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 By Stephen Dinan, founder and CEO of The Shift Network
The leading edge of spiritual practice these days is all about bridging inner spiritual disciplines with outer change leadership. This ranges from conscious activism to transpartisan political engagement to a fascinating new field called “subtle activism” that connects the research on distant intention with creating change.
Our close ally David Thomas Nicol is one of the leading scholars and pioneers in this emerging field and has organized the first-ever Subtle Activism Summit (September 8–10) as part of our Summer of Peace. The summit features Sufi mystic Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Buddhist and deep ecologist Joanna Macy, scientist Dean Radin, spiritual activist angel Kyodo Williams, spiritual teachers David Spangler, Sandra Ingerman, and Patricia Albere and many more. (To register free, click here.)
We see the Subtle Activism Summit as a groundbreaking event! David also just released the first book on the topic: Subtle Activism: The Inner Dimension of Social and Planetary Transformation. (See Movement News)
The Subtle Activism Summit is followed by the 11 Days of Global Unity Summit (September 11–21, 2015) which is produced by our friend Rick Ulfik, the co-founder of 11 Days and We, the World. The 11 Days of Global Unity Summit is also part of the Summer of Peace and features 11 themes where we all can take inspired action to create a more peaceful and sustainable world. The summit features Deepak Chopra, Eve Ensler, Grandmother Agnes Baker Pilgrim, Dr. Helen Caldicott, Patch Adams and many more. (To register free, click here.)
We want to congratulate David Thomas Nicol and Rick Ulfik for creating these amazing offerings and thank them for their friendship and partnership over the years.
In this edition of The Catalyst, we have inspiring articles from David Thomas Nicol, Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, David Spangler, Bryan J. Williams and Rick Ulfik, along with a passionate profile and global mediation from Chantal Monté.
Our Featured Video, Action of the Week and Shift Philanthropy are focused on BeThePeace, a global synchronized meditation celebrating the International Day of Peace. Co-founded by David Thomas Nicol, Patrick Kronfli and Catherine Douglas, BeThePeace engages people in over 1,000 cities around the world. We love this visionary event and strongly encourage you to join the global celebration this year!
Our Featured Artist is Swami Nirvanananda, a saintly person whose life is dedicated to service. Swamiji’s deeply devotional and profoundly beautiful music is spiritually uplifting and helps raise money to support a leper colony and school in India.
Finally, our very own Philip Hellmich, the Director of Peace, will be speaking on the first ever Maadhiam World Peace Festival on a cruise ship in the Middle East in December 2015. You are invited to join him on this life transforming adventure and to enjoy the beautiful port cities in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. (See Movement News)
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 BeThePeace
BeThePeace is a global synchronized meditation celebrating the International Day of Peace. You are invited to organize a group meditation and/or find an event near you. To learn more, click here.
Featured Summer of Peace Recordings — FREE
The Summer of Peace is our commitment to peace in the world.
This season-long free event provides tangible skills you can apply in your daily life. Here are four recent sessions we are gifting you today:
 Special Everyday Peace:
Special Guided Meditations:
Register to listen to over 75+ FREE interviews – click here!
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 Subtle Activism: The Inner Dimension of Social and Planetary Transformation
By David Thomas Nicol
I am writing this article for The Catalyst at a remarkable time for me personally, but also for the emerging field of subtle activism. In the coming weeks, my book Subtle Activism: The Inner Dimension of Social and Planetary Transformation will be published, the first-ever Subtle Activism Summit will go to air, massive International Day of Peace celebrations — including our 4th annual BeThePeace global meditation event — will occur, a short film on subtle activism will be screened online to a global audience, and I will launch my first online course in Subtle Activism at the Shift Network . . . [read more]
 Spiritual Empowerment
By Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee
First we receive the light, then we impart the light,
thus we repair the world.
