2020 ~ 2019 ~ 2018 ~ 2017
Be sure to check out our Upcoming Events & Ideas for planning celebrations and the Novasutras Calendar. See the Santa Cruz Events Archive for past local chapter events, and the Santa Cruz area chapter page for upcoming events.
Past 2020 events:

Exploration of Hatha Yoga for Novasutras
Thursday, May 28th
The traditional philosophy of primordial yoga from the ancients of India is simple: you are the power of the cosmos manifesting as utter intelligence and beauty. The practice is the embodied expression of agaya, and will center us into a deeper place from which meditation may arise naturally.
More info on the Calendar listing…

Grief: Exploring the Human Condition May 9th
Society doesn’t usually prepare us for processing grief—but it’s part of the human condition. We came together to listen, share, and process our grief.

Full Moon Novasutras Guided Meditation: May 7th, 2020
A 45-minute session with a guided meditation for well-being on Earth, honoring times of change with the ever-changing moon, at each quarter phase of the moon.
MAY CROSS-QUARTER: May 4th We gathered on Zoom for some conversation and our guided meditation through the moment of the Cross-Quarter 5 May 00:49 UTC (May 4, 5:49pm Pacific).

Waxing Moon Novasutras Guided Meditation – Thurs. April 30
A 45-minute session with a guided meditation for well-being on Earth, honoring times of change with the ever-changing moon, at the first quarter phase of the moon.
Discussion: ‘What are our gifts?’ – Sunday, April 26th
Key parts of any organizing work are to tap into the strengths of each team member and to hear every voice. As we prepare to launch discussions, teachings, and rituals under the Novasutras banner, we have gifts to uncover and synergies to enliven. Please join us in this exploration as we work to envision and craft a more beautiful world our hearts know to be possible. Find a role in our movement, and find warmth in collaborative self-discovery!

Reclaiming Hope: Earth Day Comes Back Home
April 24, 2020, 1:30pm PDT / 20:30 UTC
We invite you to join us for focused reflection on the lessons of that first Earth Day. We had a presentation by Paul Schaafsma to get us started, followed by group discussion.

New Moon Novasutras Guided Meditation
April 23rd 5:15pm PDT / April 24th 00:15 UTC
We welcomed the beauty of the new moon rising as an opportunity to focus on what we would like to be emerging now, and the pull of a better future for all. This Novasutras meditation on agaya and ubuntu emphasized global unity and loving-kindness through the disruptions of these challenging times.
The Future of Novasutras Discussions: Co-Creation as a Community – Sunday, April 19th
We are looking forward to having more Discussions and other Novasutras Events. Moving forward, these events will be community-led — this means you! Here’s the outline of Novasutras Online Events: Uplifter Roles
Earth Week Beginning Online Gathering – April 18th
We reflected on the meaning of Earth Day, both in guided meditation and thoughtful conversation.

Last-Quarter Moon Novasutras Guided Meditation – Apr 14, 2020
A 45-minute session with a guided meditation for well-being on Earth, honoring times of change with the ever-changing moon.

