HOPE?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  In a well-known essay in Harper's magazine, "Pathologies of Hope," social historian Barbara Ehrenreich takes a stand against hope. She complains that, while she was undergoing treatment for cancer, she was bombarded with "the kitschy positivity of American breast-cancer culture." If you're not positive, so this stance goes, according to Ehrenreich, you're causing your own misery. In her essay she concludes that those who advocate hope as the key to success under any circumstance may actually show intolerance of those who not only don't have hope, but are poor, jobless, sick, or suffering other intractable problems. The activist and writer Rebecca Solnit has a different view. In Hope in the Dark she describes hope not as "a lottery ticket you can sit on the sofa and clutch, feeling lucky," but as "an ax you break down doors with in an emergency, because hope should shove you out the door, because it will take everything you have to steer the future away from endless war, from the annihilation of the earth's treasures and the grinding down of the poor and marginal." For Solnit hope is the impetus for taking action, especially action aimed at social, environmental, or political change. She enthusiastically lists protests and other actions that have resulted in positive change, implying that hope for a good result prompted the actions in the first place. For Ehrenreich hope is not so much an attitude that inspires a certain action as a state of mind one might or might not choose to adopt in a situation one has no real power over. Sitting in a chair while chemotherapy drips into your veins is different from demonstrating against the World Trade Organization. I believe that in circumstances where an act could be the first step to a desired result we must take that action as if it were a sacred responsibility. Taking such an action, however, I am impelled not so much by hope as by the absolute rightness of the act in that moment. In situations where the result is not in my control, as in illness or the life circumstances of a loved one, the nursing of hope holds my thoughts in thrall to the future. It prevents me from viewing the present realistically and counts on intervention by God or a sympathetic legislator or the magic of medicine. Often, plunging into the reality of the moment causes pain, but accepting pain, I immediately open myself up to beauty, generosity, compassion and, again, the courage to take wild and deeply meaningful actions. Holding an outcome in abeyance is difficult. It is a process that forces me to take one step at a time, second by second. In that second, though, I see both the beauty and the tragedy in the instant. I take what is before me as if it were the only moment on Earth. The image above is "Danaids," by J.W. Waterhouse, 1904. The Danaids were Greek sisters condemned eternally to pour water into a cracked urn, punishment for murdering their husbands. |
THANKSGIVING SUNSET ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My husband's and my plans for Thanksgiving changed abruptly a few days before the holiday, so we ended up joining about four dozen other members of my Unitarian-Universalist Congregation of Binghamton, New York for the annual Thanksgiving potluck dinner. In late afternoon we gathered in the social hall, mingled and chatted for a while, and then, when all the food was on the tables, we got our plates, filled them, and settled down to enjoy a wonderful meal together.
There was no ceremony involved, which I, as a great believer in the unifying and transformative power of ceremony, would have appreciated. But there was one unifying and transformative moment that happened anyway and, like most of what I call the world's "invitations," it came without warning and might easily have been overlooked.
Shortly after we had started eating, someone called out, "Look!" We all turned toward the floor-to-ceiling windows that line one wall of the room. The sun had set, and just above the horizon the sky was awash in brilliant pinks--pinks the color of flamingos, of a Schaparelli shocking pink handbag, of blood-oranges bought fresh in a European market. People gasped.
"Turn out the lights!" I called, and someone did.
We all sat there for a moment in the darkness, gazing at the gift of sunset until a few diners began to plead that illumination be returned to their plates. Still, a few of us drifted over to the windows to stand together, watching as the pinks gradually merged into a muted rose before all the color was submerged in night.
The gift of such a sky and the added gift of people to witness it with was a Thanksgiving treat.
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RADICAL JOY FOR HARD TIMES NEWS
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RadJoy at Occupy Wall Street
The protestors should make a list of demands! They should be better organized! They are against too many different things! These are some of the criticisms leveled against Occupy Wall Street and the other Occupy movements that have been spreading around America and around the world since mid-September. According to this point of view, you don't have a right to protest unless you can articulate exactly how you want things to be different.
