The Iroquois Thanksgiving Address

“Ohenton Kariwahtekwen”

Greetings to the Natural World

The People

Today we have gathered and we see that the cycles of life continue. We have been given the duty to live in balance and harmony with each other and all living things. So now, we bring our minds together as one as we give greetings and thanks to each other as people.

Now our minds are one.

The Earth Mother

We are all thankful to our Mother, the Earth, for she gives us all that we need for life. She supports our feet as we walk about upon her. It gives us joy that she continues to care for us as she has from the beginning of time. To our mother, we send greetings and thanks.

Now our minds are one.

The Waters

We give thanks to all the waters of the world for quenching our thirst and providing us with strength. Water is life. We know its power in many forms-waterfalls and rain, mists and streams, rivers and oceans. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to the spirit of Water.

Now our minds are one.

The Fish

We turn our minds to the all the Fish life in the water. They were instructed to cleanse and purify the water. They also give themselves to us as food. We are grateful that we can still find pure water. So, we turn now to the Fish and send our greetings and thanks.

Now our minds are one. 

The Plants

Now we turn toward the vast fields of Plant life. As far as the eye can see, the Plants grow, working many wonders. They sustain many life forms. With our minds gathered together, we give thanks and look forward to seeing Plant life for many generations to come.

Now our minds are one.

The Food Plants

With one mind, we turn to honor and thank all the Food Plants we harvest from the garden. Since the beginning of time, the grains, vegetables, beans and berries have helped the people survive. Many other living things draw strength from them too. We gather all the Plant Foods together as one and send them a greeting of thanks.

Now our minds are one.

The Medicine Herbs

Now we turn to all the Medicine herbs of the world. From the beginning they were instructed to take away sickness. They are always waiting and ready to heal us. We are happy there are still among us those special few who remember how to use these plants for healing. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to the Medicines and to the keepers of the Medicines.

Now our minds are one.

The Animals

We gather our minds together to send greetings and thanks to all the Animal life in the world. They have many things to teach us as people. We are honored by them when they give up their lives so we may use their bodies as food for our people. We see them near our homes and in the deep forests. We are glad they are still here and we hope that it will always be so.

Now our minds are one

The Trees

We now turn our thoughts to the Trees. The Earth has many families of Trees who have their own instructions and uses. Some provide us with shelter and shade, others with fruit, beauty and other useful things. Many people of the world use a Tree as a symbol of peace and strength. With one mind, we greet and thank the Tree life.

Now our minds are one.

The Birds

We put our minds together as one and thank all the Birds who move and fly about over our heads. The Creator gave them beautiful songs. Each day they remind us to enjoy and appreciate life. The Eagle was chosen to be their leader. To all the Birds-from the smallest to the largest-we send our joyful greetings and thanks.

Now our minds are one.

The Four Winds

We are all thankful to the powers we know as the Four Winds. We hear their voices in the moving air as they refresh us and purify the air we breathe. They help us to bring the change of seasons. From the four directions they come, bringing us messages and giving us strength. With one mind, we send our greetings and thanks to the Four Winds.

Now our minds are one.

The Thunderers

Now we turn to the west where our grandfathers, the Thunder Beings, live. With lightning and thundering voices, they bring with them the water that renews life. We are thankful that they keep those evil things made by Okwiseres underground. We bring our minds together as one to send greetings and thanks to our Grandfathers, the Thunderers.

Now our minds are one.

The Sun

We now send greetings and thanks to our eldest Brother, the Sun. Each day without fail he travels the sky from east to west, bringing the light of a new day. He is the source of all the fires of life. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to our Brother, the Sun.

Now our minds are one.

Grandmother Moon

We put our minds together to give thanks to our oldest Grandmother, the Moon, who lights the night-time sky. She is the leader of woman all over the world, and she governs the movement of the ocean tides. By her changing face we measure time, and it is the Moon who watches over the arrival of children here on Earth. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to our Grandmother, the Moon.

Now our minds are one.

The Stars

We give thanks to the Stars who are spread across the sky like jewelry. We see them in the night, helping the Moon to light the darkness and bringing dew to the gardens and growing things. When we travel at night, they guide us home. With our minds gathered together as one, we send greetings and thanks to the Stars.

Now our minds are one.

The Enlightened Teachers

We gather our minds to greet and thank the enlightened Teachers who have come to help throughout the ages. When we forget how to live in harmony, they remind us of the way we were instructed to live as people. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to these caring teachers.

Now our minds are one.

The Creator

Now we turn our thoughts to the creator, or Great Spirit, and send greetings and thanks for all the gifts of Creation. Everything we need to live a good life is here on this Mother Earth. For all the love that is still around us, we gather our minds together as one and send our choicest words of greetings and thanks to the Creator.

Now our minds are one.

Closing Words……….

We have now arrived at the place where we end our words. Of all the things we have named, it was not our intention to leave anything out. If something was forgotten, we leave it to each individual to send such greetings and thanks in their own way.

Now our minds are one.

Today is Blog Action Day, and the topic is food, in honor of World Food Day. There are only a few hours left, and while it is tempting to call it a day and just post a few links on Facebook, there are a few reoccurring myths in regards to our food system that I want to dispel – once and for all.

MYTH #1: With all the starving people in the world there must not be enough food to go around.

False: It has been estimated that enough wheat, rice and other grains are produced to provide every human being with 3,500 calories a day. That doesn’t even include vegetables, beans, nuts, root crops, fruits, grass-fed meats, and fish. Enough food is available to provide at least 4.3 pounds of food per person a day worldwide. The problem is that many people are too poor to buy readily available food. Even most “hungry countries” have enough food for all their people right now. Many are net exporters of food and other agricultural products.

