November 2009 CAN Digest

Greetings Compassionistas!
November 2009 was a milestone month for the Compassionate Action Network as we crossed the 1,000 member mark and participated in the global launch of The Charter for Compassion. Thank you to everyone who invited their friends, family and colleagues to join the site. Please continue inviting!

Special thanks to Ari Cowan for his network support as well as for organizing multiple events this past month: Peace is Possible and PAR in Practice Practical Personal Peacebuilding. We are very fortunate to have his creative participation and engagement on CAN.

This "digest" is a limited summary of CAN’s activities over the past month. Networks are tricky to report on and by no means is this a complete list of what happened in the CAN network over the last month. However, in my role as interim Executive Director I'm central to a lot of what goes on. Here are some of the highlights I've seen.

From the Compassionate Action News Desk:

On November 12th, as it was unveiled to the world, CAN supported and hosted a number of regional events focused on the launch of The Charter for Compassion. Here is a video of the Charter being read. Seattle was a partner city and there were more Charter launch events in our area than anywhere else on the globe!

Karen Armstrong’s TED Prize collaboration is demonstrative of the power of networks and her wish to implement globally the “golden rule” is a great wish! We wrote about it here: “The Charter for a Movement.” Reverend Cheen organized a great launch event at St. Pat's (thanks!) with a public reading of the charter and Andrea Cohen facilitated a Compassionate Listening experience to go along with the launch. We recently featured a post on the work of Compassionate Listening as a Way of Life and the lives of Andrea Cohen and Susan Partnow two certified Compassionate Listening Trainers.

Reverend Cheen has also created a group dedicated to the Charter for Compassion as a way to nurture initiatives that builds on the charter launch e.g. a plan to approach Mayors throughout the US to endorse the Charter in their cities. Please join the group and affirm the Charter for Compassion.

Seattle's Interfaith Amigos Featured in the NY Times: Three Clergymen, Three Faiths, One Friendship

The national interest in interfaith and interspiritual dialogue is at an all time high according to a 11/23 NY Times story that features Seattle’s own Interfaith Amigos. Here is one of those overnight sensations that were lifetimes in the making. We are so proud of the years of interfaith dialogue these leaders have provided. Thanks and congratulations to Rabbi Ted Falcon, Sheikh Jamal Rahman, Don Mackenzie as well as to Ruth Neuwald Falcon, Karen Lindquist, John Hale, Phil Gerson and the many other CAN members that have worked with the Interfaith Amigos for years. You can visit their site and purchase their book “Getting to the Heart of Interfaith” here.

Perhaps with the growing interest in interspiritual dialogue our regional network can contribute to other communities interested in "connecting through our similarities and innovating through our diversity". We look forward to continued recognition, appreciation and support for their groundbreaking work.

December 3 – 9 Parliament of World Religions in Australia
CAN Seattle is a partner city of the Parliament of World Religions taking place in Australia in December. This is the oldest and largest Interfaith gathering on earth.Here is a video showcasing the Aboriginal welcome.

There are at least 14 people from our area, including a team of Youth Reporters attending the Parliament in Melbourne, Australia. We sent the CAN Murals beautifully created by Steven Wright at the Connecting for Compassionate Action event on 10/17 to the Parliament and wrote about it here. Click on the mural for a close up view.

The Compassionate Life Study and Dialogue Group
Well known activist and author of The Compassionate Life Marc Ian Barasch is working with Susan Burns to offer an Study and Dialogue Group on The Compassionate Life here on the CAN site. They mix teleconferences with Mark with face to face gatherings in Seattle. Here is a video that offers quotes from the book:


Aloha and Ohana from Dr. Joel Levey and Michelle Levey
Founding CAN members Dr. Joel Levey and Michelle Levey have a home in Seattle and maintain a sanctuary on the Big Island of Hawaii. They are creating a local CAN Hub in Hawaii. Joel writes about this here

They are also hosting a a Hawaii CAN Gathering on Feb. 27 to Mar. 7th - Just the perfect time to take in some sun and Aloha spirit as we’ll prepare for the Spring with two of our wisest teachers. Let Joel know if you are interested in more details.


Cutting Edge Deep Thinking on CAN
Sheri Herndon is one of the most knowledgeable and connected contributors on CAN. This month she wrote about Thriving in the Relationship Economy and a piece on Radical Collaboration. Sheri offers new edge science thinking and evolutionary practices essential for us to achieve new levels of cooperation and collaboration. She is a gem! If you haven’t already, take a few minutes to appreciate her contributions. You can also follow her on Twitter!

