"Celebration of Interdependence"

Relationships are all there is. Everything in the universe only exists because it is in relationship to everything else. Nothing exists in isolation. We have to stop pretending we are individuals that can go it alone.
— Margaret J. Wheatley

I want to express my deep gratitude to the close to 50 volunteers, and the approximately 300 people who co-created and attended the New Year’s Eve and Day Celebrations. Several thousand dollars were raised for Conversations on KVMR. I am deeply moved by the outpouring of support, the love and the inspiring and energetic interactions that took place…

It was an auspicious evening with not only a full moon, but a blue moon and a Lunar eclipse. Reflecting on the event, the love and attention put into the decorations, the delightful food, and the guest djs who contributed to the inspiring dance music, I wanted to thank all of you for your part and for the commitments you made to our community Declaration of Interdependence.

In my opening talk I offered this invocation:

May the power of these lunar forces (which for eons have represented the Divine Feminine) draw out the tide of love and compassion in us and move us towards a deeper connection with each other and the natural world. As we move into a new decade we have a once in a Blue Moon opportunity to create and celebrate a Great Turning towards an earth/human harmony that brings a rising tide, no, a Tsunami of peace, love and understanding into our world. May tonight be a night that ignites a fire in every heart and generates a rising understanding of the depth of our interconnectedness. Tonight we come to celebrate each other and our mutual inter-dependence!

Read the entire letter from Michael here.

Declaration of Interdependednce

To download and read the full Declaration, click here.

Upcoming Events

David Whyte, Poet, Author
April 17, 2010, 10 am to 4pm
Presented by The Well of Light
    and Insight Lecture Series

Spend a whole day with David, exploring our personal and profound ability to make ourselves large enough, brave enough and generous enough for the triumphs and difficulties needed to live even the most ordinary human life. David is a captivating best-selling, sought-after speaker who brings a unique contribution to our understanding of the nature of individual change. He is the author of six volumes of poetry and three books of prose. www.davidwhyte.com

Moving Meditation News

Special Dance Card rate extended to February 1st
As of February 1st the rate for 90 day discount dance cards will return to the $60 for 5 sessions rate. Drop-in prices will remain at $15. These are the lowest 5R rates in the world. With the cost of operating business in our world continuing to rise, I do my very best to keep prices as low as possible while continuing to bring you the finest teachers and the highest value for your money. Keeping balance in both the inner and outer world is a constant dance! Thank you all for your understanding, ongoing presence and devoted participation.

New Podcasts

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

James Hoggan: Climate Cover-Up: The Crusade to Deny Global Warming
James Hoggan is president of the award-winning PR firm Hoggan and Associates and a leading authority on public perceptions of environmental issues. He is chair of the David Suzuki Foundation and the Canadian chapter of Al Gore’s The Climate Project. James is the Cofounder of DeSmogBlog.com and author of Climate Cover-Up: The Crusade to Deny Global Warming. www.hoggan.com


Michael K. Stone: Smart by Nature: Schooling for Sustainability
Michael K. Stone is senior editor at the Center for Ecoliteracy. He is the author of Smart by Nature: Schooling for Sustainability and coeditor of Ecological Literacy: Educating Our Children for a Sustainable World. Michael was managing editor of Whole Earth Magazine and the Millennium Whole Earth Catalog. www.ecoliteracy.org


Copenhagen in Retrospect
Michael Stone wraps his recent trip to Copenhagen with interviews with Bill McKibben, Vandana Shiva and George Monbiot. Along with what was accomplished out of the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference and what is ahead...

