The Root, Without Which The Center Cannot Hold Posted by Marty Verhoeven, Apr 29 2020 [Below are my remarks for a ServiceSpace call held last weekend: Responding to Emergence] “Virtue is the root; all else are the branches”. It would seem that in this time of crisis, facts, science, data and common sense would be the most important thing all people turn to and want to rely on. But without trust, integrity, and selflessness (all root virtues) in leaders, “facts” are no longer facts, but ads and hype, dodges and spins delivered through isms and egos. Truth morphs into mere opinions and even worse— self-serving disinformation. People don’t know what to believe re: “shelter in place” “social distancing” “how bad it really is” “when to re-open” etc. not because they are dumb or uniformed, but because they ARE REALLY PAYING ATTENTION. And in paying attention, they have become jaded and cynical; skeptical, distrustful of authority, and rightfully so. We have lost the “root”—virtue. Without virtue, there’s no ... Read Full Story

Glimpse Of Laddership Circles This Spring Posted by Audrey Lin, Apr 25 2020 2020 will certainly be a year to remember. In our ecosystem of aspiring generosity entrepreneurs, it also marks our fifth year of Laddership Circles. Couple weeks back, 30 project initiators and 14 volunteers across 11 countries have circled up for 3 more rounds of these virtual circles. Each of us signed up to give 7-10 hours weekly to the six-week learning journey through the hands, head, and heart. With hands, we engage daily practices in our lives; with head, we share reflections on uncommon articles and case studies; with heart, we explore the intersection of inner change and outer service. Through it all, we learn from and inspire each other, tuning into patterns of positive deviance that our collective consciousness is surfacing. From that space, it's been remarkable to witness everyone's budding intentions converge around questions of: How do we design for inner transformation? Can we innovate in a gift economy? What would ... Read Full Story

How ServiceSpace Responded -- And Questions It Raises Posted by Nipun Mehta, Apr 23 2020 As some of you know, I was in a month-long silent retreat that just ended recently. Talk about coming back to a whole different world. :) Returning to ServiceSpace, following such a dramatic upheaval, I curiously listened into -- how did we respond? Sense. Well before wide-spread pandemic awareness, back way in February, :) Birju initiated an email thread to a group of about 100 ServiceSpace thought leaders. He opened by saying, "I don't want to fear monger, but the data I'm seeing points to a legitimate cause for concern." Lots of people wrote, with a rather wide range of responses. In retrospect, that entire thread was remarkably prescient. It mirrored that we, collectively, are on the pulse of cultural patterns in more ways than we might imagine. Not every bird can see the entire flock, but that doesn’t imply a lack of formation. :) What patterns do we sense collectively, ... Read Full Story

Journey Of The Noble Ones Posted by Swara Pandya, Apr 17 2020 [On the morning before our retreat formally began, many of us gathered on the retreat campus for a series of dialogues under a banyan tree. Below is Jasky's powerful conversation with Coleman! Originally posted in February 2020.] In the last few days, I've seen Coleman taking a lot of pictures. He is a great photographer. Coleman, could you share about your practice of photography? I like to think of myself as a landscape photographer. It's a type of meditation for me. Whenever I go out for a trek, it's my way of clearing my mind. So I don't think about anything else -- but really just be present and be one with nature. And, that is my best type of meditation. And I manage to capture just a sliver of time that is precious and very transient, but that's the only way we can really share that space, with limited time. Also, as ... Read Full Story

A Classic Parable Posted by Amritha Mandagondi, Apr 16 2020 Came across this great animation of the classic parable, Maybe Said The Farmer:

Taking Care Of Ourselves Happily Posted by Ana Valdes, Apr 16 2020 I live in Manila, and I have a friend, a fellow teacher, who lives in Lombardi, northern Italy, the ground zero, of the covid virus in Europe. My friend teaches dance, English, and Spanish. I have her permission to share a letter of one of their parents. Good evening:) once again I would like to say massive thank you to you and to all the teachers for all you are doing in these difficult circumstances. You help us parents enormously to keep our children mentally healthy and stimulated in these drastic conditions. I can only imagine that it’s not easy as it it never was in your “job description “ ...:) so once again big thank. It’s not crucial for me that you teach one more thing academically ...and this is why: Just by showing up, by checking in, by caring enough to do this freaking IMPOSSIBLE job - you've already taught ... Read Full Story

Making Karuna Viral Posted by Nipun Mehta, Apr 15 2020 [Below are some highlights from our Making Karuna Viral with India-wide coordinators. While we didn't expect 60 folks to join on a 1-day notice, we now hope to serve that need with a follow-up call.] How do we hold uncertainty? What practices will help us distinguish between fear that keeps us alive and fear that keeps us from living? Can we trust the "goo" of the chrysalis, as we transition from caterpillar to butterfly? Are we bearing witness to the inequality of suffering? What is the new "normal" that we want to return to? Is there an opportunity to shift from architectures of oppression to compassion? If cholera and tuberculosis outbreaks transformed the design of the modern-day bathroom, what designs will Covid change? Is this a war or a love story? Police enforcing curfews are showered with flowers in appreciation. Bhavya is making 5 extra rotlis in Surat to be part of ... Read Full Story

