On Separation and Belonging

We are here to awaken from the illusion of our separateness.
– Thich Nhat Hanh

It is the eve of my 65th birthday and my dinner date just cancelled as I was heading out the door to meet her for dinner. Feeling alone and abandoned – not an unfamiliar feeling – but, surprising, as I am so often surrounded with people and projects and thinking how I need more alone time... but 65, how the hell did I get so old? Gone is the sense of being immortal that I had in my teens and twenties. Gone is the passionate exuberance of my 30s and 40s. In the past 15 years I’ve grown to love my life and feel blessed to be doing exactly what I most love – dancing, djing, writing, learning and contributing in ways I feel make a difference through my radio show Conversations and moving meditation classes. I am clear that my purpose in life is to learn to love and serve. In spite of all that I know, I find myself subject to feelings of aloneness, separateness, a sense of not belonging...

Webster defines belonging as “acceptance as a natural member or part of...” Do I feel accepted as a natural member of anything? I am part of the dance tribe, but I am also the leader of the 5 Rhythms community here, which is a role that seems to set me apart in terms of responsibility, commitment and position. I’m part of the KVMR broadcaster body, and yet each of us is highly individual and many of us only know each other by the sound of our voice. I’m not even a baby boomer – wedged in between the beatniks and boomers – again there’s a sense of separateness that pervades my consciousness. When the Dali Lama first came to the US he had a hard time understanding how people could feel so separate and alone. He had no experience of this in his own culture. In this country 1 in 4 people feel that they don’t have a single person they could call in emergency or need! How have we gotten to this place?

You cannot belong to anyone else, until you belong to yourself.
– Pearl Bailey

Read the entire letter from Michael here.

Upcoming Events

September 18th: Save this for a weekend of dance, camping and fun in Nevada County. Still trying to secure a location. More to follow...

Moving Meditation News

August Schedule

July 31st Michael’s final class in the shadow series (on Stillness)

August 1st Michael’s last Sweat Your Prayers until September 3rd

August 6th Michael’s last class for the month (a celebration of life)

August 8th Michael Zipkin presents a Soul Motion expression

August 13-22nd No classes or Sweats (Come back to a newly finished floor)

August 27th Class with Juliette

August 29th Sweat Your Prayers with Juliette

Michael will resume teaching September 3rd.

New Podcasts

Click here to view the Podcasts page, and to listen to the following podcasts:

Riane Eisler: Caring Economics
Riane Eisler is internationally known for The Real Wealth of Nations: Creating a Caring Economics, hailed by Archbishop Desmond Tutu as "a template for the better world we have been so urgently seeking" and by Gloria Steinem as "revolutionary". Her earlier bestseller The Chalice and The Blade: Our History, Our Future is in 23 foreign editions. www.partnershipway.org

James William Gibson: Re-enchanted World: A New Kinship With Nature
James William Gibson is the author of Warrior Dreams: Paramilitary Culture in Post-Vietnam America and The Perfect War: Technowar in Vietnam. A frequent contributor to the Los Angeles Times and winner of multiple grants and fellowships, including a Guggenheim, Gibson is a professor of sociology at California State University, Long Beach. www.jameswilliamgibson.com

Jeremy Rifkin: The Empathic Civilization
Jeremy Rifkin is the founder and president of the Foundation On Economic Trends and creator of the Third Industrial Revolution. He is an American economist, writer, public speaker and activist who seeks to shape public policy in the United States, the European Union, and around the world. He is the bestselling author of 16 books on the impact of scientific and technological changes on the economy, the workforce, society, and the environment. His latest book is The Empathic Civilization: Rethinking human Nature in the Biosphere Era. www.foet.org

Sandra Steingraber, PH. D.: Living a meaningful life
Ecologist, author, and cancer survivor, Sandra Steingraber, Ph.D. is an internationally recognized authority on the environment links to cancer and human health. Steingraber's highly acclaimed book, Living Downstream: An Ecologist's Personal Investigation of Cancer and the Environment presents cancer as a human rights issue. She is also the author of Having Faith: An Ecologist's Journey to Motherhood, explores the intimate ecology of motherhood and was the central figure in the movie Living Downstream. steingraber.com

Book of the Month

A Reenchanted World: The Quest For a New Kinship with Nature, by James William Gibson

