Farm Fresh News - December 2017
- Leverage and the Power to Make a Difference
1. Bottle Schools in Guatemala
2. The Unveiling of "Justice Served" - Dances of Universal Peace: May 4-6 - Listen to the Sound
- The Conference on Community and Sustainability: May 18-20, 2018
- I am saving the overview of Yogaville for January.
“Words are not peace. Thoughts are not peace. Plans are not peace. Programs are not peace.
Peace is fundamental to all faiths. Peace is fullness, all inclusive…and must be experienced.”
Sufi Sam
Sufi Sam
Hi friends,
Leverage is when we are take our energy and magnify it it into something much greater than any one of us could accomplish on our own. Community is one of the most powerful levers we can access. It is specifically about coming together with others to push in the same direction.
Leverage is when we are take our energy and magnify it it into something much greater than any one of us could accomplish on our own. Community is one of the most powerful levers we can access. It is specifically about coming together with others to push in the same direction.
Leverage could also be described as planting seeds, watching them grow, and reaping the harvest, the fruits of our labors. But it is not about the return we expect or seek, but putting forth our humble efforts, and respectfully honoring and appreciating when the return comes in ways we never expected. The universe delivers its synchronicity, taking things to a new level. To gain a better understanding what I am talking about, continue reading the stories below.
When my wife Deborah and I returned from Guatemala in 1980, our children were just 4 and 6 years old. To help them remember the experience and make a deeper connection to this magical place, we returned 10 years later in 1990. Another family in the community asked if we would take their daughter along, who was about the same age as our son, 16 at the time. It was a trip that all of us have cherished, and will never forget.
My family 1990, on top of the volcano San Pedro, above Lake Atitlan, with our Guatemalan Guide.
In the center, looking at the camera, family friend Melina Sierra, who came with us for the trip.
Now, nearly 27 years later, Melina, the family friend who joined us on our adventure, has returned to Guatemala, this time as a volunteer with a non-profit called Hug It Forward.
This organization recycles plastic water and soda bottles, stuffed with paper trash, and has turned them into over 100 schools in Guatemala. At the same time Hug It Forward gives volunteers the opportunity engage in a direct experience that makes a real difference in people's lives.
2017: (left) Melina attaches plastic water and soda bottles to chicken-wire, creating a wall for a school in Guatemala.
(right) a better look at the attached bottles, a project of Hug It Forward
Recycling of plastic bottles has not yet come to Guatemala, and while this effort barely makes a dent in the problem, it does demonstrate how recycling can reduce waste and create something beneficial for the community. It is a powerful lesson for the people of every village touched by this effort, and for the volunteers who serve.
Left) Covering the bottles with cement. (right) A completed school.
Melina put it this way, “I am blown away by this experience and so thankful for everything that lead me here. There are no words that can describe what we’ve been through. It has to be experienced. So much gratitude and humility in my heart.“
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Project Update: The Justice Served Mural Project
A few months back I told you about the project of my friend, artist Bernice Davidson, and her mural entitled, “Justice Served,” which depicts a 1946 landmark civil rights case that took place in the town of Lawrenceburg, about 15 miles away from The Farm.
To help Bernice expose the project to a wider audience, and generate donations for her work, I put together a press release and sent it out to my list of contacts in news organizations across the state of Tennessee. The following week, an article about the painting appeared on the front page Lawrenceburg Sunday paper.
Bernice Davidson sits before her work in progress, "Justice Served,"
depicting a landmark civil rights case that took place just down the road in Lawrenceburg, TN
(Photo: Lacy Atkins / The Tennessean)
The press release also got picked up by The Nashville Tennessean, the largest newspaper in Tennessee, who also featured it on the front page of their Sunday paper, the edition with the largest circulation. I found some measure of gratification, finding lines, and specifically the message from my press release used in the article.
"... at a time when many communities around the country are grappling with whether to remove Confederate statues and memorials that represent a divisive time in history, a small town in Tennessee is taking steps to honor African-American leaders."
Because The Tennessean is part of the USA Today Gannett news organization and the Associated Press, the article was distributed worldwide via countless news websites. Links to the article even posted on Twitter, and it even spawned additional articles, editorials about the coverage of Bernice's work.
Synchronicity: Thurgood Marshall was one of the lead defense attorneys for the Lawrenceburg trial. The same week the article appeared, the movie "Marshall," about a similar trial defended by Thurgood Marshall, opened in theaters.
The incident that sparked the Lawrenceburg trial came about when a woman named Gladys Stephenson went to pick up her radio that had been dropped off for repair, only to find the electrical cord had been cut off. This started an argument, and the repairman slapped Mrs. Stephenson across the face. Her son, who had just finished serving in the army, got into a fight with the repairman, and both he and his mother were arrested. A lynch mob formed outside the jail and the two were secretly transferred out of town by the sheriff. The Stephenson family moved to Michigan and never returned.
Synchronicity: The same week the article was released, Gladys Stephenson’s, grandson, still in Michigan, decided to do a search online to see if he could find any information about his grandmother. He was shocked to discover the article featured prominently on the Tennessean’s website. and immediately contacted Bernice.
