"The souls of people, on their way to Earth-life, pass through a room full of lights; each takes a taper - often only a spark - to guide it in the dim country of this world. But some souls, by rare fortune, are detained longer - have time to grasp a handful of tapers, which they weave into a torch. These are the torch-bearers of humanity - its poets, seers and saints, who lead and lift the race out of darkness, toward the light. They are the law-givers and saviours, the light-bringers, way-showers and truth-tellers, and without them, humanity would lose its way in the dark."
- Plato

 Good morning.  It's foggy here in Santa Barbara today.  Things are moving slow.  I'm doing minor details on our USA.CAN network -- and feeling the creative weight and potency of our little "Dawn's Early Light" network.

We had a great conference call yesterday afternoon, connecting some of the leaders of the "Transpartisan" movement.  That was exciting, and there's a lot to say about that.  But this morning, I just wanted to make this list of the people here, and thank you all -- for your presence, your contributions, for your creative influence on me, for the work you do in the world as a torch-bearer...

I'm happy to say that everyone I invited into this conversation has replied positively -- though some are here with no invitation, but have been quietly receiving the few messages that come through this place.  I've been wanting to make this list for a while -- because it feels -- powerful.  It feels extremely creative.  It feels deeply authentic.

What I am sensing -- is that we are moving into a new era in our collective work together.  Something is taking shape now, perhaps driven by a greater urgency, perhaps simply unfolding as the fruit of an extended co-creative process -- a process that has depended from the very beginning on the "relationships" between us -- on the "dialogue" -- on the influence we exert on one another, as we live our lives on separate tracks, yet remain connected in some grander scheme never fully identified.

This place, this little network -- is a modest thing, moving very slowly, with no pretensions, no grand ambitions, perhaps no agenda at all.  It's simply a gathering, a container, a holder-of-relationships, that in its breadth becomes a transfiguring kind of collective muse, a source of inspiration, certainly to me, and, I would say, to the world at large.  But the creative energy within this container is very high.  It's very strong.  It is not only brilliant, but good.  It's not only good, but beautiful.

So, my basic thought -- is one of gratitude and appreciation, and peace.  "It's just OK", things are alright...

And I was thinking -- that if I list the people here, and briefly introduce them, from my own point of view, and describe what it is that they have brought to my life and my own growth, maybe that energy will be shared.  Maybe you too will have that sense of creative vibrancy and potency that I am feeling.  Maybe new ideas and inspirations will arise in you.  Maybe you too will feel the candle-power of this place, and feel that energy entering into you, and triggering new growth, new insights, new pathways forward...

So, again, thanks so much for being here.  That alone is a great thing.

****

Barbara Marx Hubbard - internationally respected visionary author and futurist, world leader of the "Conscious Evolution" movement, speaker, spiritual leader, cohering force, originator of many ideas not found elsewhere.  I have had the grace of being connected to Barbara's network for more than ten years, and it has been an unfailing experience of growth and personal development and inspiration.

Bonnie Kelley - close confidant of Barbara Marx Hubbard, trusted liaison and envoy, guiding source of insight, valiant friend, weaver of the tapestry, Santa Barbara

Hillary Hitt - my friend in Thailand, healer, founder Dharma Healing International, Buddhist practitioner and teacher and translator, operates her fasting and healing clinic on the beach on Koh Samui, bringing a consistent and unfailing blessing to all who have the grace to be under her influence and guidance.

Lawrence Chickering - author and scholar, founder of Educate Girls Globally (EGG), and co-founder of the Project on Community Engagement and Education, author of Beyond Left and Right: Breaking the Political Stalemate and Voice of the People: The Transpartisan Imperative in American Life, worked with William F. Buckley at the National Review

Tom Atlee - wisdom convener and gatherer, author and speaker, leading voice on collective intelligence and the new possibilities for democracy

Kay Lindahl - interfaith activist and visionary, conference convener, founder of The Listening Center, former Chair of the North American Interfaith Network, leader in the United Religions Initiative, author of the inspiring and seminal The Sacred Art of Listening

Bill Miller - near-retired executive at ESRI (world leader in geographic information systems), integral planner, architect, large-scale conference developer.  Introduced me to the ColdFusion programming language, Bainbridge Island

Mark Gerzon - group process leader and dialogue expert, author, conference and circle convener, leader in the Transpartisan movement

Carolyn Anderson - Founder of Global Family and Hummingbird Ranch, co-author of The Co-Creator's Handbook, international circle-developer, helped with the original Harmonic Convergence, close associate of Barbara Marx Hubbard

Dr. Barbara Fields - Executive Director of the Association for Global New Thought, national and international conference developer, synthesizer and liaison, developer of Synthesis Dialogues, Santa Barbara

Gordon Davidson and Corrine McLaughlin - founders of the Center for Visionary Leadership, co-authors of Spiritual Politics: Changing the World from the Inside Out (1994)

Walt Roberts - group process leader and facilitator, Transpartisan leader and group coordinator, Portland Oregon

Joseph McCormick - founder and director of the Transpartisan Alliance and Reuniting America, Ashland

Stephen Dinan - author and activist, conference speaker and organizer

Don Benson - business consultant and liaison to the Parliament of World Religions, Portland

Ani Ahavah - Conscious Evolutionary and founder, iamuniverse.com

Jeanie DeRousseau - Conscious Evolutionary, women's network activist, and my partner in the development of LightPages, Hawaii and Santa Barbara

Kern Beare - Executive Director of the Foundation for Global Community and the Global Mind-Shift project

Jeff Carreira - close associate of Andrew Cohen, works with EnlightenNext magazine, Ken Wilber, and the international Conscious Evolution movement

Annie Lloyd - political activist and candidate, author and publisher, creator of OnePlanet Magazine, founder of the Fusion Foundation - connecting local activism and global vision

Jean Tennyson - founder of Navigating our Future - "We the people working together to build a better America"

Sandy Barnett - coworker and partner in the development of USA.CAN and Illinois.CAN, rides a Harley Davidson

Univisions Spirit Connections - Karen is a visionary internet activist building unity across the international Oneness movement

Dr. Wolfgang Fischer - M.D. and world traveler, visionary political activist, Munich Germany

Dr. Michael Ellis - M.D. and political activist, publisher New Paradigm Journal, Australian representative Institute of Noetic Sciences, Melbourne

Erin Egan - political activist and online community organizer, ProgressNowColorado.org - "Kickstarting a new era of civic engagement"

Sabine Braun - networker and mother, visionary heart, lover, "We are One Body" - Cologne Germany

Marsha Hendriksen - political activist, USA.CAN, Hilton Head Island South Carolina

Matt Smallcomb - political science student at Georgetown University

Barry Circle Tillman - visionary activist and circle-builder

Anthony Nall - senior technician and programmer, HostMySite.com

Bruce Schuman - programmer and writer, developer of Interspirit.net