Farm Fresh News - December 2018

Our beloved Kate turns 100 on December 15!
Dear Friends,
As we enter the month of Winter Solstice, I am reminded of the importance of honoring those who have led the way on the path of Truth, often at great sacrifice. Change does not come through wishful thinking, but through perservernce. It does not come fro the top down, or because the majority were suddenly illuminated, but from the conscious effort of a small number of people dedicated to a cause, a mission, those who pushed and pushed to move things forward.
 
Simultaneously, we recognize that opposing forces are two halves of a whole, and that we are one with all that is. Rather than counter force with an opposing force, we counter hate with greater love, violence with nonviolence, lies with truth.

In difficult times, the way we maintain our strength is through love, through family and freindships, through a commitment to kindle the fire of peace in our hearts, that we may use it to provide wamth to those around us.
 
May you find warmth through the light of a candle, the return of the sun, and the glow of a loving hug!
 
Peace,
Douglas
 
P.S. Let me quickly announce I will be hosting a Summer Retreat June 20-22: Dances of Universal Peace, plus swimming, hiking, great food and great music! The idea is to have a time and place where families can come, bring their kids and celebrate life! I am still working out the details regarding pricing, but you can see a little bit of what's in store on my web site. Let me know if you are interested.
 
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A Spiritual Teacher of Our Time: Baba Ram Das
 
Before I met Stephen Gaskin and joined The Farm, the most influential spiritual teacher in my life was a man called Baba Ram Das. He is most often known just as Ram Das (Servant of God), to the point that his English name, Richard Alpert, has been almost entirely forgotton.
 
Richad Alpert was a professor at Harvard, who in 1961, was given psilocybin, the psychedelic component of magic mushrooms, by his fellow professor and collegue, Timothy Leary. Nothing would ever be the same, for him, or for all of us.

Left: Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert at Harvard - Right, after traveling to India, returning as Ram Das
 
 
Be Here Now, a book written by Ram Das and published in 1971, was the stepping stone for many of us to the spiritual path. These were the days when the anti-war movement was struggling after the election of Nixon, and it became clear that that politics alone would not be the solution, that we needed to reach deeper, and acknowledge the spirit of mystery that had touched our hearts and souls through the psychedelic experience.
 
Deborah and I spent a week with Ram Das back in 1972, when we were living in a yoga ashram in Phoenix, Arizona. One of his former students from Harvard, who had also traveled with him to India, was living there as an American Saddu (a holy man mystic) and he invited Ram Das to come visit. Of course those of us at the ashram were thrilled to have darshan (direct dialog, with questions and answers) night after night. Our time with him gave Deborah and I much needed perspective and exposure to what having a spritual teacher was all about, tools we used in checking out Stephen Gaskin..
 
In the 1970s Ram Das worked to establish various nonprofits and projects, such as the Hanuman Foundation's prison-ashram project. He co-founded SEVA (selfless service in Hindi) with consumate hippie activist Wavy Gravy, partnering with health workers treating the blind in Indai, Nepal and other countries, including Guatemala.
 
Ram Das has continued to provide teachings throughout his entire life, even after a stroke in 1997 paralyzed the right side of his body.This in itself was a profound teaching, that we are not separate from the body in this stage of our journey, and that while, as Budhism teachs, "All life is suffering," we must also be aware that every moment is prescious, despite our hardships and difficulties.
 
The Essential Ram Das
 
If you are unfamiliar with Ram Das, you might want to check out this story that just came out in GQ Magazine, which follows his entire life to the present day. 
The Unified Theory of Ram Das, GQ Magazine, Dec 2018 
 
 
I recently began reconnecting with the teachings of Ram Das through a weekly podcast put out by his nonprofit, the Love Serve and Remember Foundation. It features lectures from the 80's as well as more recent talks.You can find it on iTunes, but by going to his web site, you can filter the subject matter by subjects such as aging, mindfulness,service and more.
 

Quotes from Ram Das:
“As we grow in our consciousness, there will be more compassion and more love, and then the barriers between people, between religions, between nations will begin to fall. Yes, we have to beat down the separateness.”
 
“Every religion is the product of the conceptual mind attempting to describe the mystery.”
 
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High on the Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee, The Highlander Center continues to work for Justice.
 
A Visit to Highlander 
Recently some friends and I made a pilgrimage to the legendary Highlander Center, a focal point for the civil rights movement, and a place still on the forefront of social justice issues. Highlander is perched high on the Cumberland Plateau, about 20 miles outside Knoxville, Tennessee, with a beautiful vista of the distant mountains of the Smokies. The view itself inspired hope that all things are possible, and that ultimately, "change is gonna come." The Highlander Folk School was originally founded in 1932 to support the labor movement and the formations of Unions, which were meeting fierce resistance, especially in the south.
 
