(Catalyst) The Emerging Leaders Issue - Festivals, Art, and Gratitude from New Voices
 
Stephen Dinan says ... "Welcome to our first 'next generation' themed issue, edited by our own Ben Hart, a Shift staff member and emerging leader who has gathered fresh voices representing the next wave of the Shift. Enjoy!"

Emerging Generations, Emerging Leadership
By Ben Hart, Shift Network Marketing Manager

In our last Catalyst edition, Stephen gave a snapshot of the recent Shift strategy retreat, in which we did some powerful visioning to the year 2050 and what could be co-created through this network in the decades to come. As we discussed how best to move forward in our mission of helping to evolve consciousness and culture, one topic that came up again and again was how we can best support younger generations and emerging leadership.

Thus far, in the three years The Shift Network has been in existence, the majority of our network has been 45-70 years old. This is obviously a hugely important sector of society, offering great wisdom, leadership, commitment, resources and potentials that continue to be revealed. I am heartened during every well-attended Shift event to see these generations leading the way as the first in history with large cohorts of evolutionaries.

By necessity though, as we move forward in service to Shift's mission, our work will need to expand and impact more of the world's younger generations. Creating a true shift will come as we learn to create a world where ALL of us are supported in evolving, and encouraged to contribute powerfully.

In the last year, we have had a few initiatives focused in this 'youthful' direction, from the "Youth Rising for Peace Summit", which featured young peace builders from around the world, to the ongoing Gen Y Shift series, a conversation series that I host for 20 and 30-somethings on personal growth and spirituality, to a few fun videos geared to this audience . . . [read more]
The Bloom Series Preview


The Bloom is a film series by Jeet-Kei Leung—see his featured article below!
I am grateful, I am.
By Bárbara Arredondo
I am a Mexican woman who is taking a chance in allowing my heart to lead the way on this journey. I have made peace with the fact that one day I will not be here anymore, nor those who surround me. But I have also made peace with the fact that somehow we are always together . . . [read more]


The Universe Conspires When You Use It as Your Guide
By Julian Caspari
I spent 20 years of my young life in school being conditioned to find "success" in this world. I was schooled to learn with formulas, theories, structures and systems as defined by our industrial age curricula. I walked a path that overlooked the inner wisdom of myself. Sadly, "environmental systems" was a class and not a way of life . . . [read more]


You Can Be a Food Revolutionary
By Ocean Robbins
Monsanto and big agribusiness are relentless in their pursuit of ever more profits, regardless of the impact on family farmers, animals, the environment, or your health.... But a food revolution is building. And like many revolutions, young people are helping to lead the way . . . [read more]

Transformation Festivals: This Generation's Search for Freedom
By Jeet-Kei Leung
Each generation, since the Second World War ended with the detonation of atomic bombs on cities full of human beings, has produced its own cultural movement to find a way of being in the world beyond the apparent madness and brutality. Our emerging generation appears to have found its natural home in the new breed of Transformational Festivals currently blossoming on the west coast of North America and spreading across the continent and internationally . . . [read more]

The Infinite Power of Visionary Art
By Eleanor Blattel
I vividly remember my first experience of Visionary Art, many years ago. I was at a gathering in a friend's living room, and could not divert my focus away from the breathtakingly gorgeous woman on the print in front of me, an Andrew Gonzales piece called Yemanja. After that, I began to come across other, similarly inspiring works of art, and became curious about this art form that filled my heart with such joy and awe . . . [read more]

For submissions and recommendations, email editor@theshiftnetwork.com.
Ready to learn more about your happiness and cultivate more positive virtues? Check out the insightful surveys and theories at the homepage of the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Martin Seligman, the founder of positive psychology, a branch of psychology which focuses on the empirical study of such things as positive emotions, strengths-based character, and healthy institutions, created the site, which will shed light on how you operate in relation to many positive psychology theories and tools.
Peace—Nautilus Award & Beyond the Bombings

James O'Dea's bestselling book Cultivating Peace: Becoming a 21st Century Peace Ambassador has received the 2013 Nautilus Silver Award in the category of social change! This prestigious award is in acknowledgement of James' pioneering work in outlining a comprehensive approach to peacebuilding that goes from deep inner peace to global systems changes. Cultivating Peace, published by Shift Network, empowers readers to take action in their lives as part of a wave of peacebuilding emerging around the world. James teaches the core principles and tools of Cultivating Peace in his Peace Ambassador Training, which features guest faculty such as Arun Gandhi, Deepak Chopra, Andrew Harvey and 16 other peace pioneers. The next training will begin May 15, 2013 instead of May 1st.

James O'Dea joined Marianne Williamson and Gary Zukav for Beyond the Bombings, a special telesummit forum in response to the bombings in Boston, Iraq and other places around the world. Their profound conversation looked at the causes of such tragedies and how we can align with our soul essence to respond with practical action based in love. This deeply moving recording is available free, click here. Additional Beyond the Bombings calls will be announced in the coming days. This is our commitment to bringing evolutionary consciousness to timely and relevant issues.

The GenUp 2013 Summer Leadership Training


Generation Waking Up is an organization doing important, timely work with young people around the globe. You can get a taste of their passion and commitment from this powerful video. We invite you to send the young leaders in your life to their summer leadership training. As they say, "Our generation's calling is clear: to create a thriving, just, and sustainable world that works for all, we need to take bold and systemic action; and to be effective, transformational leaders we need 21st century skills—skills we can all learn together. Whether you're new to social change or you're experienced and wanting to learn new approaches, the Generation Waking Up Summer Leadership Training will support you in creating the change our world needs now."
Dharma Comics

Dharma Comics are a delightful creation from San Francisco resident Leah Pearlman. They offer a beautiful blend of spiritual depth, playfulness and creativity. We highly recommend you check them out! As Leah writes: "Dharma is a Sanskrit word, with a few translations. One translation is truth—but rather than an objective truth, it's the truth inside each of us, our personal compass, guide, or sense of knowing. Dharma Comics aren't usually funny in the traditional sense, but they're often funny in the funny-because-they're-true sense. Another translation of dharma is "nature"—our individual nature or that which we were born to be and do. An example is the acorn, whose dharma is to grow into an oak tree, but the specific one it eventually becomes. In this sense, the name Dharma Comics refers my own quest to fulfill my nature, which is, at present, someone who draws comics."

2013 Catalyst: (#6, 4/14) (#5, 3/24) (#4, 2/24) (#3, 2/9) (#2, 1/26) (#1, 1/13)

Birth 2012 Catalyst: (#15, 12/9) (#14, 12/1) (#13, 11/22) (#12, 11/10) (#11, 11/3) (#10, 10/20) (#9, 10/6) (#8, 9/16) (#7, 9/8) (#6, 8/25) (#5, 8/16) (#4, 8/4) (#3, 7/28) (#2, 7/21) (#1, 7/14)

 
  2013 Issue 7 • Apr. 28
The Shift Catalyst is a bi-weekly ezine for conscious change, powered by The Shift Network.


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