loss of dignity of plants.” Masami Charlotte Lavaut is the founder of Plein Air, the first flower farm in Paris. She shares more here about the ‘slow flowers’ approach, that speaks to our relationship with time, and nature, while also shedding light on the political implications and hidden costs of the floral industry. { read more }

Be The Change

Where does the cycle of life come most vividly alive for you? Do you have a practice that helps tune you into it?

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