By Dr. Shariff Abdullah, author and advocate for inclusivity and societal transformation

A few weeks ago, I was talking to my eldest daughter, who was anxiously awaiting news that her child (my eldest grandson) had made it safely back to his college campus from the George Floyd demonstrations in Atlanta. 

Here we are, 50 years since the societal upheavals of the 1960s in this country, and black parents are still fearful for the safety of their black children.

A disease festers in the heart of America. It’s been there since before the founding of our society. Its shadow falls across the face of the world. The disease persists, because we keep focusing on surface symptoms, and not the underlying disease itself. 

Those acquainted with The Shift Network are familiar with the language of consciousness, energy, and transformation. However, beyond using these concepts for personal gain (like manifesting money, a mate, or a parking space), our transcendent knowledge seems to fail us. We don’t have much to say about how to use energy and consciousness for societal transformation. 

This must change. It’s time to step into our societal selves. It’s time to apply what we’ve learned on a personal level to our societal challenges. And racism is an ever-present, deep-rooted presenting symptom.

A “presenting symptom.” NOT the problem itself. Being “anti-racist” is like the person with lung cancer being “anti-coughing.” Being “anti-“ anything just makes what you oppose stronger. We KNOW this. Now, it’s time for us all to start APPLYING it. 

Responding to racism with anger, fear, and violence (or denial, empty gestures, and fad workshops) is like fighting shadows with more shadows, like fighting a raging fire with gasoline. We know better and can do better than this. We can and we will learn how to shine the Light. 

In this time of the dissolution of the caterpillar, who is holding the pattern of our societal butterfly? Who holds the pattern of a new, inclusive, and compassionate society? Not the leaders of the toxic, dysfunctional status quo. Not the extremists of the Left or the Right. Definitely not the media, who fuel our fears, confusions, and separations to sell advertising space.

We need visionary, compassionate LEADERSHIP… not empty slogans, silly gestures, or meaningless photo ops. That leadership has to be… YOU.

EDITOR’S NOTE: “The Master Key” by Robert Peng, a featured speaker in The Shift Network’s 2019 Qigong Global Summit, is one of the most profoundly important books I’ve ever read. I can say that it’s life-changing with complete confidence, because it changed my life before I even finished reading it. I was so impressed with this book that we are serializing the section called “One Hundred Days of Darkness and Light” in future issues of Catalyst. You can read the eighteenth installment (as well as the previous ones) here.
— Phil Bolsta
 

The uplifting stories in this issue’s “The Nicest Thing” section come from Aliah MaJon, a self-described architect of social evolution, and The Shift Network’s own Lisa Bonnice.

Look for stories from other members of the Shift Team in future issues. We look forward to having you get to know us better!

Finally, we’d love to hear your answer to the question, What have you learned over the last 6 weeks that shifted your understanding of what it means to be Black in America and around the world? To share your thoughts in our Facebook Page community, click here.
 

I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality.
— Martin Luther King, Jr.
 

Racial Healing: Beyond the Concept to Creating a Blueprint Together
By Aliah MaJon, an architect of social evolution

Racial healing? What exactly are the possibilities of this phrase, this promise, still tentative and quite uncertain, that people are beginning to speaking about out loud, as well as whisper about in their prayers; in our collective prayers? Could it be true that something so glorious as genuine “Racial Healing” is really within our reach, the incredible gift of sustainable repair and the permanent release of our sad state of affairs regarding racial differences. To read more, click here.

Perfect Storm: Covid-19 America and Black Lives
Text and photos by Davidione Pearl

Our nation has now reached what has come to be the single-most significant crossroad to bear since the turbulent 1960s. What we are witnessing as a country is a notorious accumulation of sordid socio-economic affairs that rests upon a once organized landscape of historic inequity and dismissal that has collided headfirst into a pandemic of near biblical proportion. To read more, click here.

Click here to watch Davidione’s Summer of Peace Facebook Live interview in which he shares a brief overview of the history of social injustice that led to the current protests, and outlines ideas on how we can move forward together.

