What just happened?

Posted on October 13, 2011 by Lauren Van Ham

[This post belongs in a series of 7 entries written to build community and receive donations to support the Climate Ride, a 320 mile cycling pilgrimage I made in October, 2011. Several entries focus on and celebrate the particular efforts of each of the 4 NGOs I designated to receive funds I raised for the ride.]

Oceans

byJuanRamonJimenez

I have a feeling that my boat
has struck, down there in the depths,
against a great thing.

And nothing happens! Nothing…
Silence…Waves…

Nothing happens? Or has everything happened,
and are we standing now, quietly
in the new life?

It’s been one week since my 320 mile journey from Fortuna, CA ended safe and soppy at San Francisco’s City Hall. Since then, with all of you in mind, I’ve been trying to piece together a synopsis of the event – a couple of cleanly written, succinct and inspiring paragraphs to summarize the success of our activism and the mission we accomplished.

Much to my own confusion, I can’t.

It’s not that there wasn’t success, which I’ll get to in a minute. But last Thursday, upon leaving the 124 other cyclists and walking my bike towardBART, I was weighted-down by more than my backpack. I was feeling an unwelcome sense of anti-climax.

Day 1, POURING

In ways I could never have predicted, last week’s Climate Ride was epic: Northern California’s rainy season began the evening of day one, and day two featured a winding 12 mile mountain descent in a downpour. The fourth night delivered a midnightstorm so severe tents were ripped apart. On a brighter note, the week also included miles of coast-side pedaling, paralleling pelicans flying in formation. And, the fortitude of the group was astounding! Individually, each of us admitted we wanted a warm bath and dry clothes, but as a group, we surprised every doubter within by showing-up to breakfast each morning, bedecked in spandex, ready to ride. I am no longer afraid of cycling in the rain, even when my shoes are squishing puddles and the raindrops are forming a waterfall at the end of my nose!

Sun for a second, Day 4

There is a lesson here, right? It’s about meeting adversity, and digging deep into the reservoir that’s created by community. It’s a success well worth mentioning since climate change forecasts include perfectly lousy weather and natural disasters likely to have us wishing for a warm bath, but pushing us instead to ban together and to respond as best we can. And, THIS, I think offers insight to my mood following the ride.

Did we, as Climate Riders, accomplish our mission? We did! Do you know that of the 325 of you on this list, more than 100 of you gave money to my Climate Ride? A 30% response!!! And together, we raised $6500 of the nearly $300,000 received for this year’s Climate Ride beneficiaries. Thank you so, SO much. Your generosity has been incredible.

Was our activism successful? I don’t have an answer because I’m now seeing, it’s the WRONG question. JuanRamonJimenez‘s words above describe perfectly how I feel about “activism” in today’s world. Like you, I like my life to flow easefully along with humor, beauty and love. Death, heartache, and fear are messy and inconvenient. Riding every mapped mile of the Climate Ride did not bring an end to the grief I feel toward what could be a future none of us would wish for, nor did it immediately change the decisions made by CEOs and political leaders around the world. But this doesn’t mean that “nothing happened.”

Dear CEOs of America...

Arrived!

Cycling through the hush of the redwood groves, riding high above the white caps hitting the jagged rocks below, attempting to mimic those incredible pelicans in flight, I was reminded to soften (my grip), to relax (into the downhill), and to love (in the face of uncertainty). And, like it or not, you were all there with me!

Last Thursday morning, preparing to ride our final 40 miles into San Francisco, the rain showers grew louder and louder upon the make-shift meal tent. One of our pack reveled fervently, “Harder! HARDER!!!!” And the rest of us, heads thrown back, joined-in, howling hearty invitations to the pouring skies. In the face of life’s inevitable hurts, inconveniences and uncertainties, a practice of “inviting in” might be the best plan there is. Did nothing happen? Did everything happen? I’ll let you decide. Thank you, all, for taking this Climate Ride with me, and for showing me, again, this ever-anew life.

City Hall, San Francisco

What is Losing?

Posted on September 30, 2011 by Lauren Van Ham

“Tut, Tut, it looks like rain.”

– ChristopherRobin, Winnie-the-Pooh

“View all problems as challenges. Don’t run from them, condemn yourself or bear your burden in saintly silence. You have a problem? Great. More grist for the mill. Rejoice, dive in and investigate.”

