For it is important that awake people be awake, or a breaking line may discourage them back to sleep; the signals we give – yes or no, or maybe – should be clear: the darkness around us is deep. — from “A Ritual to Read To Each Other” by William Stafford These are challenging times. The … Continued
In his book, Valuing Diversity, Peter D. Hershock makes the case that what the world urgently needs is an ethics of interdependence. He suggests that to avoid an evolutionary turn towards even more suffering, we must appreciate and develop skills in support of a world-view that accounts for the radical interconnectedness of all things. The … Continued
“Creativity is as important as literacy and numeracy, and I actually think people understand that creativity is important – they just don’t understand what it is.” – Ken Robinson Intuitively, we know the value of creativity. We recognize it when we see it and we celebrate it in its varied forms. But if pressed to … Continued
Community is not a thing, or a place. It’s not something you can opt in or out of and it doesn’t require adherence to a single point of view or purpose. It is the activity of life itself dancing with the particular and the infinite for maximum creative potential. Human community is how we harmonize … Continued
This is a guided meditation style delivery of the Iroquois / Six Nations Thanksgiving prayer. This prayer is typically offered in group settings as a ritual of solidarity and gratitude for the abundance of nature, and, as a contemplation on the human place in the great network. This is a longer meditation but it is … Continued
Each bite of food that we take contains the sun, the rain, the air and the earth. Each bite came to us through the activity of insects and birds and other animals. Each bite contains the labor of farmers, truckers, grocers and the hundreds of other people that work each day doing things that support … Continued
This is a short variation on the loving kindness meditations. In this case I ask you to focus on someone that you know, but would like to know better – be even closer to. This is a chance to reflect how it is we sometimes hold ourselves back, create barriers to intimacy. And also to … Continued
Take a few moments to sit, breathe and ground yourself. Find a comfortable quiet place and let Marc Anderson guide you in a 10 minute breath meditation. Creative Commons licensed audio
In the first chapters of “The Botany of Desire,” Michael Pollan offers a revisionist twist to the apocryphal tale of Johnny Appleseed. Turns out, Johnny was a shrewd businessman who, consciously or not, capitalized on the universal human desire for sweetness and alcohol to amass a real-estate empire.
A monk asked Zen Master Yún Mén, “What are the teachings of a life time?” Yún Mén said, ”An appropriate response.” How often do we find ourselves wondering, what is an appropriate response now? When there is violence and divisive public discourse, what is an appropriate response? When we are stuck in old patterns or … Continued