Year of the Wood Dragon

Feb 06

Tuesday

Post a Comment February 6, 2024 – 10:45 am | Permalink |

Shambhala Touching the Earth Collective February 2024 Newsletter

In preparing for the upcoming Wood Dragon year, the Steering Committee has created a document of agreed upon goals…But as we have learned in the last few years, things change, oh my oh my.

We are already off to an unimagined start. The Shambhala Touching the Earth Collective learned in early January that our plans have been embraced by The Bess Family Foundation, and through their generosity and ongoing support from the Collective’s sustaining members, we have solid funding for 2024. Such good news…

Here are 9 items as we imagined it…

Practicing Together

Facilitate new and established Ecodharma programs online and in person at Shambhala Centers, including creating study guides and course materials for dissemination throughout the sangha, which may include:
- Awakening the Warrior
- Active Hope/Work that Reconnects study groups
- Ecodharma Doula Shambhala Online Program
- Touching the Earth study groups

Share learnings from Warrior Assemblies so they become institutionalized in other programs at Land & City Centers, collaborating with leadership with at least 12 local Centers in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas, offering the support to make changes at their Centers and to offer Ecodharma education and programs. Other centers may be involved as well.

Create a regular online Tonglen for the Earth practice in the manner of Sunday Gatherings.

Support the delivery of the inaugural Dechen Choling Ecodharma Symposium.

Facilitate a STEC Hive Mind Eco Assembly at Karme Choling to share the wisdom and ideas of all STEC members; a collaborative initiative and the first ever STEC in person gathering.

Integrate STEC Ecodharma into the 4 pillars of Shambhala Practice and Education resources.

Ongoing Core Activities

Encourage and support Shambhalians to engage in individual and community environmental actions.

Facilitate events that continue to serve the community, including Earth Salon, Walking Through the Fire, Planet A Book & Movie Club, Global Equinox Lhasangs and Shambhala Sunday Gathering Nyida Days.

Continue to use the Google Group, Newsletter, Website and other forms of social media to build awareness and share information.

And now…some others have arisen

In the few weeks since we have worked on the document the Wood Dragon has crafted projects:

We are welcoming everyone in the Collective to a first time New Year Gathering to celebrate together the Wood Dragon Year, on Saturday February 17, at 12 Eastern time. The Zoom link will be found on the website.
We have been inspired to not only help in the creation of the Shambhala Touching the Earth Center Memberships , but to help them in next steps for each center. There is seed money from the Bess Family Foundation Grant to offer centers for new eco projects.
Recently in multiple conversations about EcoDharma, we have come to contemplating the question…What is Shambhala EcoDharma?

As I write this the year has yet to begin, and we are as ready as possible, and then again we don’t know. But in the words of Joanna Macy, and the tradition of sadhana, we will start with gratitude.

Many many thanks to all who make The Shambhala Touching the Earth Collective as alive and vibrant as an active five-year-old. We are quite an energetic bunch!

May there be goodness and peace, and may there be Earth Protection…

Onwards Wood Dragon

Ki Ki! So So!

Let’s celebrate together as a Collective
to greet the Wood Dragon Year!

Please join us on a zoom call on Saturday February 17 at 12 pm Eastern to share in our love of this Earth and our being in a Collective (zoom link will be shared in separate email and on the web site).