But sometimes you have to shout out NO before you can articulate a more clearly defined YES.
And we Americans have a lot to say no to. For decades we have mutely submitted to a whole slew of injustices perpetrated by those in power, including a war against Iraq launched wholly upon lies; shenanigans by the mortgage and housing industry that seduced hundreds of thousands of people into believing that they deserved a home they could not afford; a financial system that has brought millions of people to poverty, joblessness, and despair, while wealthy perpetrators continue to earn obscene amounts of money; a war policy that defies the Geneva Conventions by permitting the practice of torture; and denial of global climate change by those who stand to profit from the ongoing exploitation of the Earth. To name but a few.
In November I made a couple of visits to Occupy Wall Street. On one of those occasions I met up with Benny Zable, an Australian performance artist whom I had met at the Parliament of the World's Religions in Melbourne, Australia in 2009. As in Australia, where he stood each day in front of the convention center, Benny was a prominent figure at Occupy Wall Street. He wore a gas mask that covered his head, white gloves, and a long black cloak adorned with such pronouncements as: WORK - CONSUME - BE SILENT - DIE and I RELY ON YOUR APATHY. Mutely he stood on the street, his hands rising and falling slowly.
"I expose people to the dark side of reality," Benny told me. "They see me and they react. They ask themselves, 'Where do I stand?'"
Radical Joy for Hard Times also invites people to look at the dark side. We support people in going to the places where they live and that they love that have become damaged by paving, polluting, mining, and other assaults. We encourage them to go there not to protest or to fight, but to re-acquaint themselves with their love of the place. And, like the Occupiers, we create beauty, meaning, and joy in the present moment. Out of the first no comes the vibrant YES that changes the world.
Become a Charter Member of RadJoy! Radical Joy for Hard Times is now a membership organization, and we invite you to become a charter member! When you become a member for just $35 a year you receive: - a Radical Joy for Hard Times bumper sticker
- a subscription to our quarterly newsletter
- advance notice of our programs and events
- discounts to these programs and events, when there is a fee
For contributions of $100 and above you will receive the benefits listed above, as well as additional gifts, such as a Radical Joy for Hard Times T-shirt and a copy of Essence: Contemplations in Image and Word, photography by Corinna Stoeffl and poems by Stewart S. Warren. |
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MURMURATION ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
A great grouping of starlings is called a murmuration. This stunning video by Sophie Windsor Clive shows that there is wildness left in the world after all. |
WRITING AND WORKSHOP NEWS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My book, The World Is a Waiting Lover, with a foreword by Thomas Moore, author of Care of the Soul, is available from Amazon.com or from your favorite bookstore. It's also available as an e-book!
UPCOMING PROGRAMS from VISION ARROW
 Der Weg der/des Geliebten
Der Weg der/des Geliebten ist ein Herangehen, das Dich ermutigt, lockt und Dich auf etwas ausrichtet, das Dich bereits aus Deiner Tiefe ruft. Während dieses Wochenendes arbeiten wir mit inneren Bildern, der Herstellung von Lebenslandkarten, Dialogen mit Partnern und der inneren Stimme, Storytelling, einer Wanderung in der Natur und vielem mehr.
April 27-29
Eschwege Institut
Eschwege, Germany
May 4-6
Schweibenalp
Brienz, Switzerland
Both programs are for German-speakers.
3rd Annual Global Earth Exchange
June 23
Worldwide
Sponsored by Radical Joy for Hard Times
Join people all over the world as they go to wounded places to find and make beauty, pioneering a path of Earth activism that reconnects people and the places they love and affirms that all places, no matter what has happened to them, are part of the circle of life and worthy of honor and care.
Youth Vision Fast
(recommended for people ages 17-23)
In the high desert of eastern California
Sponsored by the School of Lost Borders
To recognize and mark the moment when a young person turns toward adulthood takes great courage, especially in a culture that has all but forgotten the importance of honoring this transition. With the intention of finding and facing your deepest truths, your strengths and weaknesses, you then turn toward the critical questions: "Who am I to be in the world?" and "What are my gifts?" This opportunity is both a great challenge and a simple task, providing the possibility of returning home with a timeless memory in your bones and a profound connection to the Earth, ready to embark on the life-long quest of finding and making your place in the world.
