Hi Everyone,

The Annual Fund blog has moved to a new home: http://annualfundnaropa.wordpress.com. There's a new post from Sherry, so head on over and check it out.

--Jim

I went to the American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA) conference in February and it was great! A lot of Naropa students and faculty from the Contemplative Psychotherapy program attend every year. This year, was in San Diego which made it much more fun! In this conference, you not only had the opportunity to see experienced therapists, psychologists and psychiatrists working on demo groups, but you also had the chance to notice how much contemplative education makes you a very insightful, and courageous professional. I saw how being in a program that focus in community and group work has trained me to be a skillful group psychotherapist! The conference boosted my confidence. I could see clearly how valuable contemplative education is.

I am also in the process of working on my resume and looking for jobs. Being a bilingual therapists is very valuable so I strongly recommend future student to learn Spanish and to people from other Spanish speaking countries to please come to Naropa. We need more contemplative Spanish speaking therapist!

Sherry asked me to post this for her. We're having some issues getting her account working. Diane.

From Sherry
Date 2/2/2010
Re: Thesis

Hello everyone it is week IV into the semester, and as promised from the chair of Interdisciplinary Studies we are hitting the ground running. I have nine weeks to finish my thesis!

I have just started the slow and painful process of transcribing my interviews with five amazing women. They have all been so generous with their time, and I am struck by the stories of their lives. It was extremely important for me to find women from very different cultural and spiritual/religious backgrounds so that I could capture the global action that is being done.

Anita Khaldy is an Arab/Asian women who is a mission statement all on her own. She emailed me this morning and included this amazing poem and I wanted to share it with all of you, so that you get an idea of the deep spiritual life that she leads. And it is because of this spirit that she acts against oppression.

This is her poem on faith and love

The Disciple

And the disciple asked -
"Master !"

'What is hope, life and happiness?"

And the Master replied,
"Hope is the capacity of the human spirit to see beyond darkness,
To soar above thunder storms.
Patiently to await..a bud's full blossom."
"Life is a wondrous dream.
All powered and energized..
By the all consuming emotions of 'Love'
Which lies steering..
At the base of every heart
Love is love .Loved..
For love's sake alone.
For no ulterior reason,
And no wanting in return.
'Love' is an uninterrupted symphony.
Whose notes ring of 'Joy' uncompared.
"Happiness is the realm of the Mystic.Sage.Philosopher.
It's a stage of 'Divine Realization' that
Life is to be loved and lived in peace.
Hope, Life, Love and Happiness are
The touch stone of the unstuck music of the soul.

And the Disciple asked,
"Who can possess these gifts?"

The Master kept silent for a while..
Then said,
"Son..the one who has found -
Love and Devotion for God.
Seeking spirit and love with every element of his being.
The one who loves God
and loves others in relation to God.
The one who love is purely- Out Going.
Is yielding,. Long suffering, is self-sacrificing..
In his handiwork and affections for mankind.
He has found Hope, Life, Love and Happiness.

And the Disciple said -

"Give me this nectar of life.

And the Master replied

"Go and discover it
In the innocent smile of a new born child.
Go find it in the sacred verses of scripture..

It's in the vibrating pulse of the universe. Known to Saints...who
Quietened their souls and listened.

It's in the dances and rituals of the past and today. In the twinkle of the
Young dancer's eyes. As she gives herself completely to the tempo. The beats

It's in the magnificent symbols of Gods and Goddesses. All etched in
Stone. Reminding us that life is fleeting...and spirit alone. Eternal.
It's in the stories and myths of our fold. It's in our quiet confessions
And our deepest aspirations.

Go find it in your self.

We're having technical problems with the blog. We hope to have to up and running soon!

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to introduce a new student guest blogger: Sherry Gobaleza. Sherry's featured on the latest Annual Fund postcard (which drops in the mail tomorrow). She's in the BA Interdisciplinary Studies program and she's an active volunteer at BeadforLife.

-Jim