Bradley Grove Hyson

Please take a few minutes this weekend to show support & solidarity with our Ukrainian brothers & sisters.  Little things can have big impacts & it’s important we ALL help our family & friends see with clarity & counter disinformation.  UKRAINE IS THE VICTIM PERIOD & FULL STOP!!!!  May we at least be COMPASSIONATE & SUPPORTIVE as we’d want reciprocated were OUR homes & communities destroyed, OUR children kidnapped & displaced, OUR elderly parents forced to live in war zones without utilities & unable to move, OUR wives & daughters sexually assaulted, OUR husbands & sons tortured, murdered, or OUR soldiers executed.

We speak up not only for the Ukrainians, but for RUSSIANS who are ALSO victims of the same cruel dictator.  BBC estimates 167,000 – 234,000 Russians killed – most from poor, rural areas, exponentially more injured & disabled, thousands imprisoned and millions fleeing persecution.  Displaying a Peace sign in Russia gets you jailed.  US/Russian dual citizen Ksenia Karelina, a former ballerina, was sentenced to 12 years for donating $50.00 to Ukrainian relief efforts.  Ask US basketball player Brittney Griner about Russian prisons.  Alexei Navalny sacrificed his life, his beautiful wife & 2 children losing their husband & father, to speak out against such injustice.  Let’s support a JUST & LASTING Peace that honors Ukrainians and assures their safety.  A few simple suggestions include:

• Changing our Facebook homepage image
• Displaying lawn or window signs or flags
• Purchasing bumper stickers
• Calling our congresspeople & letting them know WE SUPPORT UKRAINE https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member
• Donating to a relief charities – especially vital now that we’ve frozen all US aid, here’s an NPR list I found https://www.npr.org/2022/02/25/1082992947/ukraine-support-help

As with any crime, the MOST IMPORTANT people informing our views should be the VICTIMS.  The Kyiv Post, The Kyiv Independent, Meduzza Russia, Novaya Gazeta Europe, and the Institute For the Study of War are just a few resources I’ve learned from.

Let me hold the door for you.  I may have never walked a mile in your Shoes,

but I can see that your soles are worn and your strength is torn

under the weight of a story I have never lived before.

So let me hold the door for you. After all you’ve walked through, it’s the least I can do.

 

                                                                             Morgan Harper Nichols

I stand PROUDLY with Ukraine, HUMBLED by the COURAGE of its’ citizens and EXTRAORDINARY leadership of President Zelensky.  My parents raised me not to scold, demean or insult victims of abuse, assault, rape or murder.  Let us not miss the forest for the trees in recognizing Ukraine is the VICTIM of these and too many other gut wrenching, unbearable crimes against humanity. Read more

Join WORLD MEDITATION DAY as proclaimed by the the U.N. General Assembly – Saturday, December 21, 2024 at 8:00 AM & 5:00 PM in your time zone. Join meditators in all parts of the world to meditate together for Inner, Outer & World Peace. Governments, Spiritual leaders, and practitioners of ANY MEDITATION PRACTICE are invited to participate. In this simple way, a wave of harmony and positivity will circle our planet as together we all celebrate World Meditation Day.

The 1^st meditation will begin in New Zealand at 8:00 AM, an hour later – in the next time zone to the west, and so on around the entire world.  At 5:00 PM, meditators will follow the same procedure beginning their afternoon meditations. By including morning & afternoon meditations and moving westwards hour by hour with the sun, World Meditation Day will actually last for 32 1/2 hours, concluding after 5:00 PM in Hawaii.

I invite us all to support this BEAUTIFUL endeavor amidst these complex times we’re living in.  All details can be found at https://worldmeditationday.world/

Love & Blessings

Brad

I can feel everything and survive. What I thought would kill me, didn’t. Every time I said to myself: I can’t take this anymore — I was wrong. The truth was that I could and did take it all — and I kept surviving. Surviving again and again made me less afraid of myself, of other people, of life. I learned that I’d never be free from pain but I could be free from the fear of pain, and that was enough.

