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 By Stephen Dinan, founder and CEO of The Shift Network
The International Day of Peace, September 21, is one of my favorite days of the year. Established by the United Nations in 1981, the International Day of Peace is an opportunity for people around the world to celebrate our shared desire for peace and the many ways that peace is experienced, cultivated and expressed.
Last year, an estimated 500 million people celebrated the International Day of Peace in some way. What I love about this day is that we all can celebrate it in ways that are dear to us, whether attending a community event, planting a peace pole, joining synchronized global meditations, dancing for peace, and/or simply praying for peace.
In honor of the International Day of Peace, please join us for a BeThePeace Global Meditation on September 21 at Noon Pacific. Gaiafield Project co-founder and Shift Network faculty David Nicol will be our meditation guide.
There also is the “wave of peace” that our dear friend Avon Mattison helped initiate. At noon in every time zone around the world, people are invited to spend a minute of silence in peace. This wave of peace circles the Earth.
In this special edition of The Catalyst, we are honored to include an article by Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury, the Honorary Chair of the International Day of Peace NGO Committee at the United Nations. Ambassador Chowdhury has devoted many years as an inspirational champion for sustainable peace and development, and to ardently advancing the cause of the global movement for the culture of peace that has energized civil society all over the world.
For those in California, we also invite you to join us on the International Day of Peace as we kick off a 3-day conference, California Vision 2020 — a co-creation of The Shift Network and friends, including Compassionate Capital Region, The California Endowment, United Nations Association Sacramento Chapter, and many more….
California Vision 2020 will feature Dolores Huerta, Dr. Shariff M. Abdullah, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Marianne Williamson, Joan Blades, Andrew Harvey and many more social, spiritual, business, and political thought leaders. Click here to find out more.
Also, be sure to continue watching the 11 Days of Global Unity Summit, a free daily online broadcast featuring video interviews with Deepak Chopra, Marianne Williamson, Michael Bernard Beckwith, Ralph Nader, Kareena Gore and many others! The 11 Days of Global Unity Summit, which is part of the Summer of Peace, culminates on the International Day of Peace with Deepak Chopra, who will examine the nature of peace.
Finally, we would love to hear your answer to the question, “How will you celebrate the International Day of Peace?” To share your thoughts in our Facebook Page community, click here.
We hope you enjoy this edition of The Catalyst, which is dedicated to the International Day of Peace, our shared common humanity, and the many ways to experience, express and share peace!
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BeThePeace Global Meditation
Hosted by the Gaiafield Project and the Shift Network
 In honor of the International Day of Peace, please join us for a BeThePeace Global Meditation on September 21 at Noon Pacific. Gaiafield Project co-founder and Shift Network faculty David Nicol will be our meditation guide.
At this critical time of transition for humanity, unite with thousands of people worldwide to be the peace we wish to see in our world. Join us to plant seeds of peace deep in your heart and in the higher awareness of humanity itself. We call forth the power of divine grace to flood the consciousness of all humanity and to guide us through this collective initiation!
Click here to register. The meditation will be available by phone, webphone, and audio webcast.
'Gimme Shelter': Weathering the Storm in an Archetypal Cosmos
Interview with Richard Tarnas, founding director of the California Institute of Integral Studies’ graduate program in Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness
 This enthralling video interview with Richard Tarnas looks at the evidence of consistent correlations between planetary alignments and world events, as seen through the lens of archetypal astrology. He provides us with some needed context for our wildly dramatic time, and answers the question, “How might our contemporary culture be transformed by the recognition that an intimate bond exists between the deep psyche and the cosmos?”
Click here to watch the video.
Click here to register for free for the hour-long encore of Is Archetypal Astrology the Rosetta Stone of the Human Psyche?: Illuminating Your Depths, Navigating Our Times. This free virtual event on Tuesday, September 19, at Noon Pacific features Richard Tarnas and iconic consciousness pioneer Stanislav Grof.