Highlander was originally located closer to Chattanooga, near a place called Monteagle, TN. It was at this location where meetings took place between Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks as they developed the strategies for the Montgomery Bus Strike of 1955. The strike lasted 13 months, and ultimately ended with a Supreme Court decision that stated segragation of public transportation was unconstitutional.
 
This photo, taken by an FBI agent, shows Martin Luther King Jr., Pete Seeger, Rosa Parks and Ralph Abernathy at Highlander in 1957.
PHOTO: Highlander Research and Education Center
 
Highlander was, in a way, an intentional community of the 1950's, where blacks and whites lived together, However in 1961, the government revoked their nonprofit charter, confiscating their land and buildings. Founder Miles Horton told the sheriff, "You can padlock a building, but you can't padlock ideas."

The group moved to Knoxville, and in 1971, bought land in New Market, TN, establishing the Highland Center, where it remains active in environmental issues, LGBT rights, and the continued struggle for racial equality.
 
Rockin' the chairs of Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks at the Highlander Center
 
We also were there in support of our dear friend Bernice Davidson, a civil rights artist, presenting a copy of what will potentially be a multi-story mural in Meridian, Mississippi, to commerorate the 1964 murders of three civil rights activists: Michael Schwerner, James Earl Chaney and Andrew Goodman. We met with several young activists who form part of the staff at Highlander, and closed with a song, Circle 'Round for Freedom.
 

An early rendition of a multi-story mural in Meridian, Mississippi, to commerorate the 1964 murders
of three civil rights activists: Michael Schwerner, James Earl Chaney and Andrew Goodman.
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A big thanks to everyone who has become a patron of Farm Fresh!
When you become a subscriber, your contribution helps spread the word about community based alternatives.
Take this one small step to be part of the solution!
Let me know your interests. Click here to take the survey.    I look forward to hearing from you.
 
I hope you'll make the effort to take a firsthand look at The Farm during one of my GreenLife Retreat Weekends, and that it will inspire you to pursue your dreams and find your chosen path!
 
Thank you for your interest, and your support. I hope to see you down the road.
 
Peace,
Douglas
 
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Dance Calendar
 No doubt by now you have read about the music and Dances of Universal Peace events that have taken place over the last couple months and how much fun everyone is having together. If your soul could use a lift, or you’re just curious, you are welcome to come to any of our scheduled gatherings.
  • January 23-February 19: Dances in Mexico and Guatemala
  • March 9: Dances at the yoga event Chantlanta, in Atlanta, GA
  • March 22-24 Kirtan and Dance with Amy Barnes on the Farm
  • April 5-7: Dances of Universal Peace with Allaudin Ottinger on The Farm
  • April 11-14: Dances of Universal Peace, Earth Springs, Texas
 Our regular Dance and Kirtan Schedule are subject to my travel plans.
Please contact me to find out if the dances are scheduled for any particular weekend. 
 
Wednesdays 6:30 - 8:30 PM / Sundays, 3 - 5 pm
 
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Click here to take the survey.    I look forward to hearing from you. 
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Speaking Engagements
At the same time, I recognize that I can reach a lot more people if I go outside the community. One of my goals is to speak at colleges and universities where I can talk to young people about Right Livelihood, Service, and Finding Sanity in an Insane World. This is a time when people need to hear an uplifting message of hope.
 
If you are part of an organization, event, or school (or you just want to learn more about my life's work), I invite you to visit my web site www.douglasstevenson.com, where you'll find information on my lecture topics and how to bring me to speak in your area.
Douglas
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out to change the world
 new society Order both and save!
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www.awakeningbirth.org - the Web Site
www.awakening birth.net - The Podcast 
Our birth resource web sites for families seeking guidance on subjects such as
  • Choosing a Care Provider.
  • Health and Diet
  • Challenges and Complications
  • and much more!
  • The Awakening Birth podcast is now available on iTunes or at www.awakeningbirth.net
Please spread the word to anyone in your circle who is thinking of having a baby, expecting, your favorite midwife, or care provider. Please like us and give us a good review on iTunes. It helps!
 
GreenLife Retreats
A division of Village Media Services
PO Box 259Summertown, TN 38483
931-964-2590 - office / cell
Douglas@villagemedia.com
www.villagemedia.com
www.greenliferetreats.com
www.douglasstevenson.com 
Douglas@thefarmcommunity.com
 
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