Guides: Will Scott and Trebbe Johnson
Tuition: $700-$1,100 (sliding scale)
Lead Like a River has been chosen by the Times of London as one of the "20 Retreats That Will Change Your Life"! The article will appear in the paper in January and we expect the program to fill quickly, so register early!
Lead Like a River
August 4-11
Atlas Mountains, Morocco
Being clear on who you are and what you stand for, defining your vision and inspiring others to act are all key competencies of your leadership. Mastering this is a lifelong journey, and this program in the Atlas mountains provides the ideal opportunity to reflect on your path, gain strength through connecting with nature, and listen to what is important and meaningful to you.
You'll stay at the beautiful Kasbah du Toubkal, just one hour from the Marrakech airport. This hidden Shangri-la is pearched on rocks with stunning views of remote valleys and the summit of Mount Toubkal, the highest mountain in North Africa. We will spend five nights in the Kasbah and one night in a mountain lodge that we will trek to. You will have a dawn-to-dusk solo in a wilderness place of your choosing, where you will reflect on both the landscape around you and the landscape within as you mark your passage to a new height of personal leadership.
Program is limited to ten participants.
Guides: Eugene Hughes and Trebbe Johnson
Cost: €3,300 / $4,250 (includes all meals and lodging and transportation to Kasbah du Toubkal Lodge; does not include airfare)
Fifth Annual Bali from Within
August 23-September 3
Bali, Indonesia
Bali from Within is our fifth annual journey into the heart of one of the most beautiful places in the world, geographically, culturally, and artistically. In this trip, which is limited to only 6 participants, we work with Balinese guides who, over the years, have become dear friends. Together you will explore Bali in ways that tourists cannot do:- visit the sacred spring Tirta Empul and receive a blessing therehike through beautiful, lush forests to visit a great waterfall, a gigantic and historic banyan tree, and maybe drop in at the home of the renowned gamelan musician, Made Trip
- join in the gala celebrations of Galungan, when the Balinese welcome the spirits of the ancestors back to the villages
- take a village walk and learn about sacred architecture and its role in everyday life
- enjoy a day at Bali Botanica, a spa by a riverside in Ubud
- hike through rice paddies and forests where native trees mix with cultivated planand share reflections and responses each night in a Council with our own small group
Guides: Trebbe Johnson, Rucina Ballinger, A. Agung Gde Putra Rangki, and Nyoman Sutarya
Cost: $3,900 For a complete itinerary, see Bali from Within on the Vision Arrow website.
 Sahara Desert Vision Quest and Camel Caravan (Late December-mid-January 2013-dates to be announced) Southern Algeria Following the steps of intrepid seekers throughout the ages who have been drawn to the desert to fast and pray for guidance, we venture into the greatest desert of all: the Sahara. Our guides are a group of nomadic Tuareg, a matriarchal people known for their love of the desert, poetry, camels, and beauty.
Our base camp is truly remote, reached after 1-2 days travel by Land Rover, followed by 4-5 days in a camel caravan. Your three-day solo will take place in a place of your choosing, in a desert valley or in a black basalt wilderness. To undertake this quest, you must have an adventurous spirit and be prepared to sleep under the stars, immerse yourself in the ways of another culture, experience hot days and cold nights, live three weeks without a shower, and move fearlessly into a life of meaning and fulfillment.
Guides : Sabina Wyss, Trebbe Johnson, Adem Mellakh, and Tuareg hosts
Cost : 5,555 Swiss Francs, (approximately $6,300.00), including all meals, camping fees, riding camel, land transportation in the desert, and air travel from a European city to Tamanrasset, Algeria
For more information about Vision Arrow programs, see our website.
Call 570 727 4272 or email Trebbe if you have questions or would like to talk about any of these programs. |
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