Incubator of compassionate action.

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You heard of that fun game Wordle? It just got sold. MIT's EdX platform for learning went for-profit too. Same with photo-sharing site Unsplash. "Almost no one is arguing that this is a bad deal," Forbes wrote of the MIT deal, of markets gobbling up intrinsically motivated projects that nurture the commons. The larger problem with price-tags is that it crowds out the priceless.

Fortunately for us, the priceless multiplies at the speed of love. Last month, 300 people joined a 21-day New Story pod. On the first call, Nina spoke about a profound encounter with an author who changed her relationship to money; Jennifer eagerly followed, "Oh, I have to say this. I first encountered ServiceSpace 20 years ago at that author's home." That author, Lynne Twist, heard of the serendipity and is now supporting our Laddership Pod. See more below.

Similarly, bunch of podmates referenced Carrie Newcomer's music in their daily reflections. Picking up on the pattern, we wondered if Carrie might surprise everyone by joining our closing call. Given her 19 solo albums, a Grammy, and an Emmy, one might consider it a long shot. But the priceless works in mysterious ways. Not only did Carrie come for the song and stay for the entire 2 hours, but she was so moved by the emerging context that we are now hosting a Mystical Music Pod with her this month!

The beauty of such work is that it never really ends. It multiplies endlessly, not through the forces of markets or media, but through Nature's innate propensity to harmonize the good. Engaging with such a movement not only benefit us but it reveals a new collective pattern that benefits all!

Thank you.

 

 

LADDERSHIP POD

Our Laddership Pod is back! Every time we run this Pod, we are floored by the compelling transformations and its outbound ripples into the world. The 4-week immersion into ServiceSpace values invites us attune to context before content -- how does our inner transformation affect our external impact, and how do we design for discerning the dynamic "middle way" between emergence and planning, grit and surrender, self-care and self-sacrifice, money and wealth, humility and conviction, transaction and trust? Join a peer-learning community of 100+ change-makers from 20+ countries: Laddership Pod, Starting Feb 13th

To support the journey, five remarkable speakers -- and friends of the ecosystem who have a deep appreciation for our shared values -- will join us:

  • Lynne Twist spent a lot of time with Mother Teresa, and noticed that she had a curious fundraising strategy: "I pray"; she went on to help many redefine their relationship to money while helping raise over $800M for good causes.

  • Lobsang Phuntsok runs a tribal school in the remote regions of the Himalayas, and perhaps the best way to understand him is to watch the Emmy-winning "best short documentary" about his remarkable heart of service: Tashi and the Monk.

  • As an elder in the B'ahai faith, professor and author, Dr. Michael Penn has been sharing about "Rethinking Power" -- can we really shake the world in a gentle way? You might also remember him for his poignant reflection during the Interfaith Prayer Circle.

  • Stephanie Nash is a Hollywood actress whose meditative absorptions have prompted scientists to study her brain! With infectious enthusiasm, she's helped many reframe their experience of physical pain, while awakening a heart of compassion.

  • V. R. Ferose used his senior-VP status at SAP to create a unique kind of innovation that became a Harvard case study: integrating people on the autism spectrum on his staff. He asks, "How do we engage with multiple forms of capital?" Just last month, he published a book on inclusion with a foreward by the Dalai Lama.

 

 

MYSTICAL MUSIC POD

Perhaps one of her hundreds of songs might've already nourished your journey. Carrie Newcomer is a singer, songwriter, performer and educator. She has been described as a "prairie mystic" by the Boston Globe and one who "asks all the right questions" by Rolling Stone Magazine. Krista Tippett notes that Carrie is "best known for her story-songs that get at the raw and redemptive edges of human reality." As a committed Quaker, Carrie adds, "My songwriting has always had a spiritual current to it. There's a spiritual current in my life, so there is in my work. Otherwise, I'd be censoring something important."

During this week-long musical pod with Carrie, we will start each day with a song, engage in a "hands" practice around it, and share reflections with each other. Through the seed of music, we hope to nurture a garden of heart connections that allows the harvest of our virtue to regenerate in our lives.

 

 

 

WORLD WITHOUT MIRRORS ...

Inspired by the circle of deep kinship that emerged, Monica found the courage to share a song after decades, Linh remixed it, and it ricocheted into Nina offering a mesmerizing song she'd written eight years ago. Its opening lyrics:

In a world without mirrors, how would I see me --
How would you describe what you see?
How would I look through your eyes if my eyes were blind?
Can you tell me what you'd find?


Thank you, all, for the eyes through which you look at the world.



 

ServiceSpace is a unique incubator of volunteer-run projects that nurture a culture of generosity. We believe that small acts of service can nurture a profound inner transformation that sustains external impact. To get involved, you can subscribe to our newsletters or create an account and complete our 3-step process to volunteer.