Yes, One Person Can Make a Difference
Book excerpt from Through God’s Eyes By Phil Bolsta
 Instead of futilely expending energy and waiting for others to effect change, reclaim your power and be an agent of change, effective immediately.
Pour your energy into what you support (peace) rather than what you oppose (war), and the world can indeed be transformed.
Every thought you have can make the planet a better place, because every positive, peaceful thought adds that much more loving energy to the Unified Field.
To read more, click here.
 Global Shift Meditation —
Free Event on the First of Every Month
Join The Shift Network, The Gaiafield Project and people around the world for Global Shift Meditations on the first of each month. On September 1, we featured Katherine Woodward Thomas, a New York Times bestselling author, licensed therapist, and teacher. Click here to listen to the free recording and to register to receive future free recordings.
 Your Voice
We want to know: How will you celebrate the International Day of Peace? To share your thoughts in our Facebook Page community, click here.
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Make the International Day of Peace Meaningful Through the Culture of Peace
By Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury
 In 1981, it was a proud moment for me, as a representative of Bangladesh, which became a full member of the United Nations only seven years before, to witness the declaration of the International Day of Peace (IDP) by the UN General Assembly. This declaration demonstrated that the UN was devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples.
Two decades later, in 2001, the General Assembly unanimously voted to designate the Day as a period of nonviolence and cease-fire. The Assembly invited all nations and peoples to honor a cessation of hostilities during the Day and also to commemorate the Day through education and public awareness on issues related to peace.
To read more, click here.
International Day of Peace: Realizing the Culture of Peace
By Dot Maver
 Imagine, a circle of Wise Ones, observing humanity’s progress on Earth as peacebuilding becomes a way of life. Periodically, these Silent Watchers offer a spiritual impulse towards a Culture of Peace with a focus on the realization of oneness, loving understanding, sharing and cooperation. Peace is living in right relationship with self, others and all life.
Following the World Wars, humanity began to consciously realize its profound interconnectedness with all life; a direct result was the founding of the United Nations. Those humans affiliated with the UN recognized an opportunity to invite all global citizens to focus on peace in a unique and powerful way. One day out of the year would be dedicated to Peace. They called it Peace Day: the International Day of Peace (IDP). This holiday was first observed in 1982.
To read more, click here.
Why You Need to Celebrate the International Day of Peace
By Rev. Deborah Moldow
 At 3:00pm on September 21, 1982, the 37th session of the United Nations General Assembly opened by inviting the 157 Permanent Representatives to stand for a Minute of Silence to observe the first International Day of Peace, which had been established unanimously by a resolution sponsored by Costa Rica the previous November. This resolution was the product of 20 years of effort by a group of people both inside the United Nations and in civil society that included Avon Mattison, founder of Pathways To Peace. Avon observed the Minute of Silence in gratitude for this great step toward world peace. The following year, she invited members of peace organizations around the world to join in the Minute of Silence at noon in every time zone, to co-create a “peace wave” that would circle the globe.
To read more, click here.
Peace Day Global Broadcast Features Celebrity Peace Messages from Michael Douglas, Ringo Starr, Jane Goodall and More
United Nations International Day of Peace — September 21, 2017
Peace has never been more important than right now. With the racially charged tragedy in Charlottesville and the escalating tensions with North Korea, Russia, and Afghanistan, people are searching for peaceful solutions to complex issues.
This year’s PEACE DAY GLOBAL BROADCAST will help millions around the globe focus on peace with a curated video marathon featuring peace messages from Michael Douglas, Ringo Starr, Jane Goodall, and Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai. The 24-hour broadcast can be viewed by clicking here or here.
To read more, click here.
Peace is not a spectator sport. It requires the efforts of all.
Charles Keller, Past President, Rotary International
In honor of the International Day of Peace, please join us for a BeThePeace Global Meditation on September 21 at Noon Pacific. Gaiafield Project co-founder and Shift Network faculty David Nicol will be our meditation guide.