The U.N. World Food Programme offers another way of looking at it: It says the total surplus of the U.S. alone could satisfy “every empty stomach” in Africa.

In the US, it has been reported over the last few years that, 1 in 6 Americans go hungry. Yet, as Jonathan Bloom, points out in his book American Wasteland: How America Throws Away Nearly Half of Its Food (and What We Can Do About It), Americans waste 40 percent of the food we grow and raise, when you look at the calories produced versus calories consumed.

Solutions: Bloom has many suggestions, including improvements in harvesting and distribution, re-evaluating restaurant portions, being more mindful of our consumption habits, and educating our children through gardening programs. With the food that is not used, he discusses the importance of returning the nutrients to the soil through composting, and creating the infrastructure to do that, rather than sending the waste to the landfills where its’ decomposition contributes to greenhouse gases.  

MYTH(S) #2: Organic food is more expensive than “regular” food and organic farming can’t produce as much as industrial agriculture.

Organic costs more at the check-out yes, but not in terms of the big picture.

Carolyn Steel, describes it perfectly in A New Food Manifesto, published in the Spring 2011 issue of Ode Magazine. She writes, “Cheap food”—the apparent triumph of modern agribusiness—is an oxymoron, an illusion created by externalizing food’s true costs. Once you factor in all the fossil fuel consumption, rainforest destruction, soil erosion, pollution, water depletion, carbon emissions, loss of biodiversity, rural depopulation, animal suffering and obesity that result from cheap food, it doesn’t look quite so cheap. In fact, we pay a very high price.”

Robert Kenner, Director of Food Inc, says on the Sierra Club Radio Podcast, “When I was a kid we spent something like 18% of our paycheck on food. Today we spend something like 9%. But when I was a kid we spent something like 5% of our paycheck on healthcare costs. Today we spent like 18% on healthcare. So in aggregate our costs have gone up. But there is also the environmental cost. Ultimately the system we use to grow our food…is really not sustainable.”

As far as whether organic farming can feed the world, researchers found that in ‘developing’ countries, organic systems produce 80% more than conventional farms. They also found that under an organic-only regime, farms could produce between 2641 and 4381 calories per person per day com-pared to the current world equivalent of 2786 calories per person per day.

Solutions: Commit to buying organic when possible. Take a look at your budget. Is there an area where you can shift money so that you have a little bit extra for organic dairy or organic fruits and vegetables at the store? Maybe you could try turning your thermostat up or down by a few degrees and saving on your energy costs, drink tap water rather than buying bottled water, or make your own coffee in the morning? Can you cut out red-meat or meat all together from one meal a week, or one day a week, or more?

MYTH #3: Buying local is a fad.

While farmer’s markets are a cool place to be, this is not a trend that is likely to disappear, and if anything, movements like Occupy Wall Street should be behind supporting local farms over agribusiness, now more than ever.

Woody Tasch, Founder of the Slow Money Alliance, which aims to get a million Americans to invest 1 percent of their assets in local food systems in the next decade, writes, “This is not just about a libertarian impulse to take our food supply back from corporations that seem eager to fill our food with GMOs and to empty our Main Streets of small food enterprises. This is about rolling up our sleeves and doing something that at first seems inconsequential and risky, but soon seems rewarding and impactful — and about as conservative as conservative can get. I’m talking about investing with your friends and neighbors in small organic farms, grain mills, creameries, small slaughterhouses, seed companies, compost companies, restaurants that source locally, butchers and bakers and, sure, a bee’s-wax candlemaker or two. Take 1 percent of your money out of the stock market and put it into food hubs, community kitchens, community markets, school gardens, niche organic brands, makers of sustainable agricultural inputs, and more. Protest is good. Protest is necessary. But even more necessary is a new way of investing that reflects the structural problems of the economy and the realities of the 21st century. Let’s fix our economy and our culture from the ground up — starting with food.”

Solutions: Visit Local Harvest to find farmers’ markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area, where you can buy produce, grass-fed meats, and many other goodies. Also go to Slow Money to learn more about the principles of slow money and how you can get involved in bringing money back down to earth, and creating a new economy.

September 2008, was the first time I participated in Unity’s Day of Prayer. I had volunteered to meditate and pray from 10-11am.  With the bitter rhetoric of election politics swirling around, over flowing from the media outlets into neighborhoods and signs on the corner, I was very agitated and started my prayer time nagged by worries which ranged from the proliferation of war to the ongoing environmental destruction in our society, and I tried to envision a better future for my children. About 20 minutes into my meditation I was hit with “So what?” Not in an apathetic type of way, it was as if all of a sudden I was genuinely freed from attachment to the results – of my prayers, of my actions, of other people’s actions in relation to our fate here on earth.  It did not propel me into complacency, in fact it freed up my energy to still direct my prayers and actions in a meaningful way, yet in losing my attachment to the results I also dropped my fears and animosities towards “the other;” The other policies, the other beliefs, the other candidates and so on. I realized that I was part of a larger whole, and we were either going to survive and evolve or we weren’t, but either way we were going to do it together. I was truly overcome with a sense of peace and gratitude that I live in such an interesting time in history and that peace and wonder has not wavered over these last few years, despite the tumultuous events in the US and around the world.

Because inner peace was a gift that was given to me during my first observance of Unity’s Day of Prayer, I am truly honored and grateful to have been asked to speak at this service tonight. As leader of the Earth Care Ministry team at Atlanta Unity and more generally a supporter of all things green I thought it would be interesting to look at a few of the ways in which Nature demonstrates how we can work together to foster peace in the world.

