OneLife Institute

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Notes from the Director

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

This quote from 13th century Sufi philosopher-poet, Jelaluddin Rumi, sits on my desk as a reminder that every activity consciously engaged can be a form of worship, a way of loving the Divine. This column, then, might be considered as a report of some of the ways OneLife Institute has kissed the ground over the past several months.

I began the year as a visiting professor teaching a January Term class on Howard Thurman at Memphis Theological Seminary. The two-week intensive was a rich immersion for both the students and instructor, pulling all of us beyond the borders of comfort and into the “growing edge” of our individual and collective journeys of the spirit, particularly as we engaged issues related to suffering and justice-making.

Later in January, back home in Oakland, we held our third “Spirit, Sound & Silence” retreat. It was our largest enrollment to date, with 40 people in attendance. The theme for our visioning and reflection was planting seeds of intention for the new year. Once again we were blessed by the musical ministry and “sound sculpting” of Sis. Destiny Muhammad (aka the Harpist from the Hood) and supported by an awesome staff of volunteers. Retreat participants enjoyed music, meditation, extended periods of silence, a labyrinth walk, an inspirational message, and the beautiful wooded surroundings. Such opportunities for renewal provide an essential time of respite and “breathing in” to balance the often hectic “breathing out” of our busy lives.

In response to your requests we have scheduled the next several retreat dates in advance, so you will be able to plan accordingly. Please mark your calendar for Saturdays, May 27th, Sept. 23rd 2006 and January 27, 2007. (Click HERE for more information.)

This newsletter introduces you to our OneLife Institute board of directors. I invite you to not only read their profiles, but use the web-links provided to learn more about the powerful work that each of them is engaged in.

Speaking of web-links, we continue to develop the OneLife web site. Recent additions include photos from the January retreat and the beginning of our Word & Music audio resources page with inspirational talks and music from members of the OneLife community. There is also a newsletter archive with both on-line and PDF versions of this and past newsletters.

LOS ANGELES CLASSES

For those of you in the Los Angeles area (or who have people there), I will be teaching two different Thurman classes, both open to the public. The first will be held June 2nd- 3rd and 16th-17th (7-10 PM Friday evenings & 9 AM- 5 PM on Saturdays) at Agape International Spiritual Center’s new University of Transformational Studies & Leadership (www.utsla.com or 310-348-1260, ex. 221). The second class, part of the summer extension program at Loyola Marymount University, uses Thurman’s work to address the subject of Mysticism & Social Change. It will meet Tuesday through Friday evenings, July 18-21, and continuing education credit is available (please call 310-338-2799 for information or visit the LMU website).

Finally, for folks in driving distance of Santa Cruz, I will be speaking at Inner Light Ministries service for worship on Sunday morning, March 19th. See www.innerlightministries.com or call 831-465-9090.

As always, we cherish your interest and participation in OneLife Institute and offer our humble and heartfelt thanks for ALL your support ~ time, talent, tithes, and prayers.

May the beauty you love be what you do.

In Peace,
Liza

Meet the OneLife Institute Board of Directors

OneLife Institute is blessed by the servant-leadership of some amazing individuals. In this edition of the newsletter we are pleased to introduce you to our board of directors. Pictured from left to right are: Valerie Brown, Terry Williams, Liza Rankow, and Shirley Strong. Their profiles offer only a hint of the gifts of heart and experience they bring to all that they do.

Please click HERE to read board profiles.

A Season for Nonviolence

March 19th marks the third anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. The date falls within the annual observance of a Season for Nonviolence – a 64-day grassroots campaign commemorating the memorial anniversaries of Mohandas Gandhi (January 30) and Martin Luther King, Jr. (April 4). Now in its 8th year and international in scope, Season creates an awareness of nonviolent principles and practice to build a global community that honors the dignity and worth of all beings.

Gandhi taught that we must cultivate nonviolence – ahimsa – as a spiritual discipline, transforming heart and mind in order to bring about a lasting transformation in the world condition. He wrote, “So long as there is no peace in the heart, there can be no peace outside. Only when peace issues from within the heart and is expressed through the eyes, words, and actions of people can we say that peace has been established.” (1) This recognition of the inseparability of personal and social transformation is echoed by Dr. King, who affirmed, “Only through an inner spiritual transformation do we gain the strength to fight vigorously the evils of the world in a humble and loving spirit.” (2)

True transformation is not just about shifting the details of an outworn paradigm of duality and domination, but expanding our vision to behold the world that God sees, and then working to bring it into manifestation.

In this ever-shrinking “global village” no one can be truly free in the context of oppression. No one truly healthy in a society that is sick. No one whole in a paradigm of fragmentation. As we regard the world… As we enter our inner sanctuary to pray, or take to the streets to march… As we hear the latest body count in Iraq or Dafur or New Orleans… As we listen to the fear mongering of mainstream media or to the moaning of the earth… Let us call on the power of ahimsa, the transforming love-force that demands justice and compassion for all life based on the awareness that all life is One. Let us cultivate the capacity to live in and from this place, so that our lives may become – in the words of Howard Thurman – “not only a benediction breathing peace but also a vital force of redemption to all that [we] touch.” (3)

© 2006 Rankow

1. J. Dear, ed. Mohandas Gandhi: Essential Writings (2002), p.189.
2. M.L. King, Strength to Love (1963/1981), p.27.
3. H. Thurman, Deep is the Hunger (1951), p.95.

Sharing Our Gifts

At OneLife Institute we are committed to sharing our blessings, not only through the services we provide, but through tithing a portion of our income to other nonprofit organizations whose work we believe in. Our recent donations have mostly gone to those doing grassroots relief work in the wake of devastating natural disasters: Sarvodaya (providing tsunami relief in Sri Lanka); the People's Hurricaine Relief Fund; and Mercy Corps. We have also been pleased to contribute to the Timbuktu Educational Foundation and to a documentary film on Howard Thurman being produced by InSpirit Communications.

OneLife Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and your contributions are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by law. Your generosity allows us to offer services of spiritual ministry and education to all seekers, regardless of their financial status.

All Newsletter articles (c) 2006 OneLife Institute unless otherwise noted.