At this critical time of transition for humanity, unite with thousands of people worldwide to be the peace we wish to see in our world. Join us to plant seeds of peace deep in your heart and in the higher awareness of humanity itself. We call forth the power of divine grace to flood the consciousness of all humanity and to guide us through this collective initiation!
Click here to register. The meditation will be available by phone, webphone, and audio webcast.
How Quirky is Berkeley? Peace poles!
By Tom Dalzell, first published in Berkeleyside.com
 Peace poles, the mass-produced ones distributed by the World Peace Prayer Society, proclaim “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in many different languages. You pick the four languages you want. The World Peace Prayer Society estimates there are 200,000 worldwide. There are a few in Berkeley.
The first peace pole that I knew was at 1118 Oxford St. Richard Perlman and Pam Erenberg installed it in the early 1980s. It came from Japan with several small bags of Ready Mix concrete. When they moved to San Antonio Avenue, it moved with them. Both Perlman and Erenberg were peace activists in the 1960s. Perlman’s father fought with the Abraham Lincoln Brigade in the Spanish Civil War, and his mother was a committed leftist.
To read more, click here.
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An Eyewitness Account of Life After Death
By Dr. Janis Amatuzio
 …I introduced myself and told him I had to start a catheter. As I was feeling for a vein, this man looked at me and said, “You know, doc, I died once.” My first thought was, Whoa, he’s off his rocker, he’s sundowning. He read my thoughts like he was reading a book. He said, “You don’t believe me,” with such sadness that I was terribly embarrassed. I said, “It’s not that I don’t believe you, but you know that’s a pretty extraordinary thing you just said.” He said, “I know. But I did.”
While I was feeling for a vein, I thought, Well, I’m going to be here a long time, I may as well hear a good story. So I asked him to tell me what had happened. He said, “Well, you know I’ve got blood clots in my legs and they like to travel up to my lungs.” I said, “I know, that’s why it’s so important to get this medication into your veins.” He told me he had had a filtering screen put in his interior vena cava, the large vessel that brings the blood from the lower extremities up to the heart, to stop the clots from passing to his lungs.
“That was two years ago,” he said. “And that’s when I died.” I nodded and said, “Yeah, but you’re here now.” He said, “Yep, I came back to life.” I felt a shiver go down my neck and I remember thinking, What is this?
To read more, click here.
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 Join Free: The BeThePeace 10-Day Challenge — September 21–30
As BeThePeace turns six, we celebrate another year of organizing people across our planet to gather around one central theme: being the peace we wish to see in the world. This year, The PeaceRipples Institute, in partnership with BeThePeace, invites you to explore this central theme in a deeper way by participating in the BeThePeace 10-Day Challenge. By joining this free Challenge, you will receive resources to guide you through the 10 days and be invited to join and contribute to a community of people from around the world. To find out more, click here.
International Day of Peace Events by LiveaMoment
September 21 in San Francisco
 Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Summer of Love… with flowers in your hair!
It's our 5th annual Peace in the Park, and we are all about the spirit of the Summer of Love! Join us and celebrate 50 years of the love movement — drug & alcohol free this time, so bring the kids. Let's weave together the powerful essence of both festivals and come together for peace, self-expression, global unity, respecting one another, freedom and MORE unconditional love! Let's keep lovin' till eternity, and make this a joyous, sunny, soulful Saturday! We've lined up incredible bands, visual artists, poetry, yoga, meditation, speakers, community peace non-profits and more. For more information and to register, click here.
Peace in the Park
Saturday, September 23 in Golden Gate Park from 11:00am–6:00pm
 Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Summer of Love . . . with flowers in your hair!
It's our 5th annual Peace in the Park, and we are all about the spirit of the Summer of Love! Join us and celebrate 50 years of the love movement — drug & alcohol free this time, so bring the kids. Let's weave together the powerful essence of both festivals and come together for peace, self-expression, global unity, respecting one another, freedom and MORE unconditional love! Let's keep lovin' till eternity, and make this a joyous, sunny, soulful Saturday! We've lined up incredible bands, visual artists, poetry, yoga, meditation, speakers, community peace non-profits and more. For more information and to register, click here.
