Hi All,

I've been encouraged to 'blog' again thanks to a new friend whom got me thinking about what it means to be in relationship with people. Of course of great interest and much talk these days is the sexual relationship, womens new role in it and how all this pertains to spirituality and so I'm going to blog a little about my experience in this arena so far.

I have been in a few relationships in my life and always thought that I was 'in love', but in retrospect and knowing what I know now I have to admit that my idea of love may not be as conventional as others would like to define it. Thats not a bad thing, just different and I can at least say it's been evolutionary.

As a relatively new and interested 'practitoner'of Andrew Cohen's Evolutionary Enlightenment, I've come to see what Andrew talks about in this idea that we alI seem to have about how love should be.
One of his students Elizabeth Debold, speaks often of the 'New Womens Liberation 'or sometimes called 'Liberation without a Face' which really explains why we've come to believe and be influenced by  millennia of culture that surely colors my perception of what it means to be a women and in turn how to be in 'relationships'. I like what she says because ultimately in the end its all about transcending and including, to use Ken Wilber's term. Yes, transcend the old and yet include the good things we have come to be as women and ultimately that among the two sexes there can be and, would'nt it be nice, if there was no real issues of gender between us but rather us relating beyond all that, to something that we can create new and more real.
God knows this is what I'm looking forward to in all my new relationships. To be in this world and 'in relationship' with this new understanding, changes everything. I find myself  making conscious attempts to be much more compassionate, relaxed, attentive and respectful to all the different relationships I cultivate.

So I'm looking forward to the next and 2nd annual  'Women's Retreat'  that Andrew Cohen will be having in  Oct. '08. Above is a clip of last years in which I and over 160 women from all over the world really looked into all these issues and came out of it with renewed commitment to push ourselves even higher in development....It'll be interesting to see where we've taken it in this last year.

Love to all,
Nancy

Hi Everyone,
I just got back from an event co-sponsored by Enlightennext and
Evolutionary Media Showcase at the New York EnlightenNext Center. My
take from it, is that Evolutionary Media Showcase is a group of film
makers, directors, actors and business people interested in what they
can do with their craft and experience to create and bring new
structures of media into being, that consciously inspire others to do
the same and to change culture and the world.
The evening was my first type of event of this kind. It was not a
typical EnlightenNext event and yet I was surprised and touched by the
potential creativity that resonated and connected with a lot of
Andrew's teachings.
That said, for me there was a lot about the evening that I couldn't
help but notice.
First up to present was Ros Bennet, whom I presume most of us know as
the video director/film maker for most of EnlightenNext events and
whom is a long time student of Andrew. She shared with us segments of
some of her 'film work' and spoke of how her work had evolved and had
become inspired by some of the people whom she had met last year with
Evolutionary Media Showcase.
One short film she shared was a compelling look into the desire one feels when one starts to meditate on a regular basis.
 How wonderful it was to see her get the point
across in this film in such a way that was truly creative and unique.
It made you really feel that 'ecstatic urgency' of the 'creative
impulse' that Andrew talks about. Ros of course in her eloquence
seemed to set the context for the evening just because her passion
for evolution beyond ego, definately shines through her work. She
along with the Tim Murphy, a filmmaker who coordinated the showcases
presented last night,really want to create something new and I think
that they are really on to something.
The next presenter was an organization call Karmatube and you can find
them on karmatube.com. KarmaTube in their words is: a collection of
short, "do something" videos coupled with simple actions that every
viewer can take. Our mission is to spread the good. Our vision is to
create and connect a global network of volunteers awake to capturing
these stories, using simple digital video cameras. While the stories
produced may be polished and professional or diamonds-in-the-rough,
the crucial through-line is this: they celebrate the work of local
change agents, demonstrating the ways "do something" moments can be
"tipping point" experiences for individuals and communities. To
complete the circle, KarmaTube offers three simple suggestions for
ways to support the action and spirit shown in each video.

What was great and inspiring about these 'creative' people was not
only their website which is just fantastic, but key to them is that
they do all this work voluntarily, with no pay and there are 'no
strings attached' for the thousands of people who happen on their
website or for the many whom then return the service with some sort of
service of their own. They are truly inspiring because in this world
of cynicism, this pure service creates a trust like no other, possibly
moving us as Gandhi advised to "be the change that we want to see in
the world".
It was interesting that some filmmakers in the room of course found
this idea of volunteer work challenging to say the least. In our world
money seems to make the world go 'round and it created a discussion
around the room about how it could look like if money weren't the
deciding factor. It raised questions about how to do that in a
creative new way so that culture can in fact change. It was great to
witness the dialog and conviction of Silas Hagerty, founder of Smooth
Feather Productions, working on gift-economy films,who was the next
presenter of his short film.
This film he explained was his way of service to a dear friends
family whom had suffered a very severe life altering event.
The 17 minute film along with Silas's other work can be viewed on
www.smoothfeather.com. After this short film Silas and the family whom
this tragic event happened to, got up to the front of the room and
heroically answered questions regarding what they had been through and
how it had changed their lives in many ways.
It was touching to see the family and hear of their experience and I
couldn't help but notice how much suffering can really make one either
change or remain a victim. That the indestructible force of the
authentic self is deep in us all and fights to live life if we let it.

