transform-200902

Read this newsletter online: http://transformativechange.org/docs/nl/transform-200902.htmlDownload printable PDF version: http://transformativechange.org/docs/nl/transform-200902.pdf

welcomeHappy first day of spring! During Imbolc, from the Celtic tradition, acandle is lit to welcome spring. Of course, February is also the time forValentine’s Day and Black History month, both of which give us a chanceto look at our relationship to others—this month’s theme. Althoughrelationship can connote intimacy, we tend to forget it is often aboutconnection, good or bad. Our 3 new sections in this month’s newsletterfeature having better relationships with ourselves in order to improve ourrelationships with others. Maybe in addition to expressing our love thisFebruary we could begin to heal connections as well.

being all we can beinSIGHT with angel Kyodo williams

On March 5th, oral arguments will be heard in the California SupremeCourt to rescind Proposition 8, the constitutional amendment passed lastNovember that restricts the definition of marriage to opposite-sexcouples and eliminated same-sex couples' right to marry.

One of my "Friends" invited me to the "I'm stillnot sure marriage is the right goal" group onFacebook. For those of you that haven't had theincreasingly guilty but nevertheless sociallyproductive pleasure that is Facebook, itbasically means you have the opportunity toexpress your alliances by joining groups adnauseum, without actually having to doanything like show up at meetings, pay dues or

what's newMaking a Global RelationshipShift

What do we need to do to make aglobal shift? In this short clipCXC's Director addresses just

that; it comes down to the simple power of perspectiveand collective global relationship. Listen and watchhere.

Watch YouTube clip on SeparationGet the full Global Oneness Interview at no cost

(shipping & handling charge only)About Center for Transformative ChangeRoom Available at the Center

in TIMEValentine's Daylong Retreat &Practice Period: 27 Days ofChange

Join us for a powerful daylongretreat of meditation, yoga,

dharma talk and community. Now available for FREE foractivists, allies & agents of social change.

SAVE THE DATES: March 17 - April 12, Practice Period:27 Days of Change, now includes a Visiting ResidentProgram.

Valentine's Daylong: Wholeness through RelationshipPractice Period: 27 Days of ChangeSchedule of upcoming events

in the CENTEROpen House: Back by PopularDemand | Join Us Sunday March1

You are invited to our first OpenHouse of 2009. We are excited to

share all of the NEW projects and programs we have for

Relationship | the CENTER | February 2009 http://www.transformativechange.org/docs/nl/transform-200902.html

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be responsible for the refreshments. It's perfect for this era of moreissues to be informed and care about than we have time to actually getinvolved in.

Years ago I appeared in OUT magazine with my then-partner in the firstissue featuring gay marriage. The large-format polaroid chosen for whatbecame a full page spread (!) captured us in an uncharacteristicjuxtaposition of 'handsome dyke' looming over the obviously morefeminine, slightly demure and arguably attractive 'lipstick lesbian.' Backthen, someone still had to be the "boy" and someone had to be the "girl"in same-gendered couples for the world to relate.

Gay marriage had begun to take root as a more than just a fringe issue bythen and was on the national radar. In '93, Bill Clinton flummoxed thegays in the military issue by settling for "Don't ask, don't tell." Since then,we've had an official policy of opting for not owning who you are so youcan "be all that you can be." We institutionalized lack of wholeness, lackof integrity and disregard for basic dignity into the psyche of the peopleresponsible for protecting our nation's safety.

Need we wonder how we ended up with Abu Ghraib, watching Americanwomen give the "thumbs up" to flagrant disrespect of the religious beliefsof Muslim men? Six years into Iraq, we still self-righteously pretend theonly reason we went in is because Bush lied. Sure he did. But it was thelie we, the People: progressive and conservative; white and black;spiritual and secular; gay and straight, were willing to accept to giveourselves a false sense of security and superiority. If we just [insertdemocracy here] the Iraqis will be all they can be, too. 'Cause surelythey weren't enough before we got there.