Freeze for Peace on September 21
 We invite you to “Freeze for Peace!” on the International Day of Peace, September 21. It’s an active way for the young and young at heart to create more peace in the world. It’s easy… it’s fun… and it only takes 30 seconds! Students from all over the world are invited to freeze (to stop as if you are frozen) wherever you are, take a deep breath, and think about something peaceful for 30 seconds. You can be on a campus or playground, in a classroom or anywhere! Your school leaders can decide what time and what reminder they will use to announce the moment to “Freeze for Peace.” Click here to watch a 2-minute video!
Tampa Bay Celebrates Non-Violence and Religious Literacy During Fourth Annual “Interfaith Week”
 For the fourth year in a row, Interfaith Tampa Bay and Integral Church will host Tampa Bay Interfaith Week — an opportunity to see how the rest of your community celebrates the sacred in a casual, open, educational setting.
This theme of this year’s event, which runs from October 1–8, is "I Am Your Neighbor."
To read more, click here.
Sacred Catastrophe: Healing Lebanon
 Zena el Khalil’s solo exhibition is opening September 18 at the historic Beit Beirut building in Beirut, Lebanon.
Beit Beirut, once home to militias and snipers, is located on what was “the Green Line” or the former demarcation line that split the city of Beirut during the civil war. She will be presenting a series of paintings, sculptures, sound and video works, and a large scale installation distributed over the four floors of the building. The works are the result of a working method she has pursued in recent years, a practice that begins with healing ceremonies in places that have endured violent experiences such as massacres and environmental disasters. By following a set process and collaborating with the community, I have worked to transmute negative energy residues into love and light. This exhibition will run for 40 days and will be accompanied by workshops, panels, poetry readings and performances given by community members. She will also be leading a daily peace ceremony which is open to public participation. The exhibition is under the patronage of the Municipality of Beirut and the Italian Cultural Institute, Beirut.
This is the first solo exhibition to take place at Beit Beirut. To learn more, click here.
Rise for Syria
 Rarely is humanity confronted with such a powerful moment of crisis as we are now in Syria. But with crisis comes opportunity — the opportunity for humanity to unify around our common principles of compassion, love, peace and service to others.
This is an opportunity for our a global community to rise up and heal the wounds of war within ourselves, and collectively focus on healing the wounds of war in Syria. Join us in global synchronized prayer and meditation followed by high-impact, practical action campaigns to help those who need it most.
Rise for Syria is a collaboration between Unify.org, Uplift, United Religions Initiative, and all of you who believe in Uniting humanity for global movements of good. We provide vital financial and human capital and have been organizing collective impact campaigns since 2012. We’ve organized 20+ campaigns in over 15,000 cities uniting in prayer and meditation, creating healing as a global community.
Click here to watch a video and to sign up to get access to the Live Broadcast (on International Peace Day on September 24) and updates from inside Syria.
Mantras for Peace
 Within the potent sounds of Sanskrit mantras for peace is connection to a deeply established network of peace — within and without, modern and ancient. Join a global community of peacemakers actively using their minds and hearts to transmit peace into the atmosphere! Together, we learn simple Sanskrit mantras, syllable by syllable in exquisite detail, and invoke peace for all beings. Click here to join the 108-day experience. Click here to hear the Sanskrit mantra that translates to, “May all the beings in all the worlds be happy.”
The Global Indigenous Wisdom Library is a collection of audio and video interviews featuring Indigenous leaders from around the world sharing prayers, sacred songs, prophecies, spiritual teachings and pathways to healing, as well as concrete examples for birthing a new era — one in which all members of the human family are treated with respect, understanding, compassion and justice. This sacred wisdom is important medicine for us all. The production of The Global Indigenous Wisdom Library is a gift from The Shift Network, designed to inspire, inform and involve you by highlighting the voices and important messages of Indigenous leaders from around the world. We thank all the speakers who have contributed to this body of knowledge! To learn more, click here.
