CATALYST Magazine Early Winter 2020

CAT ATALYST

EARLY WINTER 2020 VOLUME 39 NUMBER 12 ISSUE 400

RESOURCES F O R C R E AT I V E LIVING 1982-2020

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ON THE COVER

CATALYSTMAGAZINE.NET

GRETA BELANGER DEJONG , founder and editor of CATALYST 1975 by KATE EDWARDS

reta and I have certainly been soul sisters since before time began, but in terms of this particular lifetime, we actually did manage to find our way to be born on the very same block. After about six months during which I’m quite certain that our infant selves said hello, my parents took me off to other shores until we returned to my birthplace when I was just 14. Gret and I then discovered how kindred our spirits truly are as we wandered the streets one summer morning at dawn, wrapped in sleeping bags after a slumber party during which we’d talked our way through the night. Then came years of wild adventures: hitchhiking cross country, dancing together whenever we had the chance, consulting Ouija boards, exploring Eastern wisdom traditions, and soaking our hair in peanut oil for a week while camp-

ing on the Texas shore, just to name a very few. That was only the beginning.

Finally, a man stole her away to live her life with all of you in Utah, but even spending decades apart has never dampened our twin soul connection. Our conversations always start up wherever they last left off, and I con-

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fess that I still think of her as only being ‘gone from home’, certain to return one of these days. Still, whatever is true about that, what I do know for sure is that there is no one else even remotely like her on the planet.

She is truly unique, fascinating, eclectic, wildly inquisitive, loving, challenging, heartfelt, deeply talented, ingenious and inventive in the most unusual and quirky of ways. What is also true is that I could not have lived my life without her, and there is simply no way to capture in words how much this woman means to me.

What I most love about Catalyst is that it has given all of us 400 opportunities to see this woman shine, and now we get to witness what she will do next. How exciting is that!’

CATALYST RESOURCES FOR CREATIVE LIVING COMMON GOOD PRESS, 501C3

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR COMMON GOOD PRESS Pax Rasmussen PUBLISHER & EDITOR Greta Belanger deJong ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER John deJong ART DIRECTOR Polly Plummer Mottonen ASSISTANT EDITOR Katherine Pioli COMMUNITY OUTREACH DIRECTOR Sophie Silverstone PRODUCTION Polly Plummer Mottonen, John deJong, Rocky Lindgren PHOTOGRAPHY & ART Polly Mottonen, John deJong, Sophie Silverstone, Emma Ryder BOOKKEEPING Carolynn Bottino CONTRIBUTORS

Charlotte Bell, Amy Brunvand, Nicole DeVaney, Jim French,Dennis Hinkamp, Valerie Litchfield, James Loomis, Mary McIntyre, Ashley Miller, Grace Olscamp, Diane Olson, Jerry Rapier, Emily Spacek, Alice Toler, Suzanne Wagner

OFFICE MANAGER Emily Spacek

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Early Winter 2020

HOME!

The Utah Bioregional Reader series, Part Three

Sacred places and protected land

BY AMY BRUNVAND

I came to realize that one factor in particular—the search for something beyond normal experience—characterizes life in the Great Basin. Many people don’t just find themselves living here: They are here for a reason, even if that reason is sometimes mystical and beyond immediate comprehension.

– Richard V. Francaviglia Believing In Place: A Spiritual Geography of the Great Basin (University of Nevada Press, 2016)

W

hen Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris visited Utah during her 2020 campaign, she did a photo op at This is the Place monument, the spot at the mouth of Emigration Canyon where Brigham Young looked across the Salt Lake Valley and declared, “This is the right place. Drive on!” With a foundational myth of white settlers seeking the promised land, Utah is still known as a highly religious place—a 2020 study by American Atheists found that the two most religious states are Mississippi and Utah. The Salt Lake City skyline is instantly recognizable by the distinctive spires of the Mormon temple, and at the center of downtown, the sacred space of Temple Square is demarcated by protective walls that enclose glorious seasonal displays of summer flowers and winter lights. In the

Bears Ears National Monument

“This is the place” doesn’t sound like it means a building. It speaks to a landscape and bioregion. It suggests that the Salt Lake City temple doesn’t define the place, but was built in a “right place” that already existed.

Vice President Elect, Kamala Harris at This is the Place

built environment, it’s easy enough to make a sacred place—a temple, a church, a labyrinth, a garden—and equally easy to deconsecrate one. However, “this is the place” doesn’t sound like it means a building. It speaks to a land-

scape and bioregion. It suggests that the Salt Lake City temple doesn’t define the place, but was built in a “right place” that already existed.

It’s probably no accident that Terry Tempest Williams, one of Utah’s best-known spiritual teachers, is both culturally Mormon and a nature writer.

In land use terms, a community defines sacred places with rules that exempt them from human exploitation. These are the places we care so much about that we actively try to preserve, enhance and restore them.

Land use planning is a government function, so it’s necessarily a secular process. When

We e’re open!

When land is categorized according to practical uses, sacred places in the built environment tend to be defended with values for “historic preservation,” while sacred natural areas are valued for “recreation.” But assigning economic value not only leads to spiritual materialism, but sometimes just plain old materialism. land is categorized according to practical uses, sacred places in the built environment tend to be defended with values for “historic preservation,” while sacred natural areas are valued for “recreation.” These classifications don’t always serve the purpose since assigning economic value not only leads to spiritual materialism, but sometimes just plain old materialism.

Back in the 1950s and ’60s, while deep ecologist Dolores LaChapelle’s husband Ed was at Alta developing a science of avalanche control, she was experiencing transcendence skiing Utah’s deep powder snow, which she wrote about in Deep Powder Snow: 40 Years of Ecstatic Skiing, Avalanches, and Earth Wisdom (Kivaki Press, 1993).

In the ensuing years, ski resorts

gobbled up more and more backcountry terrain, trying to package and sell a commercialized version of LaChapelle’s bliss.

It can be hard to reconcile any version of Earth-centered spirituality with a resort experience of costly lift tickets, lavish high-status real estate, loudspeakers blaring rock music or the “red snake” traffic jam that forms in the Cottonwood canyons on winter weekends. Yet efforts to limit canyon development are not just about who gets to monetize snow. Despite the wounds of development, many people still experience the Wasatch Mountains as a sacred space, which becomes their unspoken motive to try to limit development.

While the typical western worldview draws boundaries

Continued on next page

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SACRED PLACES

Home!

The CATALYST series

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hirty years ago, the book Home! a Bioregional Reader published a quiz, since widely distributed, that challenged people to test their knowledge about the place where they live. Bioregionalism is an idea that human wellbeing is founded in relationships with natural systems—flora, fauna, geology, climate, fire and water. In the Reader, Peter Berg and Raymond Dasmann write, “The term refers to both a geographical terrain and a terrain of consciousness—to a place and to ideas that have developed about how to live in that place.”

Love of place and local knowledge are seen as essential to sustainability. In the interest of placemaking, CATALYST writer Amy Brunvand is revisiting the bioregional quiz with a series of 12 articles about the Wasatch Front bioregion.

1. Geology: What ecological and geological processes influenced the land forms? (covered in CATALYST, Autumn ‘20) 2. Land Use: Where are the sacred places and protected lands?

3. Stewardship: Where are the sacrifice zones?

4. Waste: Where does our garbage go?

5. Water: Where does our drinking water come from? Where does sewage go?

6. Human Ecology: Who lived here before us? How did they survive?

7. Migration: Name five resident and five migratory birds.

8. Fauna: What nonhuman residents live here? What animals have become extinct?

9. Flora: What are the major plant communities? Where can you find them?

10. Food: How long is the growing season?

Name five edible native plants.

11. Fire: When did the area last burn? What is the ecological role of fire?

12. Dark sky: Were the stars out last night?

In what phase is the moon?

First Encampment Park on 1700 South and 500 East in Salt Lake City memorializes the former confluence of Emigration Creek and Parley’s Creek, a gravesite for a lost place. around sacred spaces, an Indigenous worldview honors sacred landscapes. Indigenous comments on public land use plans are often the only part of the document with any acknowledgement of the sacred.

The Bears Ears Intertribal Coalition sums up this wholistic and mutual land use philosophy: “We don’t manage land. The land manages us.” A spiritual relationship to place is explicit in the 2015 proposal to create Bears Ears National Monument: “The depth of our spiritual connection to these places is not widely understood, but it is true that these desecrations to our homeland, structures, implements and gravesites—insults to the dignity of our societies and Traditional Knowledge as well—wound us physically. By visiting Bears Ears, giving our prayers, and conducting our ceremonies, we heal our bodies and help heal the land itself.”

One way to identify the sacred spaces of a community is to look for places with formal legal protections. Near Salt Lake City, these include City Creek Canyon; Red Butte Research Natural Area; Wilderness areas including Deseret Peak, Lone Peak, Mount Naomi, Mount Nebo, Mount Olympus, Mount Timpanogos, Twin Peaks, and the Wellsville Mountains; parks like Timpanogos Cave and Antelope Island, the Foothills Natural Area and other open spaces, and the protected watershed in the Wasatch Mountains.