BillMcKibben, American environmentalist and writer, is the founder of 350.org, an international climate campaign. Bill frequently writes about global warming, alternative energy, and the risks associated with human genetic engineering. Beginning in the summer of 2006, he has been at the forefront of organizing and leading the largest civil demonstrations against global warming in history. It has been 3 decades since he wrote the End of Nature. www.350.org

George Monbiot is a journalist, author, academic & environmental & political activist in the United Kingdom who writes a weekly column for The Guardian newspaper. He is on the advisory board of BBC Wildlife magazine. His latest book Heat, is a must read for anyone serious about understanding Global Warming. www.monbiot.com

Vandana Shiva is a physicist, philosopher and leader in the global agriculture movement. She is known as one of most eloquent speakers who help fight for people's rights.. She is directing an international movement on Food Rights. She also established Navdanya (a movement for biodiversity conservation and farmers' rights in India.) www.vandanashiva.org


Jason F Mclennan and Lynn Simon: Green Architecture (with Jodi Selene)
Jason is a national leader in the green architecture movement and is considered a thought leader in sustainability. Jason is the CEO of the Cascadia Green Building Council based in Seattle, Washington. He began Ecotone Publishing to provide information to the design community and building industry about finding a path to a sustainable future. He is the author of The Philosophy of Sustainable Design, and the Dumb Architect’s Guide to Glazing Selection as well as a co-author of the Ecological Engineer. www.cascadiagbc.org

Lynn N. Simon, FAIA, LEED AP, is President of Simon & Associates, Inc., Green Building Consultants, which she established in 1994. Lynn is a green building pioneer. As a leading authority in the industry Lynn has been at the forefront of the sustainable design movement since 1989. www.greenbuild.com


Joanna Macy: Lessons from Rumi
Joanna Macy: Buddhist Scholar, Systems Theorist, Ecologist, Teacher, and Activist. Joanna addresses the reasons for the grief, fear, sadness, uncertainty, and numbness that prevail in modern life and keeps bringing attention back to what is sacred and true: the wondrously interconnected and intelligent web of life. www.joannamacy.net


Richard Miller, PhD: Integrative Restoration for Awakening
Richard Miller, PhD is a clinical psychologist and contemporary spiritual teacher in the tradition of Nondual Yoga. Richard is the founding president and CEO of the Integrative Restoration Institute, co-founder of The International Association of Yoga Therapy and founding editor of the professional Journal of IAYT. He is the author of Yoga Nidra: The Meditative Heart of Yoga. www.irest.us


Linda Lantieri: Building Emotional Intelligence
Buddhist Linda Lantieri is a Fulbright Scholar, keynote speaker, and internationally known expert in social and emotional learning and conflict resolution, Linda Lantieri, serves as Director of The Inner Resilience Program, co-founder of the Resolving Conflict Creatively Program (RCCP) and is one of the founding board members of the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). www.lindalantieri.org


Thanksgiving Day Special*: Gratitude: A practice
A 2 hour special with Brother David, Lynn Twist, Roshi Joan Halifax. Join Conversations Host Michael Stone for this uplifting and interactive dialogue about gratitude, gratefulness and thanks giving. (*various interview excerpts only)

Book of the Month

How to Thrive in Changing Times, by shamanic teacher and writer, Sandra Ingerman.

It is time for all of us to gather our energies together as a global community to create the world we want to live in —
a world that supports all life.
— Sandra Ingerman

There are some books out there that are a must read. This is one of them! Sandra’s new book presents us with the practical application of ancient shamanic principles that deal with the myriad of issues, problems and challenges of our time.
Beginning with addressing the environmental pollution and degradation in our world as a reflection of our inner state of consciousness, she gives us a practical map, technology and exercises to change our inner landscape and become more effective in altering our outer world. Her practical spiritual practices teach us how to shift our thoughts, words and actions to bring forth a better life and world.
If you are looking for access to both personal and global happiness, health and peace this is an essential book to read.

If we want to thrive on this planet of ours, we need to change the way we think and talk about life and the planet.
— Sandra Ingerman

Articles

Ice Melting Faster Everywhere

From the Arctic sea ice to the Antarctic interior and the mountainous peaks of Peru, Alaska, and Tibet, ice is melting at an alarming rate. The accelerating loss of ice sheets, sea ice, and glaciers is one of the most powerful and striking indicators of a warming climate.

