We've made a short video illustrating some alternatives to hugs and handshakes, that can allow us to keep our distance physically (important for slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19) while acknowledging our emotional and spiritual connections. Two options to share agaya & ubuntu while remaining safe during an epidemic include the "Namaste" gesture (anjali mudra) and the "heart connection" gesture.
Evidence indicates that large numbers of practitioners meditating at the same time has some positive effects in reducing violence around the world, including the so-called Maharishi Effect. Some studies suggest that "large scale group consciousness has effects in the physical world." Still other studies appear to show that meditating together improves social coherence and teamwork. While these correlations may not … Continue reading The Power of Meditating Together
It can be instructive and healing to include some acknowledgement of the land and the people who lived there as part of our gatherings. We can learn important things about appropriate ways to act with integrity in our local ecosystems from the indigenous peoples of the land. Who are the indigenous people where you live? What do you know about their history, and how they may be engaged in protecting their land and culture now?
An opportunity to review our Octal Meditation and discussion from the December 2019 Solstice. We talked about gratitude, loss, growth, friendship, community, restoration, regeneration and resilience, with a particular emphasis on the record-breaking heatwaves and fires in Australia.
In Novasutras, we help one another deal with our emotional responses to the climate and extinction crises through practices like meditation and shinrin-yoku. Developing deeper awareness of ubuntu and agaya enhances our emotional resilience. Dr. Michelle Merrill, founder of the Novasutras Movement, discussed some of these ideas in an interview for an article about climate grief that was published last month.
Thanksgiving can become a celebration of agaya and ubuntu, through the Native American tradition of the "Thanksgiving Address." What are you grateful for? How does this bring us together to abide in ubuntu and agaya?
An overview of the basics of the Novasutras movement: its purpose, its practices, its beginnings, and its core principles.
An opportunity to review our meditation and discussion from November 7th: the Autumn Cross-Quarter, which often includes rituals to remember and honor the dead. We also happened to get a mention on a local radio show this Cross-Quarter.