Water is Life (Mní wičhóni) was the slogan of the Standing Rock protests against an oil pipeline in North Dakota, but without protections, Wasatch Front creeks have been sadly abused. As soon as the seven creeks in the Jordan River watershed enter the urban area, they are pushed into underground pipes filthy with runoff and storm water.

First Encampment Park on 1700 South and 500 East in Salt Lake City memorializes the former confluence of Emigration Creek and Parley’s Creek, a gravesite for a lost place. In June 2010, an oil pipeline spilled into Red Butte Creek, killing waterfowl in Liberty Park lake and generating unexpectedly intense grief in a community that had not fully grasped that city waters hold a spirit of place. From this standpoint, plans to clean up and restore the ecology the Jordan River are a particularly hopeful indicator of reconnecting with sacred water.

Deep knowledge of the sacred landscape

can also be discovered in art and writing. Authors like Bernard DeVoto, Wallace Stegner (who called for a “society to match its scenery”), Edward Abbey, Ann Zwinger, Ellen Meloy and Terry Tempest Williams expressed what other people could not put into words. In 2017, the Utah Legislature was persuaded to name two official state works of art that are particularly expressive of the bioregion.

The first is Native American rock art, found at sacred sites in the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau. Former state archeologist Kevin Jones advocates viewing rock art purely as art rather

The Man with a Heart of Stone.

“He shows me a long view of time. He has stood in the same place since before machines and moon landings and missiles, and will be there when an unimaginable different future flows by— and then some. My conversation with him centers me in time.”

Robert Smithson’s earthwork Spiral Jetty, Utah’s official state work of land art, is also a monument to time and place. Smithson related a spiritual reaction to the landscape that inspired him: “As I looked at the site, it reverberated out to the horizons only to suggest an immobile cyclone while flickering light make the entire

Even if we don’t always hear it clearly, the spirit of place has much to teach us.

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than trying to interpret the symbols, but these mysterious, ghostly figures have an undeniable spiritual aura. In his book, Standing on the Walls of Time (University of Utah Press, 2019), Jones describes an ongoing relationship with a petroglyph he calls

landscape appear to quake.”

In Spiral Jetty Encyclo (2017), art historian Hikmet Loe posits that the form of Spiral Jetty is related to rock art, since “Puebloan peoples described spirals as representing wind, water, creatures associated with water such as serpents and snails, and the journey of the people in search of the Center.”

Even if we don’t always hear it clearly, the spirit of place has much to teach us. ◆ Amy Brunvand is a published poet, essayist and librarian for the University of Utah’s Office of Sustainability, and CATALYST’s environmental writer for the past 17 years.

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TURNING POINTS

Early Winter 2020

Obituary for Great Salt Lake Even lakes are not immortal.

BY BONNIE BAXTER AND JAIMI BUTLER

Johanna Bossart

G

reat Salt Lake experienced her final glimmering sunset today, succumbing to a long struggle with chronic diversions exacerbated by climate change.

She was born 13,000 years ago to Lake Bonneville, who occupied the basin previously, and the Holocene Epoch, who melted ice and evaporated water. Her dusty remains will be scattered across the Salt Lake Valley for millennia— we will be constantly reminded of her passing by our air quality monitors.

She was preceded in death by her cousin, Owens Lake, who lived in California. She is survived by Mono Lake, also of California, whose family took legal action using the pub-

A nonconformist, Great Salt Lake was infamous for wearing a palette of intriguing colors, not the usual blue of other lakes. lic trust doctrine to revive her when she was on life support.

During her life, Great Salt Lake underwent many surgeries and amputations. She suffered blockages in her circulatory system, most significantly a transverse incision by a rail causeway, which restricted the flow of her fluids.

Although it was common for her to expand and shrink her girth, the last 50 years of her life were especially tumultuous in this regard. When

she was at her largest in the 1980s, the State of Utah insisted that she diet with intervention to protect her human neighbors from flooding.

Ultimately, the thirst of a rapidly growing population upstream, which prevented her from refilling, caused a severe reduction in her size. As water was withheld, she began wasting away. Projects such as an inland port, development of Bear River (the lake’s largest tributary), relocating the state prison and construction of

a non-essential landfill put much strain on her. In her frail state, she was exposed to the planet’s warming temperatures and local drought conditions. The combination of terminal dehydration and high fever caused her eventual demise.

Great Salt Lake had a very salty personality and was known to her neighbors as “Stinky” and “Buggy.” She had the best memory, holding on to every mineral, pollutant and sediment she ever encountered. Noted for hosting many around her table, she fed anyone who migrated by. Visitors could count on being ac-

A nonconformist, Great Salt Lake was infamous for wearing a palette of intriguing colors, not the usual blue of other lakes.

Her wardrobe was steeped in lemonade pink, photosynthetic green and sandy taupe.

Her salty shorelines were ruffled and rugged. It was her northern red waters and ethereal characteristics that drew artist Robert Smithson to Utah to embellish her with his Spiral Jetty. She demonstrated her care and concern for people by floating them gently in her arms and never allowing them to sink. However,

She was an entrepreneur, supporting an array of businesses from brine shrimp harvesting to salt extraction. As a hobbyist, she collected old boats, wooden railroad trestles and an occasional airplane.

For this work, and that for her inclusion of Native people in her history, she is often referred to as “Notorious G.S.L.” costed by her pet biting gnats in the spring but would always leave her home with the most unique treasures. She loved people, especially those Native inhabitants of the Basin who built caves and traded salt, but also those humans who built funky buildings and partied on her beaches.

There was action to prevent the death of Great Salt Lake, but it was too little, too late. when disturbed, her short temper could quickly whip the heavy waters into frothy waves that could capsize a boat and would leave foam blanketing the shoreline.

Although not a skier, Great Salt Lake was an avid donor to the ski industry, contributing her “lake effect” to what has become known as “the greatest snow on Earth.” During the summer months, she enjoyed paddle boarding, canoeing and sailing.

She combined her love of chemistry and aesthetics to create many rusted pieces of art. She served as a model for many artists, over the years, who echoed her uncommon beauty in their work.

She was a committed volunteer for her local environment, spending her time absorbing heavy metals and balancing nutrients. Always an avid birdwatcher, Great Salt Lake earned a Ph.D. in ornithology, observing 338 bird species over thousands of years.

She was an entrepreneur, supporting an array of businesses from brine shrimp harvesting to salt extraction. As a hobbyist, she collected old boats, wooden railroad trestles and an occasional airplane.

Great Salt Lake was an award-winning ecosystem; in fact, she was lauded as a site of hemispheric importance for birds. For centuries, she hosted one of the largest breeding colonies of white pelicans in the world. For decades, she hosted the annual Great Salt Lake Bird Festival, the Great Salt Lake Open Water Swim, and Antelope Island’s Spider Festival.

She was a noted activist for diversity, understanding that life of all sorts has equal value in the world. Once, standing in protest, she challenged the Utah Department of Environmental Quality to develop water quality standards made difficult by her high salt content, leading to equity for salt lakes everywhere. For this

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TURNING POINTS

She loved people, especially those Native inhabitants of the Basin who built caves and traded salt, but also those humans who built funky buildings and partied on her beaches.

work, and that for her inclusion of Native people in her history, she is often referred to as “Notorious G.S.L.” There was action to prevent the death of Great Salt Lake, but it was too little, too late. In 2019, as she was gasping her dying breath, she influenced the Utah House to pass a Concurrent Resolution (HCR-10), which would acknowledge her condition of desiccation: “Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein, recognize the critical importance of ensuring adequate water flows to Great Salt Lake and its wetlands, to maintain a healthy and sustainable lake system.” While this recog-

She supported Utah’s economy for many years, but we did not adequately fund her healthcare in time. Had we done so, we may not be mourning her death today.

nized a need for policy and engagement by stakeholders, the resolution did not fund any specific remedies.

She supported Utah’s economy for many years, but we did not adequately fund her healthcare in time. Had we done so, we may not be mourning her death today.

Utah regrets the loss of this unique piece of its identity, as does the lake’s namesake, Salt Lake City. The state is still struggling with 7,706 employment casualties when the brine shrimp and salt extraction companies literally dried up.

Also, one million tourists no longer visit Utah, since the closure of state and federal lands surrounding Great Salt Lake. With her death, Utahns now pay more for their water treatment, and the ski season is limited to just a few weeks. They also are suffering additional health costs from dust exposure and a spiritual loss of this cultural hub.

She will be missed by the 85,000 American white pelicans who nested and fed around the lake, the five million eared grebes that fed on the abundant brine shrimp in her salty waters, and their 10 million avian colleagues who loved Great Salt Lake for millennia. The greatest loss is the opportunity for folks to connect, find com-

Although not a skier, Great Salt Lake was an avid donor to the ski industry, contributing her “lake effect” to what has become known as “the greatest snow on Earth.” mon ground and work together to save her.

Her friends and family would like to express thanks to the many people who pleaded for action on behalf of Great Salt Lake. Our gratitude is extended to state and federal agencies, community members, advocacy groups, and the many research scientists and students who strived to understand her and who spread the word about her importance.

