Staying Present When Things Are Hard

This spring, I am grieving the decreased vibrancy that I am feeling in the natural world.  I do not hear the birds singing as loudly this April; it has been a long winter here. I worry about our ash trees and the invasive species that are impacting them. In addition, I am disturbed by the infringement on the labour rights of my profession that were lost through an imposed government contract this past year in Ontario, as well as the erosion of job security and quality of living for so many in my country, and in our world.

Being in community and being able to express my feelings in a shared, sacred container helps me to process the losses that I do feel.  In addition, I appreciate being connected to others through shared intentions and acts of healing. Spiritual practices and rituals also ground me and help me to feel supported when things are hard.  They also help me to stay present and not turn away in despair. Connecting these personal experiences with a global movement committed to improving life on the planet serves as a further source of empowerment.  It takes me out of my personal landscape and connects my thoughts and actions to the larger web of change that needs to take hold in our increasingly polarized and troubled world.

I have written about the Global Citizens Initiative in a previous blog.  I find it inspiring to link with collective movements for global change - particularly ones that are inclusive and diverse.  It strengthens me to find others who also care about the state of the world and are committing their lives to making the necessary changes to bring about a better reality for all.

The Core Values of The Global Citizens' Initiative (TGCI)

TGCI believes that a world community needs to be supported by a strong set of core values, including:

• basic human rights
• religious pluralism
• gender equality
• participatory governance
• protection of the Earth's environment
• sustainable world-wide economic growth
• humanitarian assistance
• elimination of weapons of mass destruction
• cessation and prevention of conflicts between countries
• preservation of cultural diversity                                                                                                      

This does not feel like a "pie in the sky" wish list to me.  It feels like a prescription for a world so out of balance with the core spiritual message in all traditions: love, respect and compassion for all life on Earth.  If you would like to learn more about the Global Citizens Initiative, you can find more information here.

I want to do my part to fill this prescription and bring this medicine forward.  No matter how hard, I do not want to give up.  I see it more clearly than ever before: giving up is not an option.  I need to stay present, even when it rips my heart apart.  I need to stay present, even when what I see, hear or read scares me.  I need to stay present in order to bring to light what is often hidden in the dark - unconditional love.

Protecting the Sacred Well

Beginning this March, I will have the privilege of leading a series of three women's circles with Andrea Mathieson, the creator of the Raven Essences  project, at her beautiful heritage home and retreat space in Maple, Ontario. 

These circles have taken their time in coming into being.  We first put a call out two years ago, and while there was interest, it seemed that we ourselves had more deepening and growing to do before being able to hold this space for women.  As we pondered the nature of these circles, our intention came clearly into focus - we want to hold space for women who feel called to step into the feminine dimension of life in these pivotal times.

Some questions immediately come forward with regard to what the feminine means.  Are we participating in reductionistic binaries?  Are we saying that women are less destructive than men?  Our answer is, No.

Andrea and I have both been deeply influenced by the ideas of Jungian analyst Marion Woodman, whose life's work has been focused on bringing the "feminine" to consciousness.  Marion worked with thousands of dreams, and in these dreams the aspect of life associated with feelings, connectedness and deep relatedness were often symbolized by female figures.  In a patriarchal culture, power  often bludgeons interconnectedness in favour of control.  Both men and women are deeply impacted by this mode of being.  In addition, it is earth itself which has born the brunt of our lack of empathy.

I do not posit feminine as positive at the expense of masculine. Both are fundamental to wholeness.

The dominant culture is in a profound state of imbalance.  The goal-oriented and rational dimension of our humanity has been out of touch with the truth of our interconnectedness.  As a result, we are out of control at so many levels, and psychopathy is on the rise.  The new paradigms in science are pointing a new way forward - one which reveals the truth of how synergistic life on this planet truly is.  This "knowing" has been at the heart of Indigenous cultures for centuries.

What we will be gathering to honour in our women's circles is the sacred feminine - the core truth of interconnectedness at the deepest levels. When we do this, the sacred masculine "remembers" and rises to meet 'Her' within us and in the world.  Social innovation, enhanced relationships, environmental healing, embodied justice, and a stronger sense of wholeness are all potential outcomes of such an inner union.

We feel that it's time to step forward for the sake of what we hold most precious in this world.

 How about you?