The Racism/Patriarchy Connection And How We Work To Address Them Both
By Karin Swann

But even amidst the promise that something positive might surface from the heart-wrenching death of George Floyd, something else that’s central to what is happening is not being talked about. Something so obvious, so visible, yet so internalized in most of us that we don’t even think to mention it: that is, that the violence enacted by police officers against black Americans is exclusively perpetrated by white men. To read more, click here.

Walking With Shawn
By Yasmin Amer

Shawn Dromgoole, 29, next to his mother Lynetra Dunn during an organized neighborhood walk.

EXCERPT: Behind that frustration was real fear, especially after the murder of 25-year-old jogger Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia. Shawn couldn't help but think how it could've been him. His fear became crippling. He was too nervous to go outside. "I wanted to go on a walk and I couldn't. I couldn't make it past the front porch. I went back in the house and closed the door," Shawn said. "I’m my mama’s only son. I can't risk her losing me. Who's gonna take care of my mom if I'm gone?"

Then, in late May, Shawn shared how he felt on social media. He said that as a 29-year-old, 250-pound black man, he was afraid to walk in his own neighborhood. To his surprise, a lot of neighbors responded. Many asked if they could walk with him. He didn't think much of it and instead made plans to meet up and walk with a mentor who lives nearby. But when he showed up to meet her, he saw 75 other people waiting for him. To read more of this heartwarming story, click here.

To watch Shawn Dromgoole and his mother being interviewed on Kelly Clarkson’s talk show, click here.

For a powerful example of how important it is for white allies to speak up and call out racist language and attitudes, click here to hear British author Paul Scanlon’s story about the time he interrupted a racist joke at a table of white people and the lessons he drew from it.

The Sheer Brutality That Black and Native Men Face
By Angelique EagleWoman
Published in Indian Country Today

From the beginning of the Atlantic slave trade, Europeans did not believe that Black lives mattered. Historic sources demonstrate genocidal efforts to eliminate and enslave Native peoples since the landing of Christopher Columbus. As Native peoples were killed by Europeans, died from contracting European diseases, or engaged in mass suicide, the Atlantic slave trade was started to capture African people and force them to do the labor of White plantation owners on stolen Native lands. To read more, click here.

 The Shift Network's Anti-Racism Activities

We are committed to a process of learning and growing to ensure that we deepen our own cultural humility and heighten the awareness of our staff members around the issue of racial justice, which in turn impacts our programming. As we learn, we continue to refine our processes and offerings to be fully aligned with our intentions. Here are some steps we’ve been taking as a company to uplift BIPOC voices and support key organizations whose mission is to transform racism. Click here to read more.

Click here for educational resources that speak to racial justice and healing.

Anatomy of Delusion: How Otherwise Conscious People Descended into the Darkness
By Stephen Dinan, founder and CEO of The Shift Network

If you’re like many of my friends, colleagues and allies, you’ve been baffled by the number of otherwise conscious people who have begun spouting extreme conspiracy memes, joining the anti-mask rebellion, or attacking people for the sin of watching CNN. 

“I thought I knew these people?” you might think. “How in the world did that person go from promoting detox regimens to calling the worst pandemic of our lives a hoax?” You might find yourself unfriending people on Facebook and writing off people you once respected. It’s frankly been painful. To read more, click here.

Is COVID-19 Payback for Neglecting Our Health and Environment?
By Ellen Moyer

If we can put this disaster in perspective and learn from it, the COVID-19 pandemic could propel us into the next stage of human development. The abrupt upheaval caused by the pandemic provides a preview of what’s to come if we don’t face facts, change course and demand action. To read more, click here.

How to Navigate Lockdown/Quarantine Time As an Underworld Journey
By Caolyn Elliott

All she wants to do is to find her way home, to the normal world she knew and loved. But it's not easy — in the underworld, she finds herself under attack — she has to battle, scheme, strategize, use her raw wits to maneuver. Just like you may now have to use your finest wits to find toilet paper ;) To read more, click here.

The Master Key
By Robert Peng, a featured speaker in The Shift Network’s 2019 Qigong Global Summit

It's 1972 in the industrial city of Xiangtan, China. A frail child with a heart condition sneaks into a hotel boiler room and befriends the elderly yet vibrant attendant, who eventually reveals his true identity as a revered Qigong master. He heals the boy and, for the next 13 years, secretly teaches him the keys to unlocking the spiritual and healing dimensions of the Life Force.