In lieu of flowers, conserve water and call your legislators to advocate for smart water laws. In keeping with her salty personality, she requested that her admirers play the song “Another One Bites the Dust” at her memorial. ◆ —Jaimi K. Butler and Bonnie K. Baxter, Ph.D., Great Salt Lake Institute at Westminster College. Artwork by Johanna Bossart, Westminster alumna. With apologies to and inspiration from Rowan Jacobsen (Jacobsen, R. 2016. Obituary: Great Barrier Reef. Outside Magazine.)

Is it really too late?

W

Jaimi Butler and Bonnie Baxter run the Great Salt Lake Institute at Westminster College and study the biology of this amazing system with their students. Jaimi’s work focuses on the birds and brine shrimp while Bonnie studies the microbial life of the lake.

Together, they have just co-edited the first book on the biology of the lake, Great Salt Lake Biology: A Terminal Lake in a Time of Change. They also wrote the lake’s first children’s book, The Great Great Salt Lake Monster Mystery. Both are available online at The King’s English.

hat can we do to prevent the death of Great Salt Lake?

Many strategies are in the hands of state agencies, water lawyers and the legislature, but how can Utahns intervene?

First, let’s change the narrative!

Three-quarters of the people in Utah live in Great Salt Lake’s watershed. We have a relationship with the lake and, therefore, a responsibility to care for it. This lake is not just “stinky.”

It is special and provides our state with immense resources and ecosystem services.

Second, recognize that watershed dynamics are complicated. For example, population growth might not correlate with demand for water, as land use patterns may change.

Lastly, we should realize that water conservation may involve advocating for water laws and paying higher water bills, as well as reducing our water footprint.

Your voice is the best tool for change. Here are some things on the horizon to pay attention to: • 2019 HCR-10: The “Concurrent Resolution to Address Declining Water Levels of the Great Salt Lake” created a group of stakeholders that will develop recommendations by the end of this year to support policy and inspire action.

• Great Salt Lake Advisory Council Water Strategy: GSLAC just released a 12-pronged GSL approach, a well-researched plan that has high potential to improve water

management and increase water flow to Great Salt Lake.

This will give guidelines to managers at Utah state agencies and ultimately could affect strategies to incentivize water users.

• Promontory Point Resources Landfill: PPR (the parent company is California-based) signaled with a recent letter sent to neighbors that they will be re-applying to the Department of Environmental Quality to change the classification to a class V landfill, which would allow import of waste that is toxic to life, to be stored adjacent to a fault line that runs under the lake. This landfill has been deemed redundant and unnecessary with capacity in other class V landfills estimated to last 1,600 years.

• Bear River Development Project: A Utah legislature-approved $2 billion pipeline would take water from the Bear River and bring it to developing Utah communities and farmlands, but its funding has been postponed. Modeling predicts that conservation measures and a change in water pricing structure make the pipeline unnecessary.

Humans are determining the fate of the lake through both action and inaction. Having watched, in recent years, the momentum coalescing around policies and strategies to protect the lake at the state level, we are hopeful. We may be able to overcome the inertia of old water policy and build a new future for our salty neighbor.

— BB and JB

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BRIDGING THE DIVIDE

Early Winter 2020

What we have in common Laying the groundwork for exploring our differences In a moonlit night on a spring day, the croak of a frog pierces through the whole cosmos, turning it into a single family.

— Chang Chin-Ch’en

BY DIANE MUSHO HAMILTON, GABRIEL MENEGAL WILSON AND KIMBERLY MYOSAI LOH

T

alking about our differences is urgent, exciting, and even dangerous. But our commonalities appear to be so numerous as to be beside the point, part of the status quo, or so obvious that talking about them might be predictable, boring, or even worse, sentimental. It is difficult to see with fresh eyes and appreciate the depth and span of how much we all share.

Diane’s 30-year-old son, Willie, who has Down Syndrome, has a particular fascination with what we have in common. He never takes it for granted; in fact, he remarks on the commonalities he sees around him all the time. Once when they were watching The Wiz-

Talking about our differences, taking risks, being challenged and even “ triggered” is how we grow. ard of Oz together, he said to Diane somewhat out of the blue, “You and daddy have that in common.”

“What do we have in common?” she asked him, not following his train of thought.

“You are both scared of the wicked witch.

You have that in common.”

Once he commented as they were driving past a golf course in the car, “Mark Mariani and Uncle Rick play golf, too, with dad. They have that in common.”

JOHN SCHAEFER Willie Smith

“True enough,” she said.

On hearing the news that his sister’s old dog had just died, he observed, “Mr. Apple and Ali are two dogs who died already. And now Maggie. That is something in common.”

“Sure is,” Diane said, “And it’s really sad.”

When he heard Diane talking in somber tones on the phone to his aunt about his 20year-old cousin’s recent cancer diagnosis, he said, “You are just like daddy and myself. We are both worrying about Stella because we

have that in common.”

“You are right about that, Willie.”

Willie recites these commonalities frequently; some are delightful and some are devastating, but Diane appreciates that he points them out because she often fails to notice them herself. She says she forgets that she and her ex-husband have something in common, except it is true, they are both scared of the wicked witch.

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BRIDGING THE DIVIDE

It helps us when we are struggling with other people to remember how much we all have in common: that we were all born into human form, and we will die someday, not knowing how we arrived here, or when the day will come that we will pass on. We can see that we all eat to survive, knowing how especially good food tastes at a time when we are really hungry. Or that we drink water to stay alive, and on a very hot day, prefer nothing more or better. We can recall that we all have hopes and dreams; we seek warmth when it is cold, and a comfortable place to lie down at night. We cluster with our own style people and friends, the ones who share our values, habits, and sense of humor. Even drug addicts, deep in the throes of addiction, share

When our attention is taken up by our defense system, we are literally prevented from thinking clearly. their needles and stories with each other.

Like them, every single one of us has experienced deep pain or loss, illness of some kind, and have had our hearts broken in one way or another. Sometimes what we have in common is the intimacy that comes from having hurt each other. The Dalai Lama says, “As human beings, we are all the same. We all want happiness and do not want suffering.”

We would add that even as we’ve been hurt, we have also hurt others. As Willie would say, “We have that in common.”

We need to belong Willie’s fascination with commonalities has a biological benefit. They say that throughout the course of our evolution, our ability to survive depended on our belonging to our group of people like us, “our tribe,” so to speak. To encounter other human beings, foreign ones, almost always entailed danger or threat. In our rough evolutionary history, we were probably more likely to be killed by a strange human being than any other predator in our environment. And if we were kept safe, it was through the protection of our own tribe and even now, when we are surrounded by people who think, dress, and talk like we do, we can relax.

This is no small thing. A conversation that happens in an atmosphere of relaxation and openness is a very different conversation than

Recognizing our essential sameness, including our shared intentions and goals, is fundamental to all effective teamwork, but talking about our differences, taking risks, being challenged and even “triggered” is how we grow, change, and learn to encounter difficulty together.

Sameness is relieving; difference is exciting and problematic, and our work belongs in that tension. ◆ A version of this story appears in Compassionate Conversations: How to Speak and Listen from the Heart (Shambhala Publications, 2020) by Diane Musho Hamilton, Gabriel Menegal Wilson and Kimberly Myosai Loh. Used with permission.

Compassionate Conversations: How to Speak and Listen from the Heart (Shambhala Publications, 2020) by Diane Musho Hamilton, Gabriel Menegal Wilson and Kimberly Myosai Loh Diane Musho Hamilton

one that takes place in a room with nervous systems dripping adrenaline, poised for flight or fight. The topic may be the same, but when we are even slightly threatened, our attention constricts in preparation for defense, just like our limbs and our jaws do, and our ability to reason is impaired because access to our prefrontal cortex is blocked. In other words, when our attention is taken up by our defense system, we are literally prevented from thinking clearly.

Recent research conducted at Google concluded that the most productive teams were the ones in which participants felt the most psychologically safe. This meant that they could take risks in their teams, make mistakes, and expose vulnerability or confusion without feeling they would be punished or reprimanded. This need for safety is extremely deep in the hard-wiring of human beings and is essential in creating environments of creative and high- performing teams.

The impact of this is so profound that some people advocate for simply working together without talking about our differences; in fact, there is a tremendous emphasis placed in some circles on “safe spaces.”

But we believe that we have to do both.

When a conversation takes a turn into the sometimes uncomfortable and often contentious topics of race, religion, gender, sexuality and politics, it can be difficult to know what to say or how to respond to someone you disagree with.

Compassionate Conversations: How to Speak and Listen from the Heart (Shambhala Publications, 2020) empowers us to transform these conversations into opportunities to bridge divides and mend relationships by providing the basic set of skills we need to be successful, including listening, reframing, and dealing with strong emotions.

Addressing the long history of injury and pain for marginalized groups, the authors explore topics like intersectionality, power dynamics, and white fragility, allowing us to be more mindful in our conversations.

