02
May

By: Shodo

Comments: 0

MWA Newsletter, Study/Action Group, Zen, -  May 02, 2025

Mountains and Waters Alliance – Announcements, book news, and gifts

May 3 workday:

Workday at the farm in the magnificent sun and spring blossoms. We have 8 volunteers, welcome more. I know it’s the last minute. Come any time 9:30-3:30. Here’s a description. You can register online or at the farm.

Book:

Resilience.org published my excerpts from the new book. They’re good. And I forgot to include a link for pre-orders. You can read here, and pre-order here. Here are a few words from the excerpts:

All Living Things Speak Us Into Existence
Our bodies are water, moving with the ocean tides. Our bodies are matter, hungering for the feel of the earth underfoot. Each is a cousin of the microbes in the soil and a relative of the burr oaks up the hill.

This body belongs here. The winds blow through, the tides move, the earth holds, and some spark of awareness makes its home in this one body called mine, in these bodies we call ours.

Seeing each other, we create each other. We are no more separate than left hand from right.

Consciousness is who we are and what we are. Everything is mind – not “everything is imagination” but “everything is consciousness. This is about giving up the fight for control and for permanence. When we lose that fight, we can be alive. We are throwing our open and luminous stillness into the creation of everything.

I’m planning a fall book tour, looking for places to connect with people, give readings, have conversations, and do the shared spiritual work I propose in the book. September will be in Minnesota, then Upper Midwest, New England, eastern seaboard, and the middle – Ohio, Michigan, etc.)

Upcoming:

  • At the farm, there’s always a welcome for volunteers – but there won’t be a lot of organizing, so call or email.
  • Wednesday night study group continues, and will probably be affected by the book tour. To join, email me.
  • Sunday evening Fearlessness group continues, likely also affected. We communicate by email.

Retreats:

Gifts:

I’m sharing two half-hour videos offering core teachings.

Begging bowl:

On August 1 I will quit my job, to spend full time working for Mountains and Waters Alliance, beginning with the book tour and other promotion.  Maybe the trip will support itself through book sales and speaking fees. Maybe it won’t. I’m investing 3-4 months and risking all the money I have in this world.

If you would like to support me in this leap of faith:

  • Free: Use iGive.com to generate small donations when you shop online. Explanation here.
  • Ask your library to buy the book; tell your friends about it; pre-order it (should arrive September 2); share it around; invite me to give a paid talk somewhere, or lead a retreat or workshop. This would be a great book for a discussion group. If you’re in a book club, or if you teach a college class, talk with me about getting a review copy. And I’m available online for talks and such.
  • Send money, tax-deductible if that helps.
  • Send good thoughts. Include me, include this work in your prayers or chants.
  • If you feel called to this way of life, let me know. Sometimes people come here to train; sometimes we work together at a distance.

If the universe says no, I can go back to work; I still have my social work license. My hope, here, is to move into the full force of my vow to free all beings.

Thanks, as always.

Love and commitment,

Shodo

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