It sounds like a modern-day fable, but the story is true. And with The Master Key, that grateful student, Robert Peng, invites all of us to enter the next chapter of this empowering path. Here, Master Peng brings together the unique insights of his teacher with the moving account of his own journey.

Click here to read the eighteenth installment (as well as all the previous installments) of this profoundly moving book.

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

Aliah MaJon's Story
An architect of social evolution

EXCERPT: And so I went home and I called Eric and I said, "Well, the interview went really well. I think they liked me a lot. And they didn't say yes, but they didn't say no either." And Eric said, "Okay, just hold the vision in your heart that the service that you want to provide, that you and I have been talking about for a year, is going to come to pass.”

To watch the video and read the transcript of Aliah’s 9-minute story about her mentor and friend, click here.

Lisa Bonnice's Story
Program host for The Shift Network

EXCERPT: Anyway, my few minutes were quickly over and I went back to the conference, which was already in progress. And I was on cloud nine already when Neale made a point to track me down and find me out of all those people to tell me that he'd been flipping through the book and he just absolutely loved it. He went on and on about it, that he'd never seen anything like it and he wanted to do whatever he could to help me get it out there. And he gave me his contact information, his phone number and email address, and offered to write a foreword for the next edition.

To watch the video and read the transcript of Lisa’s 6-minute story about her dream encounter with a famous author, click here.

"Advanced Kundalini Shakti Initiation" Facebook Live Q&A with Raja Choudhury

Would you like to access bliss consciousness and evolve into a more beautiful, radiant soul? Spiritual teacher, speaker, and filmmaker Raja Choudhury will be leading a special Facebook Live Q&A call on Tuesday, July 21, at 10:00am Pacific to share how you can work with Kundalini Shakti for healing, vitality, success, and true inner peace in a time of unrest and uncertainty. Click here to get a Facebook Messenger reminder when the event goes live.

"Awaken & Rebalance Yourself & Our World Through Feminine Alchemy" Facebook Live Q&A with Ariel Spilsbury

Would you like to empower yourself and shift our world? Renowned author, priestess, and unconventional initiator Ariel Spilsbury will be leading a special Facebook Live Q&A call on Wednesday, July 22, at 3:00pm Pacific to share how you can shed millennia of masculine conditioning and rediscover the depths, magic, and sacred irreverence of the Divine Feminine. Click here to get a Facebook Messenger reminder when the event goes live.

Your Voice:

We want to know: What have you learned over the last 6 weeks that shifted your understanding of what it means to be Black in America and around the world? To share your thoughts in our Facebook Page community, click here.

Shift Network invites you to join leadership from our staff to be part of the 2020 Great Radical Race Read, a 5-week, transnational collective reading and discussion practice to transform race one circle, one conversation, and one "radical read" at a time.

Shift is supporting the work of the Radical Dharma Movement Project to amplify this pivotal moment of reflection and reckoning by inviting the nation and beyond to join in the reading of one of five books that each provide fertile ground for discussion about race and the healing of racism

Shift Readers will be reading and discussing a powerful book called My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies by Resmaa Menakem.

Other amazing books that will be explored by other circles include Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love, and Liberation... Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You... The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness... and When They Call You A Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir.

Here's the direct link to the Shift Readers team where you can register to join us — or to donate to support our fundraising efforts.

For more information, click here.

Spiritual Practice for Crazy Times: Powerful Tools to Cultivate Calm, Clarity, and Courage
A practical guide to surviving and thriving in a world gone mad
By Philip Goldberg

Do you ever feel torn between finding refuge and staying informed and engaged? Have you ever felt too stressed out to meditate? Too anxious to roll out your yoga mat or pray? The truth is, when the world gets chaotic and confounding, we need spiritual practice more than ever. That's when our souls need sustenance the most. That's when we really need to recharge and ground ourselves to take on the challenge.

This concise, compassionate guide will help you access the silent sanctuary within you. It's filled with practical tools that provide spiritual support at a moment's notice, in whatever time you have, with whatever attention you can spare. To read more, click here.

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.

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.

If you would like to submit something to Catalyst, please see the submission guidelines: click here.