The most notable ice loss in recent years has been the shrinking of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean. From the beginning of the satellite record in 1979 through 1996, ice area decreased at a steady rate of 3 percent per decade in response to rising temperature. In the following decade, ice area decreased by 11 percent, reaching a dramatic minimum in 2007. In September of that year, sea ice occupied only 3.6 million square kilometers, an area 27 percent smaller than the previous record low (in 2005) and 38 percent smaller than the 1979–2007 average. Summer sea ice coverage has increased slightly in the last two years, but it is still far below the long-term average.

To read the full article, click here.

Eco-Economy Indicators: Past Decade the Hottest on Record

The first decade of the twenty-first century was the hottest since recordkeeping began in 1880. With an average global temperature of 14.52 degrees Celsius (58.1 degrees Fahrenheit), this decade was 0.2 degrees Celsius (0.36 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than any previous decade. The year 2005 was the hottest on record, while 2007 and 2009 tied for second hottest. In fact, 9 of the 10 warmest years on record occurred in the past decade.

To read the full article, click here.

Poetry Corner

TerraSedona

There is a place in me that remembers these ancient
   sandstone shapes
Bold, red spires of rock absorbing the heat of hot, high,
   desert days,
storing memories of the evolution of transitory things.
   Deep tremors,
reveal patterns of change pulsing in a crimson wave
   of coral sunset.

The black void of nightscape absorbs the cool evening shapes into
the still silence of forgetfulness and the dark pupil of the
   night’s eye
reflects an indifferent universe pierced by bright starholes
   burning light
still flickering long past death, even before the birth of the
   speaking ones.

We who have carved out our separateness in the symbols
   of sound
measure our worth in the righteous differentiation of otherness.
   We
who weep for union while conspiring for self-preservation.
   We who
want to believe that we can direct the natural cycle of things.

read more here ...

— Michael Stone

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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.

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Thank you so much. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Blessings,
michael

Upcoming Shows on Conversations

January 19
Sandra Ingerman and Hank Wesselman: Shamanic Journeying

Sandra Ingerman teaches workshops internationally on shamanic journeying, healing, and reversing environmental pollution using spiritual methods. She has trained and founded an international alliance of Medicine for the Earth Teachers and shamanic teachers. Sandra is recognized for bridging ancient cross-cultural healing methods into our modern culture addressing the needs of our times. She is the author of numerous books on Shamanism. www.sandraingerman.com

Research paleoanthropologist Hank Wesselman is one of those rare cutting edge scientists who truly walks between the worlds. He has spent much of his life working among traditional tribal peoples, primarily in Africa and Polynesia. For the past 30 years, he has conducted research with an international group of scientists, exploring eastern Africa's Great Rift Valley in search of answers to the mystery of human origins. He is also a shaman in training, now in the 20th year of his apprenticeship. He is the author of many books including his latest, VISIONSEEKER. http://www.sharedwisdom.com

January 26
Sara Van Gelder and others: Inside Yes! Magazine
YES! Magazine offers powerful ideas and practical actions for a more just and sustainable world through a quarterly magazine and daily online updates. As co-founder and executive editor of YES!, Sarah leads the framing and development of each issue of YES! She also writes and speaks on leading-edge innovations that show that another world is not only possible, it is being born. www.yesmagazine.org

February 2
Richard Heinberg: Peak Everything Richard Heinberg: is one of the world's foremost Peak Oil educators. He is the author of eight books, journalist, editor, lecturer, a Core Faculty member of New College of California where he teaches a program on "Culture, Ecology and Sustainable Community," and a Research Fellow of the Post Carbon Institute. His latest book is Peak Everything: Waking up to a Century of Decline. www.richardheinberg.com

February 9
David Orr: Down to the Wire
David W. Orr is perhaps best known for his pioneering work on environmental literacy in higher education and his recent work in ecological design. He is the author of numerous books and hundreds of articles on ecological and design issues including The Last Refuge: The Corruption of Patriotism in the Age of Terror. Dr. Orr serves on the Boards of the Rocky Mountain Institute (CO), Second Nature (MA), the Center for Ecoliteracy (CA), and the Center for Respect of Life and Environment.

