GATHERING THE SPIRITUAL VOICE OF AMERICA
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From: Bruce S.
Date: Saturday, October 11, 2008, 12:55 PM
Subject: Gathering the Spiritual Voice of America
ID: 265171

Greetings...

Just wanted to check in briefly. I spent several days at the AGNT conference, and made some wonderful connections. It was an exciting and very fruitful time -- and I hope to post some description of all that here.

For right now, I wanted to send along a link to a conference coming up in less than a month. I am hoping to get there.

It's called "Gathering the Spiritual Voice of America", and it's sponsored by "The Global Peace Initiative of Women" -- so, it's another woman-led project.

http://www.gpiw.org/aspen.html

Here's a description -- to which I might be inclined to add some commentary and observations, in a subsequent email. I see this statement as an invitation to our "Spirit of Democracy" project -- which could, under well-cultivated circumstances, lead to some very meaningful growth and development.

The next few years will be pivotal ones for the whole of the global community. As a world culture, we have come to value material progress and consumerism at the expense of the very living systems that sustain us and make up our earth. In doing so we have put aside the spiritual principles of oneness and interdependence, and lost the understanding that in hurting one part of creation, we hurt the whole. We have come to value individual gain and advancement at the expense of the well-being of the collective community. In doing so we have put aside the values of compassion, inclusion and sacrifice, forgetting that we advance our own well-being by advancing that of all others.

Greed has led to conflict and suffering, and this is threatening the whole of the human community, and the rest of the planet. Our ecosystems cannot bear much more of the continued depletion of its resources, and our human societies cannot bear much more of the inequities that the current modes of resource utilization engender. Our technologies have simply outstripped our wisdom, and now it is time to catch up. It is time for our collective spiritual wisdom to come forward, from all corners of the globe, around universal principles that can guide the development of a new consciousness and new way of living, in harmony with our planet’s resources and needs, and in harmony with our fellow human beings. To do this, we must bring the sacred back to the center of our lives. Economic and political measures alone will not enable us to address the crisis we face. A spiritual movement is already underway and we can help it advance to the point where significant change can take place, where we can experience the consciousness and paradigm shift so greatly needed.

America has a huge role to play in cultivating this new awareness. As a nation, we embody the wisdom of every major faith tradition and have a strong indigenous tradition of our own, where the sacred was a defining force. Our plurality and religious diversity is one of our greatest strengths. As a nation, we have reaped the benefits of material advancement but have also come to know the pitfalls of this kind of progress without an accompanying spiritual awareness.

This call to Gather the Spiritual Voice of America is an effort to draw the best of America’s spiritual wisdom to help the nation redefine its priorities and find a new way forward. We anticipate bringing together 40-80 key spiritual thinkers and visionaries, as well as other thought leaders, for a four-day reflection on how to bring the sacred back to our center, how to deepen our knowing of oneness and our compassion as a nation, and what transformations this would bring into the workings of our everyday lives and into the collective sphere.

There is an urgency to this call. America has lost much ground in the last few years. Our leadership has come into serious question. We face political, economic and social challenges as well as serious environmental problems. Many sectors of society have lost their sense of mission and purpose, bowing to personal profit over the call to serve.

A shift in thinking and behavior must come into being within the next few years if we are to alleviate the suffering these challenges may engender. Can we respond in time? To do so, we must begin to see with new eyes, hear with new ears, expand our empathy to encompass all, and redefine our priorities. The old models will not lead us forward. We must as a nation see where the future is calling, because the choices and steps we take as Americans in the next few years will have great impact on the rest of the world.

http://www.gpiw.org/aspen-about.html