Please 'like' our Facebook page and feel free to share news of Birth 2012 activities in your area. And while you are at it, be sure to register your upcoming events and new hubs at Birth2012.com (see our Hub Report below for details.) Barbara shares story of her historic speech to Catholic sisters Cocreating the Future of the Catholic Church By Byron Belitsos, Managing Editor We held up last week's Catalyst a few days so we could report on a historic development: Barbara's highly successful keynote speech to the largest organization of Catholic nuns in America that was subsequently reported in the New York Times. Her video above shares what Barbara calls "the most remarkable experience of my life" and my feature article below provides details for the event. According to Barbara, the 900 "evolutionary nuns" who heard her unprecedented talk are now arising as some of the most inspired feminine cocreators of our time. Big events and big hubs are also on our agenda this issue. In particular, Stephen Dinan reports about what may be one of the biggest December 22nd events in the world to be held in Mexico, and we also profile Earthdance founder Chris Dekker who is spearheading a December 22 event at the large hub that is forming in Byron Bay, Australia. Our next Catalyst will come your way a week from Saturday. We'll be rolling out important new tools for hubs, plus reporting on hubs outside of the U.S. If your hub or Birth 2012 group is overseas, please email any news or stories you may have to me at byron@theshiftnetwork.com. Barbara Inspires "Evolutionary Nuns" as Vatican and Nation's Media Looks On Barbara Marx Hubbard's prophetic relationship with the risen Christ has always been central to her role as an author and leading evolutionary thinker. Barbara often shares how her "birth epiphany" experience in 1966 arose as she sought "a story for our time" that affirms the biblical narrative of Jesus's birth. Following on her recent work with Unity Church as reported in the Catalyst, Barbara's lifelong teaching about Christ incarnating in us and in all creation through the evolutionary process was shared with yet another significant faith community. The occasion was her keynote presentations last week to the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), representing 57,000 Sisters in the United States and beyond. We are proud to report that her catalyzing role for the women was front and center in the news coverage of the LCWR Assembly provided by both the New York Times and the National Catholic Reporter. The NYT story depicted the nuns as standing at a historic crossroads because of the LCWR's recent confrontation with the Vatican. Read more... Shift-sponsored Dialogue Will Address Israeli-Iran War Concerns (Today at 5pm PST!) In a chilling new article entitled "Israel's 'Bomb Iran' Timetable," outspoken former high CIA official Ray McGovern warns that a bombing campaign by Israel looks more likely than ever. As a proactive response to such urgent concerns, Barbara and The Shift Network are hosting a special dialogue between an Iranian woman named Nahid Mokhtari and an Israeli man named Tal Ronen, who will discuss ways to heal the frayed relationship between their two countries. To listen in to this dialogue, join Barbara later today at 5pm PT (Thursday, August 16) for her monthly Ingathering Call for students of ACE (the Agents of Conscious Evolution course offered by The Shift Network). Usually not available to the public, this significant dialogue is now open to the entire Shift community. Tal and Nahid met in Los Angeles during the Conception Day event sponsored by The Shift Network on March 22 as our kick-off of the symbolic nine-month "gestation" of the Birth. [The accompanying photo is from that meeting.] Their encounter was during one of the many periods in the past half-dozen years when the world was anxious about the possibility of war between Israel and Iran. "Those who witnessed this impromptu event," said Barbara, "could all see that when Tal and Nahid stood up together, the relationship was one of love, heart resonance, and cocreation. What Nahid and Tal have started could initiate a healing of epic proportions." To get on the call, dial 916-469-4750 and enter the PIN 515452#, or connect to our free webcast at http://attendthisevent.com/?eventid=29475588. Beloved Swami Celebrated in New Biography We were struck by this glowing review provided by a close friend of The Shift Network, Arielle Ford. Her review is adapted here for our readers. Swami Chidananda Saraswati, is the spiritual head of one of India's largest and most renowned spiritual institutions. [–Ed.] One of my favorite