Our First Training Program Graduation

The first two years of Radical Aliveness came to completion two weeks ago. We graduated the first class of the two year Leadership Training program. As the graduation took place it became clear how big an undertaking this has been for all of us; the dedication of the students, the things they said, the inspiration was palpable.

We celebrated on Saturday night, and the following day as we were getting ready to go into our community class, Angela from the first year asked me if the first year students could have some time in the class. Our program emphasizes leadership and one of the beautiful things is the leadership that emerges in the groups. I always say yes to it. The first year ended up leading the community class, each one standing and thanking the 2nd year students for their pioneering spirits, their power of example. They said that when things felt hard or scary they looked to the second year and saw that whatever they needed to go through was worth it because they could see the power and connection in them. As the day unfolded others got up and we ended with Jeff, our resident music producer, leading us in an impromptu chanting session.

As I look back on these past two years there is so much I have learned. Sherri, from the second year sent me a link to a youtube video about a young woman street artist who got offered a show and said – “the space was given to me and I just filled it”. That is how I feel- we dream, we create- and then we grow into the space that wants to be filled. I would say never dream too small. I think about starting this program, not knowing what it would be, not knowing how I would do it, but knowing there was a deep desire in me to create something that fit my vision. I could never have dreamed up what has been created. I could not have known who I would become in this process. The great thing is that we grow into our lives. We don’t have to know, just trust and life will help us get where we are going, life will shape us into who we truly are.

Vision is powerful- when we put it out people respond, I want to thank all the students and assistants who have felt the vision, who have come to be part of this creation, who have brought their own leadership and creativity and voices and who wholeheartedly feel their importance in it. We are developing something new and we all feel it. We are developing a group process that works with the world. We are evolving our consciousness through world issues while we also develop ourselves as individuals. We are trying to become a community that embraces diversity inside and out. We are learning to work with conflict. We are becoming leaders who can face the most intense energy in life and not shrink from it. Most dear to my heart, we are becoming people who understand that life requires our participation. We must all be leaders. This takes courage. It requires us to know we have responsibility for our lives and for the life around us. It requires us to stop being passive observers. It is a deep knowing that becoming fully who we are meant to be is what the world needs. I feel inspired when I see my students and how alive they are and how much they are willing to speak up- to challenge and to be here.

I can’t wait to see where we go. When life is the leader it is always a mystery and always so much bigger and better than anything we could create on our own. Here’s to the next two years!