Dear Reader,
Today is my 61st birthday and I’d like to give you a gift. Here is a free edition of Kosmos Quarterly, Spring, 2019 Rising Earth Awareness | Climate, Consciousness, and Community. Please keep the link private: https://www.kosmosjournal.org/product/kosmos-spring-quarterly-findhorn-2019/
Many of you have never seen the Quarterly, so this is your chance to enjoy a very special edition, dedicated to the themes of the climate gathering in Findhorn, Scotland, (CCC19) and our own concurrent gathering in Media, April 20-23. Enjoy essays by Joanna Macy, Margaret Elphinstone, Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Michael Lerner, and much more.
We know that in the coming years, changes in our global climates will affect nearly every aspect of our lives. Maybe I, and others of my generation, will miss the most severe consequences of these changes. Maybe not. What is undeniable is the obligation to do everything we can in this lifetime to help slow, stop, and reverse the harmful effects of the exploitation mindset that has dominated civilization for so long. Because many have already suffered the consequences, and more will in years to come, including our children and all living beings.
Yes, many of us are already conscious of the situation. The next step is connecting as beloved community for greater impact. Together, we acknowledge the painful facts, formulate the most appropriate response at this time, and share the practices that will help us stay sane and resilient. Thank you for supporting the Kosmos Community in this important shared work.
Here is a first look at Day Two of the Kosmos Climate, Consciousness and Community Summit
Sunday, April 21 | Day Two
Full Summit and Day-Passes are available here.
8:00 | Morning begins with an optional sitting meditation and gentle yoga. Our yoga instructor is our own Associate Editor, Victoria Price! Victoria earned her 200-hour yoga teacher certification in 2016 from Chandra Yoga International in Dharamsala, India.
9:00 | Following regular registration and breakfast, the morning is devoted to workshops. The number and locations of breakout sessions will be determined by the number of participants. Following morning announcements, attendees pick up a schedule and a map and head out to their first Session!
10:00-11:15 | WORKSHOPS SESSION 1 (Easter Service option at First Methodist)
11:45-12:30 | WORSHOPS SESSION 2
A sampling of workshops
(image) Official Al Gore Climate Reality Presentation
A decade after AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH brought the climate crisis into the heart of popular culture, former Vice President Al Gore has trained climate champions worldwide on the present crisis. At a Climate Reality presentation, you’ll learn the most current facts about local and global climate effects, as well as what you and your group can do to help create a better future for the planet.
Forest Art Walk
(image) Here’s the concept in short. Walk in the forest. Find interesting things. Create art. First as a group. Then in pairs. And finally on your own.
The idea was initiated by some of the volunteers at Healing Forest project. Healing Forest project consists of a group of like minded forest friends trying to help people reconnect with nature. The aim is simple. Helping people heal. Helping forests heal.
Art can be healing, just like nature. When we create art in nature we are connecting to something deep within ourselves. To something which is the source of all ideas, inspiration and insight. It gives us new eyes to see with, new ears to hear with and a new understanding. An understanding, that our life is but art in the canvas of nature.
Paul Hawken’s Drawdown Presentation
(image) The well-known book, DRAWDOWN, refers not only to the need to arrest greenhouse gas emissions, but the equally important goal of pulling them out of the atmosphere. It is the point where atmospheric greenhouse gases peak and begin to decline year-by-year as more carbon is sequestered back into the earth. trees, grasslands and wetlands sequester carbon. Also, eight of the top-20 most effective global warming solutions found by Drawdown researchers are food-related. Find out why.
Pachamama Alliance, Introduction to Awakening the Dreamer
(image) Awakening the Dreamer was created in response to an invitation from the Achuar people of the Ecuadorian Amazon to work in partnership to shift the dominant culture of consumption and alienation to one that honors and sustains all life. Examine the ways in which the current “dream” of the modern world is impacting the environment, our relationship with one another, and our own sense of purpose.
…and More (all workshops subject to change)
2:30 | Return to the Main Hall for some inspirational singing after lunch
3:00 | Streamed from FINDHORN, SCOTLAND | Vandana Shiva
(image) Vandana Shiva PhD is a world-renowned environmental thinker, activist, physicist, feminist, philosopher of science, science policy advocate and author of 20 books. She has taken on what is likely one of the greatest challenges of climate change – feeding a growing population without further harming the Earth. Vandana was awarded the Right Livelihood Award in 1993. http://vandanashiva.com/
“Soil teaches us how to be earth citizens.”
“We will either make a democratic transition from oil to soil or we will perish.”
“Soil is the metaphor of decentralized and deep democracy.”
3:30 | Presenter, Martin Pepper of Transition Town Media
(image) What is your personal resilience score? Transition activist and energy expert Martin Pepper will help you find out. How prepared are you in the event of an emergency? How will your food, water and energy needs be met? This is not ‘doomsday’ planning, but rather a sober exploration of preparedness during a time when more and more communities are facing unexpected shocks.
4:00 | Transition Town Panel, What it Takes
(image) What is Transition? Learn about the thriving Transition Town of Media, PA from the community leaders who guide it. Start your own grassroots community initiatives to increase self-sufficiency and reduce the potential effects of peak oil, climate destruction, and economic instability. Climate Change requires urgent action. Adaptation to a world with less reliance on fossil fuels is inevitable and it is better to plan and be prepared than be taken by surprise.
Don’t forget to visit the Transition Town Media Free Store!
5:30 | Silent Ribbon-Tree Procession to Glen Providence Park
7:30 | Middle Eastern food, music and libation at Fellowship Hall
Full Summit and Day-Passes are available here.