– Ven. Henepola Gunaratana, Mindfulness in Plain English

Last week, in the final throes the fundraising countdown, I mused about winning. I’ve enjoyed conversations with several of you this week about ‘fessing-up to my competitive nature. AND…as an aspiring non-dualist, it got me thinking a lot about losing. What is losing?

I’m seeing that, for me, losing happens when I shut down. Do you know the sort of “shutting down,” I’m talking about? There are 3 times I feel it most: when I’m afraid, when I “know” something (HA!), and (this is a tough one) when I’m feeling self-conscious. Yep, alone or in combination, these are the perfect ingredients for me to shut down…and in such a moment, I have EVERYTHING to lose.

On Monday I learned, along with my fellow Climate Riders, that rain is in next week’s forecast…for at least 3 of the 5 days. “Oh, Nooooooooo,” the voice reverberated though my head. It was fear kicking-in and I began to shut down. …THEN, I remembered how just the day before, I’d spent the morning cycling in the rain. I re-visited the experience in my mind: I was dry beneath my windbreaker; the redwood trees above leant extra shelter from the falling drops; my brakes responded perfectly, and my friends and I arrived safely at our destination. Truth be told, many moments of the ride were beautifully pleasant! Hmmmm….

Riding between raindrops, Hwy 1

Before climate change began, it was fairly safe to presume September and early October were rain-free times in Northern California. And while rain isn’t exactly a problem, I tend to believe that climate change is. I could be wrong, so I will hold the question openly, trying to notice when my fear or righteous indignation kick-in. I will try instead, for these next 5 days to un-self-consciously, sing in the rain and practice the instructions offered above by the Venerable Gunaratana, “Rejoice, dive in and investigate.”

I believe that responding to climate change is a GROUP activity. I know most of you agree because the support you’ve shown me in my fundraising these past months has been incredible. You’ve already done so much, and I encourage you to ride along next week. Let’s rejoice, dive in and investigate this beautiful, messy, amazing world of ours together! Reportedly, cell and wireless service is spotty at BEST along our coastal route, but should the cell gods and goddesses smile, check my Google Plus posts. Don’t worry! If a techno-phob like me can do it, you can too.

Bien Viaje!

Alright, I’m off…but, wait! You’re still caught in winners/losers suspense, huh? I came in 2^nd and won a trip to Glacier National Park! How fun is that?? Thanks for all your support!

Lauren Muses about Winning

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Lauren Van Ham

“This is not about the whales anymore. It’s about us.”

– Thomas L. Friedman

“Live in Joy; live in Peace, even among the troubled.”

–The Buddha

Last weekend, I received an email that really surprised me. Climate Ride organizers wrote to let me know I was $32 behind the TOP Fundraiser for the Ride. Wow, only $32!!! …And then the other emails came, reminding all us cyclists of the incentives and the prizes we could win. Having paid very little attention to incentives thus far, I watched my response: “Hmmmm, what could I win?” And then, “What am I talking about? I don’t need anything.” Which was followed by, “Lauren, are you afraid to win? Is winning a bad thing?”

Are you familiar with this conversation? I used to deny that I was a competitive person. While I’m not totally comfortable with winning, what’s more true, is that I really hate losing. I like it when we all succeed….together! So what does this mean in regards to climate change and the health of our Earthly home? For starters, the Friedman quote above is short-sided and we all know it (evenTom). If the whales lose, we all lose. More compellingly, though, I am struck by the Buddha’s invitation – to find a place of joy and peace, and to stay with it, despite the challenges surrounding us. This practice doesn’t place value on winning or losing, but rather on showing up and being present, for whatever is happening. It’s a highly active response and one that requires a great deal of tending.

Tomorrow, Sept 23^rd, the fundraising totals for the Climate Ride will be tallied. Will I win? Will I lose? Ack! I feel a tightening in my chest!!! I’m cycling in the Climate Ride so that we might ALL win – the whales, the trees, the earthworms, all of us; AND…I’m cycling in the Climate Ride as part of my practice to show up for that which is without guarantee. I have no idea if humans will win or lose in our struggle to protect the Earth and Her species. Amidst, the eco-news that can be troubling indeed, I intend to cultivate joy and peace, whenever and wherever possible.

For those of you who’ve already given, thank you very much! AND, If you’re someone who would still like to give, you have ONE day left! Thank you all so much for your support!

We’re Mammals and We’re Wild!