This is a poem called The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry 

When despair for the world grows in me

and I wake in the night at the least sound

in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,

I go and lie down where the wood drake

rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things

who do not tax their lives with forethought

of grief. I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the day-blind stars

waiting with their light. For a time

I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

I would imagine that many of us can relate to this poem. The solace that we find in nature, whether hiking among our elders in a forest of ancient trees or strolling barefoot along a vast seashore where possibilities seem limitless, is both grounding and transcendent. These experiences resonate deeply in our core, as our heart center opens and tunes to the vibration of the universe. If we are lucky, a portal opens briefly, offering us a deep, unshakable inner knowing of our oneness with this world and all that is in it. Our human worries dissipate and are carried along invisible threads into the ether. These experiences may last only a few fleeting seconds, but they make an impression and create an insatiable craving for connection that can last a lifetime, as Nature beckons us back time and again to Her groves and shores.

Surely the natural world is not all doves and rainbows, but there is no denying that an intricate order and harmonious balance are the underpinnings of our universe.  It is a living example of the definition of peace which is  – “a state of security or order within a community provided for by law or custom.”

Throughout history, humans have been inspired by nature’s models – whether it was studying birds to learn how to design airplanes, or more recent endeavors, such as analyzing spider webs – which are ten times stronger than a steel strand of the same weight- to possibly create suspension bridge cables or artificial ligaments for medicine. What then, can some of the laws – or at least the ways of Nature, teach us about working together peacefully on earth?

First, let us look at how the earth is able to maintain the delicate balance which makes life on earth possible. Like any living thing, the earth always strives to maintain constant or stable conditions for itself, called homeostasis.

To explain this balance, the prominent thinkers of the scientific and industrial revolution believed that a system could be broken down into its individual components so that each component could be analyzed as an independent entity, and the components could be added in a linear fashion to describe the totality of the system. This is similar to the assembly line which also originated during this time.

However, that approach left many questions unanswered. Scientists then began to take a more holistic approach.  In the 1940s-1960s Biologist Ludwig von Bertalanffy wrote about General Systems Theory which he called, “a way of seeing.” Scientists began to look at wholes instead of parts and in doing so discovered that whether they were looking at cells, bodies, ecosystems or the planet – they are all organized and intricately balanced systems interdependent in their movements, function and exchange of energy and information.

Gaia Theory, which was first articulated by James Lovelock and Lynn Margulis in the 1970s, holds that the Earth itself is a living system and that Earth’s physical and biological processes are inextricably bound to form a self-regulating system. Systems do not act separate from one another – but together to support and evolve life. These systems were found to be self-regulating systems as they self-correct through feedback. Self-regulating systems are found in nature, including the physiological systems of our body, in ecosystems, and in climate. Adaption and evolution are prime examples of how our world self-regulates, but to think of it in terms of our everyday life, it is as simple as eating when we are hungry or cooling off by perspiring when we are hot.

 Self-regulation for optimal health is a basic component of living systems, yet in many ways, our species seems to have lost this ability. A system is able to adapt because its’ feedback loop is open, meaning it is able to take in information and then connect that perception to appropriate action. But when we live in a society that views pain as dysfunctional, we find it easier to repress our pain, therefore shutting down our feedback loop and subsequent response. For example, it is extremely painful to see pictures of the famine in Somalia, so many of us block it out and divert our attention, repressing our compassion and ability to at least donate money to the cause. In terms of the environment, most of us turn our heads when the tops are blown off of mountains, native lands are destroyed by mining, or animals suffer in factory farms. Instead of working to ensure that drinking water is safe for everyone, we buy bottled water for ourselves and our families. We know we live in a world with finite resources, yet we expect unlimited growth of goods in our economy. I could go on and on, as there are unfortunately many examples of injustices to which we have collectively shrugged our shoulders in defeat.

The dulling response to the condition of our world is called psychic numbing, a term coined by Robert Lifton. Because psychic numbing exists on both the collective and individual levels, it has created a plethora of common ailments in our culture, such as: addiction, alienation, apathy, a sense of powerlessness, stress and burnout. As Thomas Merton writes, “The truth that many people never understand until it is too late is that the more you try to avoid suffering, the more you suffer.”

In her book, Coming Back to Life, Joanna Macy writes, “Our pain for the world, including the fear, anger, sorrow and guilt we feel on behalf of the Earth…is natural and healthy. It is dysfunctional only to the point where it is misunderstood and repressed. By honoring our pain for the world we open a gateway into deep participation in the world’s self-healing.”  

As we slow down and listen to what is truly happening within ourselves and within our world, recognize our interdependence, and start to unblock our response systems, I think that we will find reservoirs of courage, love and compassion, waiting to be released into the world.

Another example of stability from the law of nature is that there is Strength in Diversity

Within the last five years, ecologists found that in forests throughout the New and Old World tropics, older trees are more diverse than younger ones. In other words, diversity is actually selected for as the forests matures. This means diversity does matter and is an essential property of these complex ecosystems. Monoculture forests, where the trees are all of one particular species, are highly susceptible to diseases, and the trees are in direct competition with each other for the same nutrients. In diverse forests, however,  the threat of animals, fungi, and bacteria are spread out, there is less competition for certain resources, and there is more productivity and overall abundance.

Unfortunately in many cases it seems that the human tendency is to be wary of diversity, fearing the unknown or perceived threat to their place in society, seeing the world as “us” v. “them,” stereotyping  the “others” and somehow forgetting that we are all people, who for the most part, are doing their best to live a good life.

