September, 2019        
 

In the early 1970s, a wave of Jewish immigrants came to Israel from the Soviet Union when they were finally allowed to leave. It was a time of families reuniting after decades and much excitement and transition, both for the tens of thousands of Jews who came to Israel, and for the country as a whole. I was in my teens at the time, and I remember something of the feeling of it. Most especially, I remember what Yulia, as single mother and a mathematician, said to us at the time: "The world is a madhouse. Every country is its own ward. And homeland is where your people are."

1972: A tearful reunion after 20 years between a brother and sister, who just arrived from Russia, at Lod Airport.

Vision of Community vision
Relationships. Family. Community. The foundations of being human as I understand it. When I moved out of my home at the end of March and left for ten weeks on the road, I knew I needed a place to land when I returned, and that the next step would be "who" more than "where." On the quest for community, I collaborated with a bunch of others to create a document that describes what I am longing for in a community: deep nonviolence, full gift economy and no private property within the community, dialogic processes, and visionary feminism. I mentioned in the last newsletter that I formed a shared-risk group with three women in Europe who said a wholehearted "yes" to an audacious, detailed blueprint of a physical community aligned with the purpose and values of Nonviolent Global Liberation (NGL). I subsequently came to imagine being part of four such communities in Europe, California, Israel, and Mexico. How it could happen in a crumbling world and without access to resources is not something I can foresee. Still, the vision is there.

A Wave of Transitions wave
I am grateful beyond words to Canticle Farm for hosting me for four months, creating an island of stability for me as many transitions piled on top of each other. I knew I would have no home, no permanent address, and no clear plan except to land and think. Little did I know that these months would see me preparing to leave for an extended period of time to be in Europe, to experiment with the four of us living together and living into our exploration. I didn't know that I would take steps that would result in another wave of transitions within BayNVC and, over time, with a more precarious relationship with resources as I begin to move towards having more and more of my resources flow within communities that subscribe to gift instead of exchange principles. I didn't know that I - a 63 year old woman with a highly sensitive body and heart who'd previously been seeking less and less movement - would walk towards untethering myself from stability, and that it would make sense to me; that I would come to see it as necessary preparation for the times of uncertainty and calamity that I see coming, where millions and millions are already torn from stability all at once, without any preparation like I am undergoing, and many more millions will follow. I am grateful for all the clarity that has emerged as a result. I am grateful for enough solidity to be able to write a blog post about the radical roots and implications of Nonviolent Communication (NVC) and the danger of NVC becoming commercialized and focused on personal growth. Enough stability to complete a proposal for supporting Extinction Rebellion (XR) in aligning its systems and practices with its purpose and values so it can model the world it strives for. (Specifically: After months of engaging with XR in multiple ways, we are now engaging with them in a process of discernment to see how far we can go together in the direction the proposal signals.) Enough spaciousness to write an article for Tikkun about how taking the principle of willingness seriously changes the relationship between resources and needs (it will be months before it's published).

As my stability declines, my commitment to serving life continues to grow. With the challenges I willingly am taking on, I become stronger, more aligned, more vital. I am ready.

in peace and hope,
 
Miki
 
P.S. If you want to hear more of what's been happening in the last couple of months, click here for both work and personal celebrations and mournings, including an invitation to join NGL, the next chapter in my vagabonding life, and more.
   
 Update on the Circle of Support updatecos
( more info on COS here )
 
Life is still cycling! In the last month, 116 people have participated in the Circle of Support, contributing a total of $4,070, which is an increase of $371 per month from our last newsletter. We celebrate every choice to join or leave the circle, as we aspire to our sustainability goal of 200 donors and $6,000 per month. Regardless of the total amount, we seek a broad base of participation both for the stability of this work, which increases when the circle is held by many hands, and for the affirmation of significance that your participation provides.

Is it your turn to cycle in? If so, please take a moment to do so now. If this isn't your moment to make a financial contribution, please consider telling the people in your life about your experiences with The Fearless Heart by forwarding information about the conference calls, books, or other resources. If you would like to find out about other ways to support COS, please email me:  [email protected]
Upcoming Events events 
Free Teleseminars
The Fearless Heart Teleseminars
Final Call: Monday, October 7, 5:30 - 7:00pm PT
After 5 years, this upcoming Fearless Heart call is the last one Miki is planning to offer. You can read more about this decision within the "Free Calls" section of Celebrations and Mournings. During this last call, you can engage with Miki and others about her latest blog post, " Can The Social Order Be Transformed Through Personal Practice," earlier posts, or other topics of interest.  Info and register

Facing Privilege
Monday, October 14, 5:30 - 7:00pm PT
The Facing Privilege calls are an opportunity for people to engage on the deep questions that arise as we reflect on the topic of privilege.  Info and register

Principle-Based Teaching Coaching Calls
As of August 2019, Miki is no longer holding these calls, but a facilitated learning community is actively forming, to find out more email Lynn Thomas.