Bill Gibson's new book, A Reenchanted World, is nothing short of enchanting. He chronicles a very important shift in consciousness that may very well be the salvation for all life on our beautiful blue planet. A spreading "culture of enchantment" appears to be emerging that reignites humanity's close kinship with animals and the natural world, connecting us to the larger cosmos and making nature sacred once again. His writing takes this movement beyond the environmental and ecology movements to something that signals a shift in consciousness and our relation to all life. It also signals an important move away from our human assumption of man's dominion over nature. This visionary book holds the possibility of perpetuating a new harmony with nature emerging in all levels of the social, economic, environmental and political arenas. I highly recommend picking up a copy and treating yourself to an inspiring and captivating journey into a renewed spiritual connection with life itself.

Articles

Solar Is Cheaper Than Coal

Next to Milton Friedman, Pee Wee the landscaper is the most persuasive teacher of energy economics I have ever encountered. Pee Wee had the cheapest lawn service in the neighborhood but we never knew why. Then the city inspector showed up and told us: Pee Wee was dumping his trash in an empty lot a few blocks away. Pee Wee's service was not so cheap after all: It just seemed that way because other people were paying for it.

To read the full article, click here.

Every Teacher a Peace Teacher

David Jackson Cook
Yes! Magazine

Earlier this year, I walked into the university classroom where I teach a course in Peace Studies. Seated in a circle around the room were seniors just shy of graduating. They would soon become doctors, social workers, teachers, community organizers, executives, and leaders.

To open our semester together, I wrote a simple, three-word question on the board.

What is peace?

Silence. Stumped by this tiny question, no one spoke. They did not have an answer, and I would later discover why: It was the first time in their life a teacher had asked them to define peace.

To read the full article, click here.

Why Power Is Not a Dirty Word

Why are we as societies creating a world that we as individuals abhor? It’s a mind-bending question. Who, after all, gets up in the morning pledging to starve children? Yet, each day over 24,000 young children die of hunger and poverty. Who, anywhere, sets out to heat the planet and rid the world of its species? Yet, every day roughly 100 more species are lost forever.

Do we simply lack the know-how to reverse these horrors? No. We humans already have proven solutions to everything from climate chaos to poverty. Or is it human nature—underneath are we all just selfish little shoppers, so of course we’re doomed?

To read the full article, click here.

The Big Picture: 5 Ways to Know if You’re Making a Difference

For the many millions of us working to create a better world, it is easy to feel discouraged by the seeming insignificance of even major successes relative to the scale of the problems we face as a nation and a species. Consumed by the details and challenges of our daily engagements, we may easily lose sight of the big picture of the powerful social dynamic to which our work is contributing.

To read the full article, click here.

6 Simple Ways to Bring the Water Revolution Home

1. Crunch those water numbers: If you want to get serious about saving water, create a chart to record your daily water use and measure your conservation progress.

2. Second life for dishwater: If you live in the United States, you probably use about 50 gallons of water per day to bathe and wash dishes and clothes. The resulting “graywater”—so called because soap and grime tint it gray—is great for watering plants. If everyone reused their graywater, our households would suck one-third less water from rivers and aquifers and reduce their wastewater by 60 percent!

To read the full article, click here.

Time for a Tech Sabbath?

Dan Rollman recently noticed a disturbing trend in his social interactions. “I was starting to get more birthday wishes on my Facebook Wall than phone calls and handwritten cards from family and friends.” This inspired him to create the Sabbath Manifesto, which encourages people to enjoy time with loved ones, silence, the outdoors, and other pleasures they may remember from the time before the Internet took over every free moment.

To read the full article, click here.

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Tuesdays at 1pm PST

Donate to Conversations

Dear Friends,
For the past four years I have been funding Conversations, The Well of Light and other associated projects out of my own pocket and fund raising events. In order to keep this newsletter coming and keep moving towards syndicating Conversations we need your help. Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution if you enjoy receiving our monthly newsletter or listening to Conversations.

It’s easy, just click here.