Book by Stephen Dinan: Sacred America, Sacred World. Infused with visionary power, Sacred America, Sacred World is a manifesto for our country’s evolution that is both political and deeply spiritual. It offers profound hope that America can grow beyond our current challenges and manifest our noblest destiny, which the book shows is rooted in sacred principles that transcend left or right political views. To order your copy, click here.
 World Peace Library. Designed for the layperson and professional peacebuilder alike, the World Peace Library has over 425 audio and video interviews with some of the most remarkable, inspiring peacebuilders in the world available to you at NO COST. You’ll find hundreds of hours of inspirational, peacebuilding, compassion-spreading talks and trainings at your fingertips with this FREE global resource. There’s no way you can’t come away from the World Peace Library deeply inspired, transformed — and part of the solution. Click here to find out how to take peace to the next level — and help co-create a global culture of peace that leaves a legacy of good for our children, our children’s children and all of humanity and life on earth.
If you would like to submit something to The Catalyst, please see the submission guidelines: click here.
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2017 Catalyst:
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(#19, 9/17)
(#18, 9/3)
(#17, 8/20)
(#16, 8/6)
(#15, 7/23)
(#14, 7/9)
(#13, 6/25)
(#12, 6/11)
(#11, 5/28)
(#10, 5/14)
(#9, 4/30)
(#8, 4/16)
(#7, 4/2)
(#6, 3/19)
(#5, 3/5)
(#4, 2/19)
(#3, 2/5)
(#2, 1/22)
(#1, 1/8)
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 Reclaiming Your Body’s Innate Guidance System: How to Listen to Your Bones and 5 More Wisdom Areas to Heal Trauma & Increase Intuition — A Free Virtual Event With Leading Conscious Awareness Instructor Suzanne Scurlock-Durana, CMT, CST-D. Discover how to reconnect with the essential areas of deep wisdom in your body — to liberate more of your intuition and personal power. Tuesday, September 19, 2017 at 5:30pm Pacific
 Unlocking the Secrets of Your Infinite Mind: Access Parallel Dimensions for Rapid Learning, Healing & Unleashing Your Creative Genius — A Free Virtual Event With World-Renowned Meditation Master, Spiritual Coach & Mind Power Expert Burt Goldman. Discover a proven process for rapid manifestation, guided by a true icon of the Human Potential Movement. Tuesday, September 26, 2017 at 5:30pm Pacific
 Shamanic Journeying to the Other Side: Communicate With the Departed & Make Death Your Ally — A Free Virtual Event With Bestselling Author and Dream Shaman Robert Moss. Discover advanced shamanic dreaming techniques to journey into other realms (including the afterlife) and receive wisdom and inspiration for your life. Wednesday, September 27, 2017 at 5:30pm Pacific
 The Way of Grace Advanced Sangha: Turning Everything Into the Path of Awakening — With Spiritual Teacher Miranda Macpherson. Discover how to hold life’s challenges with understanding, compassion and forgiveness — approaching everything as a gateway to awakening and personal transformation. New 28-week Live Video Training Starts Wednesday, September 20, 2017
 The EFT Health Mastery Training: Advanced Tapping Techniques to Reduce Stress, Increase Vitality & Heal Your Body — With Internationally Renowned Trainer and Bestselling Author of The Genie in Your Genes and The EFT Manual Dawson Church. Harness the power of science-based EFT to alleviate trauma, reduce physical pain, end food cravings, and activate healing at the cellular level. New 7-week Live Audio Training (With Supplemental Video) Starts Thursday, September 21, 2017
 The Voice Dialogue Training: Mastering the Toolkit for Transforming the Psyche of Your Clients & Yourself — With Teacher, Author & Internationally-respected Change Agent Tim Kelley. Discover how to bring the inner voices of the psyche into harmony to unleash greater creativity, fulfillment, and success for yourself and your clients. Especially recommended for coaches, therapists, trainers and teachers. New 6-month Live Video Training Starts Tuesday, September 26, 2017
More Upcoming Events: (all subject to change)
October
• Stan Grof & Rick Tarnas 8-week course
• Satyen Raja 7-week course
