Sacred Imperfection
"It occurred to me that my whole life, particularly as a minister, there's been a lot of pressure to be a certain way my whole life. I've been trying to get it right and finally be perfect enough to be a really good minister. And what I've discovered in the last couple of years as I've grown more and meditated more deeply -- also through a lot of the values that I've practiced because of ServiceSp... posted on Sep 4, 8853 reads

The Restorative Power of Trees
More than half of the world's population lives in an urban setting. People in cities run a 20 and 40 percent higher risk of both anxiety and mood disorders than people in rural areas. And we're spending more and more time away from nature. Researchers estimate that if every city dweller spent just 30 minutes per week in nature, depression cases could be reduced by 7 percent. Globally, that's a who... posted on Oct 7, 10578 reads

As A Doctor, I Am Looking to Make Common Cause
"As residents, we worked and lived in the hospital so many nights. It felt like home. On one of my days off, in street clothes, jeans and a t shirt, I went into the hospital to finish dictating some patient notes. It was morning. There was a metal detector coming into the hospital. I collected my stale coffee from the cafeteria. Later that morning, I got stopped by a police guard coming out of the... posted on Sep 25, 10147 reads

Farewell Badger
We cross many thresholds of partings in life; sometimes as the one leaving and sometimes as the one staying behind. Often, the farewell that must be expressed is to some emotion or aspect of ourselves we need to release in order to move forward. Pause for a moment and consider a farewell you are facing. Then open your heart and experience this soulful many-layered story of how to approach partings... posted on Dec 6, 12141 reads

Letters from a Tibetan Colony
In this moving piece from over a decade ago, Dr. Sriram Shamasunder, shares updates from a month working in a refugee community comprised mostly of Buddhist monks and nuns. He writes of the contrast between the deep care and concern that this community extends to all forms of life, and the apathy with which their own medical needs are handled by the government. His poignant piece is a reminder of ... posted on Mar 14, 5655 reads

Amplifying Data Through Art
With challenges such as overfishing, ocean acidification, and sea level rise rapidly changing our marine environments, it's more important than ever to help people understand and care about what's going on. To this end, artists are working with scientific data and translating complex concepts and new findings into visually stimulating, thought-provoking works. When Philadelphia-based artist Rebecc... posted on Nov 20, 4753 reads

How Silence Leads Us To Awe
When life leaves us "dumb-struck", awed into silence, we are jolted into living and understanding with our right brains. These moments are universally understood as deep spiritual experiences. In this excerpt from the book "The Lotus and the Rose", Matthew Fox and Lama Tsomo explore this essential spiritual principle using the lenses of Christianity and Buddhism.... posted on Oct 20, 10641 reads

The Dilemmas of Being a Benefactor
Carolyn North dreamed of removing land from the speculative market economy and putting it into the public trust in order to challenge our assumptions about "private property." A few years ago she found herself with the opportunity to follow through. However, she wanted and needed time, to plan and process. She discovered that being capable is not the same thing as being in control. Then a farm ca... posted on Nov 11, 7366 reads

New Approaches to Healing Collective Conflict and Trauma
The challenge facing seven billion plus people now living on the planet is how to recreate the Third Side for today's conflicts ranging from those with our neighbors to nuclear conflicts. William Ury is one of the world's leading experts on negotiation, co-founder of Harvard's Program on Negotiation, co-author of Getting to Yes, author of multiple award-winning books, and founder of the Abraham Pa... posted on Nov 16, 9043 reads

Losing His Voice Led Him to Helping Others Strengthen Theirs
"There are lots of ways to lose your voice in this world." These words were spoken by Kevin Hancock, an award-winning author, public speaker, and CEO of Hancock Lumber, one of Americas oldest and most prestigious family businesses. In 2010, Kevin developed a voice disorder called spasmodic dysphonia. As his speaking voice became quiet, the voice of his soul became louder. This new voice urged... posted on Nov 6, 6008 reads

Weaving Big Connections from Small Acts
Greg Tehven thought he needed to leave his home state of North Dakota to have a meaningful life. But when he went to college, he discovered the art of applying small town values to a university setting. This began a trajectory of service - Pay it Forward Tours with college students; Students Today, Leaders Forever; world travel; and ultimately a return to North Dakota where he co-founded Emerging ... posted on Jan 2, 3350 reads

Abused Wolves and Troubled Teens Find Solace in Each Other
"A strong gust of wind is answered by a chorus of wolf howls in Southern California's high desert. Wearing hoodies and well-worn sneakers, city kids make their way up a mountain. Navigating the high desert terrain can be a challenge for some, and a few lag behind. Leading the way is a wolf named Malo. For many of the teens who find their way here, Wolf Connection's Youth Empowerment Program is the... posted on Jan 5, 4504 reads