spiritual teachers is Swami Saraswati, a true holy man, and one of India's most beloved gurus. I'm excited to share with you a new, gorgeous book about Swamiji's life that has just been published. It's called By God's Grace and if you read and loved Autobiography of a Yogi, you are going to want to dive into this fascinating book. Authored by Sadhvi Saraswati, an American devotee, this commemorative volume celebrates his sixty years of devotional service to humanity, the environment, and the Supreme. The book starts by tracing the stories of Swamiji's childhood, meeting his guru at the age of eight, including the austerities and rigors of his early training, on up to the current time as he spends his time on countless humanitarian projects including providing shelter and education to hundreds of orphans as well as working closely with world leaders, including those who stand at the podiums of the United Nations and the World Economic Forum. Swamiji, along with his Holiness the Dalai Lama (who wrote the Foreword for the book) and other leaders are committed to many unprecedented, huge projects including a cleanup of the 1,560-mile-long Ganges. Swamiji's teachings are profoundly simple, frequently wrapped in humor and applicable to all. Elaborately and exquisitely illustrated, this is a fascinating portrait of the life, achievements, and teachings of an acclaimed spiritual pioneer. Important Job Opening at The Shift Network: Director of Marketing http://theshiftnetwork.com/employment This week brings us an unusual video update from Shift Network founder Stephen Dinan as a supplement to his written piece. Stephen's article is just below, but first have a look at the impromptu three-minute video shot from atop the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan, Mexico, which has become a major location for the Birth. The setting and the uniqueness of Stephen's message more than make up for the wind noise and the "home movie" quality of the video! [–Ed.] Mexico's Role as "Sacred Heart" for the Global Birth By Stephen Dinan A shamanic member of his family lineage once told Don Miguel Ruiz, the renowned author of The Four Agreements, that that the "sleeping giant" of humanity would someday awaken and that the sacred Aztec site of Teotihuacan would provide both a map and an important source of that awakening. Don Miguel has followed this vision over the years, bringing thousands of people to the great pyramids outside of Mexico City to explore how they offer a roadmap for our transformation. And now Miguel's steadfast devotion to this belief has manifested in one of the most exciting initiatives planned for the Birth on December 22: A great global gathering to be held at Teotihuacan featuring top musicians—and to be held right in the shadow of one of the largest pyramids in our hemisphere! To link our efforts with this initiative, I traveled two weekends ago to Mexico City to participate in a special gathering of over one hundred leaders who are envisioning Mexico's emerging role in the great shifts ahead. Read more... Dear esteemed hub leaders all over the world: If you have not yet done so yet, please join the dozens of hubs now appearing in our hub map. It only takes a moment to register your hub and also list your events on our calendars and the event map. Remember, you are automatically considered to be a Birth 2012 hub if you commit to hosting an event on December 22. While completing your listings, you may note one thing: you will be invited to join our social networking site, Shift Movement, if you have not done so already. That's because the calendars and maps are housed there. This means simply entering a username and password. Here is the link to register your hub: http://birth2012.com/create-your-birth-2012-hub/list-your-hub/ And here's the link to post your specific event(s): http://birth2012.com/create-your-birth-2012-hub/create-event/ Featured free SOP teleseminar this week: A Declaration of Commitment to Indigenous Peoples with James O'Dea and Glenn A Parry Friday, August 24th, 12:00pm to 1:00pm PT Healing Cultural Wounds The Summer of Peace now enters a week devoted to healing cultural wounds, a subject that holds both heartbreak and inspiration. We will hear from phenomenal speakers including Bassam Aramin, an Israeli, and Rami Elhanan, a Palestian, each of whom are fathers whose children died in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Bassam and Rami have reached across divides to work together so other parents will not have to face the same loss. Also, don't forget our earlier announcement about the SEED Conference coming up soon. The SEED folks are key partners of SOP. Summer of Peace schedule for the week of August 12: (All sessions are at 12:00 noon US Pacific except where noted.) This Sunday at 9:00 am: Spirituality and Peace (Session 2)—Thomas Huebl Monday: Fragrance of the Beloved: Women and Men Healing Together—Will Keepin and Cynthia Brix Tuesday: Across the Divides of Race and Difference: What Would Healing Look Like?