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Trebbe Johnson's Newsletter
April 2009
Youth Making Waves
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Dear
Questers,
Friends,
and
Seekers
of
the
Beloved,
In
the
past
few
months
I
have
been
inspired
by
several
remarkable
young
people
who
have
entered
my
life.
It
all
seems
to
have
started
when
I
was
invited
by a
smart,
opinionated,
highly
original
14-year-old
named
Keturah
to
be
her
mentor
as
part
of
the
Coming
of
Age
program
at
my
Unitarian-Universalist
congregation.
(I
wrote
about
her
mother,
Kate
Thorpe,
in
"Teaching
Outside
the
Box"
in
this
newsletter
in
January.)
I'll
be
writing
more
about
Keturah
in a
forthcoming
issue,
but
for
now
I'd
like
to
highlight
a
couple
of
other
young
people
who've
recently
moved
me,
shown
me
that
creative
ideas
and
commitment
are
alive
and
at
work
among
those
who
will
be
living
through
the
twenty-first
century
...
and
made
me
even
sadder
that
we
their
elders
are
leaving
them
a
beautiful
planet
in
such
sad
condition.
To
those
who
are
receiving
this
newsletter
for
the
first
time...
welcome!
Here
you'll
find
news
of
upcoming
Vision
Arrow
events,
reflections,
profiles
of
extraordinary
people,
and
stories
of
transformation
that
occur
when
we
accept,
in
small,
bold,
startling
ways
the
invitations
that
the
world
is
always
sending
us.
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CHILLING
OUT
IN
NIRVANA
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It
is
perhaps
only
at
Rowe
Center
in
western
Massachusetts
that
punk
Buddhists,
most
of
them
under
30,
and
seekers
of
the
archetypal
Beloved,
most
of
them
over
40,
can
find
common
ground.
Because
only
two
workshops
are
scheduled
on
any
given
weekend
at
Rowe,
participants,
teachers,
and
staff
alike
have
the
opportunity
to
meet
and
share
insights
about
each
other's
paths
during
meals
and
while
gathering
in
the
living
room
before
the
fireplace.
On a
weekend
in
late
February
I
was
at
Rowe
teaching
my
Desire
and
the
Quest
for
the
Beloved
workshop,
and
Noah
Levine
was
there
teaching
his
Dharma
Punx
class.
During
one
breakfast,
Noah
and
I
talked
about
how
the
starting
point
for
each
of
us
is
desire.
Noah
focuses
on
young
people,
many
of
them
punk,
queer,
in
recovery
from
addiction,
and
fired
by
feelings
of
anger,
injustice,
and
alienation.
Through
traditional
Buddhist
meditation
they
recognize
that
all
emotions
and
events
are
part
of a
continual
process
of
rising,
falling,
and
dissolving,
and
they
transform
feelings
of
frustration
into
compassion
for
helping
others.
In
my
work
people
tune
in
to
the
passion
and
fascination
that
beckon
them
forward,
discover
how
erotic
and
spiritual
desire
are
connected,
and
define
their
path
for
creating
a
life
as
if
the
world
were
a
waiting
lover.
I
told
Noah
that
I
had
read
in
Mark
Epstein's
book,
Open
to
Desire,
that
the
usual
translation
of
the
Buddha's
first
Noble
Truth,
"Life
is
suffering,"
is
not
quite
accurate.
Epstein
says
that
the
word
usually
translated
as
"suffering"
is
dukkha,
or
"pervasive
unsatisfactoriness".
Noah
responded
that
it
was
more
like
"thirst."
Nirvana,
he
said,
is
relief
from
this
thirst.
In
fact,
nirvana
was
a
very
common
term
in
the
Buddha's
day.
No
lofty
spiritual
concept,
it
meant
simply
to
take
a
pot
off
the
fire,
or
else
to
turn
the
fire
down:
in
other
words
to
cool
something!
Nirvana,
then,
cools
the
fire
of
passion,
of
craving!