February 16
Bill Ryerson, Laurie Mazur & David Poindexter: Population

William Ryerson is the founder and president of Population Media center and has a 37-year history of working in the field of reproductive health using behavior change communications in various cultural settings worldwide. He has also been involved in the design of research of numerous projects to measure the effects of such projects.

Laurie Mazur is the editor of A Pivotal Moment: Population, Justice & The Environmental Challenge, is the director of the Population Justice Project, and has worked for years as an independent writer and consultant specializing in population, environment, and sexual and reproductive health and rights issues.

David Poindexter is Population Media Center’s Honorary Chair, has 38 years of experience in designing and implementing reproductive health communications programs in developing countries, using the entertainment-education methodology created by Miguel Sabido.

March 2
Paul and Anne Ehrlich: The Dominant Animal

Paul Ehrlich is an biologist and educator who is the Professor of Population Studies in the department of Biological Sciences at Stanford University and president of Stanford's Center for Conservation Biology. He is best known for his warnings about unchecked population growth and limited resources.

Anne Ehrlich is the co-author of several books on overpopulation and ecology with her husband Paul. Since 1987 she has been an associate director of policy coordinator of the Center for Conservation Biology at Stanford University.

March 9
Jan Chozen Bays, Roshi, MD: Mindful Eating
Jan Chozen Bays, Roshi, MD. has studied and practiced Zen Buddhism since 1973 and received her Priest's Ordination, in 1979 from Taizan Maezumi. Roshi Chozen is also a pediatrician, mother and wife. She is particularly involved in teaching people how to use meditation to work with eating disorders and grief. www.tcme.org

March 23
John Francis, Phd: Planet Walk
John Francis, Ph.D. founded Planetwalk in 1982 when he began his walking and sailing pilgrimage around the world. To date, Dr. Francis has walked across the U.S., sailed and walked through the Caribbean, and South America from Venezuela to Argentina and a walk in Cuba. Currently, he is continuing a walk backtracking his first walk from Cape May NJ. to Point Reyes CA. John's stirring memoir, Planetwalker: 22 Years of Walking; 17 Years of Silence was published in 2008 by the National Geographic Society and will be available in paperback in April 2009. www.planetwalker.org

Conversations is now broadcast every Tue at 1pm (note new time).
For current shows or more information go to www.AreWeListening.net

Videos

Michael Stone Interviews Vandana Shiva:
Part 1 | Part 2

Michael Stone Interviews George Manbiot:
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Michael Stone interviews Bill McKibben of 350.org

Lost Generation Speaks Out

Move Your Money

Pandemic Of Happiness

A Call to Action!

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

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Well of Light Seva Team

Thanks to the New Year's Seva Team

We had a most awesome team this year who made work “play for mortal stakes.” Thank you from the whole community. I know there are others, this is from the sign in sheet. I apologize to anyone who was left off the list, especially those of you who stayed after and helped to break down the event after 2 days of celebration... Know that you are loved and appreciated.
— michael

New Year's Eve Volunteers
Monica Walsh, Rudy Udarbe, Kathleen McIntire, Nancy Herrick, Gene Meseck, Don Madden, Prema Robins, Clif MacKinlay, Peter Lipa, Joanna Snider-Lipa, Deborah Guttierrez, Juliette Kunin, Mara Mally, Dawn Krusi, Brenda , William Now, Richard P, Rich Lailer, Lea Hume, Gracie Robinson, Diana Pollock, John Thompson, Cade Marsh, Valerie Craven, Maria Diaz, Jennifer Crebbin, James Davis, Rob Davis, Mark, Lisa Lackey, Marsha, Torrie Mudd, Loren Gramlich, Kate Elliott, Magdalena Curtis, Syris, Punita Greenberg, Iris Hochschild, Trena Bristol, James Robinson, Debra Burke, and KK Mudd.

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

Two Tramps in Mud Time

But yield who will to their separation 
My object in living is to unite 
My avocation and my vocation. 
As my two eyes make one in sight 
only where love and need are one 
and work is play for mortal stakes 
is the deed ever really done 
for heaven and the futures stake.