A small group …

… began their climb/got on the bus, with me as guide at our Sohbet #3.

We traveled together for a bit.

We want to travel
with you.

Trip Destination: Peak of the Mountain of Awe

• ·         Who will stay for the duration?
• ·         Who will jump off the bus?
• ·         Or, quietly disappear?

Margaret Mead suggested –

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

But this is not so easily done, especially in this day and age of quick fix, solutions by Google.

It’s about the skill, the commitment and the endurance; the willingness to pause, to take time to talk to one another and “lean in” where snags appear. These, translated into actions, are rare treasures to come by these days.

I feel particularly grateful, today, for the wise and wonderful mentors I’ve been blessed to find; Marty Groder and Murat Yagan, who taught me how. To them I owe a debt of gratitude that I can report that a touch of "transforming lead into gold" spontaneously materialized this morning, for me. Building upon last night’s Sohbet conversation, based on one of the New Horizons’ main teaching principles –

“lean in” in every way possible, in every situation where the opportunity presents itself.

You will  be surprised how far small steps in this direction can take you.

Find out how you can aim for the same by joining us for our new Sohbet/study group!

If you are a qualified participant of the Possible Human, Possible Society Study, the door is open to you!

If you are not yet a qualified participant, find out how you can become one!

There’s magic, even in these early stages. You will begin to discover it through our new Sohbet/study group, discussion forum.

See if you can find the ingredients, within yourself and us, to transform “lead into gold.”

Are your up for the transformation?

Up for the climb?

Magic in me, magic in you

A shamanic revelation from Anastasia

This morning I could see and understand “It” clearly.

The process, the adventure, the rocky spots and how we made it over/through them, the climb, the results, the exhilaration!

Lead into gold?

One example: Jack Slattery, my Possible Society In Motion Radio Show co-host, and I found ourselves transforming ourselves along with elements/aspects of our communities. Just by “doing” what it has taken us to bring our show to the point it is now.

Now how about that?

Example #2: Sue and I do “IT” routinely. Results are, oftentimes, subtle and slow in coming, but no less significant.

The formula is still rather elementary, yet, no less, profound. If you look behind the scenes, weave back and forth, from the behind to the front and all the places and spaces between, you might see what we see. (Not so easy to say.)

I don’t know how, yet, to articulate the results we’ve realized and/or how to, succinctly, describe how we attain them; changing the lead in ourselves into the gold we are producing. (It is only small karat gold at that, right now, but GOLD nonetheless.)

But I can tell you this much; there is a formula!  And, we’ve got it!

It’s still a bit craggy to apply (the “doing”), even rougher to explain. But “we” (New Horizons and I and some of our friends) have got it! Deriving from my/our inheritance from Murat to be passed on to whomever is open to receiving it.

Find out how you can aim for the same by joining us for our new Sohbet/study group!

If you are a qualified participant of the Possible Human, Possible Society Study, the door is open to you!

If you are not yet a qualified participant, find out how you can become one!

There’s magic, even in these early stages. You will begin to discover it through our new Sohbet/study group, discussion forum.

See if you can find the ingredients, within yourself and us, to transform “lead into gold.”

Are your up for the transformation?

Up for the climb?

The White Unicorn …

…sits on my desk, held fast within the snow globe.

Encapsulated, the shake-up of snow swirling around, her beautiful head is barely above the water line. She is concealed, but  just for a moment.

Then see the snow settle and clear.

Metaphorically, I am my white unicorn, held fast in place by too many snow days, ice and freezing cold. My car, half buried in snow, as the sun makes its valiant attempt to shine, is still as disabled in its ability to move, as I in my snow globe.

Yet somehow the closing in is okay; an almost welcome time-out. Then the sun begins, once more to shine. And, I find myself not quite ready to come out from the whirl, at least not quickly.

Cocooned, I did some growing, as a butterfly does, similarly, though I would be hard put to tell you how. Still, when the swirl began to clear outdoors, I found myself reluctant to take flight, nor quite steady on my sea legs.

Ah, but cabin fever got the best of me. So once I had dug myself out, I made my get-away out of the mountains into the town. Back to civilization, finding myself relieved and expanded by the effort, I discovered I liked that too.

