Whether it’s Covid, forest fires, extreme heat waves, hurricanes, flooding, pandemic unemployment, or increased polarization in our communities, the last few years have been difficult for us all. Most people have experienced some sort of loss, hopelessness, or grief during this time. Despite any other ideological differences we may have others, these are feelings that almost everyone around us has been experiencing to some degree. The antidote is simple but it is easy to forget when the world feels like it is falling apart around us.

Connection is the Antidote. There are many forms of connection. It can be a…

If you are wildly in love with our planet like myself then you know how inspiring it is to learn about solutions to our ecological challenges. That is why so many people are talking about the endless applications of mushrooms to heal a wide range of personal, societal, and ecological ailments. Nature is infinitely intelligent. Fungi can remediate toxic waste, cleanup oil spills, capture carbon to assist in balancing our climate, turn radiation into fuel, rebuild depleted soil, decompose plastics, save the bees, and be used as medicine for the human body. …

If you enjoy jazz, blues, funk, or rock and roll then you owe a big thank you to New Orleans. Not to the city government but to the people of New Orleans, primarily of indigenous and afro-caribbean descent, who create and maintain the culture. Sadly these cultural innovators have spent generations being neglected, exploited, and marginalized while the city government benefits from the tax-revenue of tourists who come to enjoy the beauty of this unique culture. The soul and resilience of this community go as deep as the Mississippi River but so do the wounds from slavery, colonialism, and oppression…

First celebrated in 1993 with the goal of raising awareness about the importance of water, World Water Day has now become a multi-faceted year-round movement. Though it has been adopted by the United Nations as Sustainable Development Goal #6, the importance of water goes well beyond any organizations, government agencies, or day on the calendar. World Water Day has become a time to bring together the many individuals and groups working to protect, restore, and celebrate this precious resource. Since 2013 Unify.org has leveraged the power of social media to accelerate the global movement to heal our planet and her…

The great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn on December 21 will be the closest observable since 1226. This conjunction, also called the Christmas Star because the two planets appear as one, happens every 20 years but is not always visible in the sky for various reasons. Since the beginning of recorded history as told through temples like Stonehenge or the pyramids, humans have gathered in ceremony and celebration to mark the movement of celestial bodies. …

Anyone who has ever seen a solar eclipse understands just why people will travel hundreds or thousands of miles to experience one. The stars and planets continue to circle like clockwork as the universe speaks in infinite symmetry marking the cycles of life, death, and rebirth. In 2017 the Oregon Eclipse Festival drew over 30,000 people while the state prepared for a million visitors coming to observe the dance of these celestial bodies. On December 14th, 2020 we will witness another eclipse in the midst of travel restrictions and a global pandemic. Many of us are feeling the intensity of…

A new film called The Social Dilemma has everyone discussing the impact of social media during these times of COVID when so many of us are spending an exorbitant amount of time online. The film raises many important revelations about the dangers of growing online polarization, personal data-exploitation, fake news, and other dark consequences of social media on society and the world at large. Simultaneously there is a global movement that has found a very positive way to use platforms like Facebook to bring people together for the sake of presenting solutions, inspiration, and a healthy collective paradigm shift. …

Take a deep breath. Allow it to fill your chest all the way down to your belly and then let your whole body relax as you exhale. This is a widely known practice for calming the nervous system, coming into center, and clearing the mind. Since the world is filled with so much uncertainty, political divisiveness, fear, and justified anger, practicing inner resilience is very empowering. Art and music have always been influential in shaping the cultural trends during times of social upheaval while conveying important messages. …