Each fall season seems to roll in through the back door. The wind sneaks in and out between the cracks, until finally outsmarting the sun. It’s a halting thing, this transition into constant chills and comforting teas. Warmed bones are pried loose from complacent afternoons. We enter a world of sensation--mums and lungs on potent air -- at once familiar and new. Recent experiences gather, like thickened clouds, calling a contest for the store houses of memory. Consolidating the layers of present with past, space is made for new steps. Like most change, entering fall brings both the bitter and sweet. As nature folds in anticipation of winter, the fall can symbolize internal processing and introspection.
In creative terms, the “fall” inward provides a sort of refuge for creative renewal. Autumn of the creative cycle invites rest, reflection, evaluation, appreciation. It seeks permission to perfect, in repetition, what is yet to be mastered. Until intuition demands we stretch forward, once again, to test, learn, and shape the outer world. Through contraction and repetition, energies emerge, once again, into expansion.
In the "falls" of creative change, anxious thresholds aren't just normal, but essential. Varied themes meet in tension-filled counterpoint, ultimately serving progression. If we work at accepting each movement in the present for what is, rather than resisting the present for what is yet to be, we will enjoy more peace during the highs and the lows.
FEATURE OF THE WEEK: Pulling at the Roots of Extremism In this video presentation, scholar Karen Armstrong articulates an elegant core message of unity among all religions. Having veered sharply away from religion and its dogmatic pitfalls, Ms. Armstrong turned toward literary studies and writing. Along the way, she developed a compelling vision for how the world may join to rescue religion from abusive justification for violent means in the midst of political struggles. She delivers a powerful call, not only to religious leaders, but to media professionals and all of us, to support her vision.
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In follow-up to my Gateways post on September 25th, Scholar Karen Armstrong is leading the call for a “Charter for Compassion” to be created by people all over the world. As every religion has a history of intolerance, so each religion has principles for overcoming intolerance. The Charter aims to shift religious conceptions and relieve polarization. This new collaboration between the world’s religions is being conducted in partnership with the UN Alliance of Civilizations, and other multi-faith initiatives. The project begins with a focus on the Abrahamic faiths, since they account for much of the world's inter-religious conflict. If they can reach common ground, it would be a huge step. As I understand it, the final Charter would appeal more broadly to include members of any world tradition, plus all people choosing to remain outside the structures of religion. This link will take you to an artful 3-minute film articulating the aspirations of the project. Visit the site, contribute your stories in writing, or simply watch this inspiring piece:
FEATURE OF THE WEEK: Pulling at the Roots of Extremism
Charter for Compassion
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