Consolations, by David Whyte
April 30, 2015
“Words belong to each other,” Virginia Woolf asserted in the only surviving recording of her voice. But words also belong to us, as much as we belong to them — and out of that mutual belonging arises our most fundamental understanding of the world, as well as the inescapable misunderstandings that bedevil the grand sensemaking experiment we call life. (Friendship, love, and heartbreak.)
A personal update From Bhutan on Nepal…
April 28, 2015
“Good morning, or kuzuzangpo la, as we say in Bhutan –
The sun is still hidden away this early morning as the rain blankets the mountains another day. It has been nearly 90 hours since the earth began shaking these magnificent mountains on Saturday, and yesterday was the first day we went through without feeling the house move from aftershocks.
We have located all 30 of our READ Nepal staff and so pleased to report that everyone survived and is safe. They are struggling with their families while living outside in open areas as their homes are either damaged or fears of further collapses keep them from returning indoors. The situation in Kathmandu is difficult but the aid is beginning to flow as cargo planes filled with supplies reach the airport.
The rest of Nepal where as much as 90 percent of the 28 million Nepalis live in remote mountainside villages is just now being revealed for the extensive destruction done by the earthquake. When I lived with the monks in Pharping a few years back and they told me they came from remote villages in the north of Nepal where their families settled after fleeing Tibet, and I asked what they meant by “remote”, they educated me that to get home they would take a bus for one or two days, and then walk for another three or four days on mountain paths to reach their villages. Several months later, I walked many of those paths on my way to Mt. Everest base camp and truly learned the meaning of remote.
Today, many of those remote homes were destroyed as villages succumbed to the quake. National Geographic reported this story yesterday: Nepali Mountain Villages ‘Completely Washed Away’ By Quake
We are gathering information on the status of our 59 READ community centers across Nepal and while some are damaged or gone and will need rebuilding, we have heard that several surviving structures are serving their communities as shelters, health services, information centers, and even offering cellphone charging with the center’s solar panels so that community members can call their families in Kathmandu.
In these difficult times, I find inspiration in the roots of the READ Global story. It was 24 years ago, along one of those remote mountain paths that a traveler asked a simple question of her Sherpa guide – What can I do for your village? His response was simple – a community center library – so that his people could gather together and have access to education.
As of last week, that READ Center in the remote mountain village of Junbesi was still standing and filled with a community gathering together. The building may be gone today but we will work tirelessly to rebuild the center and bring restoration and hope to the community, and to all the communities we serve in Nepal.
As the media in the States turns the news cycle towards the chaos in Baltimore and the circus of Bruce Jenner, I want to send this message back to my not so remote home village – we need your help.
Please take a moment to consider partnering with us in this process of restoring, rebuilding, and replenishing the hope of the Nepali people.
Online support can be made here: http://readglobal.org/nepal-earthquake-fund
Checks can be sent to our U.S. office at: READ Global, P.O. Box 29286, San Francisco, CA 94129
READ Global is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and your donation is fully tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
I will leave you with two things. Firstly, my sincere thankfulness for your prayers and support. We have received both from individuals in the States that I once knew and know well, some I worked with and others are family of origin and otherwise, prayers from those who practice five times a day and words of encouragement from often silent voices. To all, my heart says – thank you.
Lastly, I have attached one of my favorite pictures from my time in Nepal. It is of three of those monks from those remote villages, whose homes may be gone but their smiles endure.
With grace and hope…”
From WBAL in Baltimore…
‘Demonstrators in Baltimore have created a human ring around a smaller group that formed a meditation circle’…
‘…we must never lose infinite hope.’
‘We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.’
-Martin Luther King, Junior
‘Not only do we grow as individuals, but humanity itself is also evolving. Though because our individual lives are so short, it’s hard to see it. Imagine staring at a century-old oak tree for a week and trying to see its growth. To see the transformation from acorn to sapling to mature tree we need to see with ‘deep time eyes.’ It’s the same with the human race. We need perspective. Theodore Parker was Unitarian minister and social reformer. Shortly before the Civil War he gave a series of sermons condemning slavery. He said, “I do not pretend to understand the moral universe; the arc is a long one, my eye reaches but little ways;…I can divine it by conscience. And from what I see I am sure it bends toward justice.’ He knew that the present struggle was part of the healing of our country. It would take time. A century later, Dr. Martin Luther Kin Jr. used this quote to remind us not to lose heart in the work toward equality. As we heal our own hearts and reveal our own light, we help humanity to do the same. As we see our world today, our work is to know the truth of us all. We are learning. We are growing. We are becoming.’