Each chapter contains practices and conversation starters to help everyone feel more prepared to talk through polarizing issues, ultimately encouraging us to take risks, to understand and recognize our deep commonalities, to be willing to make mistakes, and to become more intimate with expressing our truths, as well as listening to those of others.

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Early Winter 2020

One last (print) run

LOVE NOTES

Reader comments on the news of Greta’s retirement and the end of CATALYST in print

I

BY YOU, THE READER

n mid-October we launched our campaign inviting you, the reader, to help us financially to bring this final issue to print. We also invited readers to leave memories and reflections, along with words of farewell for our departing staff, as John and Greta retire, Sophie heads to grad

school, Polly revives her stained glass business and Emily takes up her new job at the University of Utah. (CATALYST continues in the able hands of the Minduct organization with Jenn Blum at the helm and Sophie and myself as volunteer support.)

Some of you we know personally; many oth-

Greta, so thrilled you are taking a leap to whatever next grand adventure awaits you. I don't doubt it will be awesome, whatever you do. And to your amazing team, can't wait to see the new projects and progress that comes from you all.—Valerie Holt (Common Good Press former board president)

ativity that is Salt Lake City. Connecting me to like-minded folks, clients and colleagues. Thank you, thank you, thank you Greta for your vitality and vision...and for the many dances on the floor. Blessings and good fortune to you in your next steps.—Shannon Simonelli, Luminous Life Maps

We love you so much, and you will be deeply missed. Thank you for all you’ve done for our community.—Laura Dupuy

I've lived a lot of places since I was a Salt Laker and a CATALYST writer in the 90's. I've still never seen as pretty, varied and informative a journal as this mag!!! Looking forward to the next variant! Do magazines have shoes to fill? These past 400 CATALYSTs left large prints...— Bruce Plenk, CATALYST food writer, ca.

1990

I moved to Salt Lake from Amsterdam, at the very end of 1999. Colorful CATALYST was around, in all the places I loved to go to (for FREE!), and helped me feel welcome in this new city and continent. CATALYST has always been there and it has helped me get connected to some great resources. It has been a bright light of inspiration. I also loved the feel of the pages, the smell of the ink, and the colors jumping off of the pages. Thank you Greta, John, and everyone else, for creating it!— Ilse DeKoeyer CATALYST has truly transformed Utah for the better. Thanks for doing the crazy-amazing work you have for decades. You ushered me into a new world of possibility and acceptance, as teen who didn't quite fit in the old '80's SLC. Big gratitude!— Bonnie Christiansen, WSU Intermountain Sustainability Summit What a service CATALYST has provided! It has felt like a lifeline to me as a Utah non-native, helping me feel the oasis of healing and cre-

You are a great part of our community! Enjoy your retirement!— Marci Rasmussen, Especially For You I feel such sadness about saying goodbye to the CATALYST print editions. Almost from the beginning of publication I’ve enjoyed thumbing through the pages, enjoying the articles and getting the real scoop on environmental issues, seeing ads for businesses I didn't know existed and enjoying the calendar of events and what is happening each day in our world of living. I was relieved, when it went digital, that the look and 'feel' of it survived, and I hope it will continue in the next iteration. I always looked forward to picking it up at the rec center and sharing it with my exercise friends, especially my yoga instructor (shoutout to Charlotte Bell—hope your articles continue!) My best hopes go to the next

ers, we wish we did. There wasn’t enough space to publish all the notes, but here’s a generous sampling.

Connecting with readers has been, and will continue to be, our reason for being. Hearing from you has made this all worthwhile!

—Greta Belanger deJong

generation and hope I will be able to keep up!—Chris Riggle

This is so sad!!!—Dana Williamson, Wasteless Solutions

I discovered CATALYST Magazine when I first moved to SLC in 1991 and its alternative voice became one of my favorite go-to resources. I especially loved the frame-worthy cover art. It has gone through many format changes over the years, but I still love it. Thank you and best of success to Greta Belanger deJong and John deJong.—Kate Randall, Red Butte Garden

Thank you CATALYST! I have looked forward to reading your magazine for many years and appreciate the insightful, timely articles.—Susan Leary

CATALYST created a community which I adopted when I came to SLC in the late 80's. I have appreciated the support, networking and likeminded people who foster small businesses, art and performance, as well as out-of-the-box thinking. I look forward to the next chapter of CATALYST.—Eva Kauffman, Streamline Pilates CATALYST has been a part of my life ever since I moved here in 1986.

Thank you and good luck as you move on!—Debora Threedy Invaluable work and reporting for so many years in our community.— Bonnie and Denis Phillips, Phillips Gallery Your publication has been a mainstay in the community. I've loved it from the beginning – eagerly awaiting its arrival on newsstands. Thank you for your outstanding work!—Leslie Scopes Anderson So sad!!! I love your magazine and life won't be the same without you.

CATALYST remains a gem. Kudos to Greta and her team!—Roger McDonough KCPW So proud of the work my magical aunties have done through the years with CATALYST. I have fond memories of flipping thru and spying the secret family pictures snuck in between the articles, and have loved the stories and advocacy shared by all of the CATALYST team.

Much love on the end of this chapter and best of luck on the next!— Maria Robinson, Greta’s great-niece and birthday twin; Polly’s niece Congratulations on your retirement! Thank you for your tireless contribution and commitment to a like-minded community that started out with a small voice, and with your work, has grown and is thriving! I can't wait to see what the future holds!—Brenda Kell Go Greta! You deserve a break!

But glad to have been a (little) part of it—Art Goodtimes, former CATALYST columnist This is a sad day on McClelland Street. No more all-nighters signaled

by Greta’s office lamp warmly lighting the aspen tree in front of Big Pink!

Wishing Greta and John health and joy on their new path!—Donald

“Rusty’ Kirkpatrick, CATALYST’s longtime neighbor Great magazine. Relevant and interesting local content you don't find elsewhere. Keep up the good work!—Oresta Esquibel I have loved reading CATALYST for so many years! Thank you Greta (and John) for bringing me joy each month with healthy, sustainable and innovative content, while connecting me to a community that I adore.

I miss the printed issues but I will cherish this last copy.—Stacy Hafer Love all your art, stories, and information. Thanks for being the stable beacon of reason and hope in our lives! Wish you the VERY BEST Life has to offer.—Lori Egly CATALYST has always brought me such joy and inspiration! Thank you so much for all your hard work and dedication through all these years.

Much love,—Susan Dillon , former Common Good Press board member Thank you for being a grounding

and spiritual nourishment for our community. Every since I made Salt Lake City my home, your magazine helped balance the print information I absorbed and taught me so much about sustainability and local support. I am grateful for having shared space with you all and will grow with you into the ongoing digital platform. All the love,—Paula Webster, Creative Mornings What a milestone 400th edition.

Best of luck—Jeanette Bonnell Thank you so much for making Utah a better place for all humans who live here and love it. A true community resource we were/are lucky to have!—Talia Keys, musician I moved to SLC in 1994 to attend the ballet program at the U. I remember being so thrilled to find a publication that was in line with my interests. I have eagerly sought out your beloved magazine each month for years now. Your publication has enriched my life. Thank you all!— Jennifer Beaumont

We love CATALYST—Nate & Sam Wheelock CATALYST helped me find community as a 20-year-old college student who had recently moved to Utah in the early 80’s. Thank you for all you’ve done to build a progressive community in Utah!—Deeda Seed, Center for Biological Diversity Thank you Greta and all of the CATALYST contributors for giving me a place to feel at home. Every month I eagerly grabbed a copy of the magazine to enjoy your artful, political, authentic, insightful, and welcoming community publication during the 30 years I've lived in Salt Lake City. Stories of how to be born, how to die, how to grow a garden, and how to support the community cemented my feelings that this was indeed the place. You have created a legacy that will live on and continue to inspire new generations to create warm, welcoming communities. I honor that contribution.

Thank you.

On a personal note, I must say

that I will miss the print version of the magazine greatly, if this will truly be its swan song. Admittedly I have read the magazine much less during the pandemic because my tolerance for screens is low, and for me the act of reading is more pleasurable and physically engaging on paper. I look forward to receiving a print copy of issue 400!—Joelle Dickson Thanks so much for all the great reporting and resources that you provide for our community. CATALYST has been a real asset and I hope it carries on in some form at least.”—Alice Mulder, Weber State University Love the CATALYST fam. Thanks for all your hard work and involvement. You’ve been a paramount publication connecting communities together and helping this city and its readers thrive.”—Aja Domingo

Continued on page 33

20 CATALYSTMAGAZINE.NET

Early Winter 2020

MEMORIES & REFLECTIONS

Our millennial speaks What feels like the end is really a beginning

T

BY SOPHIE SILVERSTONE

he last time I took a giant leap like this, I was As I worked on CATALYST’s social media, Greta 23 years old and had just started working would make me green drinks, cook me soup for for CATALYST. This was seven years ago. lunch and help me realize my potential. Her Something big had just come to an end: my sense of wonder and curiosity in the world delusion that being defined by one thing, my helped me view my life from a different perspecpassion—figure skating—was enough to make tive. She helped me realize my thoughts matme happy and finantered, my words cially stable. I was broke mattered. I spent the and going through a spring working with tough time, wondering John and Greta. I was what I was supposed to able to find my groundbe when I grew up. I ing again. didn’t know it yet, but Over the next several this was the beginning years I learned more of a very important about my home town phase of my life. Soon I and the legacy that was about to expand Greta created. It was my Salt Lake commuthrough the influence nity, begin writing, and of CATALYST, like many build a much closer reof you have told me lationship with John, over the years, that Salt my dad; and Greta, my Lake City became a stepmom. place I could really call A rough winter was home. ending and spring was CATALYST is the reain full bloom. I was still son I’ve learned how to adjusting to being do so many things: how home from spending to write, design, throw six months figure skatlive events, produce viring in a family circus in Sophie sporting the same pants Greta is wearing on the tual events during Mexico. It had been Covid, herd interns, cover of this issue 50 years later. Timeless beauties. both wonderful and manage distribution, terrible. Switching my place of work from a plan fundraisers, direct video shoots, sell ads, giant blue circus tent to Big Pink, the CATALYST write grants and interview so many different office on McClelland, was a welcome change. types of people.

