New Dimensions

Frankel recommends that we not make a habit of focusing on the obstacles on our life paths. Rather, we should consider the open spaces before us as our guides. She further suggests that we designate some time each month to take a “wordfast” and points out that “Silence is a precious commodity and if we don’t create space for ourselves we’re going to drown in our words.”Tags: Estelle Frankel, uncertainty, worry, anxiety, Antonio Machado, faith, fear, Judaism, Passover, Moses, Exodus, the farmer’s good luck and bad luck story, teleological questions, logotherapy, Rilke, The Tower, Yod Hey Vav Hey, YHVH, Eheyeh, Ishbitzer, courage, imagination, mourning, silence, Dr. Laura Stachel, Naomi Newman, Snake Talk, Psychology, Philosophy, Religion, Relationship

Lane drew a circle on a map that represented a one-mile radius from his home, and explored every facet of the place including the topography, history, ancient and current citizenry, and industry. This exploration sharpened his sense of place, and serves as a model for how we might look at our own homes, terrain, and communities. John Lane is an associate professor of English at Wofford College. His writing has been published in Orion, American Whitewater, Southern Review, Terra Nova, and Fourth Genre. He's the editor of the digital newsletter "Kudzu Telegraph."  His books include: Waist Deep in Black Water (University of Georgia Press 2004), The Woods Stretched for Miles (University of Georgia Press 1999), Chattooga: Descending Into the Myth of Deliverance River (University of Georgia Press 2005), Weed Time: Essays from the Edge of a Country Yard (Hub City Press 1996), As the World Around Us Sleeps (Briarpatch Press 1992), Circling Home (University of Georgia Press 2007), My Paddle to the Sea: Eleven Days on the River of the Carolinas (Wormsloe Foundation Series) (University of Georgia Press 2012)Tags: John Lane, community, History, Travel, Spartanburg SC, Spartanburg, South Carolina, Geography, Pacolet River, Home, South Carolina Piedmont, Clovis Point, Circling Home, Paleo Indians, Community, Ecology, Nature, Environment, History, Travel

There is much opposition to the programs reintroducing wild wolves into their natural habitat, at least some of which stems from our mythological view of wolves as standing for all that is vicious, dangerous, and savage. The recovery activity for this endangered keystone species is a long game. Here Peterson outlines this uphill endeavor on their behalf. Brenda Peterson is a novelist, nature writer, and writing teacher. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Orion Magazine, and O: The Oprah Magazine. She’s a regular commentator for Seattle NPR and the Huffington Post.  She is the author of eighteen books, including Build Me an Ark: A Life with Animals (W. W. Norton 2001), Duck and Cover (Backinprint.com 2004), I Want to Be Left Behind: Finding Rapture Here on Earth (Da Capo Press 2010), Wolf Haven: Sanctuary and the Future of Wolves in North America (coauthor Annie Marie Musselman) (Sasquatch Books 2016), Wolf Nation: The Life, Death, and Return of Wild American Wolves (De Capo 2017).Tags: Brenda Peterson, keystone species, wolves, trophic cascades theory, Christina Eisenberg, coyotes, wild dogs, OR7, Amoruk Weiss, Yellowstone, alpha wolf pair, Lobo and Blanca, Aldo Leopold, Gifford Pinchot, wolf howling, wolf song, Rick McIntyre, Mexican Gray wolf, Wolf Haven, Community, Animals, Ecology, Nature, Environment

Robert Atkinson offers a deeply thoughtful view of conscious evolution drawn from the continuous wisdom of the world’s religions. He inspires hope as he traces love’s unifying power throughout history, and encourages us not to be distracted by seeming setbacks. He says, “love is the spiritual activism of our time.”  Robert Atkinson’s books include: The Gift of Stories: Practical and Spiritual Applications of Autobiography, Life Stories, and Personal Mythmaking (Praeger 1995), The Life Story Interview (Sage 1998), Remembering 1969: Searching for the Eternal in Changing Times (Baha’i Publishing 2008), The Story of Our Time: From Duality to Interconnectedness to Oneness (Sacred Stories Publishing 2017)Tags: Robert Atkinson, sacred story, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Pete Seeger, Joseph Campbell, mandala of Earth, unity in diversity, the golden rule, Bahá'u'lláh, Bahá'í, Charles Darwin, equality of women, earth stewardship, Mythology, Religion, Science, Spirituality, 