The proponents of Proposition 8 want to make sure that some peoplecan't be whatever they want to be...not legally, anyway. The irony is thatunlike many states, in California, anyone can marry whoever theywant...that is, they can officiate. You just can't get married to who youwant. Let's face it, this is solely a religious argument, period. From thecivic view, there's nothing remotely constitutionally or morally soundabout denying one group, those who love the same gender, access to therights, privileges and responsibilities that another group has always takenfor granted.

Worse though, is suspending reason long enough to allow the latter groupto be the one that decides. The NAACP has seen the specter of dangerhere and has sounded the alarm: we cannot allow simple majorities torevoke the rights of others through constitutional amendments, revisionsor otherwise. These so-called "majorities" are often those that hold themajority of the privilege through oppression, money and abuse of power.What if men (the numeric minority but power majority) could go in aroom and decide--by a simple majority that cancelled out the sane andfair-minded--what women could no longer have? Shoe industry beware:all those bare feet would tank your business, for sure.

President Obama has gone on record saying that he opposes gay marriage,but admits this may be a wrong-headed view drawn from his ownreligious beliefs. I'm suspicious of the idea that God whispers in anyone'sear and says "you are chosen to have something that other's aren't

the year. Join us, bring a friend, and learn how you canparticipate in taking the visions and practices oftransformative social change out into the world. Here'sa sample of what you'll learn about:Read more...

Tools to Transform: A Report on the 2009 AnnualSangha Gathering

inner PRACTICECan Meditation Change YourBrain?

When it comes to meditationthere are a lot of skeptics. Butscientists in Wisconsin have

discovered that with the practice of meditation wemight be able to learn to shift our behavior, changingboth aggression and depression into compassion.

Read more...

outer ACTIONIntegrating Somatics and SocialJustice

We are constantly being shapedby experience. The Somatics andSocial Justice Collaborative

provides a way for people to transform thoseexperiences and find ways to strengthen both self andcommunity. These two frameworks point to a new,profound way to make change happen.

Read more...

social CHANGEThai Woman Activist Transformsfrom the Inside Out

Read about the inspiring journeyof Ouyporn Khuankaew, and thetransformation of her and herwork from the inside out.

Read more...

in the MINDPeace on the Street in Harlem

In Spanish Harlem there’s anorganization called Peace on theStreet that changes lives and


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entitled to:" be that right to love or right to land. But since I've only beentrying to listen to God rather than talk, maybe She doesn't whisper backto me. So, I'm not one to question Obama's or anyone else's personalrelationship with God...why don't we stop questioning anyone's personal,mutually respectful, consenting relationship with anyone else?

I remember wondering back then why anyone would want to fight to getinto the military to begin with... especially a military that didn't wantthem. It's a relationship to country that I've not yet had the privilege ofunderstanding in my own heart. I understand loving my country...it's justthat I can see a clear path to loving everyone else and their country, too.I guess I'm polyamorous in the biggest Way.

Negotiating relationships of any kind--with God, Country or Lover--is atempermental and intensely personal affair. I admit I don't feel left out ofthose nasty divorces in which the state gets to have a say in who gets tokeep everything from the cars to couches to kids.

Internally, life partnership means having someone that intentionally andwillingly agrees to bear witness to your life. That's a significantpromise...one that has the power to liberate us to truly be all we can be,and to have who we are refelcted back to us. As far as I can tell, thevalue of having the challenges and triumphs of that witnessing validatedcan't be underestimated.

So, friends--Facebook and otherwise--I'm not sure marriage is the rightgoal either, but since I'm not getting married, I don't have to be. Isn't thatthe point?

angel Kyodo williams, is founder of Transformative Change (formerlyurbanPEACE). A social visionary and leading voice for transformativesocial change, she is the author of Being Black: Zen and the Art of LivingWith Fearlessness and Grace.

MTX: Mind Training & Xformation Blog

www.angelkyodowilliams.com

angel Kyodo williams next public talk, February 12, 2009 at:Center for Transformative Change.

newDharma TalkThe Path: Finding Your Own Way HomeEach time we take up practice, we work to clearour view so that we can find our way back to whowe are—to find our way home. In this newDharmaTalk angel Kyodo williams points out the value ofordinary consistency as a way to find our way home

and to support others in doing the same.

