Farm Fresh News - October 2022
 
In this issue:
 
  • Creating New Pathways Podcast
     
  • Sam Lewis, founder of the Dances
     
  • Centering for Balance
     
  • Holiday Bazaar Dec. 3 & 4
     
  • Dance Calendar 

    Chatannoga December 9, 2022
    Atlanta December 10, 2022
    Mexico Feb 1-5, 2023
    On The Farm December 11, 2 PM April 14-16, 2023
    with guest dance leader Allaudin
Dear Friends,
We are enjoying the crisp cool temperatures of fall. It is a time of turning inward and reflection, a time of gratitude and forgiveness.
 
Creating New Pathways Podcast
I recently did an interview for a podcast called Creating New Pathways. Check out the links below to hear my overview of The Farm, its history, and my current take on the State of our Union.
 
(It's also on Google Podcasts and Amazon) 
 
 
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Those of you who have been subscribing for a while know that I have been engaged in Dances of Universal Peace for the past several years as a spiritual practice. If you are familiar with or eager to learn more about this uplifting experience, I invite you to join me at one of my upcoming dance events, including five days of Dances in Mexico, with song circles, art projects, and whatever else appears, along with time for walks on the beach, snorkeling, dining with friends, conversations, and laughter. We come together to be with each other to remind ourselves that we are energy beings, and at our strongest when we are together in community. Click here to learn more about Dances in Mexico.
 

with Dance Leaders Sky Roshay, Jennifer Friedman, and Douglas Stevenson
 
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Who was Sufi Sam? left: before the hippies / right: after the hippies
 
Dances of Universal Peace were started by Samuel Leonard Lewis, otherwise known as Sufi Sam, in San Francisco in the late 1960s and early 70s. He was considered a child prodigy, however his father, a vice president with the Levi's jeans corporation, never could accept that his eldest son was not interested in business and material success.
 
As a child, Sam began studying Theosophy, which teaches that at their heart all religions are the same, they only differ on the outside. He studied the Kaballah, yoga, and Zen, but his true resonance took place in the 1920s as a student of Hazrat Inayat Khan, and Sufism. Through the 1950s and early 60s, he traveled the world spending time with other mystics.
 
In 1967, while in a San Francisco hospital recovering from a heart attack, Sam had a vision of God with instructions to be a “Spiritual Leader of the Hippies.” In the years that followed, Sam passed on his knowledge of spiritual teachings and understanding of how energy works to a growing number of young people who became his students. He taught that all is vibrations, from the solid matter before us, to the ethereal and invisible.
 
Centering
I’m particularly drawn to Sam’s Centering Walks, a walking meditation that is about seeking attunement. Many of us can relate to taking a moment to center ourselves, to find within a balance of emotion and intellect. This allows us to approach any task at hand and decisions to be made from a centered alignment of ourselves, drawing on our highest intelligence. Here on The Farm Community, we often use a moment of silent meditation before starting a community or committee meeting, as a reminder to be open as we listen and mindful before we speak.
 
Centering begins by setting an intention, focusing on a thought process in which you call upon the energy that is all around us, channeling it in, just as a magnet attracts iron, or an antenna resonates with radio waves. 
 
To experience Centering, take a moment to enter a state of mediation, quieting the mind, sitting or preferably standing in place. Bring your attention to your feet and envision the energy of the earth rising through you as you inhale. Bring it up through your core being. Release it back into the earth as you exhale. You can begin walking, ideally at a location free of distractions such as other people, moving vehicles, anything that would disturb your meditation.
 
Repeat this process as you bring your attention to the energy centers of your body, called chakras in Sanskrit. Focus next on the center just below the navel, called the Hara in Japanese traditions. Continue this back-and-forth drawing and releasing of energy as you inhale and exhale.
 
Our most powerful energy center is the heart, where we find the find our most stable balance. Move your breath and attention up to the heart. Continue, raising awareness, and envision energy coming up to the throat, the third eye, and the crown chakras, and then send it back down, maintaining your sense of being grounded and staying in balance, all while keeping the heart as your center. Take a moment to examine how you feel.
 

The Farm's fisrt "logo", a mandala by artist Michael Kelly
 
In the Muslim tradition, the word Bismallah is spoken before an action is taken, be it before a meal, or the beginning of a task. It means that what I do next, I do as if it is seen by the eyes of Allah, of God, that I move forward from a place that represents my highest intentions. When we take a moment to center ourselves, we are following a path that leads us to the best of who we are, and who we can be.
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Thank you for your time and attention!
 
 
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 and the spiritual path.
Take this one small step to be part of the solution!
 
 
 
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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 website www.douglasstevenson.com, where you'll find information on my lecture topics and how to bring me to speak in your area.
 Thank you for your interest, and your support. I hope to see you down the road.
 
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My wife Deborah has retired from practicing midwifery on The Farm but continues to teach midwifery workshops and classes at the Farm's College of Traditional Midwifery. If you, a friend, or family member are considering a midwifery-assisted birth, I encourage you to visit The Farm Midwifery Center's website and make an appointment with one of the midwives currently taking on clients.  
 

Corina Fitch, RN CPM
Born on The Farm, Corina has been a practicing midwife in the Miami area for 20 years.
She has recently returned to The Farm with her family.
 
Deborah's 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 available on iTunes or at www.awakeningbirth.net
www.awakening birth.net - The Podcast 
 
 
 
Village Media Services
Douglas@villagemedia.com
www.villagemedia.com
www.douglasstevenson.com 
Douglas@thefarmcommunity.com
 
 
 
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