Noah
Levine
has
written
two
books,
Dharma
Punx,
about
his
own
spiritual
search,
and
Against
the
Stream,
his
teachings
for
"spiritual
revolutionaries."
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THE FUTURE'S ENVIRONMENTALIST
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 A
friend
recently
sent
me a
link
to a
short
video
called
"The
Girl
Who
Silenced
the
UN."
It
shows
a
12-year-old
Canadian,
Cullis
Severn-Suzuki,
talking
about
the
environmental
legacy
that
is
being
left
to
her.
"You
don't
know
how
to
fix
the
holes
in
our
ozone
layer,"
she
says
to
the
delegates,
speaking
more
out
of
sorrow
than
blame.
"You
don't
know
how
to
bring
salmon
back
up a
dead
stream.
You
don't
know
how
to
bring
back
an
animal
now
extinct."
All
the
delegates
were
stunned
into
silence
by
her
short
speech,
and
some
were
in
tears.
It
was
a
powerful
event,
this
young
girl
articulating
the
hopelessness
and
sadness
of
her
generation
and
asking,
it
seems,
for
some
humility
and
shared
sadness
on
the
part
of
her
listeners.
Doing
a
little
research
I
discovered
that
this
video
was
actually
made
in
1992,
and
it
wasn't
at
the
UN
that
the
young
woman
spoke
but
at
the
first
Earth
Summit
in
Rio.
The
sad
news,
of
course,
is
that
the
world
is
even
worse
off.
According
to
the
March
30
issue
of
The
New
Yorker,
Severn-Suzuki's
own
country,
Canada,
which
had
committed
to
reducing
greenhouse
gases
by
6%
by
2012,
has
actually
increased
them
by
more
than
120%.
The
good
news
is
that
this
young,
brave
environmentalist
is
now
a
twenty-nine-year-old
environmentalist,
and
she
is
still
speaking
out,
clearly
and
passionately,
and
telling
people
the
truth
about
the
world
they
are
living
in.
|
AND
ONE
STORY
ABOUT
GREAT
OLD
AGE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Joyce
Kilmer
Memorial
Forest
in
western
North
Carolina
is a
protected
wilderness
where
four-hundred-year-old
trees
tower
over
your
head,
and
new
trees
push
up
amidst
wildflowers
and
healthy
foliage
on
the
forest
floor.
When
you
spend
time
among
ancient
trees
you
can't
help
but
consider
what
was
happening
when
they
were
just
seedlings:
Native
people
were
living
in
thriving
communities
all
over
this
continent,
the
Mayflower
had
not
yet
made
its
historic
voyage,
and
in
England
Shakespeare
had
recently
finished
writing
King
Lear.
In
an
old-growth
forest
you
feel
yourself
to
be
in
the
presence
of
beings
that
exemplify
patience,
endurance,
the
weathering
of
storms.
You
feel
both
humbled
and
inspired
to
create
something
in
your
own
life
that
will
also
endure.
Joyce
Kilmer
Forest
and
its
neighbor
campground
just
down
the
trail
in
Nantahala
Forest
will
be
the
gathering
place
September
11-18
for
What
Now?,
an
eight-day
quest
to
reconnect
with
your
most
heartfelt
vision.
My
co-guide,
Eugene
Hughes,
is
an
artist,
explorer,
and
business
leader
from
London
who
helps
people
define
their
vision
so
that
it
really
comes
from
the
heart,
as
it
zeroes
in
on
the
visionary's
sense
of
what
needs
to
be
transformed
in
the
world.
This
program
is
for
people
who
have
been
on a
vision
quest
or
had
a
powerful
vision
of
something
they
long
to
bring
into
being
and
find
now
that
they
must
re-examine
and
remake
that
original
plan.
If
you
know
that
the
future
depends
on
what
you
bring
to
it
out
of
your
full
being
and
are
determined
to
meet
that
call,
even
if
you
feel
at
times
fearful,
dazzled,
or
overwhelmed...
then
please
join
us.