When Crafts Become Activism
"Sarah Corbett never dreamed a cross-stitched teddy bear could change her life and how she approached her career. But looking back, she realizes that thats when it all started.
Corbett, a professional campaigner for causes and charities, was preparing to board a train from London to Glasgow to give yet another workshop on training people as activists.But she was exhausted, stressed, and bur... posted on Jan 10, 11419 reads

Simplify Technology with Limits
"The problem comes when we try to figure out how to get a grip on it all, to tame technology to do what we need and then let it go so we can be more present, go outside more, move more, be connected to each other in real life more. Wrangling the chaos into something that we use consciously isn't always easy. I propose simplicity. And the method I propose is limits.This is nothing new -- I've been ... posted on Jan 12, 7634 reads

What's In the Way is the Way
Mary O'Malley is an author, counselor, and acknowledged leader in the field of spiritual awakening. In this interview with Tami Simon, Mary discuss the eight "spells" that keep us feeling separate from life as well as the remedies that bring us more fully into the energetic flow of existence. She speaks of the need for curiosity and the role it plays in uniting our attention with our present-momen... posted on Mar 13, 11053 reads

20 Social Change Books to Read in the New Year
These stories of hope for a better future will inspire you to rediscover your humanity. Can you widen your views of climate to include all of nature as your self, seeing it all as sacred and valuable? How would a new economy be reorganized to inspire creativity and connection? How will working together, forming cooperatives and creating more connection help us to rediscover our capacity for growt... posted on Mar 1, 9989 reads

Xiuhtezcatl Martinez: Break Free
For the last 11 years, Xiuhtezcatl Martinez has been in the public eye for his activism, movement building, work with Earth Guardians, and youth empowerment. In 2013, President Obama awarded Xiuhtezcatl the United States Community Service Award. Xiuhtezcatl was the youngest of 24 national change-makers chosen to serve on the presidents youth council. He is the recipient of the 2015 Peace First Pr... posted on Jan 22, 6855 reads

The Challenges of Raising a Digital Native
Dr. Devorah Heitner's research into the challenges of raising children in the digital age is a tremendous resource for parents and teachers. She has gone right to the source, learning about children's experiences with technology, and listening to their creative solutions to challenges they face. We can all learn through her from the children themselves. First and foremost, they want the people in ... posted on Feb 8, 2621 reads

13 Ways of Looking at Community
"Community cannot take root in a divided life. Long before community assumes external shape and form, it must be present as seed in the undivided self: only as we are in communion with ourselves can we find community with others. Community is an outward and visible sign of an inward and invisible grace, the flowing of personal identity and integrity into the world of relationships." Parker Palmer ... posted on Feb 21, 17983 reads

Elegant Simplicity & Right Relationship
"Elegant simplicity can only be built on the firm foundation of right relationships. Our crises-mental, personal, social, economic, environmental, political, cultural, and religious-- have their origin in disconnection and separation. The moment we see that all things are connected, that we are all related, that everything depends on everything else, we start to see solutions. [...] When all our i... posted on Apr 4, 7593 reads

Reconnecting to the Soil, to Heal Ourselves and the Planet
"For thousands of years Black people have had a sacred relationship with soil that far surpasses our 246 years of enslavement and 75 years of sharecropping in the United States. For many, this period of land-based terror has devastated that connection. We have confused the subjugation our ancestors experienced on land with the land herself, naming her the oppressor and running toward paved streets... posted on Mar 3, 6820 reads

The Price of Free
In this film about Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi, his journey to liberate every child from slavery is told in triumphant and devastating detail. "The Price of Free" follows Satyarthi and his team of activists around the world on secret raid and rescue missions as they hunt for missing children and work to reunite them with their families. Watch this heartbreaking, inspirational film in it... posted on Mar 4, 2170 reads

Mary Oliver: Poet of Awe
Mary Oliver was in a class by herself. Distinguished with a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Award, she was viewed with suspicion by literary critics for her status as a kind of rock star poet. For those of us who read her like a daily liturgy, her name is synonymous with other such essential words: mystery, wild, awe, terror, devotion, gratitude, grace. All of them come alive in her simple poem... posted on Mar 24, 24899 reads

Jacob Needleman: I Am Not I
Among the great questions of the human heart, none is more central than the question, "Who am I?" And among the great answers of the human spirit, none is more central than the experience of "I Am." In fact, in the course of an intensely lived human life--a normal human life filled with the search for Truth--this question and this answer eventually run parallel to each other, coming closer and clo... posted on Mar 25, 9479 reads