Kabalistic saying
Every human being carries within them a light that belongs to God. This light is our most precious substance. It is our divine essence, our true nature. It is also potentially the most powerful force in the universe, as it contains the power of the divine, the Source of all that is created. As the Upanishads describes:
The boundless power, source of every power, manifesting itself as life, entering every heart, living there among the elements, that is Self . . . [read more]
 Subtle Activism
By David Spangler
Subtle activism is a partnership between the non-physical, energetic aspects of an individual and the equivalent non-physical, energetic aspects of the Earth in order to support a desired outcome. These non-physical aspects make up what I think of as the other half of Earth’s planetary ecology and may be called “subtle” because they exist in ways that are usually too subtle for our normal physical senses to register, although with some practice and patience they can be perceived. However, one does not have to be psychic or clairvoyant to work with the subtle dimensions of both person and planet. At the least, subtle energies are responsive to thought and to feelings, especially when these are “grounded” in our body and empowered by a sense of both our personal sovereignty and our caring connectedness with the world
. . . [read more]
 GCP Technical Note: Global Harmony 1998–2014
By Bryan J. Williams, Psychical Research Foundation
Abstract: On the basis of previous mind‐matter interaction research, mass public events which promote the concept of “global harmony” (such as organized group meditations, mass prayer events, and other active engagements for peace) might be conducive to a hypothesized “global consciousness” effect through their coordinated and collective focus of activity. A preliminary analysis by Nelson (2001b) had sought to explore this hypothesis using data from a worldwide network of random number generators (RNGs) maintained by the Global Consciousness Project (GCP). With an initial set of data associated with 17 individual “global harmony” events, a significant cumulative result was found (p = .0035). A follow‐up to this preliminary analysis is reported here, using an extended dataset associated with 120 events. Overall, the cumulative result continues to support the result of the preliminary analysis (p = .000167), and thus provides further evidence favoring the hypothesis that “global harmony” events are correlated in some way with statistical changes in randomness in the GCP’s worldwide network of RNGs . . . [read more]
 11 Days of Global Unity Celebrates Our 11th Anniversary
For a Culture of Peace and a Livable Future
By Rick Ulfik
Featuring the 11 Days of Global Unity Tele-Summit
September 11–21, 2015
Launched in 2004 by We, The World and global partners, 11 Days of Global Unity is now in its 11th year, bringing new partners together who are working for peace, sustainability and transformation. This year We, The World and 11 Days of Global Unity have become partners with Oprah Winfrey’s Belief Team which is holding Compassion and Healing events from September 11–21 in alignment with 11 Days of Global Unity and the International Day of Peace in advance of the October 18th debut of Oprah’s TV Series Belief . . . [read more]
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 New Book: Subtle Activism: The Inner Dimension of Social and Planetary Transformation
David Thomas Nicol introduces the concept of “subtle activism” to describe the use of consciousness-based practices like meditation and prayer to support collective transformation, such as global meditation directed toward peaceful resolution of a conflict. Subtle activism represents a bridge between the consciousness movement and the movements for peace, environmental sustainability, and social justice. It is not a substitute for physical action but rather a potentially crucial component of a more integrated approach to social change. To learn more and order a copy, click here.
 Maadhiam World Peace Festival – December 23–30 – Middle East Cruise — Take time off to participate in The Maadhiam World Peace Festival aboard a cruise — the Costa Fortuna. The Festival will bring together like minded people from many diverse backgrounds, talents and domains of expertise who are committed to promoting world peace. The Festival will explore many innovative ways to communicate about peace through yoga, literature, music, dance and art. Travel on an awesome mind transforming and life changing journey. And of course, do experience the warmth and hospitality of the Middle East as the cruise stops in ports in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. To learn more, click here. (Note: Shift Network’s Philip Hellmich will be a guest speaker on the cruise.)
Win a free trip to New York to celebrate the International Day of Peace! The peace contest is part of 1 Billion Acts of Peace, a program sponsored by PeaceJam and supported by 13 Nobel Peace Laureates, the Summer of Peace and many partner organizations. The contest ends on September 14, 2015. To participate all you do is to share peace – click here to learn more.