However, if we learned from the strength in diversity model of the forest, we would see that a wide array of interests and beliefs create a beautiful tapestry of our humanity and that we are wiser – and healthier – for these connections. My life is so much richer because of my yoga and meditation practice, the life altering experience of seeing Buddhist monks create an amazing sand mandala – and then put it in a local river for a blessing, the mystical poetry of Rumi, which has brought me comfort and insight– music from around the world which inspires and transports me and not to mention all the culinary delights that I have experienced while breaking bread – or challah, pita and naan – with my beautifully diverse group of friends.

A third lesson in peace from nature is to rise above our egos and Let Go of the Story

In A New Earth, Eckhart Tolle observes that, “After two ducks get into a fight, which never lasts long, they will separate and float off in opposite directions. Then each duck will flap its wings vigorously a few times, thus releasing the surplus energy that built up during the fight. After they flap their wings, they float on peacefully, as if nothing ever happened. If the duck had a human mind, it would keep the fight alive by thinking, by story-making. [The] duck’s lesson is this: Flap your wings – which translates as “let go of the story” – and return to the only place of power: the present now. Imagine what our relationships would look like if we learned from the ducks example and didn’t hold on to our anger or resentment – or ask the rest of the flock, “Did you see what she just did to me?” Conflicts would no longer come with all of the usual baggage of past hurts in tow. Rather, we could listen authentically, respond appropriately and then walk away gracefully. 

The last example that we will look at tonight is the value of Cooperation over Competition in Nature.

I’m sure you are all familiar with the theory of “the survival of the fittest.” The idea that only the strongest of a species survive. However, it has also been pointed out that “fittest” may not necessarily mean the strongest – rather “fittest” may mean the most adaptable and that which is most likely to “fit” in with the environment.

In the Documentary, I AM, the creator of the film, Tom Shadyac shows that, contrary to conventional thinking, cooperation and not competition, may be nature’s most fundamental operating principle.   Footage shows consensus decision-making is the norm amongst many species, from insects and birds to deer and primates.  The film further discovers that people function better and remain healthier when expressing positive emotions, such as love, care, compassion, and gratitude, versus their negative counterparts; anxiety, frustration, anger and fear. Charles Darwin may be best known for popularizing the notion that nature is competitive, but, as Shadyac points out, Darwin used the word love 95 times in The Descent of Man, while his most famous phrase, “survival of the fittest,” appears only twice.

In 1981, Margulis, who proposed The Gaia Theory with Lovelock, published a book called Symbiosis in Cell Evolution, in which she stated that the simplest of bacteria formed symbiotic relationships—relationships that benefitted both organisms—which eventually led to the evolution of new life forms. Her theory is called endosymbiosis and is based on the fact that bacteria routinely take and transfer bits of genetic material from each other. According to Margulis, symbiosis, or the way different organisms adapt, to living together, to the benefit of each, was the major mechanism for change on Earth.

In his book, Born to Be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life – published in 2009, Keltner​, writes that evolution has given us remarkable tendencies toward kindness, play, generosity, reverence and self-sacrifice, which are vital to the classic tasks of evolution—survival, gene replication and smoothly functioning groups. Recent studies have revealed that our capacity for caring, is built into our brains, bodies, genes and social practices. One of the structures in our body that seems especially adapted to promote altruism is the vagus nerve, which is a bundle of nerves that originates in the top of the spinal cord. When active, it is likely to produce that feeling of warm expansion in the chest—for example, when we are moved by someone’s goodness or when we appreciate a beautiful piece of music- or the sweet dog videos on you tube. Scientists are beginning to question if a branch of our nervous system evolved to support compassion, gratitude, love and happiness.

Darwin himself, who was misunderstood to believe exclusively in our competitiveness, actually noted that humankind’s real power comes in their ability to perform complex tasks together, to sympathize and cooperate.

In that spirit of togetherness, I would like us to close with A Prayer of Healing from the The United Nations Environmental Sabbath Service.

 A Prayer of Healing from the The United Nations Environmental Sabbath Service

To bring new life to the land
To restore the waters
To refresh the air

We join with the earth and with each other.

To renew the forests
To care for the plants
To protect the creatures

We join with the earth and with each other.

To celebrate the seas
To rejoice the sunlight
To sing the song of the stars

We join with the earth and with each other.

To recall our destiny
To renew our spirits
To reinvigorate our bodies

We join with the earth and with each other.

To create the human community
To promote justice and peace
To remember our children

We join together as many and diverse expressions of one loving mystery: for the healing of the earth and the renewal of all life.

Together We Shine!  We are channels through which Spirit illumines the world.

There is so much I can relate to about the quest to understand yoga and have an authentic practice, adapting to motherhood and the flux of relationships. However, I can’t relate to being ruled by goodness. Dederer writes, “Goodness ruled me…All the moms I knew, at least the ones who were my age and lived in my zip code, lived by this set of rules…We wanted a kind of moral cleanliness to touch our lives. This was symbolized by the cleanliness we sought in the world: We wanted the oceans denuded of mercury and the soil divested of arsenic; we even wanted the coal-plant smokestacks scrubbed. We eschewed Formula 409 and discovered the wonders of vinegar. We avoided preservatives and bought organic soda pop.  We wanted to be clean inside and out so we could be worthy of our children. (p. 20)” In other parts of the book, when she mentions organic baby food, wooden toys, and the conundrum of eating local, it is in the context of social mores rather than expounding on their virtues.

If choosing organic food, natural cleaners, and non-toxic toys is about trying to be good or deserving, impressing people, or fitting in, no wonder some people want to throw up their hands when they hear about “going green.”

