“This is the song of the circle. Remember it and take it to the people, so that they may learn it and find their place in it, which has been there since the beginning of time, …” — Radek Štěpánek The epic composition by poet and environmentalist Radek Štěpánek, Pamatuj na wřezlíka, in a sense, completes his previous efforts in the field of environmental poetry, the establishment of which…
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Martin Nawrath: A bottomless dose of grief… and hope
“The most radical thing any of us can do at this time is to be fully present to what is happening in the world.” Joanna Macy With climate disruption ticking away in the background, we are slowly taking off our masks and quickly trying to respond to the realities of war. Our emotions are being tested, as are our physical strength, patience, relationships, as well as our wallets and our comfort. Where…
Chief Oren Lyons: Listening to Nature's Law
Oren R. Lyons, a member of the Seneca Indian Tribe, is the Faith Keeper of the Turtle Clan, Council of Chiefs of the Onondaga Haudenosaunee Nation (Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy). As Faith Keeper, he is charged with preserving the customs, traditions, values, and history of the Turtle Clan and upholding the Great Law of Peace of the Haudenosaunee; while representing the message of this people to the World Community in all aspects that the Onondaga Nation considers to be…
Cynthia Jurs: global project Vases of Earth's Treasure and the Alliance for the Earth
“It’s not that we have to act. If we are awakened, action will naturally take hold of us.” Thich Nhat Hanh CYNTHIA JURS is a Buddhist teacher of the Order of Coexistence who received the Dharmacharya transmission to teach from Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh in 1994. She also practices Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism – she has studied and practiced with many great masters for thirty years and many…
Miloslav Nevrlý: Praises of the Back Country
About the Rose Garden at Saint Eustace or How I Came to the Back Country "The praises of the Back Country, its creatures and colors, made by the blessed pilgrim, begin as he lay enchanted at Saint Eustace in the Rose Garden, alone under the blue sky on a white rock." Miloslav Nevrlý When I first entered the immense maze of ravines around the Křinice River...
Interview with David Nicole – author of the book Gentle Activism
Jurriaan KAMP / Optimist Daily, May 9, 2017 / translation: Jiří Zemánek Meditation and prayer clearly contribute to social change. That is the inspiring message of David Nicol’s new book, Subtle Activism: The Inner Dimension of Social and Planetary Transformation. Nicol teaches at the California Institute of Integral Studies and is…
Eva Bakkeslett: How to become a cultural activist – a manual for social fermentation
“Microbes have a lot to teach us if we are ready to listen to them and experience their world!” Eva Bakkeslett Eva Bakkeslett is a Norwegian action artist, filmmaker, curator and cultural activist; she graduated from Dartington College of Art in England (majoring in Art and Ecology) and now lives on the island of Engeløya in northern Norway, where she has created an Artist Residency program and a studio for…
David Nicol: Gentle Activism – A Journey Through Chaotic Times
“Gentle activism can be understood as a set of practices that allow us to connect at the depths of our being with a love for the world and a desire to reflect the highest potential of human nature. While contact with the hope of a more loving or peaceful world can make us vulnerable, it is also the most powerful force for change we know.” David Nicol Australian David T. Nicol describes himself as…
Ten poems by Radek Štěpánek
Radek Štěpánek (*1986), poet, editor, fisherman. He was born in Prachatice, and today lives with his wife, poet Tereza Bínová, and their daughter in Brno – Bystrice. He studied media studies and journalism at Masaryk University in Brno and later received a master's degree in Environmental Humanities there. He is considered a central figure in Czech environmental poetry; he has published a total of nine poetry collections. He works as an editor at the Brno-based Host publishing house. His…
Wendell Berry
Wendell Erdman Berry (born 1934) is a prominent American writer, poet, essayist, environmental activist, cultural and social critic, and farmer. He lives in Kentucky near his birthplace, where he has run a farm for more than 40 years. As a young man, he lived for a time in California, Europe, and New York, and taught at the University of Kentucky for many years, but eventually decided…