Start Planning for the International Day of Peace — September 21, 2015. There are many initiatives offering ways that you and your family, school and/or business can participate in this global celebration of peace:
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Find or create an event for the International Day of Peace – September 21 (click here)
- Have your city become an International City of Peace (click here)
- Plant a Peace Pole (click here)
- Join BeThePeace global synchronized meditations – September 19 & 21 (click here)
- Play in the Compassion Games – Survival of the Kindest – September 11–21 (click here)
- Join 11 Days of Global Unity – September 11–21 (click here)
- Dance for peace with Earthdance – September 19, 20 & 21 (click here)
- Playing for Change Day – September 21 (click here)
- Watch PeaceDayTV – (click here)
 Awake: The Life of Yogananda — DVDs available in September with subtitles in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, German, Dutch and Japanese. Plus there are new film showings in Australia and United States! You also can bring Awake to your yoga studio or community. To learn more click here. (The filmmakers were interviewed in the Yoga Day Summit, the recording is available for free.)
Twin Oaks Communities Conference – September 4–7, 2015 – Labor Day Weekend. If you want to live according to the values of cooperation, sustainability, and equality this conference is for you. The conference focuses on Intentional Communities, including models such as Ecovillages, Cohousing, and Housing Cooperatives, and the larger cooperative movement, including all kinds of cooperative and collective organizations. To learn more, click here.
St. Petersburg (Florida) Celebrates Second Annual "Interfaith Week" – September 13–20, 2015. For the second year in a row, the City of St. Petersburg will officially recognize Interfaith Week — a chance to see how the rest of your community practices religion and spirituality in a casual, open, educational setting. To learn more, click here.
 3rd Annual Peace in the Park – San Francisco – Free Event, Saturday, September 19, 2015 from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm at Golden Gate Park, SF — Join over 5,000 people in a rejuvenating day of peaceful activities for all ages and backgrounds — alcohol-free and vegetarian refreshments. To learn more, click here.
"We Do Not Die: Expanding Consciousness through Near-Death and other Mystical Experiences" at the Findhorn Foundation Autumn Conference, from 26-29 September 2015, plus 3-days of half-day post-conference workshops (30 September – 2 October, 2015). Our vision is for the conference to be interactive and collaborative, offering new perspectives from which to view our: purpose on a soul level, reason for our life’s direction and relationships; and, self-worth and the worth of our existence. Speakers include: Dr. Eben Alexander, Anita Moorjani, PMH Atwater and Mellen-Thomas Benedict. To learn more, click here.
 The Parliament of the World's Religions – Salt Lake City this October 15–19. The world’s premier interfaith event is coming back to the United States bringing 10,000 people together from 80 nations and 50 faith traditions to commit to the challenges of war, violence and hate speech, climate change, and income inequity. Five nobel peace laureates led by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, an Inaugural Women's Assembly for Global Advancement, religious scholars, faith leaders, and the heart of grassroots will round out 5 days of programming to mobilize the global interfaith movement. The Shift Network can take advantage of advance registration and reclaim the heart of our humanity in 2015 by clicking here.
 The Peace Alliance – Be the Movement National Conference – Washington, DC – October 16–20, 2015! The conference will focus on the Five Peacebuilding Cornerstones of Be the Movement: Empowering Community Peacebuilding, Teaching Peace in Schools, Humanizing Justice Systems, Cultivating Personal Peace, and Fostering International Peace. Come together with like-minded allies from around the nation as we dialogue with, and learn from, some of the world’s most inspiring leaders and experts for a kind of peacebuilding think tank. Speakers include: Sylvia Boorstein, Congressman Bobby Scott, Phil Donahue, Rep. Pete Lee and Lynn Lee, Jeffrey Weisberg, Michael Skolnik, Rabbi Gil Steinlauf and many more. To learn more, click here.