For me, sending my kids to school with their laptop lunches, filled with (mostly) organic food is not about feeling morally superior. That facade -if it ever existed in the first place – was shattered when my son gleefully repeated expletives at preschool, which he probably heard in a merge lane on I85. Not to mention where I live, unlike Seattle, fitting in is more about driving SUVs, spraying your lawn with chemicals so you can match all the other perfect lawns in the neighborhood, and cooking Bubba burgers out on the grill. Needless to say I stick out like a sore thumb as I trek off to yoga in my Birkenstocks.

This is why I take “tree hugger” as a compliment, even when it is said with a sneer:

1. I wholeheartedly believe in the wisdom of Chief Seattle, “Whatever befalls the Earth befalls the sons and daughters of the Earth. We did not weave the web of life; We are merely a strand in it. Whatever we do to the Web, We do to ourselves.” This karmic web makes perfect sense to me. There is a direct cause and effect to our actions. I think it is completely foolish of us to poison our water with chemicals – so my grass has weeds and my whites are bright because of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda.
2. I can’t stand the fact that our economy is built on maximizing profits, externalizing the costs (i.e. passing the buck), and that prices do not reflect the true cost of products and services. You can’t have unlimited growth with finite resources and you can’t expect the Corporatocracy to take responsibility when they are rewarded for passing off their costs onto society and the environment in the form of pollution and destruction of resources. It is all built on a house of cards, the mortgage crisis being one little window into the fragility of an unsustainable system. You think that recession was bad? Imagine what it will be like if we don’t seriously invest in alternative energy soon so that we have viable alternatives to foreign oil. Every time I invest in, or buy from companies that consider People, Planet and Profits I am giving the middle finger to the corporations who greedily put profits over the long term health of people and the environment. For an enlightening talk about how greed prevails over the concern for public health in our food system, I highly recommend Robyn O’Brien’s talk at Tedx Austin.
3. I think that one day generations will look back at us and say, “You mean to tell me that you KNEW that more energy hits the earth from the sun in one hour that the whole world uses all year, yet you STILL blew the tops off of mountains for coal, and went to war over oil? What do you mean that your food travelled 1500 miles to get to you? You did WHAT to the groundwater, soil, and pollinators? You are really lucky that there small groups of thoughtful, committed citizens that changed the world.” And when my relatives go on Who Do You Think You Are, I want them to learn that I was not blindly following the more is better mantra of our era, rather I was trying to be the change I wanted to see in the world.
4. Most importantly, I make the majority of my decisions from a place of love. I am so grateful for the beauty and wonder in this world, that it feels like a privilege – not a burden – to know that my choices – no matter how seemingly mundane – have strengthened my strand in the web.

Whatever your reason for choosing to make more eco-friendly choices, don’t let perfect be the enemy of the good. My yoga poses will never win me a spot on the cover of Yoga Journal, but they have taught me how important it is to be in alignment – not only on the mat – but also in the world.

Did you know that on the same weekend over 80,000 People attended the 12^th annual Power to the Peaceful Festival in San Francisco? Power to the Peaceful is an annual event bringing hundreds of thousands of people together under the theme of MUSIC, NON-VIOLENCE, CONSCIOUSNESS AND ACTION. Michael Franti, who Headlines the festival captures the overall sentiment when he says, “As a musician and a man, I more than anything else want to be a unifier. I want to bring people together through music and its unique power. And I hope that somehow that sense of unity extends beyond the music.” I had the privilege of seeing Michael Franti & Spearhead play in Atlanta this summer. The love, generosity, and authentic joy that he shared with the audience will stay with me for a long time as an example of how to embody peace and grace.

This week, the yoga community participated in the Global Mala Yoga for Peace Project. The purpose of the Global Mala Yoga for Peace is to unite the global yoga community from every continent, school or approach to form a “mala around the earth” through collective practices based upon the sacred cycle of 108 on Sept. 19th, 20th or Fall Equinox as the yoga world’s offering to further the UN International Peace Day. Each center offers their form of a Yoga Mala according to their yoga tradition and inspiration and can be dedicated to practice or to practice and seva – service by integrating local action, and raising funds for the organization of their choice.

•108 Sun Salutations (or variations of 27, 56)

•108 rounds of mantra such as the Gayatri or Maha Mrityanjaya

•108 rounds of a kriya

•108 minutes of meditation, kirtan or movement meditation

At The Yoga Source in Snellville, GA, where I am a student, a studio full of glorious women, offered up 108 sun salutations and donations to a local food pantry. Through aching arms and shaking legs we persevered, hoping that this small action contributed to raising the planetary vibration, or at least our own, as we sweated in our lair, sheltered from the barrage of negativity for at least a few hours.

Another amazing event taking place over this past week is A Global Telesummit for Building a Network of Peace, presented by The Peace Alliance and the Shift Network. Almost 20,000 people from more than 129 countries registered for PeaceWeek, which unites pioneers from around the world together for the largest virtual peace summit ever created, culminating with the International Day of Peace on Sept. 21^st, which was established in1981 by the United Nations General Assembly as an annual day of non-violence and cease-fire. It is a celebration and exploration of everything that is working to foster peace, from the family level to whole nations.

Yet, despite all of these events taking place, what continues to dominate the stories in the media? Tthe divisive accounts of politics and protests, and fear provoking reports of crime, bloodshed and poverty. Barbara Kingsolver describes yellow journalism in the 1940s in her novel The Lacuna,  “Our opposing parties sling absurd pronouncements back and forth which everyone pretends carry real weight. The newsmen leap on anything…assertions that can’t be proven but sway opinion; (They) have to speak without a moment’s pause for gathering wisdom. Falsehood and inanity are preferable to silence. The talkers are…rising above the thinkers.” This sounds eerily relevant today.

