Consciousness In Action | Ocean Song | Projects in Planning Stages

Consciousness In Action

The principles of conscious activism are described in Andrew Beath’s book, Consciousness In Action and summarized here:

First – Nonviolence 
Becoming non-violent is a lifelong process that involves refining the arts of kindness, concern and tolerance even in the midst of passionate disagreements. It need not be the absence or suppression of anger or other emotions. It is a behavioral choice we make again and again.

Second – Not Knowing
 Not knowing enables us to put aside our entrenched ideas and reactive behaviors. Intellect and intuition become more balanced. It is a place of open mind and heart accompanied by spontaneity and presence.

Third – Introspection 
Through self-inquiry we expand our personal imagination, experience the numinous transpersonal realm and develop inner wisdom and resolve – the wellspring of a healthier society.

Fourth – Eros 
Love and beauty are more than ethereal qualities. They are essential essences that can help us resolve the problems we have created. When we love something we want to help it thrive.

Fifth – No Enemy
 Putting aside fear and hatred is revolutionary behavior that can change society. By co-creating a healthier world can we hope to ensure a viable future. It is not helpful to detest a person or make an enemy out of someone who we disagree with, or are disgusted by their actions.

Sixth – Vision Free of Reaction, active opposition often adds more energy to the very things we oppose. Providing new alternatives can attract others away from the old system. Vision in the present is essential for creating a healthier future.

Seventh – Joy
 The other side of grief is joy and both are part of a heightened sensibility and concern for others. When our work is grounded in the beauty and gratitude, we are more joyful and more effective in efforts to create social change.

Ocean Song

Ocean Song is an environmental retreat center in Sonoma County nestled in the golden, rolling hills of California, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Ocean Song has two meeting spaces, the Green Barn that can accommodate up to 40 participants and the Big Barn that can accommodate up to 200 people for a large event. There are kitchen, bathrooms and showers available. Participants can camp on the land or use the green barn for “indoor camping.” There are hotels and accommodations available in the nearby town of Occidental and at the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center.

The workshops and events which are offered at Ocean Song are informed by the intention that we take care of what we love, and work from a place of gratitude and compassion. The land at Ocean Song invites a playful, joyful interaction with the deep qualities of nature and the comfort of familiar community. Folded into the hills above the Pacific Ocean, the oak woodlands, redwood groves, open fields, flowing gardens and sacred meeting places invite the participants to rest in and open to the resonance of a well-tended place. Ocean Song, offers an opportunity to open to the call to the work of conscious activism.

Programs are continually being developed around the following themes:

• Ecopsychology
• 
Deep Ecology
• Social and Environmental Justice
• Eco-Activism
• Indigenous Wisdom
• Visual Arts
• Self-Awareness Intensives
• 
Vision Quest

Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are a hundred ways to kneel and kiss the Earth.

-Rumi

To be a conscious activist is to live life as a prayer.
The Conscious Activism Programs at Ocean Song are based on the seven principles of conscious activism (please see the book description for Consciousness In Action).

If you are interested in presenting your work at Ocean Song, please contact Lisa Baiter, Program Director, lbaiter@yahoo.com

Projects in Planning Stages

First, McDonogh School eco-ed speaker’s program;
Second, Taft Temple Gardens eco-ed program