Holding Circles of Healing
"In 2017, we released our labor of love film, "TeachMeToBeWILD: A Story of Hurt Children and their Animal Healers". This film is a universal healing story that brings together many interconnected elements: children, animals, nature, silence and the power of safe, non-judgemental listening spaces. One of our greatest inspirations to make the film was witnessing how Steve Karlin and John Malloy do n... posted on Mar 20, 8578 reads

Befriending Our Despair
Joanna Rogers Macy is an environmental activist, author, and scholar of Buddhism, general systems theory, and deep ecology. In this short video she advises that pain alerts us to what needs attention. Pain is not the enemy of cheerfulness, but tells us there is suffering. When we face suffering, our hearts and eyes open to beauty. We are not alone in our despair and when we have the courage to spe... posted on Mar 31, 3560 reads

Caregiving: A Nascent Social Revolution
Caregivers and receivers are modeling how to integrate health care into daily life at home. They are the innovators, and creators of dynamic communities of support. "Community and care are inexorably linked. Care can never fully be rendered only by expert providers in formal settings but by a growing recognition that care is a democratic act that is about what we 'give', what we 'receive', and wha... posted on Apr 11, 6710 reads

How to Work with the Bias in Your Brain
None of us is immune to bias. From our education systems to our justice systems, bias exists in many forms. Where does it originate and what can we do to prevent it? The answers aren't simple. In this article by psychologist Jill Suttie, the root causes of bias are explored through the lens of researcher Jennifer Eberhardt's new book, Biased. Suttie considers how our implicit bias is at times adap... posted on Apr 13, 7018 reads

Julian Norwich and the Process of Transformation
What might a medieval recluse teach us post modern activists about transformation? All will be well! is the underlying message from the 1300's Julian of Norwich. Author Veronica Mary Rolf shares the deep mystical experiences of Julian after a near death experience and how that shaped her life. Julian of Norwich teaches that through deep contemplation and becoming ever more aware of being aware, we... posted on Apr 21, 14678 reads

Mary Webb and the Joy of Motion
Mary Webb, an English writer of the early 20th century was an acute observer of nature and her multi-dimensional splendor.Diagnosed with Graves' disease at the age of 20, Webb soon discovered that nature played a powerful role in her periods of recovery. 'The Spring of Joy'compiles a series of essays on nature, penned by Webb with the aim of bringing comfort to'the weary and wounded in the battle ... posted on Apr 10, 6098 reads

The Jai Jagat Journey
This spring, 17 children from six slums in India are embarking on a one-of-a-kind journey to share a message of love and oneness with the world. The Jai Jagat Show they will present is a 90-minute dance, drama and musical production celebrating the values that Mahatma Gandhi embodied. The show includes inspiration from other global heroes, like Malala Yousafzai, Wangari Mathai, Masahisa Goi, Yusra... posted on Apr 22, 1835 reads

George Orwell: Why I Write
When George Orwell was sixteen, he discovered the joy of words while reading Paradise Lost. In this essay, Orwell considers his motivations for writing. In general, he believes writers are motivated by four reasons-- sheer egoism, aesthetic enthusiasm, historical impulse, and political purpose. It is the age in which a writer lives that provides the reason. By 1936, Orwell was firmly grounded in p... posted on May 25, 6210 reads

Solar Sister
Solar Sister is an organization that believes women are an important solution to the problems of economic equity and environmental change. Women in rural Africa are provided with opportunities to access solar powered products to help them run small family businesses, to cook without using harmful fuels, and to educate children. Solar Sister's Communications Director Fid Thompson shares in this upb... posted on May 22, 6376 reads

How the Creative Spirit Transforms the World
"Margaret Atwood describes The Gift, by Lewis Hyde, as 'a book about the core nature of what it is that artists do, and also about the relation of these activities to our overwhelmingly commercial society.' Bill Viola has called it 'the best book I have read on what it means to be an artist in todays economic world.' Robin McKenna is the writer, director and producer of a feature-length documentar... posted on May 23, 5536 reads

Sleep is Your Superpower
Sleep is your life-support system and Mother Nature's best effort yet at immortality, says sleep scientist Matt Walker. In this deep dive into the science of slumber, Walker shares the wonderfully good things that happen when you get sleep -- and the alarmingly bad things that happen when you don't, for both your brain and body. Walker shares the research on how quality of sleep impacts our immun... posted on Jun 16, 26031 reads

The Work of Love is to Love
"My own time on earth has led me to believe in two powerful instruments that turn experience into love: holding and listening. For every time I have held or been held, every time I have listened or been listened to, experience burns like wood in that eternal fire and I find myself in the presence of love. This has always been so. Consider these two old beliefs that carry the wisdom and challenge o... posted on Jul 26, 9297 reads