A typical day at the office has sometimes included: going to a rally, picking raspberries, watching Greta harvest vermicompost from her earthworms, trying on custom-made tutus, climbing on the roof to take pictures of the solar panels, helping my dad pack for Burning Man, playing in a ball pit, interviewing the sheriff, and even discovering new/old distribution locations such as a women’s clothing store owned by a right-wing cross-dressing car mechanic.

I was never aiming for a “regular” job, but my job description, and my job experiences, kind of like the Mexican ice circus, sound a little made up sometimes.

There are things about CATALYST, and Greta, that bring out the weird and embrace it. In a state where the predominant culture is to be as “normal” as possible, weirdness is often repressed. When repressed weirdness erupts in certain areas of life—that’s when things really get weird. Greta and CATALYST are like little pressure valves that remind us all of the wonderful weirdness of life and nature and people. She reminds us that everyone is weird. She makes it cool to embrace your weirdness.

Speaking of weird: Fast forward to 2020. Aside from, you know, everything, CATALYST is in a similar position I was in when I started working here. Like all print publications, CATALYST is broke, going through a tough time in life, also wondering what it’s going to be when it grows up. Yeah, I feel you, CATALYST! Been there.

CATALYST, being Greta’s baby, and hence my older stepsister, is kind of like the 38-year-old that has been living at home with mom all these years. Finally mom is ready for it to leave the nest. It’s not like Greta is disowning CATALYST; she just won’t be footing the bill anymore. It’s time for CATALYST to figure out its life.

I’m revisiting that scenario a bit, myself. I hope to start the Masters of Social Work program at the University of Utah in fall 2021. My fulltime job at CATALYST ends with this issue.

While I go on to the next phase of my work and school life, CATALYST is in very good hands. Jenn Blum, a former Common Good Press board member, our web designer, and all around badass, will be enabling CATALYST to continue as a digital entity with some upgrades. She’s what CATALYST needs right now: a really put-together adult who is integral to this community and who also knows how to have fun.

Greta and Jenn first met at Burning Man 2001. Jenn had arrived to their camp on the playa from a business trip––in a suit. Yes! That is how I see Jenn; the lady arriving to a wild desert art party in a suit for a very good reason: She’s been working hard! (And also knows how to play.)

Basically, CATALYST isn’t going to progress in life without a lot of technological advances. This is Jenn’s area of expertise. She built our website. She’s also written a book, has organized the SLC MiniMaker Fair for years, and is involved in many various nonprofit projects and organizations in the city. I have

a lot of ideas about the future of CATALYST, but I don’t yet have the experience or the know-how to make any of this happen. Jenn does! I look forward to working alongside Jenn through this transitional phase.

With my formal employment going elsewhere, CATALYST can become my community project, my hobby, making it fun again.

I’m ready for a shift, personally.

We all are.

The future I envision for CATALYST is a collaborative one, where writers, readers, newcomers and old-timers engage each other. One that positions itself with advancing technology and continues to connect people in our community and to be a catalyst in people’s lives.

Yes, I dream of a print rebirth— if and when the time is right, that could happen. But the way we digest media is changing rapidly.

CATALYST may evolve into something beyond anything we can fathom right now.

CATALYST community, you dear sweet people who helped ground me almost seven years ago: The heart of CATALYST isn’t going anywhere. It’s just transforming. If it feels like the end, well, I don’t blame you, because it is the end of an era.

But it’s also a beginning.

What’s next? It’s up to our imaginations. ◆ Sophie Silverstone has been CATALYST’s community outreach director since 2013.

However, she has been present at most CATALYST gatherings since she could walk.

22 CATALYSTMAGAZINE.NET

EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK

Early Winter 2020

Now it’s time to leap

Y

Greta says goodbye (1982-2020)

“

ou can type. You can get a job with the phone company!” My dad, troubled that his almost-40year-old daughter was making minimum wage at a job with no traditional benefits, was trying to be helpful. Wasn’t it time to give up this magazine hobby?

I’d been publishing CATALYST for nearing 10 years. Time to get a “real” job.

The irony, of course, is that my dad’s idea of financial security, "the phone company” (as AT&T’s Bell Telephone was known back in the day), was crumbling. If stability was the question, the phone company was no answer.

save more money than I earn,” dad would marvel. And she invested it.

So, when they died, I acquired the means to help CATAYST succeed.

The change was dramatic.

Once, operating out of a spare bedroom, I had been editor, sales rep, bookkeeper, production person, distributor and typist—before email, every story was retyped into the computer by hand.

Usually my hands. “I” did eventually become “we” and had a terrific helper, which made life easier.

But now we had money to move CATALYST out of the house, buy a couple more computers, hire more help, expand the magazine and tide it over during future financial rough spots.

Salt Lake City, a place you never got to visit, is saluting you right now, Mom and Dad!

Yes, it’s time.

It’s also time for the entity known as CATALYST to leap—into the arms of Jenn Blum and her organization, Minduct. Jenn has the skills to take CATALYST to the next level of the digital-only world. Jenn has been a board member of Common Good Press (our nonprofit umbrella). You may know her from her work in the community with Green Urban Lunchbox, Foothill Cultural District, the Sugar House Farmers

I grew up attending a Catholic school and understood the meaning of “vocation.” The nuns gave their lives to God. I gave mine to CATALYST. I’m certain I had a lot more fun than the nuns did.

Over the past 38 years, CATALYST has made my life rich beyond measure. I feel proud that it has also enlivened our community.

Now, we think at least in part because of CATALYST, women can be massage therapists without having to register with the vice-squad each year. We have more than four yoga instructors in town. Homeopathic

*. *. *

A few years later, my parents were dead. But here’s another irony: If it weren’t for them, CATALYST would not exist today.

Mose Belanger began at the Kimberly Clark paper mill in Neenah, Wisconsin in 1926, when he was 17. He was a machine tender when he retired in 1973, earning $17,000/year. Intelligent and hardworking, he invented ways to improve efficiency on the job, for which he received shares of stock.

On the side, he built houses and, later, taught guitar and mandolin, which he had played all his life.

My mother, Cecilia, who’d left school at age 16 to help support the seven younger children in her family, was a financial wiz. “You

I was almost 30 when CATALYST began. Next year I turn 70. As of this issue I’m hanging up my boss hat and taking a leap into the unknown. I never thought I would retire. But this year has made me more practical.

Life without CATALYST, my constant companion? Can this be?

I received confirmation in the form of a cosmic joke when I opened my computer this morning: “Your system has run out of application memory,” the screen declared.

Market and the Mini-Maker Faire.

With Jenn orchestrating the future, I feel assured that CATALYST continues in good hands. Transition begins this month. You can reach her at Hello@catalystmagazine.net or Jenn@catalystmagazine.net.

Some of us will continue our involvement, now as community volunteers.

John, Polly and and I will join the Common Good Press board.

doctors aren’t arrested. Meditation is no longer “woo.” And backyard chickens are legal everywhere! We also were part of the lawsuit that got the liquor laws changed in 2001.

I’m curious to see what my life’s next adventure might be. And excited to see where Jenn and Minduct will take CATALYST. Please cheer her on and enjoy what evolves.

With love and gratitude, Greta Greta Belanger deJong (Greta@catalystmagazine.net) was editor and publisher of CATALYST, 1982 -2020. Contact Jenn Blum at Jenn@catalystmagazine.net or Hello@catalystmagazine.net.

My personal thanks...

There isn’t enough space to list all the people I want to thank.

First, my columnists: My prizes.

What would CATALYST be without them? You’ve connected with them month after month for years.

James Loomis (Garden Like a Boss) is the newbie, at five years; Dennis Hinkamp (Slightly Off Center), Suzanne Wagner (Metaphors for the Month), Charlotte Bell (Yoga) and Amy Brunvand (EnviroNews) all clock in at double-digits, along with Ralfee Finn (Aguarium Age, in the Weekly Reader). Ashley Miller (covering air quality issues) and Alice Toler have been dependable bylines in CATALYST, as well as Emily Spacek, an intern with stellar writing skills, whom we hired afterward. Todd Mangum, MD’s series on the chakras is an alltime reader favorite.