Posted on September 16, 2011 by Lauren Van Ham

Happy Friday! There are two weeks left until the Climate Ride. My training rides have gotten longer and my legs are (I think!) ready for the gusty winds and infamous hills jagging up and down the Pacific coast.

This week, I’m giving a bow of gratitude to my fourth and final NGO, the NRDC – the Natural Resources Defense Council. In addition to forging strong relationships with influential companies like Walmart, the NRDC has its 300+ lawyers and scientists working in China, India and the Americas to address global warming, the health of the oceans, pollution reduction, defending wild places, and fostering sustainable communities. One visit to their website will illustrate the many-faceted approach of this organization and why they have 1.3 million people like you and me giving them support. They tout great success, they’re good at what they do, AND they share great resources for any of us trying to answer confounding questions like, “which is worse, a conventional car or disposing of a Prius battery?”

This week: NRDC http://www.nrdc.org/

Their mission: To safeguard the Earth: its people, its plants and animals and the natural systems on which all life depends.

Geek Treat: One acre of trees annually consumes the amount of carbon dioxide equivalent to that produced by driving an average car for 26,000 miles. That same acre of trees also produces enough oxygen for 18 people to breathe for a year. More than 20 percent of the world oxygen is produced in the Amazon Rainforest, and one-fifth of the world’s fresh water is in the Amazon Basin. (New York Times, and Rainforest Alliance)

And now…We’re Mammals and We’re Wild!

“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out
going to the mountains is going home; that wilderness is a necessity…”
― John Muir

I don’t know if Muir’s message above is really true or not. I know that I WANT it to be true. I know that it’s true for me, and it’s true for a good many of you, as well. On days when I’m irrationally hung-up on a silly detail, or feeling overly-anxious for no good reason, it’s time spent in nature that brings my being into balance. Digging in the dirt, laying in the grass, smelling the Cedar tree as I pedal passed….these acts of everyday wilderness are a necessity for me. They help me reconcile my human do-ing tendencies, with my human be-ing nature. Wilderness reminds me that amidst all this work and activity, I’m a MAMMAL….and there’s something really, really wonderful about that!

Domesticated Mammal Collaboration

The human mammals working at the NGOs the Climate Ride funds support do a lot of work on behalf of our species. The beautiful reality of inter-dependence, however, means that even more of the work done by the NGOs is done on behalf of the wild spaces and wild species on which our lives depend. Whether it’s walking your tail-wagging friend around the block, or getting lost in the woods for a week with your backpack, I pray each of us cultivates intimacy with the wilderness around us. May we admit the necessity of its place in our action-packed lives and may we celebrate its ability to connect us to our wonderfully mammalian inheritance.

Wild, Wacky Mammals

And since we’ve been talking about it — and it is nearly the weekend — are you ready to do something a little WILD? How about supporting the work of the NRDC by giving to my Climate Ride???

P.S. Congratulations to those of you who received a FREE Green America membership last week. There are still a few Freebies left with a contribution of $50 or more to my Climate Ride. Will that new Green America member be Y-O-U???

Act Local: Meet your Neighbors!

Posted on September 9, 2011 by Lauren Van Ham

I’m in the three week countdown until the Climate Ride! My NGO of the week is Green America, an extraordinary national co-op offering its members free information & consultation, educational grass-roots tool-kits on topics ranging from socially responsible investing to getting off of junk mail, and lots of discounts for earth-friendly, sustainable products and services. Formerly known as Co-op America, Green America has made BIG change possible, by empowering communities at the local level. AND…It just so happens, Green America wants to help me in my fundraising this week, so if you’re tempted by the word FREE, please keep reading.

This week: Green America http://www.greenamerica.org/

Their mission: To harness economic power—the strength of consumers, investors, businesses, and the marketplace—to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society.

Geek Treat: Today, 23.5 million Americans live in food deserts, or communities where residents have little access to fresh, healthy food. Residents in food deserts commonly rely on convenience stores and fast food outlets, which mainly sell high-fat, low-nutrition food. This summer,First Lady Michelle Obama announced the California FreshWorks Fund (CAFWF), a $200 million public-private loan fund that will provide financing for over 1500 grocery stores and other healthy food outlets in the state’s food deserts. AND…Thanks to the Calvert Foundation, you can invest in this fund with as little as $20.

And now…Act Local: Meet Your Neighbors!

The community stagnates without the impulse of the individual.
The impulse dies away without the sympathy of the community.

