Jalaja Reports on her time in the SF Bay Area
Dear friends,
Recently back from my old home, the San Francisco Bay Area, I have so much to share with you. One of my favorite memories is sitting at Spirit Rock meditation center with 300 people as we meditated and listened to Jack Kornfield's wonderful teachings. Spirit Rock is a very special place out in the country, near where I used to live. It's surrounded by beautiful hills that turn brown in the summer heat, but still retained their dazzling green coat when I was there in April. Wild turkeys strolled along the pathway to the meditation hall, and buzzards circled lazily in the crisp blue air.
The greatest wealth of any community are, of course, its people, and the Bay Area is full of amazing people. On this trip I was blessed to meet Lynne Twist, author of The Soul of Money. If you haven't read her book yet, I recommend it highly. Lynne is a truly inspiring woman, a true priestess dedicated to calling in the spirit of abundance on behalf of groups and causes committed to the healing of the planet.
If I can ask you for financial support today, without feeling in the least bit embarrassed, it's to no small extent thanks to Lynne Twist, who taught me that fundraising means offering people who want to make a difference in the world an opportunity to do so. In her eyes, this is a privilege, a sacred service, and a great spiritual practice. Meeting Lynne left me feeling inspired and hopeful. Our planet may be in grave danger, but we are surrounded by extraordinary guides and teachers.
Two other authors and teachers whom I love dearly are Michael Nagler (Is there no other way?) and Angeles Arrien (The Tarot Handbook). On this trip I was blessed to meet them both, as well as a new author friend and circle sister, Justine Toms, cohost with her husband Michael of New Dimensions Radio, and author of a delightful book called Small Pleasures: Finding Grace in a Chaotic World.
In addition to spending time with old and new friends, I led a workshop called "In Praise of Water" in a beautiful church that overlooked the blue waters of the bay, connected with some beautiful women in Palo Alto at the Center for the Divine Feminine, and spent a truly magical weekend with five future Circlework Trainers, all of them brilliant and inspiring women who share a deep passion for peace, healing, and Circlework.
My other intention on this trip was to raise funds for the Israeli and Palestinian women who are hoping to attend the Circlework Training in Ithaca this September. We need to raise about $2500 for each woman. One of the highlights of my trip was being told that a women's circle in the Bay Area would be "adopting" an Israeli woman. I absolutely love this idea. How perfect for circles of women here to adopt one of their sisters in the Middle East! If you belong to a circle that might adopt a woman, or might jointly raise funds to help her come, this is a great way to make a real difference in the world.
And please, consider making a tax-deductible donation today. Every bit helps! Times are hard, yes. But let us not forget that the reason they're so hard is that our world is undergoing a necessary and unavoidable process of death and rebirth. Circlework is a powerful tool for helping us survive this transition, heal the wounds of the past, and sow the seeds of a more peaceful future. Never has this work been more needed than today!
Thank you, and may you be blessed with peace within and without.
Jalaja
Nimala is a young Palestinian woman whose irrepressible strength and courageousness touches all who meet her. While studying at Bethlehem University, she organized a campaign to have women represented on the student council and was the first woman to serve on the council. In 2008, she participated in Jalaja's circles in Israel, and in 2009 she attended the Circlework Training in the US. She works for the Holy Land Trust, which offers non-violence training in the West Bank, and is a voice for peace and justice.