Powered By Love -- An Emerging Qualitative WorldView Posted by James O'dea, Apr 15 2020 [I was invited to write a reflection that I've titled: Powered by Love---an Emerging Worldview It is on my website, being circulated in other forums by Club of Budapest, Science and Medical Network in the UK, and others.] There is a worldview that has come to dominate every aspect of global reality affecting human civilization, the natural world and planetary climate conditions. It can be summarized as the quantitative worldview. The quantitative worldview is in a crisis so deep it is leading, in an interconnected and interdependent world, to deep systemic disruptions, chaotic conditions and signs of complete failure. If this worldview were a patient receiving care it would be in intensive care on life support. There is another emerging worldview that is, from a whole world-whole systems perspective, in the natal unit being born into the world exactly as the quantitative worldview is on life support: this worldview, constituting a ... Read Full Story

A Form Of Empathy: Sangeeta Isvaran Posted by Jignasha Pandya, Apr 14 2020 "Hatred cannot be vanquished by hatred. The fractured world we live in today needs more empathy, more love to destroy the fear that underlies most conflicts and discrimination. The most important life lessons I've learned were in my dance classes as a child, learning to create rasa (a form of empathy), seeing every other being as an extension of oneself. This flame of understanding fuels every aspect of my work with people to trigger transformation.” At Awakin Talks, Vadodara last December, Sangeeta captivated all of us in a stunning art offering. Choreographed almost fifteen years ago, while immersed in refugee work in Pakistan, India and Indonesia, the performance emerged from her conversation with a mother whom she had met in a sacred Sufi shrine, or durgah. As more background, Sangeeta is a vibrant dancer-performer who developed the Katradi method, working in marginalized, underprivileged communities using the arts in education, empowerment and ... Read Full Story

Working At The Speed Of Love Posted by Nipun Mehta, Apr 13 2020 At some point after mid-March, we quickly launched a new website: www.karunavirus.org Our about-us page read: “Our intent is to amplify the voice of our collective compassion, by featuring news of everyday people choosing love over fear. We feel that the acts of courageous kindness we're seeing all over the world will far outlive the virus, and if enough of us keep it front and center of our consciousness, it could well bring new possibilities for our future.” Initially, we figured to be posting a couple of stories a day. Just a few days later, though, Audrey had galvanized a whole gang of volunteers -- good news scouts, screeners, writers, editors -- cranking out more than 10 stories per day. Each story would go through an approval process, then a writer would couple it with a 4-5 sentence summary, we would add a photo to it, mark it with keywords, and ... Read Full Story

Smiles From Our 21-Day Corona-to-Karuna Challenge :) Posted by Xiaojuan Shu, Apr 13 2020 Last Friday, a few friends kicked off a 21-day challenge to deepen in values during times of corona. Already, the stories people have been sharing are bringing wide smiles to our faces, and inspiring us to flex our muscles of kindness, gratitude, stillness, and more! Here's a few highlights from our first few days... Day 2: Find Quiet Joy In Gratitude "I have been starting each day by writing 3 things I am grateful for since this all started. I also wrote a card for our postal worker a bit ago, and would like to do more of this. The attached photo is the card I made that I left in the mailbox for them to retrieve." --L Corona Chronicles "I found solace in a humorous paper letter received from a friend, sending a snail mail to a pen pal in Turkey, Chatting with a patient on the phone about the trauma inherent in this ... Read Full Story

After Returning From Gandhi 3.0 Retreat, ... Posted by Yuko Mishiro, Apr 08 2020 After returning from Gandhi 3.0 retreat, I was inspired by "Awakin Circle" and have been wanting to hold one in Japan. Due to corona we can not gather in person, but with a similar intention, I held a circle in Tokyo on 2020/4/8(full moon) from 22-23:30pm. I posed the question given at the Gandhi 3.0 retreat, “What's an unexpected encounter that altered the direction of your life?” Through the time, I realized the importance and power that a circle holds. I am persuaded that a simple question and circle can be made in many ways and even if it is simple and small, it will touch many and lead us to the next light.