-WilliamJames

This weekend, as each of us is remembering where we were 10 years ago, on the 11^th of September, I’m thinking about neighbors, literally and figuratively. The phrase, “think global, act local,” gets all its employment because it’s really true. Change begins with one breath, one phone call, one neighborly, “hello,” offered on the street – or in my case – a dinner invitation from over the fence. Do you know your neighbors by name? Have you ever asked them for a lawn rake or a cup of sugar?

Dinner with my neighbors

Neighborhood Bike Ride

In my work as a sustainability consultant, we went to great lengths to explain that “sustainability” isn’t just about “going green.” Living and acting sustainably is connected to health, and economics and tending the unique culture of our communities, as well. I became a member of Green America sometime after 9/11. Reading their publications and participating in their simple, informative grassroots actions have empowered me to start a Low-Carbon Diet group in my neighborhood, switch to a community bank, join a local car-share, make Berkeley a Fair Trade Town, and even grow food that I can share with my neighbors (admittedly, my garden prowess has room for improvement!).

Making Fair Trade Neighbors

In a world where the problems can be so large and so plentiful, it brings me JOYto support my neighbors and their local business endeavors. Together, we’re sharing our resources and finding true wealth. As we remember September 11^th and the change that rippled around the globe that day, may we find heart and take action….locally! The next 10 people who donate $50 or more to my campaign will receive a FREE year-long membership. I told you there was a FREE part! How cool is that?

Neighborhood Dance Party!

Thank you all so much for your support!

The Tar Sands? Let’s RE-create our Behavior

Posted on September 2, 2011 by Lauren Van Ham

Happy Long Weekend!

Last Friday, I featured The East Bay Bike Coalition, a local organization doing work that’s close to my heart, in my neighborhood. I would be remiss, this week, if I didn’t recognize 350.org, a national organization making grassroots activism an international sensation…AND whose founder,BillMcKibbenwas arrested this week while protesting the Keystone XL Tar Sands pipeline.

This week: 350.org http://www.350.org/

Their mission: 350.org is building a global grassroots movement to solve the climate crisis.

Geek Treat: To preserve our planet the way we like to live on it, scientists say we must reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere from its current level of 392 parts per million to below 350 ppm. Using grassroots wizardry (social media) and brilliant simplicity (people & cameras), 350.org invites change at the global level. At the end of 2010, they coordinated a climate art project so large it had to be photographed from a satellite in outer space. WoooHOOOOOOO!

And now… Let’s RE-create our Behavior

We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.

– AlbertEinstein

Climate Change is slow and sneaky in its signs; it doesn’t register for humans with the same urgency another crisis might. The non-profit, 350.org invites us (YOU and ME) to create educational tools and visuals to translate the brain-bending concepts into ideas that invite behavior change. Thank you, 350!

So are we changing our behavior? As we head into the Labor Day weekend, I’m thinking about the word, “recreation.” It’s what we do on weekends, right? Especially 3-day ones, that are set-aside to honor our “labors,” and take a break, no? And while it isn’t always true, I’m struck by how often our acts of recreation are actually creation destructive (i.e., energy-intensive electronics, resource-depleting cruise trips or golf courses). What if the word were, “RE-Creation?” With some creative reframing (see 350.org above), can we care for Creation through our recreation?

Today marks the 13^th day of a 14-day sit-in at the White House to protest the Keystone Tar Sands oil pipeline. Since it began, over 800 people have been arrested in one of the largest environmentally-focused acts of civil disobedience in U.S. history. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/22/opinion/tar-sands-and-the-carbon-numbers.html?_r=1

And the Tar Sands? The Alberta, Canada Tar Sands produce over 36 million tons of carbon dioxide per day, more than 1.3 million cars. Tar sands are the 2nd largest pool of carbon on earth (Saudi Arabia’s oil takes 1st)…and one of the biggest greenhouse gas offenders. Why? The extraction of petroleum from tar sands creates far more greenhouse emissions than conventional production does. Currently, Canada plans to double its tar sands production over the next decade to more than 1.8 million barrels a day – a rate that will mean cutting down some 740,000 acres of boreal forest — a natural carbon reservoir.

To me, this is a big invitation to Re-Create and behave differently. After all, some of the best economy-enhancing ideas we’ve had this year have been about renewable energy, green jobs and closed-loop thinking. Tomorrow, while I’m on a training ride, getting high off the California Redwoods’ oxygen offerings, those brave, creative activists at the White House will deliver a petition asking Obama to ban this silly, uninventive pipeline idea. If you haven’t signed yet, you have time. Go here: http://act.350.org/sign/tar-sands/?rd=1
Thank you all so much for your support!