 Friends Committee on National Legislation – Building A Pathway to Peace: Annual Meeting, Quaker Public Policy Institute & Lobby Day – November 12–15, 2015 – Washington, DC. This November, we'll be asking Congress to prevent violence before it starts. The US too often waits until war or atrocities begin, and then it only provides military solutions. But it doesn't have to be that way. We believe that by paying attention to warning signs, the international community can respond before deadly conflict erupts. Participants will learn how to lobby from FCNL's expert staff; hear from congressional staff and other speakers; connect with people from your state; practice lobbying skills; meet with your representative and senators and hear presentations on peacebuilding. To learn more, click here.
Kia Miller and Tommy Rosen are so excited to announce the 2015 Recovery 2.0 Thanksgiving Retreat to Costa Rica from November 19–26, 2015. They will be back at Blue Spirit in Nosara for what is always a powerful and blissful Recovery 2.0 experience. The retreat always sells out. If this calls to you, apply today to secure your space.
 Collective Coherence: Co-Creating a New World – December 2–6, 2015 – Tao Wellness Center, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico —
HeartMath and Global Coherence Initiative Special Event: Come join us for a transformative experience in Collective Coherence: Co-Creating a New World, our fourth annual Mexico event. We will practice tools for Collective Coherence and learn how this accelerates our personal unfoldment into higher potentials. Energetic connectivity will be explored and why it is effective for co-creating a new world. Be sure to use code "Mexico1" when you register to receive the Early Registration discount rate. To learn more, click here.
 World Peace Library – Free Resource — Be sure to take advantage of the World Peace Library, a wide-ranging resource on peace newly compiled by the Shift Network: It contains more than 300 inspiring talks and mini-workshops from individuals such as Archbishop Tutu, Nobel Laureate Jody Williams, Jane Goodall, Deepak Chopra, James O'Dea, Karen Armstrong, Chief Phil Lane and many more. With neuroscientists and lamas, faith-based activists and political leaders, this Library offers something for all in their peacebuilding efforts. The Shift Network has made the World Peace Library a free resource for all and encourages its use to promote peace in your families, schools, and wider community.
1 Billion Acts of Peace — a global community of everyday people performing thoughtful actions that contribute to world peace. The Shift Network is delighted to join Peacejam Foundation, Google, Wells Fargo, Hill+Knowlton Strategies and many others have come together to create the "One Billion Acts of Peace" Campaign — an international global citizens' movement designed to tackle the most important problems facing our planet. To learn more, click here.
If you have an announcement to share, please write: editor@theshiftnetwork.com.
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2015
Catalyst: (#17, 8/30) (#16, 8/16) (#15, 8/2) (#14, 7/19) (#13, 7/5) (#12, 6/20) (#11, 6/7) (#10, 5/24) (#9, 5/10) (#8, 4/26) (#7, 4/5) (#6, 3/21) (#5, 3/15) (#4, 2/22) (#3, 2/8) (#2, 1/25) (#1, 1/11)
2014
Catalyst: (#26, 12/28) (#25, 12/14) (#24, 11/30) (#23, 11/16) (#22, 11/1) (#21, 10/19) (#20, 10/5) (#19, 9/21) (#18, 9/14) (#17, 9/01) (#16, 8/17) (#15, 8/3) (#14, 7/20) (#13, 7/4) (#12, 6/15) (#11, 6/1) (#10, 5/18) (#9, 5/4) (#8, 4/20) (#7, 4/6) (#6, 3/23) (#5, 3/9) (#4, 2/22) (#3, 2/8) (#2, 1/26) (#1, 1/12)
2013 Catalyst: (#22, 12/14) (#21, 11/30) (#20, 11/16) (#19, 11/3) (#18, 10/20) (#17, 10/6) (#16, 9/21) (#15, 9/8) (#14, 8/25) (#13, 8/4) (#12, 7/21), (#11, 7/7), (#10, 6/16) (#9, 6/2) (#8, 5/12) (#7, 4/28) (#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)
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Join BeThePeace — a global synchronized meditation celebrating the International Day of Peace. You are invited to organize a group meditation and/or find an event near you. To learn more, click here.
