These Powerful Times

Watch out world, here comes Severn Suzuki!

Sal’s February 2009 Newsletter

Dear Lightworkers,

According to many prominent astrologers, we are now officially entering the Age of Aquarius. The popular song stated, “when the moon is in the seventh house and Jupiter is aligned with Mars…” Apparently that configuration is happening around Valentine’s day (Feb. 14th). This, along with a solar and lunar eclipse, is creating an especially powerful pattern among the stars and planets.

All celestial events, including the precessional alignment of 2012, are catalysts for change. They are not the cause of change, except perhaps to satellites and mechanical devices that react to fluctuations in electromagnetic fields. For humans (who have free will), we may feel the influence of these events, but we can choose how to respond to them. For most people, celestial events act as a magnifier and amplifier of energy.

Whatever we hold in our consciousness gets magnified and amplified during a special alignment. That means that if we hold fear in our consciousness, it will become magnified, just as the love we hold in our hearts also becomes magnified. We have a choice - love or fear - and we will see in the manifest world that which we place our focus upon.

In tandem with this perception is the idea that we must embrace both our humanity and our spirituality. Loving and accepting ourselves just as we are, complete with human weaknesses and quirks, is essential. Before we can embark upon a spiritual journey, we must acknowledge where we are and start from there. Avoiding or trying to escape from fear only makes it more real and locks it into place. Instead, it is essential to shine our light directly into the fear, thereby dispelling it. To do this, we must be brutally honest with ourselves, as well as loving and compassionate at the same time.

www.salrachele.com

The Steung Meanchey Landfiil in Cambodia, near Phenom Penh is a dreadful place for a child to grow up. It smells foul, much of it is on fire and its filthy. Yet, over 500 children live and work on top of the garbage, foraging for small bits they can sell. The poverty is among the worst on earth. The dump runs a half mile square and inlike those in developed nations, is an open mountain of garbage. Dump trucks and bulldozers work constantly, adding to the heaps. Destitute families live and work in the landfill, chasing the dump trucks to get the first pick of new refuse. Phenom Penh

Golden Temple, long known for its crunchy organic granola, and gooey Guru Wha Chew candies, puts its mission up front. Created originally as a way to generate funds for peacebuilding organizations, their subsidiary, Peace Cereal turns the old business paradigm on its head. Since their inception in 1997, Peace Cereal has donated over $1 million to peacebuilding organizations. This year they are sponsoring the Peace Film Festival in honor of the UN’s International Day of Peace, as well as many other projects that support a more loving and peaceful planet. ….. Peace Cereal

That fateful day in the fall of 2005, Kyle sat down in front of the 6th and 7th graders, and began talking. “Do any of you ever feel bullied or excluded? What does it feel like?” That got their attention! Surprised that anyone cared, they talked all afternoon with Kyle about their experiences of being teased, of being excluded, of being singled out. Together Kyle and the kids brainstormed ways to make change….. Read More

The Green Festival launched in Seattle the very same weekend as the Dalai Lama’s visit and alot of us thought it would be a scheduling faux paux. But heck no, people shuttled between the two (count us in that club) and a lot of fun was had by all. The Green Festival was a great success, workshops packed, exciting vendors to explore and the Saturday night After Party was a hit! Live music, catered “green” treats, and fabulous people to mix with. There were plenty of stimulating ideas to chew on all weekend, no matter where you were among the events. It was a dynamic weekend, and one that will see its impact I’m sure as the coming months unfold. 

Those of us living in the northwest (USA) hit a lucky streak when the Dalai Lama came to visit this week. His long time goal to spend five days in Seattle to launch his new “movement” finally came to fruition. It seems his intention is to get people moving off their meditation cushions, and to start turning that peace into action. In dozens of sessions with teachers, parents, kids, business people, government officials and more ….. he headed up discussions: what can we each do personally to change the violent society we live in? There were group discussions, masterminds and brainstorms. Small groups filled easel pads with ideas. Five days of getting together and laying tracks for the new. Plus tons of music and celebration. And this is just the beginning - he’s on a roll!

High Holiness was in a grand mood on Saturday, during his big day in the football stadium. Many remarked how the weather changed for him… Seattle had snow both the week before and the week after his visit, but for his one day with tens of thousands of guests outdoors, the sun broke out (a rare event in Seattle) and the temperate shot up to 70 degrees (we barely ever see that in summertime!). Meanwhile, He was giggly and silly, cracking jokes, and having an especially fun time on Tuesday, with Rev. Desmond Tutu, who poked and giggled in his hot fucia outfit beside HH’s red one. It was quite a scene.

This new leap from meditation to compassionate action is a trend I’m noticing, you’ll read more about it in my other blog entries. His Holiness had some great messages: that all the problems we face were created by us, and are fixable by us. He half joked that our problems were largely created by men, and he feels will be resolved if we empower women to address them……Overall we had a terrific time, and look forward to his return. See the video telecasts at www.seedsofcompassion.org

Cindy Katz is one busy mama. With her brood in tow, she’s buzzing from car dealerships to mortgage offices, selling them on reforestation. When Cindy decided to help corporations go green, she meant it. Noting that buying gifts for clients is a common practice, she set out to make sure those gifts were trees planted in the clients’ names. Get the Whole Story

Myra Murphy Jacob is to me, perhaps the most inspiring person that I’ve ever met. While the rest of us bust our butts trying to save the world one person at a time - (most of the hungry and destitute in a bad way because of political not natural causes) - Myra decided to change the world by churning out new leaders - strong and powerful, well trained leaders in global sustainability - not your ordinary types. If thats not the fastest way to create lasting change, then I don’t know what is.

Myra’s program is called Sustainable Global Leadership Alliance (SGLA). She researched the best programs available today and brought their dynamic teachers together, to grow young adults into the ones we are waiting for. In just nine weeks, she delivers training in globalization: deep study of how the current economical and political scene works, and how it creates the problems we’re facing. She brings in top thinkers on sustainability and dives into a running conversation on what sustainability means, and what kind of action it calls for. She gives these 16-22 year olds solid personal skills in public speaking, financial management, personal emotional intelligence, empowered communication techniques, fundraising and tons more. And she takes them to India for three weeks, to have a look at the world for themselves.

The youth who have graduated from SGLA so far, (its only 3 years old) have blown us away. They are on fire. They are geared up with tools and skills. They have each gone forward to begin making change in their communities, and some in the bigger society. Two have received national awards for their work. All have truly become the leaders we are waiting for.

Hats off to this amazing woman!

SGLA was founded in Alberquerque, and is launching in 5 new cities in 2008 - Philadelphia, Boulder, Bellingham WA, San Francisco, Portland OR, and in 2009, Dallas. MORE about SGLA