Deepening Our Comfort with Uncertainty
While many of us associate uncertainty with discomfort and fear, there is an exquisite beauty to be found in the transformation that takes place when we can welcome the unknown. Kristi Nelson, the Executive Director of A Network for Grateful Living, examines what it means to surrender to the unpredictable nature of our days and the rewards that manifest as a result. "Much of our freedom depends on... posted on Jun 15, 0 reads

The Gift of Humility
The act of receiving a gift from another requires recognition of our dependence on those around us. Yet it can be difficult for us to live in a space where we're confronted with the notion of giving up control. "From the air we breathe, to the body we each inhabit, we are living a profound gift, and yet, we can struggle to see and relate to life as a gift," writes Colette Lafia, a San Francisco-ba... posted on Jun 23, 6848 reads

Three Ideas. Three Contradictions. Or Not.
Hannah Gadsby skewers the straight world's dismissal and outright hostility toward the LGBTQ community in her stand-up sets, stage performances and television shows. Her groundbreaking special "Nanette" broke comedy. In this 2019 TED Talk about truth and purpose, she shares three ideas and three contradictions. Or not.... posted on Feb 11, 6473 reads

How Conformity Can Be Good and Bad for Society
Conforming to the ideas or opinions of others is a loaded concept for many of us, resulting in some instinctual "not me, not ever" reactions. However, without some conformity, the dance where individuals create and evolve successful societies is impossible. Becoming a good dance partner means knowing how to match steps with those around you while at the same time staying in touch with your interna... posted on Jun 17, 3951 reads

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 journ... posted on Jul 16, 10495 reads

What Does it Take to Be Racially Literate?
Few people really believe that race does not affect their lives in some way, but most of us are unwilling to admit it. We avoid discussing these differences and do ourselves a disservice. Priya Vulchi and Winona Guo are two high school students who decided it was time to bring this discussion out in the open. The key, they say, is to face the issue with both our hearts and our minds, for our minds... posted on Jul 3, 2835 reads

Jane Wodening: The Lady Orangutan
What connects our human experience to the experiences of other species? There are many ways to respond to that question, and while each of them might hold some merit, all of them would be incomplete. Some questions cannot be answered, they can only be leaned into. And sometimes, a single meeting can communicate a world of both mystery, and meaning. In this riveting, real-life story from Jane Woden... posted on Feb 20, 2926 reads

Rachael Flatt: From Olympic Rink to Research Lab
There's little Rachael Flatt, former Olympic figure skater, can't achieve on or off the ice. Flatt's impressive skating career includes being the 2008 World Junior champion, a winner of four silver medals on the Grand Prix series, and the 2010 U.S. national champion. Flatt went on to represent the United States at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver during her senior year in high school and plac... posted on Jul 1, 4572 reads

How Space Can Heal What Divides Us
The Overview Effect is the experience many astronauts describe after seeing the Earth from space. "There, devoid of territory lines and set in the vast backdrop of the universe, this spectacle gives them a new perspective on our need to come together as a global society. For most, it is profoundly life-changing." Two years ago, MaryLiz Bender was so inspired by this phenomenon that she sold her be... posted on Sep 5, 2316 reads

Gathering as a Form of Leadership
Priya Parker is an author, strategist, and the founder of Thrive Labs, a company devoted to helping organizations create intentional and transformative gatherings. She is also the author of, 'The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters.' In this interview she speaks to how we can forge stronger connections and more meaningful experiences through gatherings -- whether it's a birthday party... posted on Sep 19, 7364 reads

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 ... posted on Jul 13, 2336 reads

How Cultural Differences Shape Gratitude
"Most of what we know about it [gratitude] comes from studying Americans--and, specifically, the mainly white American college students from the campuses where researchers work. That creates a cultural bias in the science, and that's why more and more researchers are exploring what gratitude looks and feels like in a range of cultures." This article shares more.... posted on Aug 11, 10238 reads

The Quality of Mercy
What is Mercy? In this essay offered by Lee Van Laer - we can see it from many perspectives. Shakespeare calls it an attribute to God himself, and according to the Sufi's mercy is God's greatest and most powerful quality. Van Laer points out that, "In practical terms, Mercy isn't just an idea or a concept; in its metaphysical and esoteric sense, it's a substance.That is to say, it's of a material ... posted on Sep 13, 4757 reads

The Bad Kids
Vonda Viland is a mother figure, coach, cheerleader, and counselor. She has to be. As the principal of Black Rock Continuation High School on the edge of California's Mojave Desert, Ms. V--as she's known to her 121 at-risk students has heard countless stories of personal or familial alcohol or drug addiction, chronic truancy, and physical and sexual abuse. Over 90 percent of the school's students ... posted on Sep 6, 5512 reads