Andrew Forsthoefel created for himself a coming of age ritual. After graduating from college, he took a year to walk 4,000 miles across America. Along the way, he experienced the hospitality and wisdom of hundreds of strangers and encountered countless remarkable stories. He reveals how he become a trustworthy listener. Tune-in and be inspired by this authentic tale. He is the author of Walking To Listen: 4000 Miles Across America, One Story At a Time (Bloomsbury 2017)Tags: Andrew Forsthoefel, fear, generosity, asking questions, racial prejudice, stealth camping, Agape House, Rainer Maria Rilke, Walt Whitman, solitude, loneliness, Home Place, Navajo Reservation, Selma, Alabama, Death Valley, listening, Community, Personal Transformation, Death & Dying, Indigenous Wisdom, Peace, Nonviolence, Travel

Bienkowski grew up in Siberia, his family exiled by the Communist regime. In a life that began with nothing, living on soup made from discarded potato peelings, he learned that true wealth and happiness come from giving, and made his way observing the true value of gratitude, forgiveness, and understanding. He worked as a clinical psychologist for forty years, often connecting with institutionalized patients previously deemed hopeless. Since his retirement, he has continued to work as a teacher, lecturer, and hospice caregiver.  He is the author of One Life to Give: A Path to Finding Yourself by Helping Others (Co-author Mary Akers)(The Experiment 2010)Tags: MP3, psychology, death, dying, dreams, personal transformation, Siberia, Poland, Soviet Union, radical gratitude, hope, listening, survival, love, fear, Naikan, Philosophy, Psychology

Van Gelder launched a 12,000 mile trip across America to explore the many dynamic movements taking root around the country. She collected a myriad of stories and examples that give us hope for our future. She observes that the sustainable systems change that is required in these threshold times is now being modeled on local levels across the country. She is the author of: The Revolution Where You Live: Stories from a 12,000-Mile Journey Through a New America. (Berrett-Koehler Publishers 2017)Tags: Sarah van Gelder, poverty, wealth, inequality of wealth, Otter Creek Montana, Coal strip mining, Bakken Oil fields, fracking, Turtle Mountain Chippewa, community, potlucks, isolation, DIT, Do It Together, Halima Cassells, swap meets, extractive economies, sharing economies, Greensboro N.C., farmers markets, Whitesburg Kentucky, Appalshop, Archimedes, Community, Social change/Politics, History, Indigenous Wisdom

Marianchild has trained herself as an amateur naturalist watching wildlife, leading nature walks, and giving slide presentations. Here she shares the delight that comes from walking slowly or sitting quietly in nature, including how we might go about discovering our local eco-system. Kate Maranchild is the author of: Secrets of The Oak Woodlands: Plants & Animals Among California’s Oaks (Heyday 2014)Tags: Kate Marianchild, acorn woodpeckers, western scrub jay, corvids, titmouse, Oak Woodlands, newts, manzanita, keystone species, California ground squirrels, wasps, ants, poison oak, woodrat, Christmas bird count, Ecology/Nature/Environment, Personal Transformation

Expert in emotional freedom and addiction healing, Raphael Cushnir, discusses the power of emotions and how to release them. Topics include surfing through difficult emotions, navigating them with attentiveness and compassion, and rewiring the brain through fully feeling emotions. Learn how to find emotional freedom and heal addictions.

For decades, Diana Leafe Christian has been researching and giving workshops on ecovillages. She feels that sociocracy is one of the most effective methods of governance for serving intentional communities. It is a whole-system science that goes a step beyond consensus- governing practices. It uses transparency and inclusiveness, and creates a resilient and coherent system.Tags:  Diana Leafe Christian, intentional community, intentional communities, sociocracy, consensus governance, Earthaven Intentional Community, Ernest Callenbach, Ecotopia, NVC, Non-violent communication, Marshall Rosenberg, conflict resolution, majority rule, circles, committees, power with, power over, Community, Social Change, Politics