Other frequent past contributors: Steve Bhaerman (aka Swami Beyondananda), Jerry Rapier, Valerie Litchfield, Adele Flail, Erin Geesaman, Carl Rabke, Scott Abbott, Sam Rushforth, Melissa Bond, Kim Duffy, Kristen Rogers, Bruce Plenk, Jeff Metcalf, Pam Poulson, Pamela Olson, Marlin Stum, Genevieve Rowles, Jeff Rice, Kay Denton, Art Goodtimes, Lloyd Siegendorf, Andy Monaco, Rocky Anderson, Lisa Romney, Jerry Rapier and Smokey Koelsch.

Also thanks to the highly skilled photographers of yesteryear: Sean Graff, Francois Camoin, John Kiddie and Sallie Shatz.

In a special category is Jim French, whose labors and enthusiam have kept the Clean Air Solu-

tions Fair going, and who is an inspiration to us all.

Former board members Naomi Silverstone, Paula Evershed, Gary Evershed and Barry Scholl deserve a special callout for their

tireless devotion to CATALYST through the years, along with board presidents Valerie Holt and Lauren Singer Katz. Thank you to all our board members!

Thanks to my brothers in the local publishing world: longtime friends John Saltas of City Weekly and Dave Iltis of Cycling Utah, who were always there for me.

A profound thanks to my actual brother, Jerome (Jd) Belanger, 14 years my senior, who got me started in this business by hiring me straight out of college to work at his magazine, Countryside.

Then, how to thank the 38 years’ of coworkers? A few shining lights, in roughly chronological order: 1980s: Victoria Fugit, Lezlee Spilsbury and Lucy Powell, cofounders. Without the vision and drive of these women, CATALYST would not exist. Michaela Condit: We were quite a team. She made

the show run smoothly (and introduced me to John deJong). Barb Betthauser not only laid out the mag but drew all the illustrations!

1990s: Barry Scholl wrote stories, edited, and put up with shenanigans from us women. He later became a lawyer and helped CATALYST become the nonprofit Common Good Press. Diane Fouts was our proofreader-turned-copy editor. I learned a lot from her.

Diane Olson began as office manager and became an award-winning writer. (See her story, this issue.) Mandy Jeppsen, office goddess, kept us sane. Other office goddesses of note: Marian Nash and Amy Bonney.

1990s-2000s sales reps: Jane Laird, Andrea Malouf, Lisa Yoder, Rebecca Hunt, Eve Montanaro, Marla Dee, Chris Pinkston, Emily Millheim, Mike Cowley and Liz B a r b a n o proudly represented CATALYST to the community and helped pay the bills.

2010s: The smartest righthand helpers anyone could have: Carol Koleman, then Lori Mertz, then Anna Zumwalt kept the show (and me) running in what had, once again, become a tiny office.

Interns who became staff: Sarah O’Leary, Christina Nelson and Daidre Miller in the ‘90s.

2000s: We hired former interns Addie and Emma Ryder to do production. Katherine Pioli began as a writing intern. Continuing to write, she became our assistant editor. (See her story, this issue.)

Anna Albertsen was another

shining intern we hired, as well as Katie Rogers.

Carolynn Bottino is our ace bookkeeper, who I thank almost every day.

Pax Rasmussen has been a valuable stalwort over the last 16 years. He began as a writer and became the can-do office god, eventually graduating to assistant editor and techmeister. Most recently he was the executive director of our nonprofit.

Sophie Silverstone, my highly talented stepdaughter, joining us in 2013, has made a place for CATALYST in the digital world as community outreach director, paving the way for the future. (See her story, this issue.)

John deJong, our production manager and associate publisher, has shared my vision since 1988 and kept the faith when I faltered.

We depart CATALYST together.

Also departing, and last but not least: Polly Plummer Mottonen, our art director, with whom I share a brain. Hers is the better half, by far. We’ve been best friends since the day she was born. (She is my niece.) Hiring her 27 years ago was the best decision I ever made.

We’ve each spent more than half our lives on this continuing creation. Here’s to having cocreated something wonderful together!

(See her story, this issue.) ◆ —GBdJ The goal of our Donorbox campaign, running through December, is to cover expenses for this final print issue; to provide basic funding for the online CATALYST 2.0; and to pay down a $50,000 loan for which Greta is personally responsible. CATALYST has been free to the public since 1983. If enough people thank us for our efforts with a contribution equal to their enthusiasm and means, Gret can enjoy her retirement without needing to find another job too soon.

Visit donorbox.org/ catalystfinalissue

24 Early Winter 2020

I

CATALYSTMAGAZINE.NET

n 1992 when my years working in the adventure travel world came to a close, my Aunt Greta hired me to help CATALYST with ad sales and collections.

A few months into my new job, mid-production, our art director left. How would we get to press?

I remember it like it was yesterday. In those days, at this stage of production, large, cardstock flats were everywhere. The wonderful scent from the hot waxer filled the air, Exacto knives and spools of graphic tapes were strewn across the light table. Rows of mostly empty coffee cups and take-out boxes piled up near fancy china saucers with bits of chocolate, nuts and exotic looking ginseng bottles.

Making stained glass windows was my avocation; I had design skills. I stepped in to help and, with a couple quick Quark lessons, became the new graphic designer/ art director. Twenty-eight years later I’m putting the finishing touches on our last issue.

The most important part of my job has been finding or creating our beautiful cover art. Although you have seen 400 of them, there have been many, many more. Each month, the cover is selected from a number of contenders which, because I lay them all out, are, to me, every bit the covers as the ones you’ve seen...thousands of them.

Each cover has its back story.

Four years ago I asked Stan Clawson to create an image of the Oval Office the way it would look if a woman were in charge. With obviously misplaced confidence, we went to press before election day.

This is probably now a collector’s item. (Note the little Bernie bird on the window sill.)

I have always felt proud to be part of Greta’s vision and humbled to be the more mechanical half of our shared brain. Decades of work in the company of Utah’s artistic, academic and progressive vanguard have led me to expect excellence. The good life one can create when surrounded by rich talent and bold living has made my life in Utah beautiful.

Thanks to CATALYST, I also found my sweet husband on a blind date arranged by our then assistant editor, Barry Scholl. Our boys, Miles and Max, “grew up CATALYST” as they call it. It has been very good.

The time has come to put down the computer

ART DIRECTOR’S FAREWELL 1992-2020 Polly Plummer Mottonen and take up my stained glass tools again. As my friend and mentor Pilar Pobil told me once, “You must do your art every day!” and so I shall. My life’s joy has been working with my amazing Aunt Greta all these years. Now we can play. ◆

There was a glamourous era when we were big and shiny. Those covers looked amazing! Small and earthy for a time and smaller still in the last of it, but always, the way the art welcomed readers to each month’s offerings was our calling card. Thank you to our wonderful cover artists. We could not have been CATALYST without you.

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26 CATALYSTMAGAZINE.NET

Early Winter 2020

Community radio DJ Sohrab Mafi hopes to elevate human consciousness through music

T

he door to the former bank vault is slightly ajar. In the adjoining, lowceilinged room, Sohrab Mafi stands below a pair of light-box pictures of bright blue skies partly clouded, struggling to explain irfan, a nuanced mystical concept. We’re in the basement home of his printing business in downtown Salt Lake City. It’s called Zion Printing, but not because the building was formerly a Zions Bank. Upstairs, dozens of printing machines sit quiet, while down here, a time-worn teddy bear rests alone on a nearby couch. Mafi is dressed in a creaseless black button-up shirt and spotless white slacks. He’s 59 years old, with silver hedgehog hair. As he speaks, his soft voice, with its pleasing Persian lilt, resonates the strings of a Chinese zither and the array of very large and very expensive chimes above it.

Mafi is neither a percussionist nor a zitherist. He is, in fact, not a musician at all. He’s a radio DJ, a player of other people’s songs. As a show host on KRCL for the past 30 years, he has performed an intricately arranged set of tracks designed, as he says, to create a spiritual environment conducive to altered states of personal experience.

Behind the vault door lies Mafi’s own spiritual environment.

The vault has been converted into a shrine to music. A native of Iran and an ardent member of the Bahá’í Faith, Mafi has an all-consuming, almost religious

BY BENJAMIN BOMBARD passion for a mostly ambient, often trance-like, rhythm-driven genre of music commonly referred to as new-age.

“I hate to call it that,” he says, “but….”

The room is painted a ruby red that under most circumstances would feel assaulting, like blood flowing around an elevator’s doors, but somehow, inside the vault, the color is soothing.

The walls to either side of the door are lined, floor nearly to ceiling, with CDs. They’re loosely organized with red labels: Turkish/inf., Karunesh, Nat.Amer., S. Micus, Peruvian/Andes, Kitaro, and more. A pair of high-end studio monitors flank a cyclopic flat-screen TV on

this sanctuary, composing a threehour set-list for Ethnosphere, his radio program that airs Sunday nights, 7p.m. till 10 p.m.,on KRCL 90.9fm.

