 >Ocean
Song Events
Opening a pathway into consciousness can
be frightening, especially if you don’t know it’s
closed. --Julia Butterfly Hill
Listening to Luna helped me understand how
to survive the storms.
--Julia Butterfly Hill
I asked the wind, “what is ahead?”
The wind said, “Follow your bliss!”
I said, “But I am a crippled man.”
And the wind said,
“Give yourself to what you have left.”
“What is that?” I wondered.
“Your love, your family, your work –
but above all
your dream, your vision,
the all consuming fire of your life.”
-- Stephen Foster
The Conscious Activism Program at Ocean Song
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are a hundred ways to kneel and kiss the Earth.
--Rumi
To be a conscious activist is to live life as
a prayer.
The Conscious Activism Programs at Ocean Song are based on
the seven principles of conscious activism:
First – Nonviolence
Becoming non-violent is a lifelong process that involves refining
the arts of kindness, concern and tolerance even in the midst
of passionate disagreements. It need not be the absence or
suppression of anger or other emotions. It is a behavioral
choice we make again and again.
Second – Not Knowing
Not knowing enables us to put aside our entrenched ideas and
reactive behaviors. Intellect and intuition become more balanced.
It is a place of open mind and heart accompanied by spontaneity
and presence.
Third – Introspection
Through self-inquiry we expand our personal imagination, experience
the numinous transpersonal realm and develop inner wisdom
and resolve – the wellspring of a healthier society.
Fourth – Eros
Love and beauty are more than ethereal qualities. They are
essential essences that can help us resolve the problems we
have created. When we love something we want to help it thrive.
Fifth – No Enemy
Putting aside fear and hatred is revolutionary behavior that
can change society. By co-creating a healthier world can we
hope to ensure a viable future. It is not helpful to detest
a person or make an enemy out of someone who we disagree with,
or are disgusted by their actions.
Sixth – Vision, Free of Reaction
Active opposition often adds more energy to the very things
we oppose. Providing new alternatives can attract others away
from the old system. Vision in the present is essential for
creating a healthier future.
Seventh – Joy
The other side of grief is joy and both are part of a heightened
sensibility and concern for others. When our work is grounded
in the beauty and gratitude, we are more joyful and more effective
in efforts to create social change.
The workshops and events which are offered at
Ocean Song are informed by the intention that we take care
of what we love, and work from a place of gratitude and compassion.
The land at Ocean Song invites a playful, joyful interaction
with the deep qualities of nature and the comfort of familiar
community. Folded into the hills above the Pacific Ocean,
the oak woodlands, redwood groves, open fields, flowing gardens
and sacred meeting places invite the participants to rest
in and open to the resonance of a well-tended place. Ocean
Song, offers an opportunity to open to the call to the work
of conscious activism.
Programs are continually being developed around
the following themes:
Ecopsychology
Deep Ecology
Social and Environmental Justice
Eco-Activism
Indigenous Wisdom
Visual Arts
Self-Awareness Intensives
Vision Quest
Ocean Song has two meeting spaces, the green
barn which can accommodate up to 40 participants and the big
barn that can accommodate up to 200 people for a large event.
There are kitchen, bathrooms and showers available. Participants
can camp on the land or use the green barn for “indoor
camping.” There are hotels and accommodations available
in the nearby town of Occidental and at the Occidental Arts
and Ecology Center.
If you are interested in presenting your work
at Ocean Song, please contact Lisa Lynch, Program Director,
llynch@earthlink.net
|