“Turn on, tune in, drop out” is a counterculture phrase coined by Timothy Leary in the 1960s. He was using it to advocate the use of LSD, and the meaning of his original intention is often misinterpreted, but I think that phrase is very appropriate these days to describe our relationship with the television and media. We are in remote control mode so much of the time, flicking and absorbing, rather than giving ourselves the time and silence that we need to connect to our inner selves, exercise critical thinking, and be an active participant in our lives.

As the Fall Television season commences and we are choosing what to spend our time watching, let’s be aware of what we are letting into our consciousness, and not risk being lulled into complacency or whisked into a frenzy by the hyperbole. It’s not that we want to turn a blind eye to human suffering, but as illustrated above, we are not always given the full picture, and we need to seek out the full spectrum, and see the hope and beauty of humanity as well.

Now off to watch Glee…

For the last 60 days, I have felt a heaviness in my chest that has weighed down my usual optimism and zest for life. I feel so helpless as I watch the millions of gallons of oil spewing into the Gulf.

I have asthma and know what it feels like to have my lungs fill with a thick substance, causing my airways to swell, depriving my body of oxygen. So when I read that in addition to the oil and toxic dispersants in the Gulf, there are also deep sea oil plumes are causing a dangerous drop in oxygen creating a ‘dead zone’ where animals suffocate and die, I acutely feel their fear and pain.

This tightness in my chest is exacerbated by my sense of culpability.  I am part of a society that is completely dependent on oil and other fossil fuels. This is going to be part of my legacy. We have collectively allowed this to happen under our watch.  The devastation has taken the fight out of me. The closest I came to anger was when I learned on The Daily Show that “BP has committed 760 willful egregious safety violations,” compared to other oil companies who had 8 or less violations during the same period of time.  But the anger mostly gave way to incredulousness, and I continued to feel like a paralyzed bystander, witnessing a horrific accident, but unable to stop it or do anything to help.

While the fight has gone out of me the love has not, and whether it was by instinct, or inability to do anything else, I knew that I needed to slow down and connect with the things that I love in order to keep myself from falling over the precipice into hopelessness and cynicism.  So, over the last 60 days, instead of obsessing over my inbox, attending green events, brainstorming about the next marketing campaign or how to educate people about sustainability, I let myself just be. I fully enjoyed my children’s performances and all their end of school year events. I ran barefoot along Coronado beach, apologizing and sending love the entire time to the welcoming sea. I hiked amongst waterfalls and ancient trees at Enota in the North Georgia Mountains. I enjoyed visiting with family in Boston. I helped to lead a Medicine Wheel Ceremony in a beautiful community. I volunteered at a Girl Scout day camp with my children and was inspired by the great women and girls and the bonds we made in just a weeks’ time.  I attended a neighborhood book club at a new restaurant in town and am already on my second novel of the summer.  I delight in summer’s gifts: fireflies, gardenia and hydrangeas, peaches with honey and mint, the bounty of fresh, organic produce from my CSA. And I revel in the challenge of figuring out how to entice my children to eat purple broccoli.

The heaviness in my chest has not disappeared, but this retreat has given me the reserves to keep putting one foot in front of the other and work towards a future where we recognize our interconnectedness with all living things, and our compassionate and reverent actions toward each other and the world reflect this wisdom.

This recipe for perseverance was also given by Paul Loeb, author of Soul of a Citizen: Living with Conviction in Challenging Times, on the May 01, 2010 Sierra Club Radio podcast.

He says “You can’t always tell the outcome. Sometimes you see it looking back, sometimes you don’t. If we get involved it doesn’t have to be grim work (e.g. this is so awful, the world is a disaster, we are destroying the planet day by day). If that is all that we can see we are probably not going to be able to keep on. You want to have the spirit of veteran environmentalist Hazel Wolf.”

“You can’t solve all of the world’s problems,” environmental activist Hazel Wolf reminded me on the eve of her hundredth birthday. “You can take one project at a time, and then another. You can do that your entire life. But you have to guard against taking on more than you can do and burning out with frustration. (p. 289). You hike, run a river, or watch birds in a park. With all these things to observe, there’s less room for worry. Your mind gets a rest. You come back ready to take on Exxon.” (p.314) (Or BP in our case).

Loeb continues, “I think that is the critical element in keeping on, whether it is hiking, kayaking, dancing, making good food, whatever it is, you want to be able to recognize this as a process of delight.”

How do you keep on keeping on?

If you want to start a business that creates solutions for the issues you care most about and change society for the better, than consider yourself a social entrepreneur. While there are many areas of social entrepreneurship, I have focused on five key green principles for starting your venture which I learned from starting Zola Goods. 

I. See the Big Picture

”Make a habit of two things—to help, or at least to do no harm.” Hippocrates

The first core principle of green business is to See the Big Picture. Oftentimes businesses are focused on profit or the bottom line. Green business is concerned with not only profit, but also people and the planet. People, Planet and Profit is known as the Triple Bottom Line. So, beyond determining how much you can make from a product or service that you want to sell, ask yourself about the impact on the people around you? How is it made? Where does it come from? What happens to it at the end of its’ life? What resources are used to make the products? How is this going to benefit – or possible hurt – other people’s lives? Widen the aperture on your lense, take a step back, and consider these implications and permutations. If the pros significantly outweigh the cons, then you know you are on the right track.