The mythological Amaterasu, Japanese goddess of the sun, one of the goddess guides I devotedly follow, shines brightly, today, again, as she did yesterday, reminding me that both coming out and going back in have their time and place.

And, too, it might, also, be time for some fun.

Point of clarification

Could the fact that I have a personal life that might differ, albeit slightly, from my professional world cause a stir or controversy, for anyone, anywhere?

Being blind made a shaman
of me.

Such as the next, very important revelation that some celeb or other is announcing, today, that she/he is gay or black or bi-racial might?

I would hope not. At least not in any negative way! 

Sometimes, my “other (personal) life” does, however, seem to matter to some who do wonder whether or not New Horizons is a spiritual program.

Especially, given the recent passing of New Horizons’ community development mentor, Murat Yagan. Murat was, also, my personal spiritual mentor. From either angle, interest in New Horizons or a reader/supporter of mine, a significant increase in references to Murat would be natural at this time.

Whatever your interest, please note the following clarification.

New Horizons publicly speaks of Murat as our "community development mentor" and his, also, being my personal "spiritual mentor." If you have an interest as to how these two roles Murat provided entwine, the recent contribution Sue and I made to Murat’s last published book, AhmstaKebzeh: The Science of Universal Awe,Volume II, offers as complete an explanation as would be needed, I believe.

(The recent publication of this long-awaited book, which includes this article by Sue and I, would have naturally resulted in our expansion of comments and connections to Murat and his influence and impact on New Horizons had his unexpected death not occurred as it did in December.)

To further explain, however, allow me to state  –

The objectives of New Horizons are to offer consulting, training and conversation forums as a mainstream community development model and program, not a spiritual training or development program.

We do our best, at New Horizons, to be very cautious as to how we present ourselves, in terms of offering guidance or education to our participants and supporters, respecting religions, personal philosophies and so forth, be they drawn from cultures, religion, philosophy or any other source. In fact, at New Horizons, we actively seek to assist, particularly through our community conversations, to build bridges across the separations of diversity wherever they exist.

Additionally, the ethical principles of our organization do draw upon, what we consider to be, the accrued wisdom of the world, including, of course, the teachings and traditions of Ahmsta Kebzeh.

We do not, in any way, shape or form, wish to impose on the willingness of supporters or participants, who accept our leadership and guidance, as permission to intrude or trespass on the personal values and needs others hold.

With Kebzeh community principles and traditions interwoven into what was originally a long-established therapeutic community model, we have every evidence that we have developed a superb mainstream community development template. To continue our carefully earned, fine reputation as professionals in the area of mainstream community development, we pay heed to maintaining this.

Sometimes, for me, there is a fine line between my professional persona and personal values. Because, occasionally, this juxtaposition can be tricky, I proceed always with caution.

Of one thing you can be assured, no matter how far my visioning may take me or my spiritual perspectives guide me, my feet are always on the ground!

Turning lead into gold to be theme of new study group

New Program Announcement!

A new, ongoing study group, facilitated by me, Anastasia, exclusively for Possible Human, Possible Society Study participants, commenced last Thursday evening.

Program Title: Alchemy and the Alchemist: An informal discussion with a purpose

Murat Yagan (1915 -- 2013)
with Anastasia

Program description:

•  The curriculum is derived from the teachings of ancient Abkhazia as offered by Murat;
• Discussions will begin with Murat’s teachings, as offered in his numerous books, and expand into discussion wherever meeting group decides to go;
• Study groups to be recorded and available to participants for review.
• 
  

  Day and Time: 6:30 p.m., Thursday evenings, alternating with the New Horizons’ Possible Society In Motion Radio Show.
  
  Current Discussion Topic: Alchemy and Consciousness, based on Murat’s last book, Ahmsta Kebzeh: The Universal Science of Awe, Volume II

    Location: New Horizons conference call-in forum

Details and Information

Anastasia at:

zonesofpeacenh@aol.com or cell: 240.409.5347

Study participants, please contact Anastasia for next study group date and call-in number and access code.