RITUAL: If I Were You, the Blessing of a Book

Posted on August 27, 2011 by Lauren Van Ham

“A book blessing?” I repeated to my friend Gary. “Well, yea, does that make sense?” he asked. “YES! Why not?” I exclaimed, affirming his instinct, my own, and all the gods’ listening. Each creative act — every courageous, obedient dance with The Muse — is to be honored and celebrated and, by all means, Blessed! And so, on the afternoon of his new book’s release, we made sure its way forward was duly anointed.

Book Blessing for author, Gary Turchin and his book, If I Were You
August 27, 2011

Gary reads, If I Were You

Opening Words:

When I asked Gary about why he wrote this book, he explained that writing this book is part of his Legacy. He told me he felt, “a Call to do something for the Light in this world.” I find this striking: to feel, “Called to do something for the Light in this world.”

The Light, whether we stop to notice it, or feel gratitude for it, or receive it at all, shines on….and Gary decided to honor it with this book.

Reflection:

What are YOU doing for the Light in this world? Perhaps this is book is an invitation for each of us to consider this question….and to respond with one of its suggestions….or one of your own. And so, we’re going to set about to bless Gary’s book now….

Group Blessing:

What words do you remember from this book? [participants call out various words] Yes, yes! All those words and many others. So now, to bless this book – an original act of creativity; and to offer this book as a blessing to the world, I’m going to askGaryto “send” this Earth Ball into the crowd. As the ball finds its way to you, call out your favorite word from the book and bound the ball elsewhere in the crowd. [Words are called out and ball is bounced for a few moments; crowd laughs and engages fully in act of group blessing.]

Sunflowers! Caterpillaring! Nectarines! Holy Mackerel!

Final Blessing / Sending Forth:

May this book motivate those idle and antsy hands to manifest that new masterpiece, Great or mundane;

May this book inspire those dull and deadened minds to new ways of seeing, simple and transformative;

May this book find those hearts – closed or sleeping – and invite them to open and awaken!

Blessings be on Gary, the creator and If I Were You, this book! May it be so!

May it be So!

Why Lauren Bikes

Posted on August 26, 2011 by Lauren Van Ham

Greetings!

In 35 days, I’ll be up in Fortuna, CA, and preparing to ride the 350 miles to San Francisco – 5 days of cycling to celebrate this Earth-home of ours, and to raise awareness about how we can do a better job of taking care of it.

So, SO many of you have already offered support. Thank you for your generosity! And for those of you still wanting to give, you have 4 more weeks. You might recall that I’ve designated 4 NGOs, in particular, to receive the funds raised on behalf of my pedaling. For the time remaining between now and Oct. 2nd,I’m going to focus on 1 NGO a week, highlighting why I think their efforts are important and worthy of your donation.

This week: The East Bay Bike Coalition http://ebbc.org/

Their mission: Promoting bicycling as an everyday means of transportation and recreation since 1972.

Geek Treat: In the United States, 25% of trips are under a mile, but 75% of those trips are made by car. Biking or walking one mile instead of driving will save you at least 15 cents on gas. And what about all those fun interactions with people and your neighborhood when you’re not stuck behind the wheel? (http://www.americantrails.org/resources/health/SuburbBrody.html)

And now….Why Lauren Bikes

“God made so many different kinds of people;
why would God allow only one way to worship”

– Martin Buber

I bike because it’s when my body prays. I bike because it makes me feel strong. I bike because two wheels take me to locations I wouldn’t otherwise see. I bike because I always return from rides feeling different from when I left. I bike because the challenges scare me…and I am someone who needs to lean into her fears directly.

A few years ago, I was riding my first double century – a double century is 200 miles in one day. I became very afraid, suddenly, when I learned a big climb was coming and we’d be working very hard for the next hour. “Climbing for the next hour?” I questioned inwardly. A young voice inside whimpered, “I can’t!” and I wanted to cry….but another harsher voice snapped, “You can’t cry and ride a bike at the same time! Keep moving!”

I finished the climb; infact, I finished the entire 200 miles, but I also became irrationally fearful of climbing. For two months after that ride, I avoided certain roads and noticed an existential distancing between me and my love for meditation on the bike. I knew I had to lean into this fear and find out what it meant.

