One New York woman, Nancy, who pledged to be greener saved far more than $1,000.  By her calculations she actually saved more than $10,000!  Learn more about what made this shift for Nancy so successful and, if her story inspires you, take the One in a Million challenge yourself.

(Thanks to Melanie D. for sharing this information with Inspiration House!)

We asked Connie to share some of her joys and inspiration related to the good works and difference she is making
in the world:

1.  What do you do?

As author, speaker and practitioner of spiritual healing, I devote my life to helping others find lasting solutions to obesity and other issues.

2.  Why do you do it?

I look at why I am devoting my life to helping others through the lens of my own experiences.  It is the lessons I continue to learn in my own life that give me the impetus to respond to others.  People who know me agree that I have always had an innate desire to help people in a variety of ways, i.e. supporting and caring for the young and elderly, and prayerfully helping people think more deeply about their relationship to God.  Most recently my focus is the obesity crisis in this country.  Having dealt with obesity for most of my life, I feel that I have firsthand experience and insight that allow me to help others find a solution to this problem.

3.  How does “what you do” and your approach to life nourish you?

My work nourishes, inspires and brings me great joy when someone is helped.  And subsequently my approach to life continually grows.  One recent epiphany from my work with the obesity issue is the vital importance of looking within and making changes that will make me a better person.  I am discovering that my desire to see a better world, have more respect for our environment and pave a more responsible path for future generations has to start at home.  It goes back to being honest with ourselves and it is through self-examination that we grow.  All of this contributes to my commitment to a life of service.

4.  In what ways do others find what you do nourishing?

Most tell me that my approach allows them to feel “safe.”   They don’t feel judged or criticized, but supported and loved.   I am also strong in my convictions and like one reader of my book indicated, I didn’t give up on myself and I don’t give up on others.

From my perspective what helps people most is helping them realize that they aren’t alone with their problems and that there is a solution and/or resolution to whatever is causing them despair, fear or concern.

5.  What would you say is your biggest source of inspiration?

My biggest source of inspiration is my deep belief and faith in God.  It is also the personal experiences of those who are benefited.

6.  Where can we learn more?

My website:  www.reallifeweightloss.org

“Do we build God a house in lieu of having God stay at ours?”

This question by author Barbara Brown Taylor sums up the whole book!

Taylor, a former Episcopal minister, and now religion professor, is also a prolific author.  She writes easily — as if she is having a conversation with you.  It is no wonder her books are so popular.  I first learned of her writing when her first memoir, Leaving Church, came out in 2006.

An Altar in the World, her second memoir, is about the importance of spiritual practice: “Wisdom is not gained by knowing what is right,” Taylor declares.  But, rather, “Wisdom is gained by practicing what is right, and noticing what happens when that practice succeeds and when it fails.”

Describing spiritual practices as basic as walking, carrying water, being with other people, and saying blessings, Taylor moves the sacred out of the church’s walls and into everyday life. “Human beings may separate things into as many piles as we wish – separating spirit from flesh, sacred from secular, church from world.  But we should not be surprised when God does not recognize the distinctions we make between the two.”

In advocating for a more holistic spiritual view, Taylor discusses eleven different spiritual practices:

1. Reverence
2. Incarnation
3. Walking
4. Wilderness
5. Community
6. Vocation
7. Sabbath
8. Physical Labor
9. Pain as Breakthrough
10. Prayer
11. Benedictions

A couple new ideas from reading the book, for me, had to do with Sabbath and Incarnation.  Sabbath is a lovely practice for taking time out, but I hadn’t thought about it as a practice for “saying ‘no’” and how important it is to know how to say “no.”  Karl Barth equates it with freedom – “A being is free only when it can determine and limit its activity.”

Incarnation, or as Taylor refers to it – “wearing skin,” is a curious and intriguing idea to me.  Incarnation, I suppose, is about the relationship one has with the divine.  Some theologies speak of it as the fleshly form of God in a very literal sense.  For me, I’m not so sure about that.  But, I do feel something other-worldly, almost divine, when I’m in nature.  There is something so holy to me about the natural world, and I feel I come close to understanding incarnation when I’m engaged in the practices of walking and reverence!

Have you read An Altar in the World OR been engaged in one or more of the spiritual practices discussed in the book?  Please share your thoughts and submit a comment below.

1. Wake Up to the enormous harm we are doing to Earth and ourselves
2. Wake Up to the profound opportunity we have now to create a future to match our deepest longing and greatest dreams
3. Become change agents in redirecting humanity’s current path from self-destruction to sustainability
4. Do it now. Don’t wait for any one or anything. And complete it by 2014.