Listen to the newDharma Podcast here or

activists, allies & agents of change…

minds. It’s a martial/meditation center. Most of theyoung people who go there go in order to developmartial arts skills, but many come out having learnedthe value of engaging their minds through meditationtechniques and find they’re useful in dealing with allaspects of their lives, including keeping their mindscalm during encounters with the police.

Read more...

"the best workshop i've ever taken. radically changedmy work."fearless Meditation is our 3-part signature series thatteaches practical meditation in a social justice context:

fearless Meditation I: Fri Feb 6 | 7pm and every 1stFriday

in the BODYSomatics for Social Change

It is essential to have a bodypractice in order to do effectivework towards changing theworld. The body is the vehicle

through which we do our work, and by buildingrelationship with the body...

Read more...What is Somatics?Universal Form at MLK Park: Sun Feb 8 | 1pm and

every 2nd Sunday

wellness & well-beingSmiling for Well-being

We are in the midst of somerough times and it is moreimportant than ever that we takecare of ourselves so we can truly

be available and present for the important work thatneeds to be done to usher in the much needed changethat is coming.

Read More...Take care of yourself w/this nourishing recipe from

Bryant Terry for Creole Hoppin' JeanHealth Benefits of Smiling

february wallpaper


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Using Our Bodies to Change Our Minds

Staci Haines has been doing somatic work for 16 years. Staci's workshopsare diverse in scope and in attendance. They include 50% or more peopleof color as well as people from varying economic backgrounds. This Aprilshe will be working with several social justice leaders, movementbuilders (including CXC’s Director), folks from community basedorganizations and somatics innovators to explore how the integrationbetween somatics and social justice could create a transformativeapproach to change. During our interview, she had intriguing informationto share about the connection between our experiences, our minds andour bodies. To read more about the Somatics and Social JusticeCollaborative take a look at our outer Action section. Find out moreabout the benefits of somatics in the in the Body section.

CXC: Can you talk about the Somatics and Social Justice Collaborative?

SH: The Somatics and Social Justice Collaborative is a nationalcollaboration of folks; it brings spiritual practitioners and healingpractitioners together to create a new social change model. It's ayearlong process. How we go about our social change work has everythingto do with the outcomes that we achieve and if we're going about oursocial change work from pretty traumatized, oppressed, broken places,relationships, [and] organizations then we'll have a hard time achievingthe kind of end that we want of liberation, equality, and sustainability.Read more...

Learn more about www.somaticsandtrauma.org

resources for change…This month we offer news anchor Keith Olbermann’s heartfelt commentson Prop 8 and a clip of the amusing Wombat from Global Mindshift.

Keith Olbermann Speaks Out on Prop 8

Global Mindshift’s Wombat

quote of the month“You don’t define people based on the experiences that they have had intheir lives, but you hold space for the possibility positive things [can]manifest in life. You create a sanctuary in the life of the human beingand allow them to expose the gifts as well as the wounds that are intheir heart.”—Aqeela Sherrills,The Reverence Project

This image was taken just outside of Lago Piuray nearthe village of Chinchero, Peru. Being just south of theequator, the seasons are in reverse from our own, sothis winter moon was seen in mid-June.

Read more and download this image as wallpaper withor without calendar for your desktop.

Download with calendar... Download without calendar...

connect | share | supporttransform feedback

[email protected]

Share your transformative storytell us how you're changing the WAY change is done.

Registration and other questions866.PEACE.2009 (toll free)

[email protected]

Forward this newsletter to a friendPlease pass it on.

Center for Transformative Change is the first nationalcenter entirely dedicated to bridging the inner andouter lives of social change agents, activists and alliesto support a more effective, more sustainable socialjustice movement. The Center is a project ofurbanPEACE, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educationalorganization whose mission is to inform, incite andempower a broad-based, presence-centeredtransformative social change movement.

Donate to the Center to support our work.Visit the Center's website.

Center for Transformative Change2584 MLK Jr. WayBerkeley, CA 94704 · USA+1.510.549.3733

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Center for Transformative Change is a project of urbanPEACE, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization whose mission to inform, incite and empower abroad-based, presence-centered transformative social change movement.

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transform-200902

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