PERESTROIKA AND GLASNOST

It always takes courage to take up the subject of restructuring—whether it involves just the personal life, or our very society. Openness takes even more courage…and humility.  We are talking about the state and the individual and the relationship between.  Well, structuring, in general, is a big question which involves the relationship of what we might call the “without” to the “within”… and how that might remain always alive and…

ELECTION TIME - A MEMORY

Esalen Institute on election night in 1980…I am participating in an extended study program there which involves honored scholars from a number of disciplines. On this night, Ronald Reagan is winning the election. After dinner, we are all invited to remain in the dining hall for a talk by physicist Fritjof Capra, who is in residence there at the time writing his book THE TURNING POINT. He talks to all of us assembled there about Toynbee’s take on the fall of…

UNICORN RISING

grazing on green violets in spring

we hear with gentle hearts

the soft sounds

of new music

from green gold reeds

as the sun warms a new Dayrose

on slender vines

strong enough to weave new clothes

for the Emperor

born from the breath of the Unicorn

.--Barbara Smith Stoff

THE HEART’S MURMUR…MURMURATION OF THE COLLECTIVE HEART…ON THIS PLANET…

About Birds...and other matters...and remembering Loren Eiseley

As I watch the news, I reflect upon the role Twitter is playing in the shaping of world events, I remember the news images of the hotel bombing in India ...the images of flocks of birds flying back and forth in front of the cameras...the bombed hotel in the background. It was reported that Twitter posts played the first…

a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/30/opinion/mona-simpsons-eulogy-for-steve-jobs.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all%3E">http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/30/opinion/mona-simpsons-eulogy-for-steve-jobs.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all>;

This is a wonderful MUST READ.  My favorite line from Steve Jobs is "...we are naked anyway...so speak from the heart..." this from a commencement speech at Stanford.

--bss

a href="http://instantteleseminar.com/?eventid=23505204%3E">http://instantteleseminar.com/?eventid=23505204>;

Provided by Stephen Dinan's Shift Network...this is a daylong conversation of convergence -- beginning with Barbara Marx Hubbard, Neale Donald Walsh, Duane Elgin, Barbara Fields...The recordings will be archived.  They tell us that as of this morning there are 14,000 registered....it's quite wonderful to listen in here.

--bss

  "SIMPLY GENIUS' AS CODE WORDS ASKING FOR GUIDANCE FROM THAT REALM

A review of Ervin Laszlo's Simply Genius! And Other Tales from My Life

Early on the expression "simply genius" had become his password into the genius beyond. This password came to him through music. His mother, who first taught him to play the piano, told him when he was yet a small child, "Just live yourself into the music." Out of this experience came his personal code…

NAVIGATING THE CHAOS GRACEFULLY – A review of Kingsley Dennis’ new book (just published by Inner Traditions), New Consciousness for a New World: How to Thrive in Transitional Times and Participate in the Coming Spiritual Renaissance

By Barbara Smith Stoff

While writing of how whole systems undergo change and evolution, and with an eloquent foreword by Ervin Laszlo who is often considered the “father” of systems science and change, Dr. Dennis writes comprehensively…

Barbara Smith Stoff

ICARUS REMEMBERED

Ethics and the World Crisis: A Dialogue with the Dalai Lama

This unique discussion features the Dalai Lama as the guest speaker at an event filled with respected journalists, environmentalists, economists and politicians, as they tackle issues such as the many ethical trials we all face in this new day and age. Also included is information about the Tibet House and appearances by Dr. Helen Caldicott, Amy Goodman, Dennis Kucinich, Susan Sarandon, Rev. Al Sharpton, Russell…

Sheldon Stoff (co-author with me of CONSCIOUS EVOLUTION: THE DANCE OF INTUITION AND INTELLECT) has studied KABBALAH for ever so many years and DAVID SPARENBERG’S “FROM KABBALAH” set us to thinking. 

As we are also ever so much preoccupied with our present crisis in/of evolution, we want to respond with our own thoughts as though we walk along the path with David in conversation from the heart. We take quite seriously the idea, and the responsibility, that none of us really knows when…

Barbara Smith Stoff

ICARUS REMEMBERED