In this special video series, prominent authors, thought leaders, and others answer the question, “What is the nicest thing a non-family member has ever done for you?”

Caroline Myss’ Story
Bestselling spiritual author

EXCERPT: And she, of course, was a scholar on Eastern religions, and she was just this brilliant scholar, she studied in the East. And I was not passing her course. And here’s the thing. It didn’t occur to me to study. I thought, Why am I not passing the course? And it never occurred to me to study. And she stopped me and she said, “You’re not doing well in my course. You have a very good mind and it’s unfortunate no one’s taught you how to use it.”

To watch the video and read the transcript of Caroline’s 3-minute tribute to the mentor who changed the trajectory of her life, click here.

Michael Stone’s Story
Author, shamanic practitioner, and co-host of the Shamanic Wisdom Summit

EXCERPT: And so it was Christmas Eve Day, and I was hitchhiking in Spain. And I’m standing there on the road, with my thumb out, and here comes a cop. And I’m going, Oh my God, I’m going to spend Christmas Eve in jail. And he comes over to me, and he says, “Come with me.” And so I had my pack and my guitar, and I go off, and he takes me to a bar. And he tells the bartender to give me whatever I want, and of course, everyone’s celebrating; it’s Christmas Eve. And I thought, Wow, well, okay.

To watch the video and read the transcript of Michael’s 4-minute story of the best Christmas ever, click here.

HeatherAsh Amara’s Story
Leader in mindfulness and empowerment, and co-host of the Shamanic Wisdom Summit

EXCERPT: And he made the announcement that he was disbanding our group, and that he was setting us all free. And I was in complete shock for days after that. And I remember sitting and just being like, This can’t be happening, this is my family. And I fought it for a while, and really tried to hold people together and to figure out how could we continue.

To watch the video and read the transcript of HeatherAsh’s 5-minute story about coming to terms with a blessing in disguise, click here.

Shawna Bluestar Newcomb’s Story
Spiritual guide, intuitive healer, and co-host of the Shamanic Wisdom Summit

EXCERPT: I do feel a lot of gratitude for specifically Grandmother Flordemayo. I feel like that really was a turning point when I had the opportunity to meet her years ago. And I feel like just at the time I had grown up as a really sensitive child opening to my spiritual gifts, but not really ever fully having a lot of guidance around it.

To watch the video and read the transcript of Shawna’s 2-minute tribute to her mentor and guide, click here.

Elder Dr. Dave Courchene’s Story
Founder of the Turtle Lodge and a featured speaker in the Shamanic Wisdom Summit

EXCERPT: I remember this beggar on a street and everyone was avoiding him and going around him. I remembered this teaching that this grandmother had given me as I was being taught about our way of life as a people. And then she says, “Don’t you ever, ever avoid the homeless people, the people that are disadvantaged. Don’t ever avoid them.”

To watch the video and read the transcript of Dave’s 12-minute reflection on how he learned two foundational life lessons, click here.

The Gifts of the Nagas
By Bhola Banstola, a featured speaker in the Shamanic Wisdom Summit

The word “naga” means different things. It is a Sanskrit term, and it is used to express one of the aspects of the serpent; and so the serpent is used as a metaphor, or as an animal spirit form of the naga that we can see. Naga, as I said, means many things. In my language, breathing is called naga, and naga also means naked, like the serpent is naked, they have nothing, not even an eye lid to cover their eyes, everything is open; there is nothing to hide. So nagas are very important spirits. In our Nepalese traditions we often make offerings to them. To read more, click here.

You Are Magnetic
By Shift faculty Robert Moss

Whatever you think and feel, the universe says Yes. The more strongly you think and feel, the stronger and faster the response it likely to be. It may come in ways you do not expect, since quite often you are unaware of the thoughts and desires you are carrying below your surface mind. The response may knock you back because you live in a world of contending energies and the force lines of your hopes and fears and ambitions may excite opposition. Click here to read more.

Birthing Children as the World is Coming Apart
By Nadirah Adeye, Shift Network Senior Course Manager

The world is burning. These fools have set the damn ocean on fire. A pandemic is still raging around us. Not even a year ago, we spent weeks living under an orange/red sky. And in the midst of all of that, I am pregnant. Purposefully, consciously, deliberately, and sacredly pregnant. Our family will welcome this new little being any day now.

Why? In a society where Black people have been roaring, “Stop killing us. We matter.” and there are people who still balk at the statement, why would anyone choose to deliberately bring another child into the world? A Black male child at that? To read more, click here.