Full Moon Novasutras Guided Meditation – April 7th
A 30-minute session with a guided meditation for well-being on Earth, celebrating the beauty of the full moon.
- Discussions in Difficult Times every day from March 30 to April 14th, 2020 –By participant consent, some portions of sessions are recorded and shared on this YouTube playlist. — Future Discussions and more info coming soon.
- March 31st Daily Discussion – Participants in the Novasutras Daily Discussion on March 31, 2020 requested that we record this portion, to share ideas about the problems of the current economic system, creating a fair and decentralized Green New Deal that can reduce poverty and GHG emissions, and seeking solutions to change our relationship to consuming so we are “meeting the needs of all, by healing — not harming –planet and people.” — https://youtu.be/Ky2GjduXYSE
- MARCH 2020 EQUINOX: We gathered on Zoom at 03:00 UTC March 20th / 8:00pm Pacific March 19th for a 90-minute conversation with guided meditation through the moment of the Equinox, which is 20 March 03:50 UTC (March 19th, 8:50pm Pacific).
- CROSS-QUARTER: We gathered online for our Octal Meditation about 12 hours before actual moment of the Cross-Quarter, 4 Feb 08:55 UTC (12:55am Pacific). This meditation for global well-being and loving-kindness, agaya and ubuntu, followed by conversation was recorded was recorded Monday Feb 3rd, 20:30 UTC / 12:30 pm PST.
2019 events:
- Meditation in support of Climate Fast – Friday, Dec. 27
- DECEMBER SOLSTICE 2019: Sunday, 22nd of December, 2019, 04:19 UTC (Saturday, Dec. 21, 8:19pm PST). Online guided meditation and conversation now on our YouTube channel.
- Meditation for the Amazon: Novasutras offered a worldwide, synchronous guided meditation focusing on healing and wellness for the Amazon rainforest and all who live there. We chose to meditate together on #BuyNothingDay (Nov 29th), in support of the #Amazon4Amazon campaign. Sign up FREE to be part of the Novasutras Movement, and we’ll send you a link to the video of this guided meditation.
- CROSS-QUARTER: Thursday, November 7 The moment of the midpoint between the September Equinox and December Solstice is 17:14 UTC (9:14am Pacific). Online guided meditation and conversation now on our YouTube channel.
- Intro to Drawdown: Reversing Global Warming, a Pachamama Alliance workshop was Nov 5th – follow-up info
- Global Climate Strike September 20-27
- EQUINOX: Monday, September 23, 2019 – moment of Equinox (when the sun crosses the equator) at 07:50 UTC (12:50am PDT – check your local time and date) Santa Cruz chapter gathered for an in-person meditation Sunday Sept 22nd from 12:30-1:30pm – City Hall Plaza, Santa Cruz, California
- A recording of that public event was posted on our YouTube channel
- Global synchronous meditation September 23rd, 07:30 – 08:00 UTC – You may choose to use the guided meditation recording from Santa Cruz, or meditate on your own for global agaya and ubuntu.
- Novasutras participated in several events in connection with the Santa Cruz Global Climate Strike week of actions.
- Fri, Sep 20, 4-8pm, Global Climate Strike Kick-Off at Louden Nelson Center
- Sun, Sep 22, 12:30-1:30pm, Equinox Meditation at City Hall Plaza
- Tues, Sep 24, 7-9pm, Faith in Our Future at Peace United Church
- Cross-Quarter: synchronous meditation and discussion via Zoom Wednesday, August 7, 2019, 19:19 UTC
- Radio KSQD “Good News Santa Cruz” discussing Novasutras, Thursday, August 1, 2019, 3:30pm PDT – learn more
- Aphelion: Thursday, July 4, 2019 at 22:10 UTC (3:10pm PDT). Aphelion is the point in Earth’s orbit when we are most distant from the Sun. This aphelion, the distance from the heart of the Sun’s to Earth’s heart will be 152,104,285 km (94,513,221 mi). Through the moment of this Aphelion, we were invited to meditate on the complexities of Interdependence – as expressed in ubuntu – and the joyful liberation that is the highest ideal of Independence.
- SOLSTICE: Friday, June 21, 2019 at 15:54 UTC (8:54 am PDT – check your local time and date). Play this guided meditation recording from 15:30-16:00 UTC (8:30-9:00 am PDT), followed by a conversation via Zoom.
Join the conversation after the mediation on Zoom – https://zoom.us/j/649619967. Support Novasutras on Patreon or help in other ways. - Cross-Quarter: Sunday, May 5, 2019 11:45 AM – 12:15 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada). For this Cross-Quarter, we tested the Zoom meeting platform (instead of livestreaming on YouTube). We had a small but uplifting conversation following our meditation. Please consider joining us for upcoming events and discussions.
- EQUINOX: Wednesday, March 20, 2019 at 21:58 UTC (2:58pm PDT). There was a livestream (now recorded) on our YouTube channel for a meditation from 21:30-22:15 UTC (2:30-3:15pm PDT).
- Cross-Quarter (the midpoint between the Solstice and the Equinox): February 4, 2019 at 03:01 UTC (Feb. 3rd at 7:01pm PST).
- Introduction to Drawdown workshop, Santa Cruz, CA – January 24, 6:15 PST-MORE INFO
- Total Lunar Eclipse: January 19-20, 2019
2018 Events
- SOLSTICE: Astronomical Solstice December 21st, 2018 at 22:22 UTC
- CROSS-QUARTER The astronomical midpoint between the Equinox and the Solstice, on November 7th, 2018 11:18 UTC. Global synchronous meditation 11:00-11:30 UTC (3:00-3:30 am PST).
- EQUINOX September 23rd, 2018 01:54 UTC (check your local time and date)
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- RISE FOR CLIMATE– global day of action 8 September 2018.
- Astronomical Cross-Quarter: 7 August 2018. To join the synchronous global meditation on 7 August 2018, press play at 13:15 UTC / 6:15am PDT https://youtu.be/OZxrduYNKMU ,
or meditate on your own through the minute of the cross-quarter (13:27 UTC).
- Independence/Interdependence Day: 4th of July
- Aphelion: 6 July 2018, 16:46 UTC. Learn more at https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/perihelion-aphelion-solstice.html and http://www.archaeoastronomy.com/seasons.html
- Solstice: Thursday, June 21st (10:07 UTC, 3:07am PDT)
2017 Events
- Solstice: Thursday, December 21, 2017 at 16:28 UTC
- Revised link for Thurs, Dec. 21 Solstice livestream (8am PST)
- Reminder: Thurs, Dec. 21 Solstice livestream (8am PST)
- Dec. 21 Solstice Meditation and Conversation
- Merchandise available: Novasutras swag (Dec 15)
- Novasutras YouTube channel is live (Dec 5)
- First Blog Post: Everything is Connected – Here’s How (Nov 10)
Please share your ideas, ask questions, or make suggestions for future events in the comments below!
RSVP for our Novasutras Solstice celebration and potluck! 7:00 – 9:30pm, Thursday June 21st — Scotts Valley, CA
https://goo.gl/forms/v58rpDHNI3M8PVb83
We ask that the food you bring to share be vegetarian or vegan (unless you raised/caught it yourself, and you want to tell the story). If you can, please bring your own reusable plates, cutlery, napkins, and cups, thanks!
Kid-friendly through sunset, BYOB etc. for twilight celebrations.
We’ll be outside (bring layers in case it gets cool). For anyone that wants to do a sun salutation vinyasa with us, please arrive promptly at 7:00 and bring a beach towel or yoga mat.
Timeline:
7:00 Greetings and set-up
7:15-7:30 Sun salutations (optional)
7:30-8:30 Dinner
8:30-8:40 Novasutras meditation (optional)
8:40-9:30 Conviviality & carousing!
Ubuntu and agaya!
For the evening of 22nd of September 2018, I’ll be joining a group chanting and meditating in Santa Cruz – contact me for details if you’d like to participate. Ubuntu & agaya!