During
the
program,
you'll
explore
what
still
has
meaning
and
heart
in
your
original
vision;
probe
how
your
energy
and
the
world's
needs
have
changed
and
what
direction
you're
called
to
now;
become
part
of a
community
of
like-minded
others;
and
refine
the
new
vision
that
you
will
offer
to
your
community.
You
will
have
a
24-hour
solo
in
Joyce
Kilmer
Forest.
Click
here
to
read
more
details
of
the
program
(and
see
the
beautiful
brochure
designed
by
Charlotte
Dewar
of
Eugene's
People
Brands
staff
in
London).
The
brochure
includes
information
about
Joyce
Kilmer
Memorial
Forest
and
a
short
description
of
how
we'll
be
focusing
our
attention
during
our
time
together.
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RADICAL JOY FOR HARD TIMES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The
October
edition
of
this
newsletter
was
devoted
entirely
to
Radical
Joy
for
Hard
Times,
the
new
project
(based
on
an
old
vision)
that
I
have
embarked
on
along
with
several
colleagues
and
friends.
Radical
Joy
for
Hard
Times
is a
new,
more
intimate
approach
to
environmentalism.
It
is
devoted
to
bringing
beauty
back
to
the
wounded
places
of
the
Earth
through
attentive
presence,
storytelling,
creativity,
and
ceremony.
As I
wrote
in
October,
I
myself
did
a
vision
quest
in
Death
Valley
and
dedicated
it
to
Radical
Joy
for
Hard
Times.
I am
overjoyed
to
report
that
this
exciting
new
adventure
has
really
taken
flight
in
the
past
few
weeks.
We
now
have
a
board
of
directors,
eight
incredible
and
dedicated
people
who
live
across
the
U.S.
and
in
England.
We
have
filed
our
articles
of
incorporation,
the
first
step
to
becoming
a
charitable
non-profit
organization.
After
several
weeks
of
working
together
by
telephone,
we
will
gather
for
our
first
face-to-face
board
meeting
in
May,
at
which
time
we
will
define,
among
other
things,
the
programs,
retreats,
trainings,
and
services
we
want
to
bring
into
being,
so
that
communities
all
over
the
U.S.
and
eventually
all
over
the
world
can
become
reconciled
with
the
natural
places
they've
loved
and
lost.
We
are
in
the
process
of
creating
a
logo,
a
website,
and
information
about
our
work.
Soon
we
will
begin
fundraising.
The
support
and
enthusiasm
we've
had
from
a
wide
variety
of
people,
including
environmentalists,
artists,
spiritual
leaders,
and
business
people
has
been
very
gratifying.
In
addition,
I
have
started
writing
a
blog
called
Radical
Joy
for
Hard
Times.
Check
it
out...
and
post
your
replies,
please!
AND:
please
send
me
your
own
stories
about
how
you
or
someone
you
know
has
confronted
the
reality
of a
wounded
place
and
then
found
a
way
to
perceive
or
bring
beauty
and
meaning
to
it.
If
you
have
ideas
about
how
you'd
like
to
bring
Radical
Joy
for
Hard
Times
to a
wounded
place
near
you,
let
me
know
that
as
well,
and
I'll
bring
your
suggestions
to
our
meeting
in
May.
We
hope
to
be
offering
retreats
and
trainings
soon.
The
birthing
of
Radical
Joy
for
Hard
Times
is
actually
directly
related
to
the
theme
of
this
edition
of
the
newsletter:
Youth
Making
Waves.
It
is
likely
that
the
young
people
of
today
are
going
to
inherit
an
earth
on
which
up
to
40%
of
the
animal
and
plant
species
alive
today
will
become
extinct.
How
they
cope
with
such
loss
as
they
continue
to
work
passionately
and
creatively
for
their
beautiful
and
beloved
home
planet
will
determine
what
kind
of
earth
they
pass
on
to
their
own
children
and
grandchildren.