Thank you so much. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Blessings,
michael

Upcoming Shows on Conversations

August 3rd
J. Kirk Boyd: Creating a social order based upon human rights
Dr. John Kirk Boyd is a lawyer, professor, and Executive Director of the 2048 Project at the U.C. Berkeley law school. In addition, the author has argued at every level of court, including the United States Supreme Court. He teaches International Human Rights, Civil Rights, International Law, Free Speech, and Constitutional Law at the University of California. www.2048.berkeley.edu

August 17th
Dr. David C. Korten: Agenda for a New Economy
Dr. David C. Korten: Author, teacher, publisher and lecturer, David Korten has over thirty-five years of experience in preeminent business, academic, and international development institutions. He is a major contributor to the report of the International Forum on Globalization on Alternatives to Economic Globalization. www.davidkorten.org

August 24th
Dr. Kevin Danaher: Grassroots Globalization: Empowering local communities to create sustainable local economies
Described by The New York Times as the "Paul Revere of globalization's woes," Dr. Kevin Danaher's analytical expertise, sense of humor and blunt eloquence make him an exceptionally dynamic communicator. Dr. Danaher is a co-founder of Global Exchange, founder and Executive Co-Producer of the Green Festivals, and Executive Director of the Global Citizen Center. He has published numerous articles and is the author and/or editor of thirteen books. www.globalexchange.org

August 31st
Jeff Klein: Working for Good
Jeff Klein is the CEO of Cause Alliance Marketing, an organization that designs and produces collaborative cause-related marketing programs that address social issues while fulfilling the business objectives of alliance partners. He currently serves as Executive Director for FLOW, a nonprofit dedicated to “liberating the entrepreneurial spirit for good.” www.workingforgood.com

Conversations airs every Tuesday at 1pm PST on KVMR.
For current shows or more information go to www.AreWeListening.net

Videos

Alborada Andean Inca – Peruvian Shamanic Song & Dance

Stunning Data Visualization in the AlloSphere

Vandana Shiva: Earth Democracy
(fast forward to the speaker)

In Conversation with Van Jones
(fast forward to the speaker)

Hot Site of the Month

Founded by social scientist, attorney, and author Riane Eisler, this site is a treasure for people who want to know what they can do to make a difference and deepen their awareness through whole systems perspective. The site is filled with practical ways to move towards a caring economy and culture, while preserving our environment. It has insightful programs on Human and Environmental Relations; Economics, Business & Politics; Education and Leadership; and many other powerful learning and caring programs.

A Call to Action!

If you think your local radio station would be interested in Conversations programming please contact them and let them know.

Support Conversations with your tax-deductable donation.

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Note: If you sign up for "all categories" or the "quote of the day," you will receive more frequent emails with a beautiful photo and an inspiring quote when Michael is in town.

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Well of Light Seva Team

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.
— Mohandas K. Gandhi

Seva is selfless service to a cause you believe will benefit others. It is the willingness to perform any task for a greater cause without prospect of recognition or reward.

Well of Light has many opportunities to serve our community. If you would like to participate on the Well of Light Seva Team please call Michael Stone @ 530.477.7757 or email michael@welloflight.com

"I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve."
- Albert Schweitzer

Poetry Corner

It doesn't interest me if there is one God or many gods.

I want to know if you belong or feel abandoned.

If you know despair or can see it in others.

I want to know if you are prepared to live in the world with its harsh need to change you. If you can look back with firm eyes saying this is where I stand.

I want to know if you know how to melt into that fierce heat of living falling toward the center of your longing.

I want to know if you are willing to live, day by day, with the consequence of love and the bitter unwanted passion of sure defeat.

I have been told, in that fierce embrace, even the gods speak of God.

– David Whyte

Beannacht
("Blessing")

On the day when
the weight deadens
on your shoulders
and you stumble,
may the clay dance
to balance you.
And when your eyes
freeze behind
the grey window
and the ghost of loss
gets in to you,
may a flock of colours,
indigo, red, green,
and azure blue
come to awaken in you
a meadow of delight.
When the canvas frays
in the currach of thought
and a stain of ocean
blackens beneath you,
may there come across the waters
a path of yellow moonlight
to bring you safely home.
May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
may the clarity of light be yours,
may the fluency of the ocean be yours,
may the protection of the ancestors be yours.
And so may a slow
wind work these words
of love around you,
an invisible cloak
to mind your life.

– John O'Donohue (Echoes of Memory)