There’s still time to act, but no time to waste.

Four Years. Go. is a growing coalition of organizations and individuals with deep commitments to producing a transformational shift for humanity.  The impetus and initial stewardship for Four Years. Go. comes from a core group of four organizations. The Pachamama Alliance, as part of that group, has provided the funding for the initial development and is acting as the initial fiscal sponsor for the initiative.

Check out this video and pledge your next step online at Four Years. Go.

The situation is horrific.  Like the BP CEO – we all want our lives back.

But here we are in an awful mess.  This mess isn’t a “spill.”  It’s much larger than a spill.  It isn’t a “natural disaster.”  It is a human-made disaster.  And, the clean up deserves our utmost humility, consecration and love.

Forty-five days in to the crisis, I’m finding it important to personally remain positive – to refrain from scapegoating or feeling overwhelmed.  I’m grateful to begin reading some op-eds that are reflecting on the moral and spiritual opportunities we can claim if we are truly willing to learn from this calamity.

Mostly though, I’m finding it helpful to stay open – open to solutions, open to inspiration, open to new ways I can keep reducing my own dependence on fossil fuels – and keeping my joy.

How are you maintaining your peace your mind and how are you thinking about & responding to the oil crisis in the Gulf of Mexico?

What have you found helpful?  Here are three recent thoughtful articles.  (Thanks, Miles, for submitting the article by Jim Wallis)

Jim Wallis -  “A Time for Moral Reckoning” 6/3/2010
Excerpt:  “Theologically, we are witnessing a massive despoiling of God’s creation. We were meant to be stewards of the Gulf of Mexico, the wetlands that protect and spawn life, the islands and beaches, and all of God’s creatures who inhabit the marine world. But instead, we are watching the destruction of all that. Why? Because of the greed for profits; because of deception and lies; because of both private and public irresponsibility. And at the root, because of an ethic of endless economic growth, fueled by carbon-based fossil fuels, that is ultimately unsustainable and unstable.

It’s not just that BP has lied, even though they have — over and over — to cover up their behavior and avoid their obligations. It is that BP is a lie; what it stands for is a lie. It is a lie that we can continue to live this way, a lie that our style of life is stable and sustainable, a lie that these huge oil companies are really committed to a safe and renewable energy future. BP should indeed be made to pay for this crime against the creation — likely with its very existence.

But I am also reminded of what G.K. Chesterton once said when asked what was most wrong with the world. He reportedly replied, ‘I am.’”

Christian Science Monitor Editorial – “Why the Gulf oil spill demands more than new regulations” 5/28/2010
Excerpt:  “Stewardship of the earth isn’t just an aesthetic imperative or a self-serving desire for sustainable use of natural resources. It is also a spiritual exercise in how people get along and define progress for their society.”

Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori – “A Lesson from the Gulf Oil Spill: We Are All Connected” 5/26/2010
Excerpt:  “There is no place to go “away” from these consequences; there is no ultimate escape on this planet. The effects at a distance may seem minor or tolerable, but the cumulative effect is not. We are all connected, we will all suffer the consequences of this tragic disaster in the Gulf, and we must wake up and put a stop to the kind of robber baron behavior we supposedly regulated out of existence a hundred years ago. Our lives, and the liveliness of the entire planet, depend on it.”

PBS’s American Experience Series is re-running a program about the CCC – a program that put 3 million men to work in the US during the Great Depression of the 1930s.  The CCC planted more than 3 billion trees, terraced farm lands devastated by the dust bowl, built over 800 state parks, repaired roads and bridges.  Within two months of creation, the CCC enlisted 250,000 workers who were provided with housing, clothing, meals, $30 per month ($25 of which they were required to send home to their families), and evening classes – which over 9 years taught 40,000 illiterate men to read and write.

The CCC’s story is told in the American Experience Series documentary from the perspective of the workers themselves.  Their personal accounts veterans of the CCC makes the film especially enriching and meaningful.  Watch the 60 minute program now and watch it again with all of your family and friends.  It’s that good!

Get informed. Share insights. Find inspiration. Take action.

Join with other thinkers and explore the subject of eco-spirituality.  Dip into the writings of environmental theologians & social scientists and expand your understanding of the ecological challenges creation faces today.  Together we’ll sharpen our spiritual perspectives as we discuss passages (or podcast content) from Jewish, Buddhist, Christian and other traditions.  Among others, the syllabus includes the writings of Joanna Macy, Bill McKibben, Sallie McFague, James Gustave Speth, and Mary Evelyn Tucker.

