Become More Present
Evoke Love and Compassion
You may contact us Monday–Friday, 8:00 am–5:00 pm Mountain Time.
Socially Conscious Leadership from the Inside Out
Our guest this week has come to believe that “No matter how wonderful a program is, if it is done as a bestowing – a certain group of people making decisions for another group – that is never going to bridge the divide in our city.” Does your work fit within this paradigm of “bestowing,” and how do you plant seeds for a deeper mindset or consciousness shift to address underlying structural issues? Share Your Reflection »
Dallas-based therapist, activist, writer, community leader and speaker Michelle Kinder examines and teaches conscious leadership “from the inside out.” She offers practical, achievable steps for parents, teachers and others to support children’s social-emotional health, and for business and other leaders to drive transformation in their lives and organizations. While exploring the lack of mental health resources in southern Dallas, Kinder got to know the work of the Momentous Institute, a 99-year-old Dallas-based nonprofit organization that has been building and repairing social-emotional health through education and mental health programs. Momentous Institute serves vulnerable children through therapy services, curriculum and teacher training focused on See full.
Five Questions for Michelle
What Makes You Come Alive?
Thank you for asking. Learning makes me come alive. Learning combined with contribution has long been a winning formula for me feeling most alive. Over the years I developed the habit of checking in with myself every six months or so with the questions “Am I learning? Am I contributing?” There have been interesting seasons on how the two balance each other. There are times that striving to contribute crowded out the kind of white space by brain needs for deep learning and I have had to course correct. And there have been other times that I was learning a lot, but didn’t feel like I was being a good steward in terms of making a difference for other people or for causes I care about. I should also say that because I am currently in a season of more white space and more time for discernment, increasingly, simple pleasures are what make me come alive. Listening to birds, watching our dogs, yoga, running, sunshine, good coffee and the sound of my girls laughing together. Things like that.
Pivotal turning point in your life?
When I was in High School I left my family in Guatemala and came to the states to attend boarding school. It was a transformational experience. The wonderful faculty there saw qualities in me that they nurtured into leadership and I really learned who I was and what I was capable of during those four years. Interestingly, in my previous school, there were teachers who experienced the exact same qualities as problematic, annoying or something to control. Having that experience has made me very interested in how adults show up in the lives of children in a way that respects the enormous privilege and responsibility. I always say there are no neutral interactions when it comes to our relationships with children – all interactions are either positive, negative or missed opportunities.
An Act of Kindness You’ll Never Forget?
When I was in college, my 24-year-old sister died suddenly and it was an enormous challenge to go back to school while navigating the grief process. Several weeks into it, when people had stopped checking in, I found a card tucked into one of my books. It was from a classmate I knew somewhat, but not super well. It said something like, “I know time has passed but your hurt hasn’t.” I still tear up thinking about that act of kindness. It meant so much and it has shaped my desire to show up for others in similar ways.
One Thing On Your Bucket List?
Have the kind of flexibility to visit different places for a month at a time and work remotely while folding into the local scene.
One-line Message for the World?
Regardless of the situation, if you ever aren’t sure how to be most helpful, regulate your own nervous system.
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Awakin Circles: A hub for local meditation circles that started in the Silicon Valley and have now spread to 80+ cities around the globe. The circle start with an hour of silence, followed by a circle of sharing and dinner in silence. A newsletter with a passage selected from various wisdom traditions and an audio reading is sent out to 87,000 subscribers each week. See also Awakin Calls that hosts weekly conversations with wide-ranging thought leaders.
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ServiceSpace is an organization run entirely by volunteers. We leverage technology to encourage everyday people around the world to do small acts of service. Our aim is to ignite the fundamental generosity in ourselves and others, creating both inner and outer transformation.
ServiceSpace was conceived by volunteers, was built by volunteers, and is run by volunteers — all for the benefit of volunteers. Our projects range from a daily positive news service, to an acts-of-kindness portal, to a gift-economy restaurant. Regardless of the endeavor, we act in concert to create service opportunities for each other and to support each other’s service journeys.