—Belvie Rooks and Thomas N. DeWolf Wednesday: Combatants for Peace—Bassam Aramin and Rami Elhanan Thursday: The Social Healing Project—Judith Thompson and James O'Dea Friday: A Declaration of Commitment to Indigenous Peoples with—James O'Dea and Glenn Parry Saturday at 10:00 am: Peace Activator Calls: Share your peace!—featuring YOU! The Summer of Peace is a celebration of all our efforts to create peace. A wave of peace is emerging around the world and we are all part of it! We would love to hear what you are doing to create peace in yourself, family, school, community, the environment and beyond! Be sure to call in on Saturday, August 24 at 10:00 am PST. Sign up here to participate for free in the Summer of Peace. Earthdance Founder Producing "Uplift 2012" The Catalyst has learned that Chris Deckker will be coproducing a massive five-day event in Byron Bay, Australia that will serve as a major anchor for the Global Birth celebrations on December 22. Chris is the legendary originator of the highly successful Earthdance Global Festival based here in Northern California that links up over 300 locations in 65 countries each year. We recently interviewed him about his plans for UPLIFT 2012 and how he came to be a key player in the global Birth process. Who is coproducing UPLIFT 2012 with you and what is your vision for the event? I am coproducing the event with Bharat Mitra and Bhavani Lev, the highly successful founders of Organic India and Tulsi Tea. "UPLIFT" is an acronym we created from the phrase "Universal Peace and Love In a Festival of Transformation." We're billing it as a five-day symposium celebrating the birth of an enlightened humanity. Our event will bring together some of the world's most inspirational artists and innovative thinkers to explore the emerging paradigm of planetary transformation. More than a symposium, we see UPLIFT 2012 as a participatory event that supports our deep understanding that each of us is the change—and this change is within us, it connects us, and it begins now. It will include perspectives from many disciplines including science, wellness, art, ecology, new economics, indigenous culture, and the wisdom of youth. We'll have speakers during the day and music at night, with breakout workshops and panels and also a large kids village. Read more...     Issue 5 • Aug. 16, 2012 Find out more at Birth2012.com Birth 2012 Catalyst offers weekly news for the Birth movement, powered by the The Shift Network. • Action of the Week • Barbara's Report • Movement News • Shift Network Update • Hub Report • Summer of Peace • Profiles • Campaign Events • Shift Spotlight • Cosponsors • Back Issues Like Us. Collaborate! Summer of Peace Pledges: 292,738 Take the Pledge! August 26 Mile Hi Church Lakewood, CO September 6 Unity in Lynnwood Lynnwood, WA September 7 East West Bookshop Seattle, WA September 8 Seattle Unity Seattle, WA September 9 Unity of Bellevue Bellevue, WA September 16 Wisdom from the Origins—SEED Institute Albuquerque, NM Evolve Yourself, Evolve Our World with Shift Network Courses Agents of Conscious Evolution Training with Barbara Marx Hubbard Not too late to join!   The Cultivating Peace Method with James O'Dea Not too late to join!   30-Day Abundance Quest with Edward Mills Starts August 22   The Belief Closet Cleanout with Lion Goodman Starts August 29   Soulful Women Certificate Program with Devaa Haley Mitchell & Elayne Doughty Self-study begins immediately. Full program begins in October. The Foundation for Conscious Evolution The Shift Movie Humanity's Team The Giordano Bruno GlobalShift University Green America The Center for Visionary Leadership The National Peace Academy The Wisdom Connection Eyes Wide Open Evolution Don Miguel Ruiz Tapping The Source Sacred Centers Center for Sacred Studies International Cities of Peace The Heart of the Healer Foundation Center for Conscious Creativity The Vortex Dome Awareness Magazine Happy for No Reason ESO Guru Soul of Money Institute Spectrum Life Design The Passion Test The Center for World Leadership Gabriel Nossovitch: World Works The Aware Show Vision Magazine Avatar Resources Morter Institute & Health Center Intent 11:11 Magazine Human Sun Institute Tune Up to Success Transforming through 2012 The EarthKeeper Alliance Tadasana Evolver LA Light of Consciousness