Evolve

Reading Time: 8 minutes “I met a woman in a spiritual centre in western Massachusetts. It was summer, and there was no one there but us,” American photographer Frances F. Denny recounts. “She seemed nervous about having her picture taken. We sat cross-legged across from one another in a field and, by way of introduction, she sang me a Celtic song. I remember the sun was blinding me as I watched her, and I felt my eyes stinging. She then read to me from a document outlining the various tortures condemned ‘witches’ were subjected to during the Spanish Inquisition. When she finished reading, she put her face very close to mine and told me, quite fiercely, that she would agree to be photographed as long as I protected her – and my other subjects – from ridicule. I told her that while my intentions were to represent my subjects with dignity, I couldn’t control what people would say about the pictures. I was honest with her. She seemed to understand, and agreed to be photographed.”

Reading Time: < 1 minute Some days, it feels like the only thing we can agree on is that we can’t agree — on anything. Drawing on her background as a world debate champion, Julia Dhar offers three techniques to reshape the way we talk to each other so we can start disagreeing productively and finding common ground — over family dinners, during work meetings and in our national conversations.

Reading Time: 4 minutes I’m reminding myself daily of the Hermetic principle of rhythm: Everything flows, out and in; Everything has its tides; All things rise and fall; The pendulum swing manifests in everything; The measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left; Rhythm compensates.

I’m hopeful that the unwanted things we see unfolding on the world stage are the exact things that inspire us to rise up, do better, seek goodness, show compassion, have empathy, and be the change we want to see in the world.

So today, I’m choosing to be thankful for everything, even when I don’t understand how in the world it will ever make the list.

Because I know that somehow it eventually will.

Reading Time: < 1 minute Watch the EXTENDED version of Oprah Winfrey’s conversation with Michelle Obama, including some never-before-seen moments. #IAmBecoming

Reading Time: 5 minutes In today’s world, most of us are told to “do what we love,” or at least are constantly reminded of the importance of “work-life balance.” The mythology of the first seeks to remind us that we can make a living doing something pleasurable — even though we’re not all privileged enough to have this luxury. The second presumably instructs us to carve out enough time in our “lives” (separate from “work”) to pursue our passions. Both of these scenarios can be easier said than done.

As a result, many people see the the options as follows: either sacrifice steady income to follow your dreams, or stay in your current situation, feeling stuck because other options seem too risky.