Five members of the Stephenson family, including her grandson, are driving down from Michigan to attend the unveiling of the mural at the Lawrence County courthouse on Friday, December 8th. Descendants of the original jurors have also contacted Bernice, and have even made donations in support of her work.
The article ends with this quote from Bernice , "For Davidson, the art serves as a way to heal divides and unite the community.
"I want to take something unjust in the world," she says, "and help people understand what is right."
Never underestimate how far a ripple can travel across space and time. Everything we do matters and each one of us has a part to play.
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Dances of Universal Peace: Listen to the Sound
As I have mentioned in previous issues of Farm Fresh, a small group of us have been getting together here on The Farm to do the Dances of Universal Peace started by Sufi Sam (more about Sufi Sam below), now taking place all over the world. In my 50 years of doing music, I have found doing these songs and movements with my friends and my new friends in the Sufi community to bring me some of the greatest joy and fulfillment I have ever experienced in music. Here are three of our favorite songs we sing and dance almost every time our group comes together here in Tennessee. Click here to listen to my songs on YouTube
The recording is a first draft, with just my voice. We will be adding other voices to the track during another recording session.
The recording is a first draft, with just my voice. We will be adding other voices to the track during another recording session.
May 4-6, 2018 Join us for Awakening Heart
The first Dances of Universal Peace Weekend at The Farm Community
The first Dances of Universal Peace Weekend at The Farm Community
More about the Dances of Universal Peace
In 1919, Samuel Lewis, an American born to Jewish parents, became part of a Sufi community in California and a student of Hazrat Inayat Khan. A year later, he also became the student of a Zen Buddhism, and eventually was recognized as both a Sufi Murshid and ordained as a a Zen master. Over the ensuing decades, Lewis traveled around the world, seeking to encounter other mystics and spiritual teachers.
While in the hospital recovering from a heart attack in 1967, Lewis stated that he heard the voice of God say, “I make you spiritual leader of the hippies.”
From this came his inspiration to create the Dances of Universal Peace, which encompass all of the spiritual traditions, Lewis encountered during his travels.
DUP Founder, Samuel L. Lewis “Sufi Sam” San Francisco September 1969
Murshid Sam established Sufi Ruhaniat International to carry forward his music and the Sufi lineage, shortly before his passing in 1971. Called “Sufi Sam,” by his students and followers, Lewis traveled throughout California teaching his music and dances to young people open to the spiritual experiences they provided.
“The spiritual dance has no other purpose, no other aim than to elevate humankind beyond self thought, to joy, to bliss, to realization and to peace.
The sincere dancer is one of the best workers for universal harmony, and so for universal peace.”
― Murshid Samuel L. Lewis
The sincere dancer is one of the best workers for universal harmony, and so for universal peace.”
― Murshid Samuel L. Lewis
Visit the web site to learn more. https://www.dancesofuniversalpeace.org/
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Update: I have just learned that there will be a big wedding happening the same weekend as the conference. This means that many of the B&B accommodations will likely fill up with friends and relatives coming in for the wedding. Make your reservations EARLY!
Register Now!
Set your course for the future, Life In Community!
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You really can grow most of the food your family needs.
With this 4 day intensive, we’ll garden every morning and you’ll get the hands-on experience and gain the confidence to get started on your own. We’ll visit other Permaculture homesteads and gardens, including Amish country.
There will be a special focus on beekeeping.
- Everyone will get to put on a bee suit and take a look inside the hives.
- Saturday afternoon we will harvest honey, spinning the frames in an extractor.
- Visit the web page for more information.
- REGISTER NOW
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Take this one small step to be part of the solution!
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!
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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!
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.
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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An Incredible NEW BOOK!
Following 7 years of research, Farm Community member Thomas Hupp uncovers the subtle forces that presently affect Politics, Economics and Your Health.
Only $15 plus $5 for shipping!
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Oct Farm Experience Weekend
Fall Colors and a Fire Circle: Always a jam packed weekend. A time of reflection and introspection.
Fall Colors and a Fire Circle: Always a jam packed weekend. A time of reflection and introspection.
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www.awakeningbirth.org - the Web Site
www.awakening birth.net - The Podcast
Our new birth resource web site is up. The Awakening Birth podcast is now available on iTunes.
Please spread the word to anyone in your circle who is thinking of having a baby, expecting, your favorite midwife, or care provider.
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!
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Permaculture Apprenticeships: Learn straw, cob, earthbag, turf roofs, bamboo, thatch, clay plaster, adobe, alis, and food self-reliance at The Farm Community.
Spiral Ridge Permaculture - Workshops and Classes at a Permaculture Homestead down the road
Green Life Retreats
A division of Village Media Services
PO Box 259Summertown, TN 38483
931-964-2590 - office 931-626-4035 cell
Douglas@villagemedia.com
www.villagemedia.com
www.greenliferetreats.com
www.douglasstevenson.com
Douglas@thefarmcommunity.com
A division of Village Media Services
PO Box 259Summertown, TN 38483
931-964-2590 - office 931-626-4035 cell
Douglas@villagemedia.com
www.villagemedia.com
www.greenliferetreats.com
www.douglasstevenson.com
Douglas@thefarmcommunity.com