In September of 2011, we formally changed our name from CharityFocus to ServiceSpace. Founded in 1999, ServiceSpace was originally started to help non-profits with technical services. Over the past dozen years, the organization has become an umbrella for many generosity-driven projects. Thus we have expanded our services from focusing just on helping charities, to encouraging everyday people to contribute in meaningful ways to the world around them. As the name suggests, our new expanded ServiceSpace platform allows people to stay connected with others interested in service, participate in service opportunities through any of our dozen projects, organize their own local service event using our tools, and stay connected to inspirational content. Above all, we believe in the inherent generosity of others and aim to ignite that spirit of service. Through our small, collective acts, we hope to transform ourselves and the world.
We hold these three principles steadfast within our organization:
Stay fully volunteer-run.
ServiceSpace was founded by volunteers and is run by volunteers. There is no paid staff, no office, and no central facilities. All ServiceSpace programs are conceived, designed, implemented, and administered by people who selflessly give their time so that others can benefit from those services.
Based on twelve years of our experience with a volunteer-run infrastructure, we’ve developed a streamlined process that structures projects in a distributed and decentralized manner. This allows more volunteers to give small chunks of time and still deliver high quality services to the end-receiver.
Being volunteer-run also allows us to organically self-organize. Instead of hierarchies and prefabricated business plans, our volunteer infrastructure is dynamic, low-cost and open to radical change. Everything is based on relationships and presence, and that creates a powerful context to BE the change.
We continue to be amazed at what inspired and dedicated individuals can do. Margaret Mead eloquently said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever does.” We could not agree more.
Serve with whatever we have.
We have chosen a slightly different path than most organizations, and choose not to focus on fundraising, grants, or other sources of revenue – for example, none of our websites contain any advertisement. All services are distributed are gifted without any fees. Thus, we serve with whatever support and resources that come in organically when people are truly moved to give.
ServiceSpace projects are built within a gift-economy system, an economic system in which goods and services are given freely, rather than traded. In a traditional market economy, one’s wealth is increased by saving. In a gift economy, giving leads to increase: an increase in connections and relationship strength.
Our services are given freely, without asking for anything in return. Instead of scarcity and fear for an uncertain future, our second principle roots us in abundance and trust. We have realized that over time, if you serve with pure intentions, people’s cups of gratitude overflow. They don’t give to fulfill a need, they give as an expression of their own solidarity and joy. These genuine gifts, no matter how small or large, are what sustains us.
Focus on the small.
Our attempt is to do “small acts with great love”. As our tagline says, “Change Yourself, Change the World.” If we started out by having a goal to change the world, we might have been a little disappointed in our abilities; when we start with ourselves, we notice that the ripples around us continue to get bigger and bigger and as more people try to do small acts, we have every potential to change the world.
Just as every tiny bit of a hologram contains information of the whole, we feel that paying attention to the process, to the present moment, gives us plenty of information to become instruments of a larger, systemic change.
This is how ServiceSpace makes things happen. But essentially the engine that drives the organization is inspiration, pure and simple. We learn from each other, spur each other, help each other, and frequently amaze each other. Sure, we are stirred by the words and lives of great men and women like Gandhi and Martin Luther King and Mother Theresa; but the examples set by our ServiceSpace colleagues–everyday heroes–are the real sustaining forces behind our projects.
RIVERKEEPER EVENT:
Hudson River Day at the Croton Yacht Club
- WHEN:
- September 7, 2019: 11:00AM to 4:00PM
- WHERE:
- Croton Yacht Club, 6 Elliot Way, Croton-On-Hudson, NY 10520 map
The Croton Yacht Club will be sponsoring its annual “Hudson River Day” celebration on Saturday, September 7th, from 11 AM – 4 PM at the Croton Yacht Club located at 6 Elliott Way in Croton-on-Hudson. The mission of the event is to promote interest in the history and ecology of the river, to cultivate future local environmental leaders and to promote, enhance and protect river related recreational resources.
There will be events and exhibits throughout the day targeting both children and adults, focusing on the history and ecology of the river, including a seining exhibition; hands-on exhibits for children such as toy sailboat making, fossil making; sailboat rides, and local artist displays and sales. Also, educational seminars will be conducted by NYSDEC Fisheries Biologist, Amanda Higgs on the Hudson River Sturgeon and Riverkeeper’s Nicholas Mitch who will speak about the ecological impact of the controversial proposal to build storm-surge barriers at the mouth of the Hudson River.