Saturday, September 7, 5:00 - 6:30pm PT
Sunday, October 13, 11:00am - 12:30pm PT
The Questioning Money calls are an opportunity to grapple together with all aspects, both internal and external, of global capitalism and to move toward transforming it inside and out.  Info and register

Overcoming Patriarchy
Saturday, October 12, 5:00 - 6:30pm PT
The Overcoming Patriarchy calls are for conversation, exploration, and active challenging of self and other based on the commitment to see and transcend all the ways in which we have internalized patriarchal thinking, to increase our collective ability to notice and act with choice.  Info and register

Reckoning with Collapsereckoning
Sunday, October 6, Noon - 1:30pm PT
New since July, Reckoning with Collapse calls are an opportunity for anyone to come engage with others who are, also, grappling with the overwhelming information and grim prospects that humanity is currently facing, most specifically with climate change, as well as a host of other severe crises. Info and register
Online at NVC Academy
Responding to the Call of Our Times
Fridays, February 1 - December 13, 2019 (46 sessions)
Noon - 2:00pm PT 
Registration remains open for the third year of this course. Whether you are an "official" leader or not, this ongoing program will support you in freeing yourself to fully step into leadership in all aspects of your life and work, and play your part in making life work for everyone. This course remains open throughout the year and is easy to enter at any time, as it's not based on a set curriculum. Info and register
Convergent Facilitation: A Path to Efficient, Collaborative Decision Making
with Lisa Rothman and Aya Caspi
Mondays, November 4 - December 2 (5 sessions; 1st one free)
4:00 - 6:00pm PT
Miki is very pleased that her friends and colleagues Lisa Rothman and Aya Caspi are teaching an online course on Convergent Facilitation now that she is no longer teaching it. If you are ever in a position to make decisions in a group, sign up for the first week, which is free. Convergent Facilitation, is a highly efficient decision-making process Miki developed from the principles of Nonviolent Communication and codified in close collaboration with Lisa. It enables you to quickly get to what's truly important for everyone and use that information to find solutions that can work for all. Info and register
The Parent Peer Leadership Program
with Ingrid Bauer and Stephanie Bachmann Mattei
October 2019 - June 2020 program
Founded by Miki's late sister and close collaborator, and now led by Inbal's former students Ingrid Bauer (CNVC certified trainer) and Stephanie Bachmann Mattei (CNVC certified trainer and assessor), the PPLP is structured as a long-distance program in order to support participation by lay leaders through the world. The components of the program include regularly scheduled video conferences, weekly study suggestions, buddy relationships, and individualized tele-support. Learn more

Free preview calls Sept 20th, and Oct 4th (11:30 Eastern Time - click here to convert to your time zone)

To register for one of the two video conferences:
For September 20
For October 4
NGL
These retreats are designed to create the conditions that would allow all of us who attend to take a next step in our understanding, capacity for interdependent living, practice, service, and contribution to support the possibility of nonviolent global liberation. You can watch the 2018 Poland retreat video here.

In Mexico, in Spanish only
Sept 15 - 21, 2019

In Stony Point, New York
Oct 30 - Nov 5, 2019

In Poland
save the date: May 20-26, 2020

In Ben Lomond, California
save the date: Aug 14 - 20, 2020


Special Event
 
Until Sept 5th!
From Fear to Freedom: The Compass Toward our Liberation 
with Arnina Kashtan (Miki's Sister)
In Ben Lomond, California 
Oct 5 - 10, 2019, with video conference meetings before and after the retreat
 
After years of testing and synthesizing practices from Nonviolent Commun ication, The Work of Byron Katie, and Inner Child work with her own discoveries and tools, Arnina is coming to Northern California with her integrative, life-changing method, The Compass. Arnina has assembled a toolbox of practices which helps you to understand and decode your hidden blocks, and fill your cells with an unprecedented sense of compassionate self-acceptance.
 
A note from Miki: "For the very first time ever, my sister Arnina is offering a retreat in the method she developed -- THE COMPASS. She puts together so much -- systemic perspective, compassion for trauma, deep understanding about how humans function, and more -- into a comprehensive, deep, and fully accessible framework that supports dramatic shifts in the experience of being alive. I highly recommend it to anyone who has a passion for freedom." 
Announcement
If you've been hearing about Nonviolent Global Liberation and wondering how you could get involved without having to go to a retreat, there is now a pathway. Read about NGL and see if being an NGL friend is for you here. 

Learning Packets
Miki worked for years with her sister Inbal Kashtan to develop learning materials about NVC, and has continued to develop new materials after Inbal's death. The first 6 packets of this material are now available here for download on a gift economy basis, with no paywall. The packets are in four categories: Learning about NVC; Overcoming Patriarchal Training; Applying NVC in the World; and Sharing NVC.
We acknowledge, and want to transcend, the pattern of linking the meeting of needs to money, both in the sense that people who have needs are often required to have money in order to meet them, and people who want to contribute to the meeting of needs are often required to have money to do so. The Circle of Support is an intervention in this habit. It is our baseline of steady support for Miki's role in boldly (and successfully) venturing into a gift economy, with our blessing. It is a joyful leap towards offering this work as a gift to anyone who seeks it, with no "strings attached."

We seek to reach our goal of 200 monthly donors, and to have a collective commitment of $6,000 per month, which will cover the financial expense of The Fearless Heart. We are grateful to be able to say that we now have 116 participants contributing $4,070 each month. Our largest monthly financial gift is currently $500, and our smallest is $8.25. We can't know which is the greater gift. Both are cherished.

Your participation, of any degree, contributes to this vision of shared responsibility and shared meaning. We invite you to listen into your role: If you are inspired to join the Circle, we thank you. If you are you inspired to make a one-time donation, we thank you. If you are inspired to spread the news about this work and why you value it (e.g. forward this email), we thank you. This is our collective work. We are grateful for your part in it.

Join the Circle of Support now.

Note: If you would like to make a donation smaller than $10, please send a check written out to TFH/BayNVC, and sent to BayNVC, PO Box 22872, Oakland, CA 94609.