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 Discovering Your True Colors: Unveil Your Essence & Natural Beauty Through Your Personal Color Palette —
A Free Virtual Event With Color Expert Arden Reece. Receive profound insights into the art and science of color — including how color affects your mood, expresses your essence and radiance,
and the best color palette for you.
September 2, 2015 at 5:30 pm Pacific
 The Sacred Journey of the Conscious Evolutionary 3.0
Birthing a New You Within a Community of Pioneering Souls — A 5-month Training in Personal & Social Transformation
With Celebrated Bestselling Author Barbara Marx Hubbard and Co-teacher Patricia Ellsberg, Founder and Facilitator of Emergence.
New Live Training Starts Tuesday, September 8, 2015
 Awakening the Mystic Christ Within:
Deepen into the Divine & Embody Greater Love, Light & Spiritual Power —
With Modern-Day Mystic & Spiritual Teacher
Bill Bauman.
An Opportunity to Reclaim the Sacred Truths at the Core of Your Being and Live from Your Spiritual Depths.
New Live Training Starts Tuesday, September 8, 2015
 Sound Healing Through Qigong:
Ancient Wisdom Healing Qigong Practices for Clearing Stress & Disease from your Body, Emotions & Mind —
With Qigong Master Mingtong Gu.
Learn the fundamentals for effectively working with energy and sound to foster physical, emotional, mental and spiritual healing and well-being.
New Live Video and Audio Training Starts Tuesday, September 8, 2015
More Upcoming Events: (all subject to change)
September
• Subtle Activism Summit
• 11 Days of Global Unity
• Hakomi Global Summit
• Thomas Huebl 7-week course
• David Nicol 7-week course
• Arden Reece 7-week course
• Alison Armstrong 8-week course
• Miranda Macpherson 10-week course
• Lisa Schrader 9-month intensive
October
• Sally Kempton 7-week course
• Andrew Harvey 12-week course
• Hakomi 12-week course
• Enneagram 5-month intensive
• Tim Kelley 6-month intensive
• Mirabai Starr 7-month intensive
November
• Co-creating Heaven on Earth Summit
• Global Indigenous Wisdom Summit
• Robert Moss 12-week course
• George Kao 12-week course
• Martin Rutte 12-week course |
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| BeThePeace - The Shift Network is delighted to be a supporter of BeThePeace, a global synchronized meditation for world peace taking place on or near the International Day of Peace. BeThePeace invites people from every culture, every spiritual tradition, and every political perspective to join Together as One. This year’s BeThePeace event is taking place on September 19 at 5:00 pm Pacific/12:00 midnight GMT. To learn more, click here. |
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The Gaiafield Project promotes the study and practice of subtle activism, which affirms the power of consciousness-based approaches like global meditation and prayer events to support social and planetary transformation. The Gaiafield Project develops subtle activism principles, practices, and programs, builds connections between leaders in the field, and co-creates a global network of subtle activists to support a shift to a global culture of peace. To learn more, click here.
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Swami Nirvanananda
By Philip M. Hellmich
Swami Nirvanananda is one of my favorite kirtan performers. He was born Giorgio Kriegsch in Italy. After reading the Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda, he traveled to India and served with Mother Teresa to help care for the destitute people of Calcutta. He later worked with Father Marian Zelazek who was helping the children of lepers in Puri. In 1992, Giorgio took the final monastic vows of sannyas and became Swami Nirvanananda Saraswati, meaning "the bliss of freedom from suffering." Swami Nirvananda’s devotional chanting and music have been a way to inspire a love for God and to raise funds to support a leper colony, school and other programs in India. Having recently been with Swami Nirvananda, I found his chanting to take me into an intoxicating love for the Divine and all Its manifestations — humanity, nature and beyond. To learn more about Swami Nirvananda and to purchase music, schedule a performance and/or support his service, click here.
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