Free sailboat rides, will be offered by Ferry Sloops aboard their 22’ sloop-rigged Catboat the “Whimbrel” on a first-come-first-served basis. The sails will depart at 11AM, 12PM, 1PM, 2PM and 3PM. Guests can sign up at the Ferry Sloops table in the tent beginning at 10:00AM for any of the day's scheduled sail times. Limit of 4 passengers per sail. Passenger age requirement: must be at least 12 years old, under 18 years old must be accompanied by parent or adult guardian.
There will also be a youth fishing clinic and contest sponsored by the Hudson River Fisherman’s Association and the Yacht Club. Volunteers will be present during the hours of 11:30 PM and 3:30 PM and provide the use of fishing equipment and bait, free of charge. Fishing rod and reel combinations will also be awarded as prizes. All youths wishing to fish at the Yacht Club must be accompanied by an adult.
For additional information please contact Dennis Kooney at dennis@kooney.net or call 914-271-6384.
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The Islands
Upriver, channels diverge and a unique habitat of small islands and wetlands cry out for preservation. Here, mink, otter, and beaver live along the shore. Though huge container ships plow through the dredged, deep-water channel, this slow, low-lying stretch of the river is a link back to an earlier time. It offers a chance to re-discover our intimate relationship to the natural world.
It’s in the quiet of the river that we get an inkling of how Native Americans lived: trapping fish, building small disposable dwellings, carefully observing the plants and wildlife. We no longer weave fishnets out of bark or make hooks out of deer bone, but just as the Lenape survived by adjusting their lives to the river’s, we’re beginning to understand that we need to respect, not dominate, the environment around us.
The decline of the bald eagle in the Hudson Valley was a direct result of human interference: from the use of pesticides to the destruction of habitat. And it’s humans who are helping to bring the eagle back. Riverkeeper works with scientists and government agencies to reduce pollution, preserve nesting sites, and protect the eagle’s main source of food, fish.
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2019 Festival Tickets & Passes
Tickets & passes are now on sale of the 2019 Global Peace Film Festival
Sept. 16-22, 2019
About the Festival
The Global Peace Film Festival, established in 2003, uses the power of the moving image to further the cause of peace on earth. From the outset, the GPFF envisioned “peace” not as the absence of conflict but as a framework for channeling, processing and resolving conflict through respectful and non-violent means.
People of good faith have real differences that deserve to be discussed, debated and contested.
GPFF works to connect expression – artistic, political, social and personal – to positive, respectful vehicles for action and change. The festival program is carefully curated to create a place for open dialogue, using the films as catalysts for change.
Don’t miss out on our Online Global Peace Film Festival, which goes live Monday, Sept. 16. Visit peacefilmest.org to watch the films in our online festival wherever you are, on whatever device you want!
CONTACT US
Global Peace Film Festival
P.O. Box 3310
Winter Park, FL 32790-3310
Schedule is up; Tickets & Passes now available
Tickets & Passes for the 2019 Global Peace Film Festival, Sept. 17 to 22, are available now. Browse the film catalogue, check the schedule, or dive right in and start buying passes or tickets.
Festival Venues
Bush Auditorium/SunTrust Auditorium/Tiedtke Concert Hall/Bush 176, @ Rollins College
Fairbanks Ave. & Interlachen Ave., Winter Park, FL 32789
Parking: SunTrust Parking garage on E. Lyman Ave. or there is 3 hour street parking. Parking on the Rollins campus is extremely limited.
The Orlando LGBT+ Center
946 N. Mills Avenue, Orlando, FL 32803
Parking: On site or street parking
CityArts
39 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, FL 32801
Parking: The Rogers-Kiene Building validates a portion of the fee in the Chase Plaza building parking lot. Patrons must enter CityArts to receive validation.
