“When you put spirit and activism together, you


realize that all actions are connected to spirit. It makes you think about your duty in every instance—from how you treat people throughout your day to how you treat the environment. It becomes a satisfying way of living.”


~ Carla Goldstein


spiritual activism. He suggests, “Start with a short prayer that aligns you with the pure deep love that is longing to use you as its instrument in the world.” Options include prayers from many of the world’s spiritual traditions shared in Dass’ book; a free download is provid- ed at StewardshipOfTheSoul.com. Interconnectedness – Just as


everything in the universe is connected by the simple act of being, like-minded people can connect to do good in the world. Sacred activists pursuing their own spiritual paths need to work with others, according to Harvey. “They form empowering and encouraging networks of grace—beings of like heart, brought together by passion, skill and serendip- ity to pool energies, triumphs, griefs, hopes and resources of all kinds. When people of like mind and heart gather together, sometimes miraculously pow- erful synergy can result.” Harvey has found that groups of six to 12 people become the most ef- ficient and productive, whether joined together through a profession (such as physicians on medical missions), a passion for animal rights or the environ- ment, or a strong sense of social justice. Knowledge – Knowledge, both


inward- and outward-seeking, is an- other key to doing good for all. Carla Goldstein, JD, chief external affairs of- ficer at the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies, in Rhinebeck, New York, and cofounder of its Women’s Leadership


Center, used her interest in women’s empowerment issues as a springboard to spiritual activism. “For the first 20 years of my profes- sional life, I focused on public policy and politics,” she says. “But something was missing in the rhetoric of taking care of each other.” Practicing yoga and meditation and receiving support during a personal health crisis prompt- ed what she terms “an awakening un- derstanding of a gap between personal change and systems change.” Goldstein came to question her own “rugged individualism” versus the interconnect- edness she felt when people took care of her. “Can we actually move towards integrating these two ideals?” she asked herself. Knowledge about issues is readily available from experts and orga- nizations that experts recommend; she observes, “The big question is: What is needed for us to be of help?” Sometimes listening and under- standing can be powerful. Under the auspices of the Omega Women’s Lead- ership Center, Goldstein invited women on both sides of the reproductive rights issue to meet in 2005. They had been part of the Public Conversations Project in the Boston suburb of Watertown, Massachusetts, begun after medical staff members were killed and wounded at an area women’s health clinic provid- ing abortions in 1994. “Women from the divided commu- nity initially came together to tell their


stories,” Goldstein relates. “Over time, they developed a deep love for each other. Nobody changed their positions, but they did change how they inter- acted with one another.” They experi- enced a shift from emotional and verbal turbulence to, if not agreement, feelings of peace and understanding. Since then, the project has grown to facilitate such conversations in 38 states and 15 countries (PublicConversations.org). Positive Action – While many


thorny issues take long-term, dedicated efforts to be resolved, others only need smaller individual or collaborative actions for positive outcomes. For Mark Nepo, a New York City poet, philosopher and author of the New York Times bestseller, The Book of Awakening, kindness is the force behind positive action, no matter how modest at first. “Kindness reveals kinship. It gives us connection to everything greater than us and everything else that is kind in the universe,” he says. “I think it’s powerfully effective, yet it’s such a small thing.”


Nepo is active in Bread for the


Journey, an international nonprofit that encourages community grassroots phil- anthropic projects that generate mi- cro-grants. One involved a small town in northern New Mexico that sought to improve the lives of local teenagers when the town’s elders wanted to open a youth center as a positive alternative to the drug scene. Just before the cen- ter was scheduled to open, the project ran out of money for required flood- lights, so Bread for the Journey funded them and the center opened. “Within a few years, the whole culture shifted,” reports Nepo. This small contribution made a big difference to the whole community. Once awakened and nurtured,


spiritual activism can become an omnipresent part of our lives. Says Goldstein, “When you put spirit and activism together, you realize that all actions are connected to spirit. It makes you think about your duty in every instance—from how you treat people throughout your day to how you treat the environment. It becomes a satisfy- ing way of living.”


Judith Fertig is a freelance writer from Overland Park, KS.


natural awakenings December 2014 17


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