• Suzanne Scurlock-Durana 7-week course
• Burt Goldman
7-week course
• Gardening & Homesteading Skills Summit
• Andrew Harvey & Caroline Myss 7-week course
• Lynne McTaggart 7-week course
• Robert Moss 13-week course
• Anodea Judith 7-week course
November
• David Crow 4-month program
• Holly Tse 7-week course
• Margaret Paul 7-week course
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11 Days of Global Unity Launched in 2004 by We, The World and global partners, “11 Days of Global Unity — 11 Ways to Transform Your World” is a worldwide platform for the promotion of peace, justice, sustainability and transformation that annually includes as many as 700 associated events in over 60 countries around the world. It culminates on September 21, the U.N. International Day of Peace, which itself is celebrated annually by as many as 3,500 organizations in over 120 countries. “11 Days of Global Unity” highlights “11 Campaigns For Change” which call forth the values, spirit and service needed to move us towards a culture of peace and a world that works for all. For more information and to make a donation to We, The World, click here.
You Can Help Create a Loving Children’s Home for Sri Lankan Orphans
Since 1993, the Sri Bodhiraja Foundation in Embilipitiya, Sri Lanka, has been doing social projects in the poorest areas of Sri Lanka, addressing basic needs of the people and all living beings. More than 10,000 people benefit from the foundation every month.
Recently, we have been faced with a wonderful, yet stressful problem. Two years ago, the Commissioner of Probation and Social Services (Sri Lanka) asked the foundation to build a Children’s home for orphaned Tamil children in Rakwana, Ratnapura District. This idea had been close to our hearts for a long time, but we didn’t have the money to build it.
These 25 boys, ages 5–16, currently have no home. They are living in temporary encampments because they have no place to live, and no families or relatives — or they are still in homes where the court has ordered they need to leave because of abuse. These kids have nothing; they cannot attend school, have no support, no community and no hope. They are at risk of being trafficked like many children without education and family.
Our Children’s Home provides more than hope, we support our children in all our children's homes to create happiness, a healthy future, and the opportunity to become a valuable part of society and live with heart and joy. With your generosity, compassion and empathy, the light in these boys can shine.
Please click here to make a donation and to read more of our story by our high priest, Venerable Dr. Omalpe Sobhita Thero.
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PartnersGlobal and the Alliance for Peacebuilding, two non-profit leaders in global peacebuilding, have joined forces with engageSimply, a leading innovator of customer engagement solutions for brands and agencies, to launch Unite 4 Peace and Redefining Peace. These two comprehensive social platforms are bringing together the many global voices that support the United Nation’s International Day of Peace and TOGETHER campaign by promoting the message that through all our efforts both local and global, Peace is possible. Visitors will learn about many different creative acts that contribute to peace around the world, and how each of us can make a difference towards positive social change.
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Sāmi Brothers — Ch'aska Punku
The Sāmi Brothers, Alexander Kugler and Madhu Anziani, are back with their second album of musical medicine, inspired by their prayers and guided by the teachings of the Pachakuti Mesa Tradition. Madhu's voice is like silky honey, and combined with Alexander's soaring, operatic notes, their music is a deep, uplifting and powerful transmission to bless all our relations, forward and back in time. The 7-track album begins with an invocation by Shift faculty don Oscar Miro-Quesada (in the center of the photo), moves into a beautiful, melodic prayer to the 7 Directions, and closes with the sublimely harmonized Siwar Q'enti (Hummingbird Song). Close your eyes and enter into a sacred listening space with this divine duo by clicking here.
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