II. Sustainability

“In every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.” From the Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy

A second core principle of Green Business is the commitment to sustainability. Sustainability is defined as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

In terms of how this relates to your new business venture, it means asking yourself if you have the resources necessary to launch – and succeed – in your new business. By resources, I am not only referring to the financial aspects of starting a new business, but also the time, support, and commitment needed to see it through.

III. Interconnectedness

“This we know. The earth does not belong to man, man belongs to earth. This we know. All things are connected like the blood which unites one family… Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.” Chief Seattle, 1854

A third core principle in the green movement, and at the heart of my personal philosophy, is the belief that we are all connected. When you operate from this mindset, “networking” no longer has the negative – or even intimidating connotations – sometimes associated with it. Networking is not about getting something from someone. It is about finding our common ground, and developing a mutually beneficial relationship.

I’m sure you are all familiar with the theory of “the survival of the fittest.” The idea that only the strongest of a species survive – and if we look at the world this way, we cannot help but feel competitive as it is seen as essential to our survival. It seems like this mindset has permeated our culture on so many levels. However, more recently, it has been pointed out that “fittest” may not necessarily mean the strongest – rather “fittest” may mean the most adaptable and that which is most likely to “fit” in with the environment – and there are many examples throughout nature to prove this.

Isn’t that an incredible shift? When you view life in this way, you have the opportunity to get past the initial primordial reaction to a perceived threat, and find ways to work together and build partnerships. Also, when you are driven by your purpose, and have the sense that we are all part of a larger whole, it is much easier to set aside initial insecurities and ego and act in the best interest of your business.

IV. Little actions make a big difference

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Lao-Tzu

Another mantra in the green movement is little actions make a big difference. For example, you have probably heard the statistic that if everyone changed a regular light bulb to a CFL, it would be the equivalent of taking 1 million cars off the road. Not only do these combined efforts help to decrease CO2 emissions, they also to raise the collective consciousness as we become more aware of our actions and their impact.

Similarly, by taking little actions towards your goal, you start to build momentum for your business to the point where it starts to take on a life of its’ own. It is very important to do something everyday that relates to your new business. This can be anything – from doing market research, to sending out e-mails, reading about industry trends, or simply talking about it with others. On the days where you feel like you need a break – find something inspiring or say some affirmations – that counts too. The point is that you need to stay on course – and as Michael Beckwith says, you need to become a participant – not an anticipant- in your life.

 V. Life-Cycle Re-evaluation

“Let the beauty you love be what you do. There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the earth.” Rumi

The fifth key principle is the idea of a life-cycle assessment. In our current society, we mainly operate in a linear fashion – we buy it, use it, and throw it away. Green business is looking to change our current cycle by having the production of products more closely resemble the waste-free, closed-loop, cycle which exists in nature.

One cycle that we participate in, which has most likely stopped us from starting a business before is the Having – Doing- Being cycle. The idea that if only I had – time, money, fill in the blank – I would be able to go back to school, start a business, etc…and then I would be happy, healthy, financially independent, etc…

Let’s flip that cycle around and start with Being. When we realize that the beauty we love  – or in other words, our passion – connects us to our Being, then we can start from right there. We start from that place inside of us which connects us to a power greater than ourselves and when you come from this place, of deep inner knowing, it becomes about something larger than yourself, and you are not only inspired – you are compelled to take action. So now, the second part of this cycle is the Doing.  You don’t have to do it in the order mentioned above – but from writing a business plan, to building a support network, to networking and building momentum by becoming a participant in your life – you now have many options to start doing what it is you are meant to do with your life. This brings us to Having. When you follow your bliss, your world will open up to you in ways you have imagined and beyond, and you will have the security, happiness, and fulfillment that you desire.

Even though this cycle is a much better alternative to our current model, we still need to close the loop. This means we need to continually connect back with our true Being and we can do this through gratitude, and by being of service by joyfully giving time and money in alignment with your purpose.

The closer you get to your center of your Being the more joy and fulfillment your service will bring to you and those around you. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr said, “Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve.” By following your passion, you are serving this world, and you are allowing your greatness to be fully realized.

•Out of over 180 countries, only 11 have elected women heads of state.

•16% of members of national parliaments worldwide are women.

•In the current Congress, only 16% of seats are held by women.

•Rwanda has the highest proportion of women parliamentarians in the world – 49%

Earlier this month, a new group was formed to oversee the financing for a United Nations climate change effort and of its 19 members — none of them are women. This is particularly troubling since women are the primary providers of food, water and fuel in developing countries, and are thus significantly affected by climate change.

Traditionally we have valued strength, power, competition, exploration, initiative, and inventiveness, which are generally associated with male attributes. In doing so, we have neglected the more feminine characteristics of compassion, nurturing, and cooperation. One consequence is that while we figured out how to get energy from the earth, we have destroyed her in the process. There are many people who believe, me included, that our species has a much better chance at survival if there is a resurgence of feminine values to balance out the overly masculine traits that we have been exhibiting as a society.  

It seems like Mother Nature may be trying to tell us the same thing…

It was published this month that research in 2007 showed that indigenous mothers living in the villages of northern Greenland were mainly giving birth to girls. The studies linked the dramatic decline of male births with human exposures to PCBs and other persistent organic chemicals.

A new study has found that male frogs exposed to the herbicide atrazine — one of the most common man-made chemicals found in U.S. waters — can make a startling developmental U-turn, becoming so completely female that they can mate and lay viable eggs.

Bisphenol-A (BPA) a toxin found in many can linings, and plastics, including – until recently – baby bottles, is a known endocrine disruptor, and can mimic estrogen and block some effects of testosterone, causing male infertility.

Obviously we don’t have much chance of survival if we all become female, so we need to embrace and honor the feminine and masculine inside each of us – men and women alike -and bring these energies into balance.