Glennon Doyle, Untamed

My BeLoveds,

I would like to offer a GREAT BIG VIRTUAL HUG & tell you that I LOVE YOU, not because of anything you’ve done or not done, but to honor the inherent worth, dignity & respect I believe should be afforded us ALL as human beings.  I know for many this is a HARD TIME!  I offer these thoughts with Love – may they help.

First, remember to regularly practice BREATHING DEEPLY.  This can have a calming impact on our system and is ALWAYS a good practice to cultivate deeper patterns/habits so we’re more likely to do so naturally & automatically – even when we’re not thinking about it.

It is important & absolutely OK to feel our feelings – ALL OF THEM – sadness, grief, anger, etc.  It’s also important to ensure our safety while doing so and not cause harm to ourselves or other others.  Conversations, journaling, nature time, exercise, art, dancing, making music, crying, laughing, crumbling paper or leaves, breaking twigs, pounding pillows, are but a few of the safe outlets for expression.  The grieving process is not necessarily linear, and we may move back & forth through waves of emotions, but I assure you as we stay with it, our emotions will change, evolve and eventually pass.  REACH OUT to those you Love & let them know it and ask for support – family/friends/spiritual communities, or even professional assistance if needed, etc.

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Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

Rabindranath Tagore

Special Thanks to Bob Roth, Director of the David Lynch Foundation, for sharing.

I am VERY PROUD to share my friend Jim Merkel’s award winning documentary SAVING WALDEN’S WORLD. It features societies that accomplished many of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals decades ahead of 2030 targets, including greatly reducing poverty & enhancing gender equality by, among other things – UPLIFTING & EMPOWERING WOMEN!!!  I’m honored that 2 of my original songs are included in the film’s soundtrack. You can find more, including where it’s showing at http://savingwaldensworld.org/.

For those nearby a special screening with several of the filmmakers on hand, will be held in New York City Monday, September 23 @ 7:00 pm at DCTV’s Firehouse Cinema at 87 Lafayette Street, NYC with a post screening party till 10 PM. Tickets are limited so secure your tickets here.

“Nobody sees a flower – really – it is so small – we haven’t time – and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.”

Georgia O’Keefe

There’s a field of being, a larger truth that’s simply beyond words and ultimately unknowable in its’ entirety.  Life is profound, mysterious and precious.  In our most challenging times, it can be helpful to remember that which is timeless, eternal, Sacred – like the vastness of the cosmos, the Magic of stars, and this Miraculous Living Earth.

On the Spiritual path, we must work to nurture the essence of our true nature – our own inner children, through practices like play, laughter and a healthy sense of humor – especially in difficult times.  Russian activist Alexei Navalny was a true master at this, heroically maintaining his sense of humor despite the unimaginable conditions of his imprisonment.  While we know it’s healthy to acknowledge our pain, allow space to grieve & process, and seek support, it is also important to maintain perspective.  This, in and of itself, can be healing & transformative.  As difficult as some of our challenges are, we’re certainly not the 1^st generation to go through things.  Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl suggests:

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

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Dearest Ones,

These are EXTRAORDINARY TIMES to be sure! Something I’ve been working on these past years is learning how to discover GRACE in the face of challenges, and I know many of us are challenged, especially as we grow older.  We’ve been through a pandemic, are exhausted by Ukraine & Gaza, and are preparing for another huge election in these strange years of unimaginable political division.  We’re adjusting to technologies impacts & intrusions and witnessing climate change manifest right before our eyes.  It’s a lot for ANYONE to take in.

Augst 23-25, 2024 we’ll gather on Sacred Land to create a truly special & magical space to BE with one another. Drawing upon Earth for support, inspiration and guidance, we’ll create a safe and nurturing environment to help us connect with deeper aspects of our Beingness.  We’ll build a unique container that empowers us in slowing down, savoring the richness of Life’s precious moments, and supports us in sharing more authentic, vulnerable and open-hearted connections with others.  Together we’ll work to transform, heal, grow and create a Beloved community for all who are united by an unrelenting stand for the kind of healthier, more Peaceful & Loving world we all know is possible.  I hope you’ll join us in this Blessed endeavor.  We need each other now more than ever, and this is truly an important year to be grounded and in a good and in a healthy and strong place.