In sought-out time with a Buddhist teacher, who is also an avid cyclist, he asked, “Lauren, do you KNOW that you can’t cry and ride your bike at the same time? For whatever it’s worth, I had a lovely cry on my bike just last Sunday.” He also questioned wisely, “About how old was the one inside who said she couldn’t? And who was the one who told her she had to?” Before ending our session, he asked me to describe what it was like to finish all 200 miles. Had I even taken time to acknowledge the accomplishment? Ever so gently, with his own tears of joy leading the way, we both wept and celebrated my first double century triumph. I agreed then to address the fears directly by returning to the East Bay hills, and I vowed to let him know what happened.

One week later, on a very foggy morning, I climbed South Park Road, one of Tilden Park’s steepest. Along the way, I spoke to the fear, “You can do it. Look at you: you’re doing it!! You don’t have to go fast; you can stop if you need to….but look at you! You are doing this. Breathe. Pull, push. Breathe.” At the top of the hill, I cried. I cried and pedaled and laughed and whooped my way across the ridge, tears and snot running down my face, while I rode my bike at the same time.

Practice with Parvati, my two-wheeled Guru

I ride my bike because I see Creation from ever-changing angles. I ride my bike because it is meditation in motion. I ride my bike because in our dance together, we find God.

Living Compassion, a homily

Posted on June 25, 2011 by Lauren Van Ham

[This homily was offered at the inaugural (now monthly) service for The Interfaith Congregation for Healing and Creative Ministries]

Living Compassion

Happy Summer! Right now, we are in the season of transformation. In this time of long-lit days, cornstalks stretch high in the fields, grapes grow heavy & plentiful on the vine, and humans gather on porches and patios to tackle projects and share new ideas. It is a time of empowerment and inter-relatedness, and I’ve been asked to share some thoughts about “Living Compassion.”

What do the World Religions say of Compassion? Truly, the sources are many, but to keep this succinct, I’ll offer just a few:

Buddhism: “The Great Compassionate Heart is the essence of Buddhahood” (Gandavyuha Sutra)

Christianity: “…be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.” (1Peter3:8)

Judaism: “The world stands upon 3 things: upon the law, upon worship and upon showing kindness.” (Mishnah, Abot 1.2)

Sikhism: “Make your mosque of compassion, your prayer mat of sincerity.” (Adi Granth, Var Majh, M. 1, p. 40)

Chief Seattle, of theDuwamishNation: “Our God is the same God, whose compassion is equal for all.”

Are we getting this? I imagine I’m quite literally preaching to the choir. Fundamentally, we agree with these texts and teachers…

Hinduism: “When a person responds to the joys and sorrows of another as if they were his own, he has attained the highest state of spiritual union.” (BhagavadGita6:32)

And this experience of spiritual union, of inner peace, our True Nature – call it what you wish – is something for which I imagine we strive. These sacred texts and plenty of other others reiterate what we might label as, “The Golden Rule,” and yet, for me when compassion is presented in this way, it’s just too theoretical. The operative word here isn’t “compassion,” but “living!” This implies active embodiment. And since it’s all too easy to say and make plans about what I’m going to do the NEXT time I encounter another who deserves compassion, I want to invite us to live compassion in this moment, right now.

Place a hand on your heart, and call to mind a few activities that made up your day today. You may have been chipping away at a long-term goal. You may have been addressing an immediate task. First and foremost, did you bring compassion to yourself in this process? Did you speak kindly to your perceived sense of being inadequate or failing? Did you take the moment to celebrate an accomplishment, or to nurse a hurt feeling? Did you firmly guide yourself away from self-destructive tendencies and back into the game when part of you rebelled, threw a tantrum, or gave up? This is living compassion; in this way, our life becomes a sacred text for ourselves and in our relationships with others. And it’s NOT simple!!! It demands vigilance, and tough love, and it’s essential in our pursuit of health, wholeness and peace.

To close, I want to draw upon the strengths of the season at hand. Just a couple of weeks ago, we celebrated the solstice, the longest day of the year. Hafiz, the Sufi poet, reveres the sun thusly,

Even after all this time
The sun never says to the earth,
“You owe Me.”

Look what happens with
A love like that,

It lights the Whole Sky!

Did you know that since it was born a star, our sun transforms 4 million tons of itself – every second – into light?[1] No self-empowerment issues there!!! And talk about inter-related!!?? This outpouring of sunlight creates the photosynthesis upon which our lungs and stomachs depend!

