Political chaos calls for creative problem solving. Omega Institute for Holistic Studies has offered an integrated approach to personal growth and social change for 40 years. They will live stream "Being Fearless: Action In a Time of Disruption" featuring Amy Goodman, Van Jones & more for just $5 on Oct 13-15 (available on demand for 60 days.)

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Political chaos calls for creative problem solving measures. Henry Ford is credited with observing, 'If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got.'

Corinne McLaughlin, co-author of Spiritual Politicssays, "People today are yearning for a political discourse that speaks to their deepest values as human beings, that provides a greater sense of community and a transcendent purpose as a nation, that offers us a higher vision of public life and service to the common good--rather than appealing only to greed and lust for power."

Omega Institute for Holistic Studies in Rhinebeck, NY, has been dedicated to offering an integrated approach to personal growth and social change for forty years. It serves as a hub for spiritual teachers, artists and social visionaries to map out their dreams for a better society. Omega's workshops are taught by world class experts in their fields, including Deepak Chopra, Marianne Williamson, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Pema Chodron, Bobby McFerrin, Alex and Allyson Grey, and many others who have been active in crafting new paths toward a more sustainable future.

I've enjoyed a number of outstanding workshops at Omega over the last few decades. In addition to the scheduled workshop events (or instead of them, if attending for personal R&R) many other stress-reducing activities are available, including: hiking, swimming and canoeing at the lake, tennis courts, basketball hoops, a sauna, a labyrinth, the Ram Dass library and optional classes in yoga, meditation, tai chi, and movement - one of my favorites was the laughter yoga class! The relaxed atmosphere at Omega inspired my connection to an on-campus tree spirit -- see the results in my drawing shown at the end of this article.

These are the kinds of activities which prepare one for out-of-the-box problem solving. An example of Omega's creative thinking is their Omega Center for Sustainable Living (OCSL) their cutting edge water reclamation facility which embodies their deep commitment to ethical sustainability.

Founded in 1977 by Eastern scholar Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan, holistic medical doctor Stephan Rechtschaffen, and educator Elizabeth Lesser, Omega was conceived as a "university for lifelong learning," and today over 23,000 people per year attend Omega's hundreds of programs. Onsite visitor accommodations are no-frills, summer camp-style, ranging from tent camping to rustic cabins. Rooms do not have phones or televisions, and WiFi can be spotty, but after a couple of days, those things are definitely a plus.

They've recently hired an award-winning chef as an advisor to their kitchen, and it shows. And it is a delight to dine under the beauty of several group quilts, designed by Helema Kadir, which are on display in the dining hall.

Garden salad
(Image by Omega Institute for Holistic Studies, Rhinebeck, NY, eOmega.org)   Details   DMCA

The mostly organic food buffet is a dream-come-true for a gluten-free vegan, and includes fresh produce and salads from local Hudson Valley farms. Still, some folks passed that up for a burger and fries at the lovely little onsite cafe' - which also offers tasty gluten-free brownies!

Inspiring cafe decorations include fabric art and paintings
(Image by Meryl Ann Butler)   Details   DMCA

Omega Institute is celebrating 40 years with some exciting new developments, and Omega's Manager of External Communications, Chrissa Santoro, kindly offered to share some details with us.

Meryl Ann Butler: Thanks for joining us, Chrissa. I enjoyed my visit to the Omega campus last summer, and was glad to hear about some of your new developments, including that Omega will be live streaming an upcoming event: Being Fearless: Action In a Time of Disruption.That sounds like something we really need in today's political climate, and you have an amazing group of presenters, including Amy Goodman, Van Jones, Sarah van Gelder, Opal Tometi, Sister Joan Chittister and others. Can you tell us more about it?

Our Founders never meant to imply that we should separate the actions of government from spiritual principles.

-- Former Congressman Dennis Kuncinich

Chrissa Santoro: Sure. So much is happening in the world, and in our country. There is a complex interplay between social, environmental and economic issues. Increasingly, people feel divided and overwhelmed, and it's further complicated by fake news and social media culture because it's not always easy to discern what's real. Sometimes it feels easier to tune out, at a time when the future depends on all of us tuning in and staying engaged.

This year's Being Fearless conference brings together leading minds in media, activism, and contemplative wisdom. We will be using mindfulness practices to guide us in talking about the big issues, and learning how to stay grounded when taking action toward making meaningful change.

The event is taking place October 13-15^th at our 250-acre campus in Rhinebeck, New York. We are also live streaming the event worldwide. For a modest donation of five dollars or more you can watch all three days in real time and also access the content on-demand for 60 days following the event.

MAB: Thanks, Chrissa, I just signed up, and I am looking forward to attending! I am sure that our current political climate is calling for us to try something radically different. Integrating mindfulness into the chaos of today's politics seems like the best prescription for change that I have heard in a long time, so I am excited about attending this conference. It sounds like you have offered this conference on your campus before, is this the first time it has been streamed? Will you be offering more streaming events in the future?

CS: We have not offered this specific conference before, but we do a have a long history of holding gatherings like it, which are always centered on what is most relevant to the moment in time. We have live streamed select events over the years, but this is the first time we've launched a crowdfunding campaign to support production, and to help us bring the cost down to just five dollars so that more people than ever before could access the material.

We are very excited to have a global audience, and have heard about viewing parties being planned for this event across the country. As a nonprofit organization, we also rely on support from generous donors and sponsors to help us meet our goals. What is exciting about the crowdfunding campaign, is that many people are stepping up and contributing above the five dollar level to help make scholarships possible, and to support us in being able to host future conversations like this.

MAB: That's great! One of the things I was impressed with during my recent visit was the Omega Center for Sustainable Living (OCSL). Can you tell us a little bit about that?