Guru Dorje posted Duty is not a Four Letter Word one of the deepest posts. I read it slowly, three times, and was inspired by its cautionary wisdom. Thank you Guru Dorje!


Compassionate Action Coming from the CAN Groups:
We are a self-organizing network of groups. Here is some of the amazing work happening in those groups:

Beloved Communities
To contribute to implementing the Green Economy the Beloved Community offers a priceless service. CAN members can attend "face to face" gatherings in South Seattle and present their projects and have them "workshopped" by the Beloved Community members.

They've done an excellent job of documenting the feedback. By looking over the feedback you can appreciate the quality of input that attendees are getting. Mark Jones you are an amazing and incredible gift to us all! Mark and the group are creating a Wisdom Journal. Take a look at the feedback that Skye Burn recently received on The Flow Project.

The Transpartisan Alliance
This group exists to build compassion and understanding across political/ideological divides. The group’s comment wall has had a number of very creative ideas such as Take a Liberal to a Shooting Range!

Franca Baroni recently reported that the Chair of the Republican Party of the 36 District and another Republican party member will join the group on December 10. Compassion in action if there ever was an opportunity!


The NICO (Northwest Interspritual Community Outreach) Interspiritual Group
This group is cultivating an Interspiritual / Interfaith community-wide movement grounded in contemplative wisdom and practical compassionate action for the common good. John Hale and the NCO core team have been meeting for eight years.

On 11/22 NICO and CAN co-sponsored the 23rd Annual Interfaith Praise and Thanksgiving at St. Pat’s. Honor One Spirit was the theme and eleven sacred paths were represented. The service included collecting and blessing scarves for the homeless as part of the Warm for Winter project organized by Muslim sister Janice Tufte, Warm for Winter.

This was a remarkable service and included Gene Tagaban, of Ravendreaming Productions; Honoring Sister, Silversong Belcourt, Founder, Honor Day Foundation. Contemplation, Reflection, Silence by Liz Ellmann, Spiritual Directors International; Baha’i Faith, Larry Gallagher, The Baha’is of Seattle; First African Methodist Episcopal Church , Rev. Carey Anderson, Islam Hakim & Ihsan Halimun, “The Nasheeds” sing “Humility” or “Heart of a Muslim” Muslim Association of Puget Sound; www.mapsredmond.org, Goddess Worship, Rev. Judith Laxer, Gaia’s Temple; Sikh Paramjit Chowla, Gurdwara Singh Sabha of Washington; New Thought, Rev. Michael Ingersoll, ; Buddhism, Tulku Yeshi, Sakya Monastery of Tibetan Buddhism; Christianity, Laura Ash, St. Patrick Church; Judaism, Cantor David Serkin-Poole, Temple B’nai Torah; Divine Feminine, Rev. Linda Stern, The Convocation of the Divine Feminine of Interfaith Community Church; the Closing was presented by Rabbi Ted Falcon and Pastor Don Mackenzie;The Interfaith Amigos

Thanks to the organizers and musicians Karen Lindquist, John Hale, Lora-Ellen McKinney, Laura Ash, Shankar, Jon and Tova Ramer and the Interspiritual choir from a number of congregations.

Join NICO to stay informed and be part of the planning of upcoming interspiritual events and activities such as the 12/31 New Years Eve Peace Walk at Greenlake There is a NICO planning meet on December 8th discussing Compassionate Singing, and Interspiritual advocacy being planned for February, stay tuned. Contact John Hale for details.

CAN Communications
And last, but by no means least is the CAN Communications group headed by Pam Kilborn-Miller. Pam is someone I would climb a mountain with, she is that dependable. She is dedicated, focused and willing to do what it takes to keep us on track. Pam thank your sharing your time and talents with CAN! CAN Communications is working through a set of recommendations that came out of the survey that was conducted a few months ago. They are planning to implement a Monthly Forum Discussion.

Although this "digest" is quite long it is only a subset of the activities and plans taking place... check out the Community Event Calendar to learn about upcoming musical conversations, creative art projects in Bellingham, workshops, trainings, orientations, philosophy cafes, all the cool events that Lora-Ellen McKinney posts like Christmas Truce, musical performances and more.....