Enzian Theater & Eden Bar
1300 South Orlando Avenue, Maitland, FL 32751
Parking: On site
Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center
851 N. Maitland Avenue, Maitland, FL 32751
Parking: On site
Mount Dora Plaza Live
2728 Old Highway 441, Orlando, FL 32757
Parking: On site
Orlando City Hall rotunda
400 South Orange Avenue, Orlando, FL 32801
Parking: City Commons Parking Garage (across the street from City Hall)
Ten Thousand Villages
329 N. Park Avenue, Suite #102, Winter Park, FL 32789
Parking: Street parking or North Park Avenue garage offers free parking
Winter Park Public Library
460 E. New England Ave., Winter Park, FL 32789
Parking: on site
FILM LISTINGS
Alternative Facts: The Lies of Executive Order 9066
65 minutes | USA | 2018
Documentary
At Arm’s Length
15 minutes | USA | 2018
Documentary Short
Blue Goes Green: Net Zero Police Station
26 minutes | USA | 2019
Documentary Short
Catching Giants
50 minutes | USA/South Africa | 2018
Documentary
Changing the Game
95 minutes | USA | 2019
Documentary
College Crucible
41 minutes | USA | 2019
Documentary
Community First, a Home for the Homeles
65 minutes | USA | 2018
Documentary
The Condor & the Eagle
80 minutes | USA/Canada/Ecuador/France/Peru | 2019
Documentary
Decade of Fire
75 minutes | USA | 2018
Documentary
Eating Up Easter
76 minutes | USA/Chile | 2018
Documentary
For They Know Not What They Do
91 minutes | USA | 2019
Documentary
FusionFest Shorts
90 minutes | 2019
Documentary Short
The Gathering
24 minutes | USA | 2016
Documentary Short
heartbeat Iowa
USA | 2019
Documentary Short
Incompatible Allies
43 minutes | USA | 2019
Documentary
JFK: The Last Speech
58 minutes | USA | 2018
Documentary
Keepers of the Future: La Coordinadora of El Salvador
24 minutes | USA/El Salvador | 2017
Documentary Short
King Bibi
87 minutes | Israel/USA | 2018
Documentary
LIKE
49 minutes | USA/Hong Kong | 2019
Documentary
A Living Earth
52 minutes | Belgium | 2018
Documentary
Marching Forward
60 minutes | USA | 2018
Documentary
Nailed It
60 minutes | USA | 2018
Documentary
The New Gatherers
2 minutes | USA | 2019
Documentary Short
New Homeland
93 minutes | USA | 2018
Documentary
Plant the Seed
11 minutes | USA | 2018
Documentary Short
Planting Seeds, Growing Justice
13 minutes | USA | 2018
Documentary Short
The Plummery
8 minutes | Australia | 2019
Documentary Short
The Power to Heal: Medicare and the Civil Rights Revolution
56 minutes | USA | 2018
Documentary
The Public
119 minutes | USA | 2018
Narrative Feature
The Remix: Hip Hop X Fashion
67 minutes | USA | 2019
Documentary
Rigged: The Voter Suppression Playbook
79 minutes | USA | 2019
Documentary
Right to Harm
75 minutes | USA | 2019
Documentary
The Robo Con
16 minutes | USA | 2019
Documentary Short
The Sequel
61 minutes | UK/Greece | 2018
Documentary
Travel Ban: Make America Laugh Again
84 minutes | USA
Documentary
Undeterred
75 minutes | USA | 2019
Documentary
The Uterati, Fighting Back in the War Against Women
51 minutes | USA | 2012
Documentary
Walk in My Shoes
60 minutes | USA | 2018
Documentary
Documentary Feature
What Will Become of Us
72 minutes | USA/Australia | 2019
Documentary
The Worst Thing
84 minutes | Germany/USA | 2019
Documentary
Awakening Humanity’s Consciousness as One,
“Celebrating Our Planet,
Healing our Heart“
The13th AnnualWORLD PEACE EARTH DAY CELEBRATION 2020Planet Heart Logo © Elana Stanger,
a.k.a. St. Angel www.diversityarts.com Come join us on EARTH DAYWednesday, April 22, 2020, at
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Portions of the Proceeds supportWe, The World andPlanet Heartto produce these events.“We hear Mother Earth’s call to simultaneously become more heart centered and action oriented. Feeling Mother Earth’s sacredness in our hearts can be profound motivation to act on Her behalf. Many actions are needed now, from calling legislators to attending rallies … art making, creative planning, spreading the word, writing letters to the editor … advocating for clean water, renewable energy … as well as social, racial, and economic justice issues that are inseparable from co-creating a sustainable, thriving world that works for all. We believe these actions are most effective, and most beautiful, when they are inspired by and carried out with love and respect for this beautiful planet, all who reside here, and whatever divine energies are loving us and encouraging us through this Great Turning. This feeling of connection, love, and inspiration is what we seek to create through Planet Heart’s Annual World Peace Earth Day. Please join us, be inspired, keep your heart open, and channel that love into action. ”
Ellen Osuna, Environmental and Peace Activist
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A welcome letter from the host…
Greetings friends…
We’ve all got to follow best practices for staying safe and taking care of each other during the pandemic. This online gathering is about best practices for your inner life.
