as testament to her belief. This year will see the release of "Herd", an award-winning film on Liz and the transformational work of the Equinisity retreats. Brilliantly shot, and documenting a group of retreat attendees from the time of their arrival to the end of their stay, "Herd" poignantly captures the light and shadows of individual journeys and the gentle miracles that unfold between the people, the land and the animals. It has always been second nature to Liz to transform her love into art -- not just through words but also images. In addition to writing, producing the film, managing the retreats and caring for her animals, she has been a pub... posted on Mar 9 2017 (16,926 reads)

likelihood, our propensity for gratitude really does have deep evolutionary roots, and it will be up to us to find out how deep they go. We often blame our worst tendencies, like aggression and competition, on our evolutionary history. It’s important to remember that some of our most positive qualities like empathy and gratitude are also a part of this history. When we discover these traits in our closest relatives, it’s a powerful reminder that the “good” in human nature is deeply rooted, as well. ... posted on Mar 24 2017 (11,318 reads)

many different healing traditions, from biologist to engineer, to ecologist, and to osteopathic physician.” Music has always been a strong thread running through his life since he first started playing instruments at age four; primarily harmonica, Jews harp, 5-string banjo, and native American flute. He has won several competitions, and currently teaches at the Maine fiddle camp every August. “Music is vibration,” he reminds us. “… and vibration is the nature of the universe, and who we are, and how we heal.” ... posted on Apr 10 2017 (20,778 reads)

from Suffering to Enlightenment by Marianne Williamson HarperOne When depression is seen as the problem, Williamson believes we are not looking deeply enough at the human condition. She says that depression is, at its heart, a symptom of being disconnected from the divine.  —Kalia Kelmenson   Two Dogs and a Parrot What Our Animal Friends Can Teach Us About Life by Joan Chittister BlueBridge Why do we love pets? Because, through them, we “cling to nature in a world made of glass and steel that has divided us from it,” maintains the author of this deceptively simple set of lessons that our animal companions can teach us about living in thi... posted on Apr 4 2017 (38,060 reads)

fruits are ripe, there is always the tendency to rush the harvesting. ALANDA GREENE shares her experience of having an attitude of poise and being present in the moment instead of rushing to finish the task. LESSONS FROM THE GARDEN More than with any other berry in the garden, picking blueberries invokes a sense of urgency. I feel it as I see the clusters of deep blue-black orbs, and then see another cluster and another. The feeling is: hurry, there are so many, there is so much to be done, and there’s more there, and there behind you, and over in that bush. Another feeling is also evoked: that there is suddenly so much to do, not enough time. I’ve got to get them pick... posted on Apr 2 2017 (11,923 reads)

to that yearning that we appeal. But if we are committed to nonviolence only as a strategy or tactic, then if it fails our only alternative is to turn to violence. So we must balance the strategy with a clear understanding of what we are doing. However important the struggle is and however much misery, poverty and exploitation exist, we know that it cannot be more important than one human life. We work on the theory that men and women who are truly concerned about people are nonviolent by nature. These people become violent when the deep concern they have for people is frustrated and when they are faced with seemingly insurmountable odds. We advocate militant nonviolence as our mean... posted on Mar 31 2017 (18,706 reads)

happened in the Germany of that era. But if we look around, we will find that we count life in numbers all the time. Any report of a war that one can find on the internet includes the essential statistic of how many people died. A smaller casualty count can sometimes make us feel that the loss of life was regrettable but not too high. When we reduce  a single human life to a metric, in this case, the number 1, we risk trivializing death and rendering ourselves immune to the invaluable nature of human life. In doing so, we lose a big part of our own humanity and shape a world that is less sensitive to human suffering and more prone to causing suffering. The incredible richness of&nb... posted on Mar 27 2017 (11,364 reads)

the Equal Rights Amendment for men and women to have equal rights under the U.S. constitution and that puts things in perspective,” Sellers said. Shalini Eddens is the director of programs for Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights, an Oakland-based group that makes rapid-response grants to women human rights defenders facing imminent threats. Eddens said the group has seen a palpable increase in grant requests from the U.S., where attacks are racialized and gendered in nature. “After the election results, we saw an increase in requests from LBTQI groups and gender-nonconforming activists in the U.S., who are experiencing severe threats for the work that they d... posted on Jun 8 2017 (5,713 reads)

optimistic. We can vividly imagine the bloom and the scent of the rose even in deepest of winter. As the American naturalist Henry David Thoreau once wrote: "I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders." In essence, the gardener's work is a life of care. We cultivate abundance from scarce resources. We nurture, encourage, fertilize - and prune when necessary - while being respectful of the true and wild nature of all things. We know that creating enduring value requires vision, passion, hard work and the spirit of others. I am just coming to understand this work of business gardening - and investi... posted on Apr 26 2017 (12,330 reads)

their eyes reminded me of how my mom constantly cultivated joy and wonder in me, even if things weren't going well, even if it was a bad day. She always encouraged my imagination, my creativity, my ability to be present in whatever I was doing or wherever I was, and I'm grateful for those gifts all the time, especially now that I’m a mother. Especially now that she's doing it for my son, too. It is the most amazing gift. Nimo: Mother’s are just unconditional in nature. 9 months of bodily sacrifice and embrace, giving birth to a new life, and then give of herself, physically, her time, and all possible resources to nourish this child of hers an... posted on May 14 2017 (13,830 reads)

