About Me
I'm joining Service Space because ... I am inspired by the community of compassion, and service through inner transformation
A good day to me is when ... I have become aware of and peeled away another barrier to love
My hero in life is ...Gandhi and MLK Jr. and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
My favorite book is ...so many - but maybe "Karma Yoga" by Vivekananda & "Small is Beautiful" by EF Schumacher
One thing I'm grateful for is ... Becoming conscious
In Memoriam: Makala Kozo Hattori
Mar 27, 2021, 4 comments, 21 smiles
[Below is a note that was sent to our Awakin Calls volunteer team.]
As many of you know, we lost a dear friend, brother, co-journeyer and co-servant earlier this month.
Makala “Kozo” Hattori (1965-2021) was much more than one of the coordinators of our Awakin Calls team – he was an inspiration, guide, tireless volunteer, and cheerleader as well as purveyor/transcriber/translator of so much of the weekly wisdom that emerges from our collective efforts to bring forth sacred conversations into the world. Though I don’t live in the Bay Area, there was hardly an Awakin Circle or ServiceSpace gathering that I attended while in town where Kozo didn’t embrace me with his warm smile and big hug, his wry humor, and his boundless enthusiasm for some of the most recent Awakin Calls conversations he was listening to – the details of which he had an uncanny recall. “Wow – I’m still reeling ... Read Full Story
When The Wind Stopped: Landing At The Foot Of A
May 01, 2020, 2 comments, 14 smiles
What happens when a flowing stream comprised of space holders from multiple continents, each bearing their own questions, are transported to the foot of Mount Malloy, by the wind -- as guided by the skilled hand at the tiller of Pavithra, a wooden canoe? The answer is beautiful poetry! The PDF here is an assortment of the questions our group silently shared during the "Power of Questions" call, woven alongside John's unfolding wisdom:
[download here]
As shared in our follow-up note, who knew virtual could be so virtue-full? Truth be told we are still deliciously bewildered by it all -- John included :) This was an experimental call in many respects. And it went marvelously because all were patient, deeply present, and held space pristinely. Participants joined us from Austria, India, France, England, the Philippines, from the California Coast to NY Island and dozens of places in between. 11 of the group ... Read Full Story
Lemonade Of Virtual Space Holding :)
Mar 28, 2020, 105 comments, 19 smiles
We've all heard the phrase, "When life gives us lemons, we make lemonade." In so many ways, the current coronavirus disruption of our lives is inviting us to hold new questions and perhaps it might help us arrive at a deeper consciousness, as well as a greater skillfulness in holding space for ourselves and others.
Yesterday, about 40 of us circled up to dive into a conversation on the "Lemonade of Virtual Space Holding". I'm still soaking in all the insights shared -- of the challenges and opportunities that are emerging from the unique situation of so many of our spaces being shifted into a virtual sphere, as well as from the deeper "space" between civilizational stories that is emerging and that we are being asked, in part, to hold skillfully.
A few excerpts from the conversation [listen here]:
"I'm trying to let go of the typical in-person Awakin format ... ... Read Full Story
Giving In The Conditioned World
Mar 22, 2020, 17 smiles
[On our "How Does A Heart of Service Respond?" call last week, Rev Heng Sure shared illuminating insights that reflected back collective themes shared; described three forms of giving of wealth, insight and courage; and more. Below is the recording and transcript.]
So I'm here in Gold Coast, Queensland [Australia]. I'm looking forward to hearing from Bonnie as well. Bonnie, glad to be on the panel with you. We've been part of ServiceSpace together for some time. And getting to hear from Preeta and Aryae and all our ... and also from Sri from the front lines. This is rich. So I'm a preacher and you have to stop me before I preach again, because I go long -- and I don't want to do that. My prep info was five to seven minutes, so I'll try my best. But looking at the luminary -- looking at the light gathered on ... Read Full Story
Nuggets From Michelle Kinder's Call
Aug 27, 2019, 4 smiles
Last Saturday, kindness activist and longtime educator Andy Smallman and I had the privilege of hosting a remarkable Awakin Call with Michelle Kinder.