Why We Are Headed for a Brutal Fall With Delta Covid-19
By Stephen Dinan, founder and CEO of The Shift Network

I wish I didn’t have to write this. I’ve been optimistic that we had effectively beaten the coronavirus pandemic (at least in the United States) and that we could safely move on. But I’ve spent a lot of time in the last week analyzing available information on the Delta variant and the scenario in front of us, coming to shocking conclusions. I’m going to lay out the fact pattern and the math that points towards a brutal fall season for the United States (and much of the rest of the world). To read more, click here.

Join Our Healing Journey From Intention to Action

A note from Rev. Dr. Aliah MaJon, Chief Inclusion Officer for The Shift Network:

It's obvious that this section of Catalyst is focused on Racial Healing and Justice because the title tells you that, but today I am delighted to be able to share with you — and celebrate — that a conscious shift is underway for our company (pun intended)!

Up to now, the offerings I’ve curated here have mostly been educational, historical, informative, or newsworthy. However, starting with this issue, I will be adding a generous sprinkling of items that shine a light on the actual “how to” of what can be done to move from intention to action regarding racial healing and other related and relevant issues for the times that we are living through. The Shift Network has embarked on a journey of transformation and you are invited to join us. Expanded learning is definitely in order for this journey, and as a team we are committing to paying careful attention to things such as:

• Working to Transform Racism
• The Power of Truth-Telling
• Healing Cultural Appropriation
• Utilizing Restorative Practices
• Bettering Our Inclusion Policies
• Inspiring More Future-Building
• Celebrating Intergenerational Exchange
• Giving Back to Truly Make a Difference

What you can expect from this point forward will include suggestions for what you can actually do, where you might go to get started — beginning with us — and how to connect with others who are like-minded, welcoming of collaboration, and happy to have all of our participation.

When I began as the Chief Inclusion Officer a year ago, one of the first things that was presented to me was the company's desire to make changes in the area of cultural appropriation. I consider it an honor to get to lead such an effort. What started as a series of meetings to gain more information turned into a full-fledged internal initiative last October, and is still very much underway. In fact, the work being carried out by myself and my partners, who are both internal as well as respected Wisdom Keepers, greatly influenced the annual Shamanic Wisdom Summit we’re featuring in this edition. Listen here to a special talk from the three hosts of the Summit and myself, which was created to invite the Shift Community and Friends of Shift to listen to one of the important conversations that took place as a proactive approach to healing. 

And, speaking of healing cultural appropriation, I also convened a Wisdom Keepers Council where several of us engaged in a Roundtable Discussion to arrive at a greater understanding of the topic — and make suggestions for changes, solutions, and bridge-building. One of the people who joined us for the Roundtable is my personal friend and the teacher who introduced me to Lakota ways, Beverly Little Thunder. This connection is important to me and is, literally, personal because my motivation to facilitate healing comes out of my direct experiences with Beverly and other Indigenous leaders. I was taught about respect, spirit, nature, and even myself over several years while deeply taking part in Lakota tradition. Here is a short clip from Beverly Little Thunder from the Wisdom Keepers Roundtable.

Your “how to” items are below. I am starting small to allow you the space to take them in and act upon those that feel right for you. And, lastly, may I remind you again about the "Transform Racism" initiative that was launched in May? Please sign up to hear about what we are doing as we build momentum and assemble into a community over the summer. We’re gearing up for many new offerings designed for learning and healing that we hope you will find of interest. 

Until next time, be well. And feel free to let us know what was most useful from this section!

What Is Cultural Appreciation (And How It’s Different From Cultural Appropriation)? 
Halloween costumes. Sports mascots. We’re surrounded by examples of cultural appropriation. But where’s the line between appreciating another culture and appropriating it? What even is cultural appropriation, and why is it a problem? Click here to read this helpful article on the Preemptive Love website.

Click here to read “Cultural Appropriation vs Appreciation While Traveling” on the Greenheart Travel website.

Every Time I Hear a Land Acknowledgment...
By Wizipan Little Elk
About a year and half ago, a Lakota friend texted me saying he was attending a gathering at a prestigious university, and it began with an Indigenous land acknowledgement. "What’s that about?” he asked. I told him it was a practice that was popping up in the “woke” crowd. We both agreed it was a good practice, but that words without action are meaningless. Click here to read this thought-provoking article. Click here to read an interview with Wizipan Little Elk.