At the moment, the studio is suffused with a flowing ambient soundscape composed by Robert Carty, a local electronic musician, and Mafi is demonstrating how he preps for a show by laying out a grid of CDs on the production station’s desktop. One of those CDs remains constant: Jon Anderson’s Change We Must, the title song of which headlines Ethnosphere every week.

Mafi wields music the way most people wield words. It’s his purest form

Thirteen year-old Sohrab Mafi at his childhood homein Tehran, Iran.

the wall opposite the door. Mafi takes his seat in the room’s central cortex, an audio production station comprising three computer screens, two turntables and six Denon CD players. As a strip of LED lights on the floor fluctuates through the spectrum, Mafi will spend four to six hours ensconced in

of personal expression, the language he’s most comfortable speaking. So, when Jon Anderson boldly sings, “Change we must, to live again,” he’s singing what Mafi feels to be true and wants his listeners to understand. “It means that every moment until I die, I should be ready to accept new things

and learn new things and change my point of view for the better.”

I ask him what happens when we die.

He responds, with a dash of delight in his voice, by way of a story. Several years ago, he was working the printing presses late one night. To pass the time, he started counting his blessings, giving thanks for a steady income, for meaningful work. And he wanted to send gratitude to his mother, who died of cancer in 2008.

“I wanted to do this action,” he says, putting his fingers to his lips to blow a kiss. “And in that instant, which seemed to last much longer than that, the motion changed, and you don’t need to send it out: She’s right here.” He says his fingers never left his lips, as if this world and the next were one and the same.

Mafi has given a lot of thought to what lies on the other side of this life.

Like most organized religions, Bahá’ísm is deeply concerned with the afterlife, and it teaches that, when you die, however you die, your soul can go to heaven—which is not a place, but a closeness to God—or to hell—where God is very far away. Mafi believes that a lot of “beautiful inspirations” come from the afterlife, where, he says, “wonderful melodies continue to play.”

Throughout adulthood, he has suffered a series of major depressive episodes, and they’ve pushed him so close to the end of this life that he could hear whispers of those melodies.

When it first happened, he was in his mid-20s, and he turned to intensely emotional and moody Japanese shakuhachi and Indian bansuri flute music for the same reasons that somebody with more mainstream music tastes might have turned to “Everybody Hurts” by R.E.M. or Townes Van Zandt’s “Waiting Around to Die”: Sometimes when you’re down, you just want to listen to music that’ll keep you there.

Mafi has done a lot of personal work to understand what was going on inside himself at the time. He says it didn’t have anything to do with a chemical imbalance. It was his spirit that was out of whack. It craved to be expressed more fully, and that put his life off kilter. “Y’know,” he says, “like the Philip Glass album, Koyaanisqtasi: Life Out of Balance. Learning to bring life

into balance is very important.”

Years later, Mafi had grown out his white beard, and his white hair was long and flowing. He was finally embracing his Bahá’í faith and Persian roots, and his outer look reflected his inner self. But when customers would enter his downtown Salt Lake City print

power had bent another well-meaning and productive individual into a shape more to its liking. And although Mafi’s outer appearance may have changed, who he was inside had not. He remained deeply committed to his faith.

He continued to quote Bahá’í scripture and ran his business according to a

As a show host on KRCL for the past 30 years, Sohrab Mafi has performed an intricately arranged set of tracks designed, as he says, to create a spiritual environment conducive to altered states of personal experience. His current program, Ethnosphere, airs Sundays, 7pm till 10pm. shop and look around for the person running the show, they’d see a guy dressed more like a Middle Eastern guru—which he is not—than an American business owner—which he is—and look right past him. Honoring his inner self was costing him business.

Again, he fell into a deep depression.

There’s a picture of him online at this point in his life. It’s the image that, before meeting him in person, I had in mind for years when I heard him on the radio. In the photo, he looks, if not happy, at least content. But Mafi sees something different in that image. He sees a look of sadness. Once again, his life was out of balance. This time, he was forced to find equilibrium between his heart and how it was received by the world.

So, he cleaned up. Cut his hair.

Shaved his beard. It’s hard not to find this a little sad, to not lament the fact that the world of men and money and

teaching passed down from the faith’s founder, Bahá’u’lláh, which is printed and displayed prominently at his shop: “Work performed in the spirit of service is a form of worship.”

Mafi is by nature a meticulous person to the verge of a perfectionism that he seems to be constantly pulling himself back from. He still recalls a fingerprint left on the edge of a dinner plate by a waiter serving him at a restaurant 45 years ago. That kind of laser-focused attention serves him well as the owner of a lucrative printing business, where each dollar depends on many details, and he curates his radio show with the same fastidiousness. Every second of his three-hour slot is neatly accounted for. The music is timed in perfect rhythm with his noticeably infrequent interstitial dialogue. When he does speak on-air, he

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28 CATALYSTMAGAZINE.NET

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does not prattle on or posture or ham it up like a lot of DJs. His delivery is laconic and whisper-thin.

Soothing. It’s the voice of a yoga teacher gently nudging you out of savasana to tell you the artist and the name of that 15-minute song that nearly lulled you to sleep.

Mafi has euphemistically referred to his program as a showcase for “music that is non-threatening to the ear.” That’s not to say, however, that it is non-challenging or homogeneous. On his show, droney and effervescent atmospherics perfect for the reception room of a holistic spa can share a sonic canvas with haunting minorkey folk music, eclectic pop-rock, Japanese choral chants, classical minimalism, the soundtrack to Blade Runner, or a synth track by pioneering electronic musician Jean-Michel Jarre, one of Mafi’s favorite musicians and one that has followed him around the globe.

When he was 13 years old, Mafi, the youngest of four children, left his home and family in Tehran and, with his mother’s blessing, moved to India. He couldn’t wait to share his ardent belief in Bahá’í, its message of world peace and belief in ecumenical harmony, with the uninitiated.

While Bahá’ís don’t actively proselytize, they do believe in pioneering new territory untouched by the faith and attracting converts to a religion as young as Mormonism by virtue of their piety and uprightness.

But Mafi was just a boy. For the most part, he was alone, and music, he says, was his closest companion. He listened over and over again to the handful of tapes he’d packed from home: recordings by Giorgio “The Father of Disco” Moroder and Greek composer Vangelis, as well as Jarre’s groundbreaking early electronica album Oxygène.

He spent four years in India, and along the way he lost his beloved Jarre album. After moving to the U.S. in 1979 to stay with family in Dallas, he came to Utah on vacation and fell in love with the place. Salt Lake City reminded him of Tehran, of home.

He moved to Utah two years later to study engineering at Utah State University. One day, walking through the hallways of the Union Building, he heard music coming from the movie theatre. It was Jarre. It was the album he had lost.

Jarre’s album had been repurposed as the soundtrack to the film Gallipoli. And although he heard the music echoing through the halls of the Union Building, he wasn’t interested in the film.

All he wanted was the music.

A man of deep principles, Mafi has developed some tenets for how to listen to music, the golden rule of which is, Don’t label it. Don’t compromise your personal experience by over-familiarizing yourself with the artist, the album art, or even the name of a song. That explains why Mafi

Continued:

MUSIC

One of the stations will be a 24-7-365 Ethnosphere channel. It would take a team of Sohrab Mafis to curate that much music with the same assiduity that he brings to his radio show week in and week out, so for the most part the music will be automated. Mafi will, however, DJ his station for a handful of hours a day, and he’ll share three hours of that programming for broadcast on KRCL in his regularly scheduled Sunday night slot.

The other station, called RadioIrfan, will feature exclusively Persian music. In essence, irfan, as Mafi struggled to explain at the beginning of our story, is gnosis: the true, spiritual, deepin-the-core-or-yourinner-self experience and knowledge of the divine nature of human existence. It is knowing who and most importantly why you are.

The idea for the streaming radio stations sprung from benthal despair. In the benighted trench of his most recent depressive episode, Mafi thought very seriously about ending his life, and he wondered what he would find if he followed through with it. He consulted the Bahá’í teachings on suicide, and learned that the Ultimate Reality—what other religions refer to as God—would judge his soul mercifully. And he came to believe that there would be music. music on this side of the door to the afterlife, and music on the other side.

In the end, as he told me, he arrived at “a sense of maturity that came from of the depths of sorrow. I learned that, look, music is going to be there. If you want to live, live for something else.

Don’t live for that.”

The streaming stations are Mafi’s way of living for something else while also living a life of his own. He can’t escape the fact that music is his life.

It’s how he worships. In that way, the radio stations are Mafi’s way of worshipping through work in service to others, of inspiring, as he puts it, “altered states of personal experience” in people around the world and “changing their present moment through music.” ◆

Safi’s forthcoming 24/7/365 Ethnosphere online streaming radio station will air content similar to his KRCL Sunday night radio show. RadioIrfan, his other channel, will be all-Persian. back-IDs the songs on his radio show so infrequently; why he posts his set lists on his Facebook page only after the show is over; why he’s never seen Chariots of Fire or Eyes Wide Shut or nearly any other film associated with the soundtracks he plays on his show, and he plays a lot of them; and why he’s never once mentioned onair the erotically charged title of a particular album by the sitarist Al Gromer Khan.