Protecting the Sacred Well: Restoring Wholeness in Our Aching World is a series of three women's circles with Maria Vamvalis and Andrea Mathieson being held on Sunday afternoons from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.; March 10, April 28, June 23 in Maple, Ontario. Maximum number of participants: twelve, including Maria and Andrea. Cost: $40 per circle.  Please contact Andrea Mathieson at andrea@ravenessences.com if you are interested.

How Do We Deal With a Bully Without Becoming a Thug in Return?

As so many of us struggle with our grief in the face of the tragedy at Sandy Hook elementary school, the drone attacks in Pakistan, the prevalence of youth suicides as a result of bullying, the increase in violence that stems from psychological imbalances, and the intense militarization of our world, this Ted Talk by Scilla Elworthy is a grounding source of wisdom.

We have an impulse to rise up to protect when there is harm, and that is an honest, necessary response.  Yet our evolution as human beings and the entrenchment of our desire for peace necessitates that we critically examine how we respond.  This is when we enter the courageous, vulnerable and powerful terrain of non-violence.


Scilla Elworthy: How do we deal with a bully without becoming a thug in return?

May we commit ourselves to creating a better, more peaceful world in honour of all those whose lives have been scarred, traumatized or lost to violence.

Yes, We Can Embrace Our True Nature

These are remarkable times. The tension of opposites feels taut as never before – poised on a brink of both intense devastation, and exhilarating possibilities. Shadow and light seem to be revealing themselves to us in new guises. The events and synchronicities are pulling us, guiding us, to unexplored vistas of our consciousness, wisdom and potential. This feels like the opportune moment to embody a new and ancient perspective.

Could it be that this is the time when we might remember the inherent holiness that connects us all in the breathtaking web of life? Is this an opportunity to recognize the need to pull back our own projections and take true responsibility for our destinies on this planet? Will this be the era where we move beyond the either/or dualities that devour harmony and unity, and embrace our role as peacemakers? Are we capable of listening to the guidance that continually reminds us that our true nature is to honour all that is and serve?

Yes, we can make a leap beyond what we have known and find ourselves standing in our indigenous, essential truth – we are one with all of creation. We are embedded in that web of love.

This is the kind of love that can make justice more of a reality, that embraces difference, and can transform the horror. Only this love can hold us together and keep us from tearing ourselves apart. This is the love can help us stand firm for a better world - a more equal, humane, sustainable and peaceful world.

We are being called to plant our own sacred seeds in the seeming impossibility of the mess, and stop waiting to be redeemed.

A deeply primal instinct as old as life reveals itself through a pearl of wisdom – we will reap what we sow. We are being challenged to tend to a radically new harvest – a radically new (yet old) way of being.

The time is now.

Yes, we can step out of the shadows and begin.

Reading My Way To Conscious Citizenship

This summer, I've had the opportunity to dive deeply into the words and ideas of some great social and political thinkers.  What I've appreciated about what I have read is the integrity, care and honesty that has characterized their work.  Each text has prompted serious reflection in me and contributed to a more expansive and conscious world view.  The gift is that my own notions of citizenship continue to be refined, and I become more aware of how I can contribute. 

The guiding questions for me are: What is my relationship to what is happening in my community, my region, and my planet? and What are my responsibilities in light of my understanding of what is happening? By giving me a grounding in the latest research and frameworks that can help my thinking and actions to be more integrated, I have found that my summer reading choices are better equipping me to engage with my community in a proactive way.

I worry about the state of social and political discourse that I experience around me.  I see a lot of reactive news programing, instant access to information that fails to leave room for deeper contemplation and thought, and a highly polarized debate.  Yet the issues facing us today are so complex and serious, that they require so much more from us.  It truly is in the best interests of those in powerful positions to keep the majority of citizens ignorant and disengaged.  The more you know and understand about the state of the world - most notably in relation to the poor and in relation to the environment - the more indignant you feel and the more powerfully and passionately you respond to calls for change.  Change is always threatening for those who benefit from a current social order.  This dialectic has been played out in social movements for centuries.

One act which is empowering and sustaining comes from giving oneself the time to really understand one or more of the key issues facing a community - whether local, global or both.  Knowledge really is power.  Knowledge coupled with conscious action acts as an immune response to a troubled, diseased situation. 

Every little cell counts.


What I've Been Reading...

Ill Fares the Land by Tony Judt.

