Thousands Open Their Homes to Ukrainian Refugees
"As the war rages in Ukraine, an unending stream of horrific imagery flickers across our screens. But go to online platforms such as Host a Sister, Ukraine Take Shelter, Host 4 Ukraine, RefugeBooking, or many other small, local platforms, and you'll be met with a very different sort of refugee-related content: Offers from people all over the world to help those who have been uprooted and displaced... posted on Mar 24 2022, 3,147 reads

Revolutions and the Politics of Being
Anthony Siracusa studies the power of successful and enduring social movements from the grist of deep life experience. He has spent his life practicing -- and then studying and teaching -- how ordinary people find courage and the in-dwelling light that compels them to assert their power and humanity in the face of deprivation, dehumanization and injustice not principally as a form of protest, adv... posted on Mar 23 2022, 2,651 reads

The Need to Grow
'The Need to GROW' is a documentary that powerfully explores the precariousness of life on a planet with rapidly declining farmable soil. The film highlights the stories of three main characters -- Alicia Serratos, an 8-year-old Girl Scout; Erik Cutter, a regenerative urban farmer; and Michael Smith an inventor. Serratos spearheads a petition for non-GMO Girl Scout cookies; Cutter aims to cultiva... posted on Mar 22 2022, 4,139 reads

17 Things I Would Do Differently
On the fifth anniversary of his father's passing, Eric Jones found himself penning a series of reflections in his journal that would eventually turn into a post titled,"17 Things I would do differently if I were fully convinced I'm going to die." Brimming with honesty, eloquence, insight and humanness, Eric's words are an ode to life, inspired by the presence of death. ... posted on Mar 21 2022, 20,556 reads

I Would Prefer An Empty Life
"My existence is itself a contradiction. Built by men who waged war for a living. Built to shield children from death by that same war. I am a bomb shelter." So begins this short, eloquent piece by Sr. Marilyn Lacey, written in the voice of a bomb shelter on the campus of a school for girls in South Sudan. ... posted on Mar 20 2022, 3,754 reads

Jewels: A Three Part Chant
"Every time I go into the darkness, I return with fistfuls of jewels." So begins a three-part chant in praise of winter's gifts, by singer-songwriter, voice coach and author Barbara McAfee. Her soulful music is accompanied by exquisite visuals, the work of nature photographer Julie Brown. Watch the music video and read Barbara's description of the song's origins here.... posted on Mar 19 2022, 8,242 reads

Tenderness
We have a tendency to race so quickly through life, that we don't always make time for ourselves. Carving out a little solitude can make a world of difference. We need to remember to be more gentle, not only with others, but with ourselves too. What miracles might life reveal if we sit quietly with ourselves for ten minutes a day?... posted on Mar 18 2022, 3,080 reads

How to Awaken Your Inner Healer
"I was half-asleep. It was a few minutes past 5:00 a.m. and the mornings larks were half-asleep, too. The sky was deep indigo. My house was rarely so quiet and still. Id just rolled out of bed, tiptoed to my study for privacy, and turned on my laptop. Teacher Wei Qifeng was on the screen, projecting from over 6,000 miles away in Dali, China, where it was 8:00 p.m. Sporting a shaved head and a perf... posted on Mar 17 2022, 5,365 reads

Oncology Yoga: Tapping into the Wisdom of the Body
"As an integrative yoga teacher with a background in various yoga modalities, I aim to follow the needs of my students as they arise, not only those needs affected by their internal atmosphere, but also the collective needs. Meeting them where they are. This is a simple story of how this aspect of yoga intensified in my life. I will tell it primarily through the voice of 2 of my students, who tell... posted on Mar 16 2022, 3,672 reads

Poems in a Time of Crisis
"In response to the situation in Ukraine, Beshara Magazine presents a short poem by Taras Shevchenko (18141861), commonly referred to simply as 'Kobzar' -- The Bard. Shevchenko is universally recognised as the supreme national poet of the Ukrainian language and soul, and, as Andrew Watson explains below, his own life mirrored the sufferings and longing for freedom of the Ukrainian people."... posted on Mar 15 2022, 4,306 reads