Warm Greetings During this Time of Great Turning |
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Hello,
I can find no words for what we have been through in 2020 and for what we face now in 2021. In some places our collective grief, collaboration and love has forged new pathways towards what’s possible if we care for one another. Other times and places have seen polarization, violence and death. How do we navigate these times?
Our peace building and nonviolence must outmatch the degree of destruction and violence we see around us. That happens through learning, practice and action. As the intensity of our divides grow, our ability to close the gaps must grow as well. Being able to hear one another, to dialogue and come up with solutions to move forward to meet all needs are learnable skills. We need to upscale our capacity for empathy, dialogue and action in ways that marginalize no one. I’m devoting the first quarter of 2021 to offering courses along with my colleagues Roxy Manning, Sarah Peyton, Kathy Simon and Jared Finkelstein that will help us to learn and integrate those skills that build peace.
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One year ago I wrote: “Here we are in 2020. This is our year to bring Marshall Rosenberg’s ‘2020 vision of a world where the needs of all people are met’ into being. I believe it will take guts. I believe it will take a deeper level of embodiment than we’ve yet been able to manifest individually and collectively. I believe it will require us to slow down, listen much more carefully, encourage one another and love no matter what. I also believe we can do it. I vow to deepen my commitment to nonviolence, to listen to and advocate for the voices that are marginalized around the globe, to strengthen my stand, to have greater impact and to love more fully and fiercely than I ever have before. Will you join me?”
I had no idea what challenges we would face in 2020. Now as 2021 begins, I dig even deeper for strength and wisdom to face what lies ahead, not knowing what it will be, only knowing the path I choose is nonviolence and love. More than anything, I want us to find our way into an equitable, collaborative world so together we can face the environmental and social crisis in our midst.
I hope my offerings of workshops, books and music below offer companionship as you walk the path of nonviolence and love one step at a time.
With love,
Kathleen
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Good News and Opportunities |
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Starting in January, I’ll join Roxy Manning, Kathy Simon, and Sarah Peyton in an eight-week learning and practice space to meet in community to explore applying the six principles of Kingian nonviolence in everyday life.
We have mapped out a 50 day period at the beginning of 2021, January 19 to March 11, during which we will meet three times a week, for a total of 24 one-hour sessions, with opportunities for daily practice and predictable support — resources we need to change habits, to create more peace inside ourselves and in the broader world.
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I’m celebrating the publication of my fully illustrated children’s books. Kenneth Schrag worked some proper magic with his rich colored illustrations. They make great gifts all year long, for any age or stage.
These have existed previously as audio books with classical music accompaniment by Rainier Wind Ensemble and are available for here.
How Giraffes Got Their Ears
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How Giraffes Found Their Hearts
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(guest blog by a leader in the healthcare field)
Did you know the word “apocalypse” originated in the Greek language and literally means an “uncovering”?
It is a disclosure or revelation of great knowledge, an event that uncovers something important hidden in plain sight. It is associated with “end things” or “end times”. Which, to me, implies the possibility of “beginning things” and “beginning times” – embodying new insight and awareness.
What is being “uncovered” for us to see in this apocalypse of health and misinformation? Our interdependence to be sure, and more.
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Our new book released in Fall, 2020, has been getting strong reviews. Jared Finkelstein and I host a workshop starting on 1/18/21, guiding you through this new resource for your inner and outer work. See below or learn more about this series.
“… Kathleen Macferran and Jared Finkelstein, co-wrote this book, Choice. It shares the very heart of Marshall Rosenberg's work. It is the purest distillation I have yet to come across. Set up as "a field guide", it can be used meditatively. I feel reconnected and my commitment reinvigorated every time I sit with this book. If you buy one more book this year, I lovingly recommend this.”
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This interactive workshop takes participants through a reflective practice to get in touch with the essence of choice.
Using their book Choice: A field guide for navigating the polarization of our world and living interdependently, CNVC Certified Trainers Kathleen Macferran and Jared Finkelstein will guide participants to seek compassion in the midst of seemingly polarized perspectives. Offering a framework for wrestling with the polarizing issues of our time (such as systemic racism, inequity, and the existential environmental crisis), participants will journey through their inner landscapes toward choices they have for actions in the outer world.
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Music and Nonviolent Communication have helped me with the gift of listening that supports mutual understanding across cultural, race, gender, philosophical and age differences. Relax with the Rainier Wind Ensemble.
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PO Box 10009
Bainbridge Island, WA 98110-0009
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