How can you rest in your own presence and non-reactivity? How can you open in compassion and let your heart’s intelligence guide your actions? How can you stay open to your experience – not grabbing onto your emotion but not bypassing it either? How can your struggles deepen your practice and bring forward new capacities?
This Being & Doing gathering will give you a chance to hear from some extraordinary, open-hearted, generous mentors. The teachers will all be live – guiding practices, taking questions and joining with you in a supportive field of collective presence. Use this opportunity to help you stay open and free inside of yourself, to nourish your resilience, and to connect with a powerful community of like-minded souls.
Jeff Charno, Being & Doing Host
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You can use this Awakening in the Midst video collection right away.
From Loch Kelly, Craig Hamilton, Diana Winston, Caverly Morgan
These aren’t ordinary guided meditations. These four short programs lead you directly into natural awakened awareness – a state of flow and effortless presence. Clarifying this in yourself is life changing and it’s easier than you think.
Virtual Rites of Spring 2020
We gather in May for our 42nd time to celebrate the sacred Earth and the turning of the seasons in the mountains of western Massachusetts.
Join us online, (and in person in September) – as together we:
Weave the web of community;
Share in ancient traditions and new rituals;
Look forward to what we can become;
Learn through workshops and dialogue;
Light the Sacred fire;
Feel the rhythms of life in our drums and dance to raise our spirits;
Form lasting friends and see families grow as we come together in community – learning, sharing music, celebrating with ritual, and fueling our joy.
Register now for virtual Rites of Spring programming!
We are terribly sad not to be able to be together for the first time in 42 years, but we are excited to be able to still offer a substantial program. Zoom links and program details will go out to everyone who registers.
Please spread the word!
Virtual Rites of Spring 2020 – EarthSpirit
We gather in May for our 42nd time to celebrate the sacred Earth and the turning of the seasons in the mountains of western Massachusetts. Join us online.
Saturday
- 8 – 8:30 AM Family Program – Seasonal Stories and Creative projects with Andrew Coate, and Sarah Rosehill
- 11:00 AM Workshop: Pagan Perspective Permaculture Primer with Martin Bridge
- 3:00 PM Web Ritual
- 8:00 PM Bardic Circle Sign Up Sheet
- 11:00 PM DJ Meow Meow
Sunday
- 8 – 8:30 AM Family Program – Seasonal Stories and Creative projects with Andrew Coate, and Sarah Rosehill
- 11:00 AM Workshop: Anamanta: a Pagan Practice for Troubled Times with Andras Corban Arthen
- 3:00 PM EarthSpirit FUNdraising Kickoff with Billy Bardo, Anya, Arianna (and maybe Patrick)
- 6:00 PM The Feast at home
- After Feast: DJ Dawn Dance Party! with Dawn Flatt
Monday
- 11:00 AM Closing Ritual with Deirdre and Andras Arthen
Plus Recorded Programs on YouTube
- Healing Ritual
- Building a Sacred Shrine
- Maying!
- Preparing your own Feast
Register Online
If you are registered and paid for Rites of Spring 2020 (May or September), please follow this link to get your virtual Registration number. This program is an included add-on to your registration.
To register if you are not already signed up for Rites of Spring: Admission for the week is a sliding scale $50 – $100. Please pay what you are able, to help us keep going through this time of crisis. No one will be turned away for serious financial hardship, as long as you pay something. Additional contributions are appreciated.
Once you are registered, close to the date of the virtual events, you will receive a registration code, an accessible link and password for the Zoom sessions, and a link to the Facebook Virtual Dining Hall. Please save that registration number for access to the Virtual Dining Hall or for any questions on your registration.
We look forward to seeing you all online.
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Join the Next Pulse – SUMMER SOLSTICE Sunday, June 21st at 12pm PT, 3pm ET, 7pm GMT Timezone ConverterThis month’s theme: Celebrating Our Coherence Featured Organization: Earthdance Global Featured Musician: Miranda Macpherson
Followed by the Earthdance ConcertReserve My Space
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