The emergence of the feminine is such an expansive topic that I can not hope to do it justice here, so if this has lit a spark for you, here are a few informative and inspirational sites, books, and movies to delve into:

Women on the Edge of Evolution

Nina Simons Women, Purpose & Power

Urgent Message from Mother: Gather the Women Save the World by Jean Shinoda Bolen

Grandmothers Counsel the World by Carole Schaffer

Pray the Devil Back to Hell chronicles the remarkable story of the courageous Liberian women who came together to end a bloody civil war and bring peace to their shattered country.

A Powerful Noise takes you inside the lives of three women – a girls’ education crusader from Mali, an HIV-positive widow from Vietnam, and a peacemaking survivor of the war in Bosnia – who each overcome seemingly insurmountable odds to bring lasting solutions to their communities.

1. Set the Ground Rules

First and foremost ask yourself why it is important for you to make eco-friendly changes to your lifestyle.  Because I have always loved all creatures great and small, I want to live in a way that respects the interdependent web of life, and make choices that help to support a harmonious environment.  With love and harmony as my baseline reasons for making eco-friendly choices, I feel that it would be not only counter-productive, but also hypocritical to fight with my husband about going green.  Of course I am occasionally annoyed when I have to unplug cell phone chargers and rescue recyclables from the garbage can, but I have vowed to lead by example rather than correct or criticize.

If your reason for making eco-friendly changes is to be healthier, or you want your children to have a safe, non-toxic environment, be sure that stress or conflict does not overshadow the lifestyle changes that you want to make.

2. There is an “I” in family

You may be familiar with the expression, “There is no I in team,” which advocates setting aside personal goals and egos, in favor of doing what is best for the team.  While it is important to put the partnership first, it is also important to recognize that we are individuals who bring unique strengths to the relationship. I can’t expect my husband to be as passionate about recycling as I am, but I can take responsibility for putting out the trash and recycling each week. Focus on what you can do and don’t judge or impose your will on others.

3. Defer to the Pros

Many of the changes I have made are due to articles I have read in various environmental publications. I don’t know about your household, but generally, “I read that you should…” is met with a bit of resistance.  I have found that a better approach is to say, “I just read an interesting article. I’m curious to hear what you think.” 

4. Keep Track of Your Stats

Have you saved money at the grocery store now that you stopped buying red meat? Have you stopped having to take allergy pills now that you switched to all natural cleaning products? Have you saved money on your electric bill since using a Smart Strip power strip? Be sure to highlight all the good that has come out of the changes that you have made.

5. Go out to the Park

Going green is fun! It’s not all about installing energy and water saving devices. Take a trip to farmer’s market at a nearby park, stay at an eco-friendly bed and breakfast, or have a date night out at a local microbrewery.

6. Be a Cheerleader

Be sure to applaud your partner’s efforts.  Even though he didn’t buy the organic bananas, at least he remembered to use the cloth shopping bags! By finding the good in ourselves, in others, and in the daily choices that we make, we play a vital role in creating a more healthy, peaceful and sustainable future.

However, I do love the reflective nature of this season, and I recently read an article in the Fall ’09 issue of EnlightenNext Magazine  which has made me reevaluate how I enter into any given situation.

The article highlighted Roshi Bernie Glassman’s Maezumi Institute in Massachusetts. The Maezumi Institute is the major study/practice center of the Zen Peacemakers, offering training paths, study programs, and hands-on internships.

 At the core of the training students are taught to enter any situation:

1. From a position of not knowing , meaning that you come without preconceptions or prejudice
2. Bear witness to the problem
3. Respond with loving action

For me this was both startlingly simple and profound, and I have been coming back to it again and again in my mind as a new way to be in this world – whether in a professional setting, or with friends and family members.

How many times have you walked into a room with an agenda, or at the very least an expectation about how it will play out, or about the “types” of people who are there? This dharma challenges us to walk in with our mind as a tabula rasa, thus clearing the space normally occupied by all of our thoughts, leaving room for receptivity and the fullness of the experience.

From there, students are encouraged to observe the problem or situation. I understand this to go beyond active listening to a place of empathy, where filters are down and we are listening and watching with an open, non-judging, compassionate heart. There is stillness and peace in this state. Words do not spill out and become tangled in the melee.

This process allows the layers of ego and old wounds around the heart to unfold, like the opening of the lotus, one of Buddhism’s Eight Auspicious Symbols. From this place we are inspired to act from love, without thoughts of mores and constraints, but rather in the present moment where we are truly responding to the needs at hand.

You may wonder what all of this has to do with environmentalism. When I looked closely at the reasons why it was so vital to me to be a voice for the earth, I realized it was based on a deep inner knowing that we are all connected and that what we do to the earth we do to ourselves. So, to work to restore the earth to balance and harmony, with anything other than love and peace felt misaligned and counterproductive.

What if world leaders had walked into Copenhagen as Zen Peacekeepers? What if they dropped their personas and bore witness to the people and communities who are most threatened by climate change – and also empathized with the nations who are afraid of change and of the short-term economic percussions that may go along with carbon emissions control? If they saw that they were all acting out of fear in one way or another, would they have felt the thread of oneness that connects them all? And if so, could they have been an example of love in action as they promised to work together with the focus on people, planet and then profit rather than on economies, controls, and penalties?

And on a micro-level, imagine family gatherings where old grudges and resentments were dropped, loved ones were given undivided attention, and people opened their hearts and reacted with love.

While I may not always be able to open up to the Zen Peacekeeper inside of me, I am grateful for these teachings which will illuminate my path as I head into 2010.