CS: We opened the doors to the OCSL in 2009. It was a huge undertaking, about five years in the making, and originated as the first green building in America to achieve both LEED Platinum and Living Building Challenge certification--the highest standards currently available in sustainable architecture.

The building's first practical purpose is to serve as a natural water reclamation facility--cleaning and purifying Omega's wastewater using zero chemicals and net zero energy. People come from all over the world to tour the building and learn about water reclamation, solar power, geothermal heating, and regenerative design. From grade school students to scientists, foreign diplomats to city planners, policy makers to guests of Omega, everyone who visits is amazed by the environmental solutions modeled by the building.

Second, the building serves as an anchor for all of Omega's environmental stewardship efforts, from how we deal with our own organizational impact to the many workshops, trainings, and conferences we offer as educational opportunities. For example, the Being Fearless: Action in a Time of Disruption conference we have been discussing is a program of the OCSL. The OCSL also offers a 4-week residential program called the Ecological Literacy Immersion Program (ELIP), in which participants can earn an internationally recognized permaculture design certificate.

MAB: I'm looking forward to interviewing a representative of the OCSL soon, that's such an exciting project! Is there anything else you'd like to mention before we wrap this up?

CS: Yes. Our Rhinebeck, New York campus guest season runs annually from May through October, but we are offering more and more content year-round on our website. Earlier this year we redesigned the site to be more mobile-friendly. I'd like to invite your readers to request a catalog, and find articles, interviews, videos, recipes, and more on our site. We're also offering select online courses, and hope to continue to new harness technology to bring more of Omega to wherever you are.

MAB: Thanks for all the information, and for visiting with us, Chrissa!

CS: Thank you!

Sign up for Omega's Being Fearless: Action In a Time of Disruption livestreamed conference, October 13-15, 2017, and available on demand for 60 days afterwards, here.

Author's note: Last summer I sat on the bench in the Omega garden and drew the spirit of the tree that grew in the center of the garden (shown, inset). In my Prismacolor drawing, if you look carefully in the center of the tree, you can see the eyes of the tree deva, peeking out from the depths of the branches.

The Spirit of the Tree in Omega's Garden, Prismacolor pencil, by Meryl Ann Butler (and photos by Meryl Ann Butler)
(Image by Meryl Ann Butler)   Details   DMCA

More info about the artists:

Alex and Allyson Greyand their Chapel of Sacred Mirrors.

Hilary Astrid Carlson.

Amina Eagle.

Authors Website: http://www.OceanViewArts.com

Authors Bio:

Meryl Ann Butler is an artist, author, educator and OpedNews Managing Editor who has been actively engaged in utilizing the arts as stepping-stones toward joy-filled wellbeing since she was a hippie. She began writing for OpEdNews in Feb, 2004. She became a Senior Editor in August 2012 and Managing Editor in January, 2013. In June, 2015, the combined views on her articles, diaries and quick link contributions topped one million. She was particularly happy that her article about Bree Newsome removing the Confederate flag was the one that put her past the million mark.

Her art in a wide variety of media can be seen on her YouTube video, "Visionary Artist Meryl Ann Butler on Creativity and Joy" at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcGs2r_66QE

A NYC native, her response to 9-11 was to pen an invitation to healing through creativity, entitled, "90-Minute Quilts: 15+ Projects You Can Stitch in an Afternoon" (Krause 2006), which is a bestseller in the craft field. The sequel, MORE 90-Minute Quilts: 20+ Quick and Easy Projects With Triangles and Squares was released in April, 2011. Her popular video, How to Stitch a Quilt in 90 Minutes with Meryl Ann Butler can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrShGOQaJQ8

She has been active in a number of international, arts-related projects as a citizen diplomat, and was arts advisor to Baltimore's CIUSSR (Center for Improving US-Soviet Relations), 1987-89. She made two trips to the former USSR in 1987 and 1988 to speak to artists, craftpeople and fashion designers on the topic of utilizing the arts as a tool for global wellbeing. She created the historical "First US-Soviet Children's Peace Quilt Exchange Project" in 1987-88, which was the first time a reciprocal quilt was given to the US from the former USSR.

Her artwork is in collections across the globe.

Meryl Ann is a founding member of The Labyrinth Society and has been building labyrinths since 1992. She publishes an annual article about the topic on OpEdNews on World Labyrinth Day, the first Saturday in May.

OpEdNews Senior Editor Joan Brunwasser interviewed Meryl Ann in "Beyond Surviving: How to Thrive in Challenging Times" at https://www.opednews.com/articles/Beyond-Surviving--How-to-by-Joan-Brunwasser-Anxiety_Appreciation_Coronavirus_Creativity-200318-988.html

Find out more about Meryl Ann's artistic life in "OEN Managing Ed, Meryl Ann Butler, Featured on the Other Side of the Byline" at https://www.opednews.com/Quicklink/OEN-Managing-Ed-Meryl-Ann-in-Life_Arts-Artistic_Artists_Quilt-170917-615.html

On Feb 11, 2017, Senior Editor Joan Brunwasser interviewed Meryl Ann in Pink Power: Sister March, Norfolk, VA at http://www.opednews.com/articles/Pink-Power-Sister-March--by-Joan-Brunwasser-Pussy-Hats-170212-681.html

"Creativity and Healing: The Work of Meryl Ann Butler" by Burl Hall is at
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Creativity-and-Healing--T-by-Burl-Hall-130414-18.html

Burl and Merry Hall interviewed Meryl Ann on their BlogTalk radio show, "Envision This," at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/envision-this/2013/04/11/meryl-ann-butler-art-as-a-medicine-for-the-soul

Archived articles www.opednews.com/author/author1820.html
Older archived articles, from before May 2005 are here.