Beyond Like-Minded, We're Like-Hearted Posted by Bijan Khazai, Apr 08 2020 [Last week, a bunch of us circled in a global conversation: "What Would Love Do?" Below are are some highlights, including audio and video recordings!] Last week, about hundred of us circled up for an insightful conversation on "What Would Love Do?" in this global pandemic. It was a real array of so many rich insights across timezones -- from UK to Central America; France to Romania to Germany; New York to California to India and beyond! After a few highlights from our preceding call, Jane presenced the challenge and possibilities of time: "How do we maintain a full heart, an energetic heart, during what might be a long period of adjustment to the new conditions of this pandemic? Collectively, our interconnection and our interdependence are now in plain sight. What new systems and ideas are emerging as part of this adjustment?" In an opening panel, various "love warriors" across the globe ... Read Full Story

Cobwebs Posted by Arathi Ravichandran, Apr 06 2020 Hi friends - Had an extremely rare and quiet moment the other afternoon and decided to scribble down some reflections on parenting during Covid. Thought some parents on this feed may resonate. Much love. - Arathi ----------------------------------- A harsh light has illuminated the cobwebs that cloud my spirit. Subtle expectations, the drive to produce, a persistent need for external validation, a victim mentality, a relentless checklist of logistical calculations (kids lunch? check. dinner prepped for tomorrow? check. time for a quick run in between meetings? check. check. check. check. oops, missed that one. check again.) I both love and hate this time. I feel cooped up and starved of intimate social interaction. I wish I could hug a friend. Look at the crinkle of their eyes, laugh and hold hands over the ridiculous things our children say (Zayd's latest statement after haphazardly slapping a 1/2 inch piece of tape over a sheet of ... Read Full Story

Food Revolution: A Course On Nonviolence & Food For Posted by Poonam Singh, Apr 06 2020 My Soulforce co-youth leader & friend Blaine and I led this 10-day food & nonviolence course for middle schoolers in early 2019. I had never published this blog but had intended to last year, and recently discovered it when I was teaching a new community lesson on Cesar Chavez online to children during this Coronavirus time. It feels a bit odd to publish now more then a year later and also during coronavirus time, but also sentimental to reflect back on that, and see that this work has continued as a thread in my life, and to also consider what future offerings to young people might look like. Blaine and I wrote this together. Food Revolution: An experiment with middle schoolers…. What does it look like to explore self-transformation and justice with middle school students? Blaine and I were sitting there asking ourselves. There was an opportunity to apply our Soulforce curriculum ... Read Full Story

Karma Kitchen DC -- Always Open Posted by Krishna Desar, Mar 29 2020 After years of hosting Karma Kitchen DC every month, we will miss you today, for our scheduled March event! From a distance, we are sending you good vibes and solidarity to keep you and your loved ones safe and supported at home. You are probably tired of getting messages of closings and rescheduled plans. That said, we wanted to share with you that although Karma Kitchen DC is closed today, our host, Himalayan Heritage Restaurant is continuing the pay-it-forward tradition for carryout and deliveries -- from 4:30 PM - 10:00 PM everyday! If you are tired or struggling to cook at home everyday, please order your favorite dish from the regular menu and you can pay as much as you want, pay-it-forward to someone else or just tell them it has already been paid for by someone else. Karma Kitchen will cover any difference from our surplus fund. This will help you and your family/friends have a good meal and help the restaurant during this difficult, and perhaps in a small way, help keep the doors open. Thank you, and we love you! Please keep away from the corona virus, instead spread KARUNA virus. :)

Lemonade Of Virtual Space Holding :) Posted by Preeta Bansal, Mar 28 2020 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

A Branch Posted by Galia Tyano, Mar 27 2020 Like in every crisis one needs to hold the nearest branch not to be carried away by the river stream, not to drown. One has to choose carefully a branch near enough, not too thin to hold ones body weight and soul, For a long time. like in every crises eventually finding out you are a trunk. ---- dear friends, lots of love to this beautiful trunk of yours thinking of you and sending my love

Bonnie Rose: Beyond Impermanence Posted by Elizabeth Pimentel-Gopal, Mar 27 2020 [Below are Bonnie's reflections from our "How Does A Heart Of Service Respond?" conversation last week.] It's so great to see everybody -- so many familiar faces and some new faces that I haven't seen yet. And like Reverend Heng Sure, I am a preacher, so just, you know, virtually slap me or wave if I go on too long. I'll do my best to keep it short though. So in listening to all of you speak, one of the things that struck me was an earlier statement about ordinary people becoming sacred and then Preeta referenced it later. And what struck me about that is that it seems to me like it's not only ordinary people becoming sacred, but it's sacred people becoming ordinary, as well, at the same time. And it's like sacred people becoming ordinary, to me, means that we're being drawn down into our commonality and into our ... Read Full Story

Soul-Full Distancing Posted by Peter Frank, Mar 27 2020 Soul-Full Distancing On Friday the 13th, of March 2020, we received a text that our elementary school and the entire district will be closed down; say goodbye to your students and we hope to return a week later. One week has turned into 2 weeks, then 3, then April 20th, now May 1st, and possibly be closed until next school year. A very discerning and stressful time for my 3rd graders, their families, my family, friends, and colleagues. If I’m honest I was an emotional mess, feeling the universal fear and uncertainty that so many have expressed. I could equate this to a butterfly effect of metamorphosis while shaking off old routines. Then on March 20th I had a Kindness Connection Virtual Meeting with Reverend Bonnie Rose and inspirational members of my church community, VCSL; and for the first time I was able to share, connect and process with others. By ... Read Full Story