-Rev. Michael Gott
Connecting through meditation and prayer…
April 27, 2015
The Power Path
Tonight, Monday, April 27th, 2015
6-6:30 PM (MST)
The recent devastating Earthquake and continuing aftershocks in Nepal and Everest region has killed thousands of people and injured scores more. In addition it has ungrounded hundreds of thousands of people that are severely affected by the quake aftermath. Many have lost family members, friends, neighbors and perhaps their own homes and businesses. In other words the event is a major “susto,” a trauma of huge proportions. Not only has the earthquake traumatized local residents but it has had an impact on people all over the world. As in many earthquakes of this size and force, there may be another earthquake on the other side of one of the tectonic plates.
When an event like this takes place many people often feel helpless and wonder what they can do to help. We suggest there is much that can be done on an energetic level to help. Using basic shamanic techniques we can support those whose lives have been so seriously disrupted. We are not suggesting that this is a substitute for much needed food and survival materials but adjunctive to help calm the survivors and everyone affected by this event.
Tonight between 6PM and 6:30PM Mountain Daylight US Time (12:00 midnight Greenwich mean time) we will be conducting a short ceremony in our medicine wheel for all the people who need some support right now. We welcome all of you who can, wherever you happen to be or live, to join us for the whole or a part of this time to focus on that region of the world and visualize a huge grounding cord like an anchor underneath the Himalayas and surrounding regions steadying the region and bringing back stability. With love and compassion visualize calm returning to the region and people resuming productive and effective activities to rebuild their lives. In addition we will be focusing on giving those souls who have taken this time to pass on, freedom and light to help in their transition. In the process you can also reset your own grounding as events like these always create a shift.
If you have a drum, you can drum along, if you have a rattle, use the rattle. You can also light a candle, some sage or just simply pray.
As devastating as these natural events are, they are also a part of the larger architecture of global change. It is not easy or necessary to understand them fully, but helpful to accept them and to do what we can to move towards balance and healing.
Blessings,
Jose and Lena
What Hard Work Really Means…
“Mike Rowe, the host of the show Dirty Jobs, has seen his fair share of absolutely disgusting work. From all of the time he’s spent looking at the lives of employees who work less-than-desirable jobs, Rowe has learned quite a bit, including that the idea of work in general needs to be redefined by everyone.”
From The Muse…
Gardens 4 the Soul
Business is ‘blooming’ for one California landscaper in LA as homeowners and HOA’s pull out water thirsty lawns and replace with indigenous drought-resisting plants, bushes, and trees…
www.gardens4thesoul.com
(A huge motivation…besides the fact the state is running out of water…is that ‘the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has paid $34 million in rebates to residents and companies ripping out their lawns.’)
Story from NPR: http://www.npr.org/…/as-californias-economy-reels-from-drou…
‘Shantala’ Returns May 10th!
Advance tickets are available @ Gather Yoga Studio, Chapter One Bookstore, Nanette Ford’s Family Medicine and Wellness. $20 cash or checks made out to John B Wertheimer.
A dear friend is asking for our help in Nepal…
April 26, 2015
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dayles-Community-Cafe/1412473502400633
From Seth Godin…
April 23, 2015People are real, but the crowd disappoints
- Every crowd, sooner or later, will let you down.
- The crowd contains a shoplifter, or a heckler, or an anonymous boor who leaves a snarky comment.
- The crowd loses interest, the crowd denigrates the work, the crowd isn’t serious.
- Worst of all, sometimes the crowd turns into a mob, out of control and bloodthirsty.
- But people, people are real.
- People will look you in the eye.
- People will keep their promises. People can grow, can change, can be generous.
- When in doubt, ignore the crowd (and forgive them). When possible, look for people instead.
- Scale is overrated, again and again.
That’s a whole lot of water…
April 22, 2015
17 Items many of us use every day from burgers to blue-jeans that requires gallons of fresh water…
http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2015/04/blue-jeans-cars-microchips-water-use
Happy Earth Day 2015
The Magic Lantern in Ketchum will screen the film ‘Planetary’ in honor of Earth Day today…7 PM. The film was recently recognized at SXSW. http://www.space.com/29172-planetary-earth-day-documentary-astronauts.html
Local Mobile Poultry Processing Unit (MPPU)
April 20, 2015
Dayle Ohlau spoke to valley resident and Community Builder Cynthia Luck Carr recently about efforts to bring a local mobile poultry processing unit (MPPU) to the Wood River Valley – – the first in Idaho. Cynthia is also a Holistic Health Counselor, Life Coach, and Professional Educator. The Q&A with Cynthia is posted below. You can also learn more by visiting the Local Food Alliance Website at http://www.localfoodalliance.org/mobile-poultry-processing-unit/
(Cynthia Luck Carr and one of her beloved poultry friends.)
Why an MPPU?
So, the MPPU will help the local consumer and the local farmer?
How close is our valley to securing a MPPU?
Are local restaurants interested this project?
Where will we be able to buy the locally processed chicken?
How big is a local processing unit?
How is the MPPU being funded?
How can folks get involved who would like to help with the project?
Cynthia Luck Carr’s contact information:
208-720-3027
cynluckcarr@gmail.com