The force of his writing takes you into his well thought-out arguments for how to restore social democracy in the 21st century.  How did we get to this current moment of intense political and social dysfunction?  Judt helps the reader to understand the road we've travelled, and illuminates the one we can yet choose to walk.

Days of Deception, Days of Revolt by Christopher Hedges and Joe Sacco

Hedges has a way of exposing that the Emperor not only has no clothes, but has no conscience.  Documenting the stories from the "war zones" of unfettered capitalism, Hedges and Sacco force the reader to face and truly understand how dismally we fail our own humanity when we enable profit to matter more than people or the environment.

Everything Under the Sun: Towards a Brighter Future on Small Blue Planet by David Suzuki and Ian Hanington

This book acts as a primer on a number of environmental issues facing our world, as well as outlining what the latest research has to say, and what we can do to turn things around.  Real and hopeful at the same time.  You get a clear picture of what is happening to our precious ecosystems without becoming completely disempowered at how dire the situation really is.  No free passes here -there are constant reminders about what each of us can do to shift the balance in a life-affirming direction.

Relational Reality: New Discoveries of Interrelatedness That Are Transforming the Modern World by Charlene Spretnak

As a teacher, I found her chapter on parenting and education alone to be worth the cost of the book.  I've loved Spretnak's work for many years; she is an original thinker who brings the feminine dimensions of life to the forefront without compromising critical thinking and analysis.  In her latest reflections, she points to emerging (and re-emerging) understandings of life's systems that are revolutionizing how we organize our societies.

A shorter essay that I found very insightful was written by Gregor Bingham on Naomi's Klein's The Shock Doctrine.  Using Ken Wilber's integral systems framework, Bingham's piece provides some very fresh and jarring perspectives on our current world order.  It's a brilliant little piece. You can find it here:
http://beamsandstruts.com/articles/item/1032-the-shock-doctrine-the-war-on-all-of-us

What Really Matters

What if you had the opportunity to listen to wise individuals share teachings about some of the most fundamental questions facing the world today?  What if you could sit in circles, or groupings of people who were interested in discussing what really matters to them? 

When I think about what is taking shape in Toronto at the end of August at the fourth Spirit Matters Gathering, I feel strengthened, inspired, and engaged.  On August 24-26, indigenous wisdom keepers from around the world will gather to have their knowledge honoured and shared with the public.  In addition, this gathering will bring together all people who are asking one of the fundamental questions of our time:

How do we make the shift from an industrial culture that has hit a crisis point, to a sustainable, life-affirming reality for all who inhabit the Earth?


Instead of pretending that there is nothing happening, or that there is little we can do about the major events overtaking our communities and our world, we have the opportunity to come together in a safe, sacred space to share and to speak what is on our minds and in our hearts.  This conference is an invitation to gather as whole human beings - as citizens of the planet - connected in our deep care and concern for all life.  We can no longer put our heads in the sand and hope the messes that continue to threaten our eco-systems will be magically solved without our contribution.  We can no longer repress the knowledge of indigenous peoples that has so much to contribute to healing our relationship with the web of creation.

Now is the time to honour what is life-affirming.

Now is the time to speak on behalf of creation.

Now is the time to act with purpose and integrity.

Now is the time to affirm that our spirit truly matters in this process.

For more details about Spirit Matters: Honouring Indigenous Worlds see:


http://www.spiritmatterscommunity.com/

Soul Playgrounds

I recently spent time at Grey Heron, the heritage home of my dear friend, Andrea Mathieson in Maple, Ontario.  I have known Andrea for three years and have watched the slow and steady transformation of Grey Heron into a true temple space where Andrea hosts a number of events, and also offers incredible women's retreats. The home is set against a ravine and pond, and her garden is a glorious wink at Eden. Rather than feeling intimidating, however, Grey Heron is a gentle yet passionate invitation into life's creative mystery.  I am always struck by how excited my body becomes whenever I visit - like a puppy ready for some unencumbered wild space to roam.

As we continue to encroach upon the natural world, spaces where our soul can roam free to play and connect with life's deeper pulsating energies can feel limited.  It is ever more essential to consciously drink from the well of the feminine matrix encompassing an embrace of the body, creativity, spirituality, ritual, and time to simply be.

I am grateful for the places and spaces in my life that are my soul's playground.  What are yours?