All in all, this evening I know, had the subtle power to stay with me
and hopefully everyone of us in that room for days and weeks to come.
It seemed to have the added power to somehow enact change on a deeper
level that can really change culture and the world.

I have to say one last thing about the EnlightenNext core students
whom attended the event last night. In my short year with the group
it never ceases to amaze me the level of sincerity and inclusiveness
and 'holding formation' that you guys exhibit. You never make
outsiders feel put upon and always seems to re-present Andrew's
teachings in 'action'. That to me is always noticeable and inspiring.

Nancy

Hi everyone!

So I just got back from a 'service' retreat up at Foxhollow. Aside
from having a newfound appreciation and deep respect for the 'process'
it takes to feed everyone and put it all together, I also deeply
appreciate the experience of the authentic collectives intention that
swept me away.

Just being with the folks up there showed me what it is really like to
be a part of the bigger picture and I see that context and intention
is everything, just like Andrew always says.

We were instructed to really focus when we were with the food. To
notice not only the colors, textures and smells of the foods but also
the energies that we brought to the process. On numerous occasions I
was reminded to slow down, stop talking about personal things, and
pace myself. When we did this all together, the results really did
show a difference,in so many ways.

I got to talk to beautiful people whom shared transparently everything
that they had experienced visiting and living up at Foxhollow. The
perspectives were really great!. For instance there was a beautiful
young women basically raised there by her parents (and the many others
who shared in that same process). She told me all the highs and lows
of being a kid at Foxhollow. What it was like to be with Andrew. What
it was like to realize that her parents had realized something more
important than even her and the countless times she had to wait,
sometimes hours for them because they were detained with 'practice and
engagement'. She did say that she is happy that although she naturally
rebelled at that developmental stage that we all do, she feels that
she has come full circle and that she on her own wants to be a part of
this great 'process' unfolding. I thanked for sharing so openly with
me all she had. Shes quite the incredible young woman. Very real!.
And so it was like that with everyone. Young and old alike.

I had another experience that was a humbling and eye opening, that I
suppose I should share with you all. (My ego right now is screaming at
me but I'm ignoring it).
Being behind the scenes we got to be around the many people who work
there and a lot of them are men. Beautiful men. I never really noticed
how beautiful till this weekend. Of course they are. They have a
common goal, they are transparent, they are intelligent and they look
good. Of course, being a single, deeply conditioned, woman, I
naturally noticed this. The 'Queens girl ' in me blurted out,on
numerous occasions, something about how 'fine' they were and
fortunately my girl, Kim, set me straight. She pointed out that what I
was saying 'put out' there something that was unwholesome. That we need
to as women, whom are all the same, to start to change and create new
ways of being together, with men,that are representative of what we
know now as something higher and stay true to that. Afterward feeling
very ashamed, I certainly do see what she said as truth and how I
mis-represented myself. My true self. I'm not focussed on men. Im
focused on 'truth' and thats much more important.

The coolest thing that happened, was that I was feeling a bit removed
from the 'real retreat'. As I said so, to one of my new friends,(whom
was giving me sneak post views of the engagement that was going on in
the meditation hall with Andrew) it became apparent to her and I that
all the issues and stuff that was going on in my service retreat was
actually being spoken about and possibly happening within the same
'force field'!! of her retreat!
People were asking the same questions about 'relationships' , and there
was identical things happening. Andrew apparently spoke regarding how
women and all of us in general should be less caddy and less 'know it
all' and more real towards one another especially there at Foxhollow.
How we discover that things change when we do this.
It was true! And happening right there in that collective force field.
I certainly felt it. Even though I was dead tired and sore all over my
body, I was able to go out after a long day in the kitchen and see
Andrew and his great band of musicians play their music. I felt that
energy all the way and back to my room as a highly palpable and
energetic vibrational force that kept me meditating instead of
sleeping. I even kept that energy all through the New Years Eve event
at Alex Grey's and it was inspiring to watch Andrew and all of us
partying and dancing and joyful all night long.
So lets keep that intention and clarity of vision that we all have to
make not only the New Year but every day a new, wonderful expression
of what Andrew has taught us as the Authentic self.
Love to everyone!,
Nancy