Like sunlight becoming the earth’s vitality, does our living compassion toward ourselves grow inter-relatedness with others and all of life? I believe so…and I invite you to think about it. As you go about your lives in the next days, notice what feels heavy in your heart. What in this world brings fatigue that is yours to tend and transform?

May we set about to penetrate each moment of our lives with compassion. And may we find therein wisdom enough, space enough and love enough to light the whole sky. May it be so!

[1] Swimme, Brian. The Hidden Heart of the Cosmos: Humanity and the New Story, pp. 40-42. Orbis Books, 1996.

Go Ahead, Spend it ALL!

Posted on November 1, 2009 by Lauren Van Ham

“I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die. For the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. It’s a sort of splendid torch which I’ve got to hold up for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing on to future generations.” (George Bernard Shaw)

On October 24th—United Nations Day—people around the planet performed hundreds of actions, stunts and demonstrations of earth stewardship as part of the largest climate awareness day in history. The goal was to build an international campaign that visibly joined science, action and justice to advocate for climate protection.

The day focused on “350,” the number that scientists have determined to be the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide (CO2) in our atmosphere. It can seem a bit overwhelming, I know, but breathe with me for one geeky moment: CO2 gets measured in “parts per million” (ppm), so 350 ppm is the number we must get below globally to sustain ourselves safely on the planet.

Trees for Sky

For many of us, if we don’t understand what’s behind a number, we’re likely to forget it or brush it off as “someone else’s math problem.” Cleverly, 350.org (the non-profit behind the campaign) decided to de-bunk the scientific complexity by creating a different kind of PPM—a “people powered movement.”

So, beginning at dawn in Australia and straight on ‘til twilight in Hawaii, people around the world put a human face on 350: aerial photographs captured large 3-5-0s formed by sailboats in the ocean and by humans clustered on land ravaged by clear-cutting; 350 flags were raised on mountaintops from Mongolia to Antarctica to Yosemite. Trees were planted, church bells rung (350 times!), clowns paraded, and yogis meditated in great imaginative surges of collective vision for all who would receive it.

I spent that morning in the Oregon woods, with a child, named Eliana. Ellie, as she’s called, is nearly two. Together with her Mom, we walked through the crisp air, pausing often—enchanted by the hush of the forest and halted by the golden, red and amber leaves. It was, most certainly, the best climate awareness prayer I could offer at that moment.

“Ellie, do you see how big this leaf is?” I inquired.

Instinctively, she took it in her small hand, as one might a small banner. With one in each hand and with focused fascination, Ellie tottered down the path, flapping her butterfly-leaf wings. The leaves were so big that they wrapped about her torso. In the autumnal light, their color was nearly iridescent.

Ellie and Lauren in Revelry

How do leaves attain this annual greatness and why, then, do they fall? … I’m not really asking for the how or why. Yet I do feel beyond-grateful for nature’s senseless beauty, generosity and surrender.

A great love for our precious, priceless, precarious earth fueled 5,200 events in 181 countries last Saturday.

Thai Buddhist teacher,AjahnChah, instructed, “Do everything with a mind that lets go. Don’t accept praise or gain or anything else. If you let go a little you will have a little peace; if you let go a lot you will have a lot of peace; if you let go completely you will have complete peace.”

Botany does everything with a mind that lets go. Flowers don’t hold back or wait for the hummingbird’s praise. Have you ever seen a zucchini in August “think small”? And now, the leaves. They are not self-consciously withholding; rather, they let go…lavishly so!

In this way Nature shows us to let go, to pour forth, to share our fullest “leaf-selves” generously without fear, expectation, or reservation. Upon reaching the ground, each leaf, thoroughly used up, is received by greater fecundity still. A rich regenerative cycle will support it on its way to re-birth and fruition once more.

Similarly, when our own practice of letting go releases us from thinking small and crawls up from our Divine root system, we can spend our lives and our love freely, faithfully letting go, without attachment to outcomes. We can join withGeorgeBernardShawand, “rejoice in life for its own sake….and burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.”

So…let it go! The planet is inviting humans everywhere to act.

How will you serve the people powered “350”?

Surrender your beauty; give it away and use it up. There is plenty more where it came from.

NOTE: To see nature’s beauty, generosity and surrender in action in the human form, you might enjoy the slideshow waiting for you at: http://www.350.org.

And if those photos feel too global, go local by spending some time with Mother Earth and your favorite child.