The Little Book of Racial Healing
This book introduces Coming to the Table’s approach to a continuously evolving set of purposeful theories, ideas, experiments, guidelines, and intentions, all dedicated to facilitating racial healing and transformation. People of color, relative to white people, fall on the negative side of virtually all measurable social indicators. The “living wound” is seen in the significant disparities in average household wealth, unemployment and poverty rates, infant mortality rates, access to healthcare and life expectancy, education, housing, and treatment within, and by, the criminal justice system. Click here for more information.

Click here to access a 6-page handout from The Racial Healing Handbook; Practical Activities to Help You Challenge Privilege, Confront Systemic Racism, and Engage in Collective Healing, by Anneliese A. Singh.
Click here to watch a 3-minute video about this book.

PBS KIDS Talk About | Race, Racism & Identity
How do you have serious conversations with your kids? In "PBS KIDS Talk About: Race, Racism, and Identity," real families sat down to have honest conversations about these important topics in an age-appropriate way and offer viewers ideas to build on as they continue these important conversations at home. Click here to watch this kid-friendly 11-minute video.

Systemic Racism Explained
Systemic racism affects every area of life in the U.S. From incarceration rates to predatory loans, and trying to solve these problems requires changes in major parts of our system. Here’s a closer look at what systemic racism is, and how we can solve it. Click here to watch this viral 4-minute video.

Now is the time. We have an opportunity to unlearn deeply ingrained ideas about race. By naming what creates and maintains racial divides, we can challenge and heal harmful narratives and structures designed to keep people from self-actualization. We can use restorative practices to repair the collective traumas of racism.

Rev. Dr. Aliah MaJon, The Shift Network’s Chief Inclusion Officer, is co-host of the Liberating Race podcast alongside Joy Donnell and Gillian Shelley. In this one-minute clip from our What Is Race? episode, you will hear Aliah share her perspective on how the idea of race functions as a way to erase the depth and nuance of a human being.

This podcast is an invitation to all those who are willing to take this journey and be architects of the process of racial healing. Evolution is a stretch, but our convictions matter.
— Aliah MaJon

Listen on Spotify, Apple, or anywhere you get your podcasts.

I Almost Didn’t Live to See This Day
By bestselling spiritual author Caroline Myss

Your life can end at any minute. At any second it can be over... Your life is here until it’s not. Every day is this very precious experience of being here. When we’re given these incredible blessings, we should find a way to bless someone else with them. We should pass it on. We should open the way to turn blessings into something we pass along like a string of pearls. Click here to watch this profoundly moving 17-minute video.

Infused with visionary power, this book by Stephen Dinan, Shift Network’s co-founder and CEO, 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.

Sacred America, Sacred World is so crucial to the times we’re in that we are serializing it in every issue of Catalyst. You can read the third installment (as well as the previous one) here.

For Those Who Don’t Know Chocolate
By Amirah Al Wassif

Amirah Al Wassif is an eye opener. Her poetry pulls no punches — a vision of a world turned on its head, through no fault of those who must reside there. These are the words of one who has experienced more than her age would indicate. Her engagement with her themes, her subjects, rolls an extremely personal take in a universal wrapper. This book speaks for the poor and the minority around the globe, and the human rights and feminist issues as well, Readers will come away with greater appreciation for the beauty in our world and greater indignation at the outrages committed against it. Click here to order your copy.

Natural Woman: Herbal Remedies for Radiant Health at Every Age and Stage of Life
By Dr. Leslie Korn

Plant medicines are a woman’s ally to achieve optimal health; they bring balance and nourishment to daily life and can reduce or eliminate symptoms of physical and emotional distress. They can also provide alternatives to many pharmaceuticals. This go-to herbal sourcebook gives women the tools to thrive throughout their lives, with remedies using common herbs and plants to support a healthy body, mind, and spirit. Dr. Leslie Korn brings over forty years of experience in numerous herbal traditions and healing modalities, offering timeless wisdom in this herbal companion that can be shared with friends and passed down in the family for generations. Click here for more information.

For several years, The Shift Network has hosted Indigenous leaders from around the world and invited them to share their sacred knowledge, rituals, and practices to guide us in a way of living that is sustainable, healthy, and just. We’re thus delighted that the Global Indigenous Wisdom Library makes this “virtual council” of leaders and their wisdom available for everyone, everywhere for free.

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 want to give a heartfelt thanks to Hereditary Chief Phil Lane Jr. (“Brother Phil”) for his partnership in helping create this Indigenous Wisdom collection. And we thank all the speakers who have contributed to this body of knowledge. To discover more, 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.