often treated in a second-class way. People got involved in their own ideas and pretty defensive and ego driven about their ideas. People really were not working on themselves and that caused all kinds of mischief. I am wondering in the Food Not Bombs movement, is there a way besides working on the world that people are working on themselves? K.: Well, that can happen in many different ways. A great many of the young people are anarchists so they reject organized religion and things of that nature, but within that community of people, they work on themselves in other ways. For instance, they seek empowerment and being strong so they will have meetings and workshops against the "-ism... posted on Jul 7 2017 (8,817 reads)

was at the compost edge with two freshly picked red onions, washing dirt from their skins. At the time, my mind was wrangling with unpleasant thoughts, feeling wronged in a particular situation, reviewing how I was wronged. Not sure to whom I was stating my case. Not the red onions. As I peeled back the outer layer of one, the sun caught its redness, lit it up like a ruby, and I gasped at the startling beauty of it. Thoughts stilled, and the red glow absorbed my being in gratitude and awe. Suddenly I felt silly for what now seemed a petty absorption. Here I was surrounded in beauty, yet not receptive to it, letting myself be mired in thoughts not about now, not helpful, and an obstac... posted on May 29 2017 (13,468 reads)

that the next time I was lucky enough to be a Trail Angel, I would call on all of them to be Trail Angels too so they could bring their favorite gifts and offerings to the next weary traveler. They cheered in delight. As should we all. When we give without expectation, when we are able to acknowledge what a gift it is to have something to give in the first place, that alone will fill us with an overwhelming sense of gratitude, love and compassion. I believe it’s in our nature to give to one another, and most people deeply appreciate opportunities to offer kindness without expectation. As soon as we tie an expectation to our giving, as soon as we draw conditions arou... posted on Jun 16 2017 (11,751 reads)

whose sensory capabilities far exceed my own. Ha! Although we remained with foreheads touching for only several minutes, for me, time was suspended. I heard what I presumed was her sonar echolocation, which so far exceeds even our own sophisticated technology that the military has drafted dolphins into military service, unfortunately. This whale imparted a lesson to me and my student, who was watching intently. She gave us a glimpse of the beauty and magic we could perceive every day in in nature if we only open ourselves to it. Of course this was clearly interspecies communication. I have various possible interpretations of what this beluga was communicating to me, but clearly her a... posted on Jun 30 2017 (13,882 reads)

gifts of a purposeful approach is that purpose is bountiful: it gives those who commit themselves to it not only the conviction to act for long-term sustainability, but the courage to take a long-term view. It rewards you not only with sustainable growth but the deep, personal fulfilment that comes from having a genuine and uncompromising positive impact. REI’s story teaches us that purposeful sacrifice can be as heart-warming as inspiring the world to spend a day in the beauty of nature. They may have sacrificed a day’s profits, but they’ve gained the love of their customers, 24/7. ... posted on Jun 28 2017 (16,120 reads)

Mesa, Arizona, where the Hopi have lived for centuries. There is something liberating about going on a journey. It frees the spirit and opens the door to encountering new and exciting experiences. If you’re lucky, the fates might steer a bit of serendipity your way. A “wrong turn” on the road leads you to discover an old castle; an architectural gem you find fascinating. Maybe a chance meeting with a poet in a café livens up your sightseeing day and you remember it with a smile, long after the trip is comes to an end. These serendipities are gifts, a reward for getting off the couch and taking to the road! Sometimes the memory of your excursion is... posted on Jun 22 2017 (10,811 reads)

lawyer who's actually taking care of his divorce. While he does that, he's about to have a car accident and a heart attack. All these things are good things for GDP.“ Working with other forms of capital, however, is quite a challenge. We go through extra-ordinary effort to grease the wheels of our financial currency -- banks, markets, derivatives, fiscal policies, and so much more. But do we have the equivalent machinery for amplifying time capital, or community capital or nature capital? Far from it. If we did, we would be asking a very different set of questions. Like -- what is an education that amplifies, not just intellectual or even emotional quotient, but... posted on Jul 28 2017 (10,214 reads)

a poem is made available to the public, the right of interpretation belongs to the reader,” young Sylvia Plath wrote to her mother as she reflected on her first poem. What is true of a poem is true of any work of art: Art transforms us not with what it contains but with what it creates in us — the constellation of interpretations, revelations, and emotional truths illuminated — which, of course, is why the rise of the term “content” to describe creative output online has been one of the most corrosive developments in contemporary culture. A poem — or an essay, or a painting, or a song — is not its “content”; it transforms ... posted on Jun 27 2017 (8,428 reads)

light of dawn,tent-like white light of day, the gold light of the afternoon, and of course, at night, the reversal: sensuous, catching the light in all kinds of mysterious ways. And the site: it's interesting; 14 years ago when we made the submission, we showed the temple set against the Andes. We didn't have the Andes as our site, but after nine years, that's exactly where we ended up, the lines of the temple set against nothing but pure nature, and you turn around and you get nothing but the city below you, and inside, a view in all directions, radiating gardens from each of the alcoves, radiating paths. L... posted on Jul 8 2017 (9,808 reads)

research is now exploring what learning looks like in the brain—and it’s bad news for those of us who loved to cram in college. Apparently the brain can only build so many neurons each night, so regular, repeated practice is crucial. Oakley recommends learning in “chunks”—bite-sized bits of information or skills, such as a passage in a song, one karate move, or the code for a particular technical command. Practicing these regularly allows them to become second nature, freeing up space in our conscious mind and working memory so we can continue building new knowledge. (If this doesn’t happen, you may have to select a smaller chunk.) It also helps to... posted on Jul 4 2017 (16,138 reads)