sacred activism

Nina Simons, co-founder of Bioneers, and Deborah Eden Tull

Now, as we face so much accelerated and multi-faceted change, we are each called to serve what we love and want to protect from the deepest parts of our being. Sacred activism speaks to what inspires, guides and resources us to serve life, while integrating deep listening, collaboration and restoration. It goes to the root of cultivating regenerative change. Although our society has long polarized the sacred and activism as binaries, this emergent field may be what is most needed for cultivating personal and collective relational leadership.

Most of us have grown up with cultural norms that have conditioned us to avoid what’s difficult, challenging or painful. We turn away from or ignore the tough stuff, and often don’t engage with conflict or make space to fully process loss.But if we reorient ourselves, we may recognize that the challenges, traumas, and adversities we face are life’s ways of honing and strengthening us. What if, as Buddhist teachings note, obstacles do not block the way, but are the way?

Sacred Activism explores:

Redefining both Activism and the Sacred, to identify and clarify our own relationships with each of them, so that they can resource us regeneratively in our service on behalf of what we love.
Practices for cultivating relational mindfulness to strengthen our capacity to meet adversity, conflicts and trauma with compassion, equanimity, and conscious response.
Ways in which we are co-evolving leadership itself to become more relationally-attuned and -oriented, shifting from power over to power with and power to.
How expanding our capacity for inquiry, deep listening, and embodiment can support and strengthen our ability to see clearly - from the heart - and receive guidance as we meet life’s challenges.
Ways to resource ourselves to better balance self-care with care for the world.
Encouragement for embracing the full complexity of despair, hopelessness, faith and hope within a spaciousness that nourishes emotional resilience.
Support for engaging in our work as change agents with love, wholeness, and fierce compassion rather than fear, scarcity or urgency as our foundation.