If you know someone who could benefit from this kind of loving community & the healing & transformational work we do, we encourage you to invite THEM.  We’re committed to making this work available to all who wish to participate.

The Earth Alive Team

Dearest Ones,

I LOVE YOU!  What I mean is that as a human being, I honor the inherent worth & dignity I feel should be afforded EVERYONE!  I hope that you are well and finding your way in these extraordinary times.  If you are challenged or concerned about our world, please know that you are not alone.  I wish for you compassion, grace and the support you need to navigate your unique life circumstances.

To that end, I want to offer you an opportunity to connect with a Loving community of people in a truly special and Sacred way.  People who are also concerned about our rapidly changing world, striving to be kind, conscious, and live lives of integrity that also honor our precious Earth.  Together we work to utilize the power of Earth and each other to create a safe, supportive and nurturing environment to support us in touching deeper aspects of our Being.  The power of Earth to nurture & heal are profound & powerful and have long been recognized by indigenous cultures and our ancestors for thousands of years.  We offer this retreat as a refuge, a place of healing, and an opportunity to ground and re-center.

Great saints & sages say that the whole world is connected and we are all ultimately one, so when we heal & transform, the world heals & transforms, ourselves & all whose lives we touch.  From participating in this work for decades, I have found that when we come together in a sincere & Sacred fashion, we access something truly special that is distinct from when we are alone.  The healing & transformation is nothing less than magical.  People leave feeling better, more calm, open-hearted and often having learned something new about themselves or the world.

When those around us are challenged, it’s even more important that WE remain balanced & rooted so as not to be blown off our paths and be better equipped to help others.  In this time of screens, technology & A.I., I believe it is essential for us to ground & reconnect as often as we can.   Unlike industrial medicine, Earth time & connecting with others offers a powerful healing alternative without side effects.  We ESPECIALLY hear about these impacts on young people, with increases in stress, anxiety and depression. If you know someone who could benefit from this kind of community and work, we encourage you to invite THEM or share this information. We are committed to making this work available to all who wish to participate.

All information on the gathering including registration can be found RIGHT HERE.

In the meantime, we send you our deepest Love & Blessings

Brad & The Earth Alive 2023 Team

Dearest Ones,

To be sure, these are EXTRAORDINARY times we are now living in – politically, socially, economically, environmentally and we’re still working our way through a pandemic and it’s many impacts.  I have encouraged my coaching clients to exercise extra compassion in recognizing that we are all being stretched more than usual.  We hear about these impacts on so many, particularly young people, with increases in stress, anxiety and depression.  I’ve said that when those around us are challenged, it’s even more important that WE remain balanced & rooted so as not to be blown off our paths and be better equipped to help others.

To that end, I want to invite you to join a special community of people who are working to use the power of Earth and each other create a safe, supportive and nurturing environment to help us touch the deepest aspects of our Being.  The power of Earth to nurture & heal are profound & powerful and have long been recognized by indigenous cultures and our ancestors for thousands of years.  In these difficult times, I believe it is essential for us to return & reconnect as often as we can.  When done in sincere & Sacred fashion, the healing & transformation is nothing less than magical.  In this age of technology & industrial medicine, I believe Earth & time with others offers powerful healing alternatives (without side effects).  Participating in this work for years, I have seen people leave feeling better, more calm, open-hearted and often having learned something new about themselves or our world.

All information on the gathering including registration can be found RIGHT HERE.  If you know someone who could benefit from this kind of community and work we encourage you to invite THEM. We are committed to making this work available to all who wish to participate.

We send our Love & Blessings in the Meantime.

Brad & the Earth Alive Team