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BOOK
AND
WORKSHOP
NEWS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 See
my
article,
"Walking
Like
Lions"in
the
current
issue
of
Itineraries,
the
magazine
of
the
wonderful
organization
Second
Journey.
It's
tells
what
I
learned
from
an
old
pride
of
lions
in
South
Africa
about
how
to
walk
like
a
true
elder...
even
when
you
think
somebody
else
has
claimed
your
territory.
If
you
are
new
to
this
newsletter,
have
a
look
at
my
book,
The
World
Is a
Waiting
Lover,
about
how
a
seismic
infatuation
that
I
developed
for
a
younger
man
whom
I
met
while
leading
a
vision
quest
led
me
to
an
exploration
of
the
mythic,
archetypal
force
of
desire
called
the
Beloved.
UPCOMING
PROGRAMS
May
8-10
The
Path
of
the
Lover
Sage
Canyon
(near
Cortez),
CO.
Program
is
full.
If
you'd
like
to
be
on
the
waiting
list,
contact
Fiona
King.
Saturday,
May
23,
9:00
AM-3:00
PM
Claiming
Your
Inner
Stimulus
Package:
Artist
and
filmmaker
Noah
Crowe
(yet
another
remarkable
young
person
under
30!)
and
I
will
be
presenting
a
program
in
New
York
City's
Central
Park:
Claiming
Your
Inner
Stimulus
Package.
President
Obama
has
proposed
a
massive
stimulus
package
to
help
America
through
tough
economic
times.
But
did
you
know
that
there
is a
stimulus
package
of
your
own
awaiting
you
in
Central
Park?
The
answers
to
your
deepest
questions
about
how
to
move
forward
with
a
sense
of
adventure,
courage,
and
joy
don't
come
from
any
expert.
They
are
ignited
at
the
intersection
of
what
you
(and
only
you)
notice
about
the
natural
world
around
you
as
you
wander
through
the
park...
and
by
how
you
respond
to
it.
You'll
be
amazed
at
the
depth
of
what
you
discover
in
yourself
and
in
the
world
around
you.
Meet
at
the
Alice
in
Wonderland
statue.
Bring
your
lunch.
$35
with
pre-registration,
$40
at
"the
door"
Call
570.727.4272
or
email
Vision
Arrow
for
details.
Upside
of
the
Downturn
I'll
be
offering
a
new
Upside
of
the
Downturn
round
table
on
four
consecutive
Tuesday
nights
(April
28,
May
5,
May
12,
and
May
19)
from
7:00-8:00
Eastern
Time.
Together,
in a
small,
confidential
group
you'll
hone
in
on
your
personal
relationship
with
money,
discover
what
needs
to
change,
and
start
developing
ways
to
bring
forth
what
one
past
participant
called
your
fresh
new
source
of
"inner
income."
June
3-14:
Bali
From
Within
Bali,
Indonesia
It's
not
too
late
to
join
our
small
group
in
Bali
(maximum
of
six
people),
where
nature,
spirituality,
beauty,
and
art
really
do
meet
and
intertwine
every
day
throughout
the
day.
We'll
participate
in
festivals
and
ceremonies
westerners
rarely
have
a
chance
to
be a
part
of
and
have
conversations
with
a
village
priest,
a
gamelan
musician,
local
families,
and
more.
Every
night
we'll
have
a
talking
council
round
with
our
small
group.
Join
us!
January
2-23,
2010:
Sahara
Camel
Caravan
and
Vision
Quest
If
you're
interested
in
the
Sahara
camel
caravan
and
vision
quest,
it
would
be a
good
idea
to
sign
up
now.
We
take
a
maximum
of
12
people,
and
we
already
have
four
paid
registrations.
For
a
registration
form,
contact
me.
For
a
complete
list
of
2009
programs
offered
by
Vision
Arrow,
see
our
website.
Call
570
727
4272
or
email
Trebbe
if
you
have
questions
or
would
like
to
talk
about
any
of
these
programs.
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