Presented as a Tribute to Murat Yagan (1915 – 2013)

In celebration of a well-lived life

Balancing extremes

OMG! Harsh weather conditions; nights and days of single digit temperatures, heavy snowfalls, icy roadways, power outages for tens of thousands everywhere. Out here in the mountains, dwindling wood supplies. A winter so bitter cold we would hope to forget it.  I know I would. What a month January, 2014 has been!

Certainly puts things in perspective, when you think about it. Where is the room for arrogance when students are stuck in schools, cars stranded this way and that for hours as Georgia and Alabama endured this past week?

Out here we’ve gone through so much wood already, we’ve taken to cutting and hauling in logs that are only half dry.  As you can imagine they do not burn well at all.

On the surface, there may not seem to be an easy correlation between these harsh winter days and the profound quote of Helen Keller that Jack, my radio show co-host, brought onto last week’s program. At least, as far as you might be thinking.

Nonetheless, as I braved the single digit temperature outside my door a few days ago, determined to not let my main heat source burn down to its final embers, I was reminded of our last show’s discussion.  I have reflected numerous times since on Helen Keller’s words --

“I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but my chief duty is to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble.”  

…noticing, intermittently, the frequency, in day-to-day life, of the seemingly ordinary efforts within which, with a studied eye, one can see merit.

Jack told a wonderfully, heart-warming tale of a personal occurrence of this nature from his own life on our last show, “Honoring the Great and the Small.” I look forward to revisiting it on our next program. His story truly had merit; a small action that was both great and noble within its context.

While not exactly great and noble on any scale, I certainly did feel brave when I set out, no matter how far I needed to go into the woods, to find some kindling the other day. Especially since most everything around here was buried under significant snow and ice. 

Then, today, I pledged to be kind and gentle to me and all others to balance the extreme harshness of the days past. And I did it although I was frequently tempted into overdrive; phone calls and internet distractions and what not, that might have been BIG great and noble.

By day’s end, I felt as if I had balanced off the harshness of this week’s earlier days. That meant something, don’t cha think? Just goes to show you.

Anyway, I sure am glad January ends tonight!

Honoring the great and the small

Long time coming!

Tonight on the Possible Society In Motion Radio Show that Jack Slattery, my co-host, and I do, approximately bi-weekly for the present, I am, at last, going to do something I have been longing – and needing -- to do for years.

I am going to, more publicly than ever, take off the mask I wear that conceals the place Murat Yagan and the ancient traditions, called Kebzeh, play in my life and that of New Horizons.  Tonight’s Possible Society In Motion Radio Show will begin introducing the “great and the small” of Murat Yagan as I/we have been unable to do until now.

Why this is so in his passing rather than his life, is a mystery to me.

Do you know why? I don’t yet.

I, also, don’t know how impactful this program will seem to others who may listen in. I don’t even know how satisfied I will be with the on-air outcome, even for myself. But I do know that no matter the effect, whatever is achieved by tonight’s show will be a rite of passage for me.

At this moment, more than ever before, except for New Horizons’ (Almost) Annual Abkhazian Dinners, I will, tonight, be/feel on my way to presenting what this blog site was intended to be, in the first place;

A personal and professional blog exploring the vision behind the New Horizons ZOP and how it reflects my (Anastasia’s) journey from blindness to recovery.

Up until now, without bringing the “great and the small” of what Murat has brought into my life and guided New Horizons to be, as it istoday, you, our readers and listeners, were only getting part of the story.

I don’t know how that happened, or why. But it has been. Maybe it was simply “beshert” (Yiddish for destiny). However, I am about to change that.

Tonight is the beginning! I will, always, be able to track back to this beginning. But there will be no end.

Sooooo -- I hope you will listen in to Jack and I this evening, and our friend, Gloria Livingston, for this important show, “Honoring the great and the small.” And, then join us for our Possible Society In Motion Conversations Forum on the conference call portion following the show.

That’s where the real deal peace buddy conversation takes place!

Can’t fit our program time slot into your schedule tonight? Well, then listen to the podcast.

The Possible Society In Motion Radio Show is about to become a teaching series.  And, you won’t want to miss the opportunities it affords you; past, present and future!