Dallas-based therapist, community leader and speaker Michelle Kinder examines and teaches conscious leadership “from the inside out.” For many years, she led the Momentous Institute, a 99-year-old nonprofit that has been building and repairing social-emotional health through education and mental health programs. Momentous Institute serves vulnerable children through therapy services, curriculum and teacher training focused on students’ social-emotional health, a school program for young learners, and more. Under her lead, the Institute was named one of Fortune magazine’s 100 Best Workplaces for Women and one of the 50 Best Workplaces in Texas. Kinder notes that children cannot be emotionally healthy unless their families and community are also healthy. Seeking to address the inequities themselves, she now works with traditional leaders to help them embrace “socially conscious leadership from ... Read Full Story
Michelle Kinder: Conscious Leadership From The Inside
Aug 21, 2019
This week's Awakin Call guest: 'Michelle Kinder: Conscious Leadership From The Inside OutReflection questions: Our guest this week has come to believe that "No matter how wonderful a program is, if it is done as a bestowing – a certain group of people making decisions for another group – that is never going to bridge the divide in our city.” Does your work fit within this paradigm of "bestowing," and how do you plant seeds for a deeper mindset or consciousness shift to address underlying structural issues?
Nuggets From Srinija Srinivasan's Call
Jul 13, 2019, 3 comments, 8 smiles
Last Saturday, the wonderful Terry Patten and I had the privilege of hosting an Awakin Call with Srinija Srinivasan. Terry initiated a far-reaching and playful dialogue with the effervescent Srinija that brought forth her endless curiosity and the deep questions of life that she’s holding.
An accidental tech exec, Srinija Srinivasan joined Yahoo! in 1995 as one of the first five employees, serving as Vice President, Editor-in-Chief for 15 years before stepping down in 2010. With a background in artificial intelligence, her work at Yahoo! centered on the human experience, expanding into leading editorial and policy issues globally. During that time, she also chaired the board of SFJAZZ, a nonprofit leader in jazz creation, presentation, and education. These experiences together led her to co-found Loove, a developing music venture designed to demonstrate how commerce and technology can be guided by artistic values rather than letting our culture be led by market ... Read Full Story
Nuggets From Gregory Ellison's Call
May 26, 2019, 1 comments, 7 smiles
Last Saturday, we had the privilege of hosting a unique and interactive Awakin Call with Gregory Ellison, ably guided by Aryae.
Reverend Dr. Gregory C. Ellison, II is an artist who creates spaces for fearless dialogues. He challenges each of us, "who are you and how will you fight for freedom in your most authentic way?" Fearless Dialogues is a grassroots initiative that creates unique spaces for unlikely partners to engage in hard, heartfelt conversations that see gifts in others, hear value in stories, and work for change and positive transformation in self and other by "fearing less." It has engaged nearly 50,000 worldwide in more than five years. Ellison feels that lessening the fear of strangers is central to his walk as a Christian. He engages his fear by practicing "radical hospitality," simple but profound strategies that show people you see, hear and care about them -- a practice he ... Read Full Story
Nuggets From Jay Coen Gilbert's Call
May 12, 2019, 8 smiles
Last week, we had the privilege of hosting an Awakin Call with Jay Coen Gilbert.
Recently named to an illustrious list of the "10 people transforming how we think about capitalism," Jay Coen Gilbert aims for nothing less than a capitalist reformation. "Be the change" is the ethic that inspires the nonprofit he co-founded, B Lab. Wanting to counteract what he saw as the toxic effects of shareholder primacy, he began asking questions like, “How can businesses be agents of social good?” In 2006, Coen Gilbert and two friends started B Lab -- after a successful run as a for-profit entrepreneur who ran a successful athletic apparel company, AND 1. Jay's nonprofit B Lab scrutinizes and then certifies qualifying corporations based on such criteria as positive community impact and financial transparency. B Lab has certified more than 2800 companies as “B corps” which are monitored by B Lab for their impact ... Read Full Story
Nuggets From Linda Hess's Call
Mar 31, 2019, 2 comments, 13 smiles
Last Saturday, we had the privilege of hosting a lively and fascinating Awakin Call with Linda Hess.
Dr. Linda Hess is a scholar, writer, and translator of devotional/mystical poetry from North India – especially of the 15th-century poet Kabir. She taught in various universities, concluding with 21 years in the Department of Religious Studies at Stanford University, from where she retired in 2017. Linda is not only a scholar of Kabir, but a devotee and lover. She writes: “I fell in love with Kabir almost as soon as I met him. He was sharp, funny, vivid and astonishing. What you didn’t want to hear, he would say—over and over, in your face. But you liked it because, really, you did want to hear it.” Her devotion to Kabir informs and is informed by her practice in Buddhism. She began Zen practice in 1974 and has also participated in vipassana retreats in ... Read Full Story
