Volume VIII-Juin-XXMM
One of my favorite Bay Area summer social traditions has always been the Summer Solstice party thrown by Judy Crawford and her team at Crawford Group. Alas, last year’s party was the finale as Judy moved on to different priorities and a move to Santa Rosa. One of the intriguing things she brought to these gatherings was a host of vendors to entertain her guests – from Esalen-trained massage therapists set up in the garage, to henna-tattoo artists, to various spiritual “readers” who had uncanny accuracy to see your past and future through tarot cards, numerology, etc. I had fascinating conversations every time Sally Faubion was in attendance and after every chat with her I was always ready to fulfill my true destiny to lead the planet to higher levels of happiness 😊… such a delightful and empowering figure she is!
Anyway, with that as a backdrop… I receive her customer newsletter and thought this segment from her recent share was really relevant for us. I hope it connects with you as it did for me.
❤️,
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I have turned, as I often do, to one of my favorite books, Faith and Violence, written by Thomas Merton, a Catholic mystic. It is a series of articles he wrote in the 60’s on the Vietnam War, Civil Rights, and violence in general. Sadly, it remains all too relevant, but since he wrote about the human condition, perhaps that should not surprise me.
Merton wrote:
…if we love our own ideology and our own opinion instead of loving our brother, we will seek only to glorify our ideas and our institutions and by that fact we will make real communication impossible.
We can love our brother, or we can love “being right about something” — such a simple and stark beacon to follow! It is this simple quote that is shining a path forward for me. I am inspired knowing that deep, meaningful communication shines a light on blind spots, facilitates broader perspectives, and creates the possibility for social, political, and ecologic innovation. Most important, it is the connective tissue to resonant, heart-centered relationships with others. Regardless of whether one is drawn to protect the environment, strengthen women’s rights, reimagine healthcare, or peacefully dismantle racism in tribute to George Floyd, loving all others over one’s own opinion or ideology is an essential prerequisite.
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