Here’s what participants have been saying about the workshop:

“For me, participating in the Eco-Spirituality workshop was the experience of being involved in a ‘ground-breaking’ discovery of how to bring spirituality to bear on the ecological challenges of our time. I am so much more aware of the issues we face as well as the solutions and possibilities being implemented and explored around the world.” Kimberly Gauthier, Los Angeles

“It’s no exaggeration for me to say that being a part of this group was life-changing.  Fascinating, informative reading material was supported by honest, thought-provoking discussions. It was so valuable to have Carol at the helm of each discussion.  She has a bank of knowledge that I’m always eager to borrow from and her facilitation skills helped each conversation remain organic and thoughtful.  Participating in this Eco-spirtuality group helped me discover my eco-soul and I am now on a path ripe with eagerness and evolution of thought.” Hollister Thomas, St. Louis

Instructor:  Carol Hohle

June 29 – July 13, 2010.
Three Conference Calls on Tuesday Evenings,
8:00 – 9:30 pm (EDT):  June 29, July 6 & 13.
$55.

CONTACT US to register.

Carol Hohle, Founder & Executive Director of Inspiration House, is an educator, environmentalist & spiritual activist.  She speaks, leads workshops & retreats on spiritual practices and eco-spirituality.

What stood out to me at the beginning of Taking the Leap was Pema’s concern for the state of the world – in particular, humanity’s current proclivity towards aggression and self-centeredness. I hadn’t thought about it in those terms, but it made sense. In order for the world to intelligently sort through and resolve the many challenges we face we need to stop arguing with one another and distrusting one another’s motives.

One doesn’t have to look far to find evidence of this impatience with one another (liberal vs conservative political views polarizing families & neighbors against one another; the multiple wars where the United States is currently engaged; bullying in grade school). It’s as if we’ve lost our ability to deal with diversity, that we only value ideas that validate our own, and that we no longer know how to cope with viewpoints that differ from our own.

“Our own awakening is intertwined with the awakening of enlightened society. If we can lose our personal appetite for aggression and addiction, the whole planet will rejoice.”

In order for humanity to find its way out of this frustrating state, Pema challenges those of us who hold aspirations for a kinder & healthier planet to practice a much-needed sanity right in our lives! “This is a time,” Pema says, “when ‘working on ourselves’ is about more than our personal happiness … it may be the only way for humanity to find solutions that address the welfare of all beings and the survival of the earth itself.”

The book is dedicated to helping readers develop a practice to recognize when our own words and actions cause suffering (“when we’re making a mess of things”) and to choose our thoughts and actions wisely. “Taking the Leap” involves making a commitment to ourselves and to the earth itself to –

• Let go of old grudges
• Not avoid people and situations and emotions that make us feel uneasy
• Not cling to fears, close-mindedness, hardheartedness, hesitation
• Develop trust in our basic goodness and of our sister and brothers
• Develop confidence in our ability to drop our old ways of staying stuck and to choose wisely.

The practice Pema advocates isn’t difficult – pausing holds the key. If we pause when tempers flare or when we feel our own energy churning up we can become conscious enough to realize what’s happening. Pausing stops the bad behavior just enough to create space – space for the opportunity of a different condition, and that space empowers basic goodness to be expressed.

Basic goodness. Pema describes it as including three qualities:

1. Natural Intelligence – when we’re not caught in the trap of hope and fear, we intuitively know what’s the right thing to do
2. Natural Warmth – our capacity to love, have empathy, have a sense of humor; gratitude, appreciation, tenderness; natural warmth has the power to heal all relationships
3. Natural Openness – when we are “pre-prejudice,” when our mind is expansive, flexible and curious

What a powerful triad of spiritual qualities. And, how comforting to think that this basic goodness can come to our aid in a moment – in an instant, when we open ourselves in humility and with compassion.

Pick up Taking the Leap and take it to heart. It’s a short volume that will give you several practical tips and approaches to staying sweet!

It is my deep conviction that the only option is a change in the sphere of the spirit, in the sphere of human conscience.  It’s not enough to invent new machines, new regulations, new institutions.  We must develop a new understanding of the true purpose of our existence on this Earth.  Only by making such a fundamental shift will we be able to create new models of behavior and a new set of values for the planet.  – Vaclav Havel