Mafi’s worry about unduly influencing his and his listeners’ perceptions of the music may be a reaction to the common prejudices against newage music as being fluffy, anodyne, culturally appropriative, faux-spiritual, and fancifully ornamental. In a word, woo. Vangelis himself once said that new-age music "gave the opportunity for untalented people to make very boring music." If you want people to open their minds and ears to music tied down by such heavy cultural baggage, it makes sense to cut the strings.

Mafi has spent half his life in the printing business, and all that while, playing music has been a side gig. But he’s ready to change that. It’s time once more to rebalance his life, to align his path in greater accord with his spirit. He’s done well for himself financially throughout the years. But without a wife and children to share his prosperity with, he wants to put it to use for the benefit of the wider public.

In the very near future, he plans to shutter his print shop and invest his time, money and efforts into a pair of free-to-the-listening-public online streaming radio stations. In place of commercials, Mafi says there will be snippets of wisdom cherrypicked from a variety of faith traditions.

Benjamin Bombard is a writer, a public radio producer and, he says, a proponent of turbulent weather.

MEET OUR COMMUNITY SUPPORTERS

A check-in with Dave Card of Dave’s Health & Nutrition

D

BY SOPHIE SILVERSTONE

ave Card of Dave’s Health and Nutri- Still, word of mouth is no match for the billions tion is a man of many interests. of dollars giant drug companies spend on marFlanked by walls full of books and keting their medications. According to the rocks, Dave peers over his glasses at Campaign for Sustainable RX Pricing and Globme from his “man cave” early one No- alData, just the top 10 U.S.-based drug makers vember morning via Zoom, and happily tells spent $47 billion on marketing and advertising me about his various passions including rock in a year. The average American spends $1,200 per year out-of-pocket on prehunting/collecting, herbs, nutrition, scription drugs. and homeopathy—a medical sysDave is not opposed to medtem based on the belief that the ications, but believes in our body can cure itself. natural ability to stay healthy Originally from Alberta, Canada, without having to resort to Dave holds a bachelor’s degree in medications. psychology and is a certified nutriSince Covid hit, Dave has tionist, homeopath and master started to get a feel for what’s herbalist. He has published several happening to people who’ve books and opened stores dedihad the virus and how it can cated to health and wellness. drag on. He’s been recommendDave remembers that, at first, Dave when he opened ing various natural options to property managers were reluctant to his first store in 1995 help the body bounce back lease space to an alternative health store, considering it a short-lived type of busi- more quickly. “But we’re still in the thick of it. ness. Nonetheless, in 1995 the first Dave’s It’s so frustrating,” says Dave.

Dave is currently working on a fourth book.

Health and Nutrition opened its doors. This He hopes to continue contributing to people’s year it celebrated its 25th anniversary.

Dave spends most of his time as a wellness health through increasing access to information—his books and blogs— via counselor in his stores, giving onetechnology. on-one advice to customers. In “That’s the passion—to be concert with his book, Seven Symable to change people’s lives in bols of Healing Body, Mind, Spirit a positive, gentle, safe, noninva(DMT Publishing, 2005) Dave sive way,” says Dave. He tells me guides people to specific herbs about a woman who had nearly and supplements to help with lost her sight from a serious health goals such as better digesconcussion in a car accident. tion, weight loss, skin issues and With the use of a homeopathic hormonal problems. remedy, she got her vision back.

The Western medical commuIt sounds like magic, I say. nity was a lot more hostile to natuDave today “Sometimes it feels that way,” says ral healing when Dave’s first opened, but things are changing, says Dave. “In the last Dave. He also notes the tendency among peofew years, more doctors and practitioners are ple to discredit natural healing as unscientific.

In his calm, studious manner, cultivated a lot more open,” says Dave who, in turn, respects the value of Western medicine. If clients through 40 years of working one-on-one with come in unsure of a potentially serious condi- people and their health, he boils it down to tion, for example, Dave will direct them to the this: “You can change your life by doing really simple things.” ◆ medical establishment for testing first.

Dave can’t make official claims about the ef- Dave Card’s 15-minute wellness counselor sessions are fectiveness of his remedies. However, when a in-person or over the phone. First session is $10. All futeenager who has been sick with mono for ture sessions are $20. Salt Lake: 880 E 3900 S, 801-268months is able to return to school because of 3000; West Jordan: 1817 W 9000 S, 801-446-0499. her work with Dave word of mouth makes for Daveshealth.com effective referrals.

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30 CATALYSTMAGAZINE.NET

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GARDEN LIKE A BOSS

Your brain on gardening Nature’s way of boosting those feel-good chemicals

BY JAMES LOOMIS

James Loomis inspired CATALYST’S art director, Polly Mottonen, to create her brain-space garden 2020. A real boss move.

Though the problems of the world are increasingly complex, the solutions remain embarrassingly simple. ― Bill Mollison, co-founder of the permaculture movement

T

here has been no better teacher during my time as a human on planet Earth than the garden. To be fully immersed, connected and involved with the secret world of creation has been nothing short of mystical magic. Indeed, it’s a magic that can be described with science; which, like the Dalai Lama, I believe are one and the same.

I believe that spending time in the garden literally bestows the keys to happiness and serves as a catalyst to heal self and society, and to reverse the ravaging of the planet that modern civilization has caused.

I am an urban farmer by trade. My craft also serves as a vehicle for agricultural therapy.

Working with plants, spending time outside, and eating well have provided measurable boosts to the physical and mental health of dozens of individuals who have participated in the program that I run. We call this “mojo restoration,” and the secret of our success can be summed up in the acronym NOURISH. I came upon this concept while watching a TED Talk from Jolene Park, a functional nutri-

tionist and wellness coach. NOURISH is a simple collection of techniques that are proven to release and replenish the “feel good” chemicals in the brain. These neurotransmitters are responsible for feelings of pleasure, satisfaction and reduced anxiety.

The first neurotransmitter that contributes to good mental health is gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA for short. GABA does a number of tasks in the brain, such as motor control, but also serves to regulate anxiety. The second is dopamine, a neurotransmitter that regulates mood and muscle movement, and is crucial in the brain’s pleasure and reward systems. The third is serotonin, a vital chemical responsible for regulating emotion, mood, and overall feelings of happiness.

NOURISH concisely sums up what many of us gardeners experience without ever stopping to name what’s happening. Time in the garden provides tangible mental health benefits by releasing and replenishing the three neurotrans-

Spread some mulch, pull some weeds, turn your compost; it’s easy to be active while gardening.

mitters that regulate our mood. These chemicals are of critical importance in maintaining positive mental health. If you or someone you know suffers from depression, lack of purpose, or other mental health issues, please invite them to spend some time in the garden!

Now, perhaps more than ever, is a time for healing. I’m talking about doing the serious and difficult work of repairing our relationships with the planet, each other, and our selves.

Healing is easier when coupled with happiness, and the recipe for happiness is below.

N= Notice nature Research has shown that being surrounded by nature, whether immersed in a forest or pruning tomatoes in the garden, provides a measurable boost in the brain of dopamine, serotonin and GABA, the “feel good” chemicals.

Hospital patients who have a window where they can see even a single tree recover faster and request less pain medication than patients who do not. It takes only 20 minutes of actively enjoying nature to receive the boost!

Spending time in the garden is inherently an immersive and interactive experience in nature. Additionally, having one’s hands in living soil serves to reinforce the microbiome, as certain mood-regulating classes of bacteria that live in a healthy human gut are found, and ac-

quired, in the soil. Go ahead, kiss the earth, it’ll make you smile; and it’s a boss move.

O= Observe the breath There is no medication on the market that can boost the calm response in the brain. This is the opposite mental state of the stressful “fight or flight” response, and this calm state can be easily activated by breathing deep into the belly. When the breath is regulated, neurotransmitters in the brain are regulated. Stop, take a deep breath; notice how it makes you feel.

Taking time to breathe deeply, observing the breath, is a powerful tool. Spending time in the garden or outdoors naturally slows and deepens the breath. The garden operates at a different speed than the blitzkrieg pace of American life. Tune into the garden, tune out the world, and slow your pace and your breath for a moment. Compost your stress and transform it into chillaxation. Boss move.

U= Unite with others “The research is solid. Close social bonds, community, and connection have a direct impact on our nervous system,” says Jolene Park.

When it comes to healing the divide that’s

Time in the garden provides tangible mental health benefits by releasing and replenishing the three neurotransmitters that regulate our mood. been consciously crafted by political forces, there are few tools more powerful than sharing fresh produce from your garden. No matter the political persuasion or how radically different another person seems to me, I’ve always been able to find common ground talking about food or flowers. And right now, what the world needs is for you to connect with others in an authentic and meaningful way, even if they don’t agree with you politically. This is good for society, and great for your mental health.

R= Replenish with food When you eat protein, whether animal or vegetable, it breaks down into amino acids.

These serve as the building blocks to

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dopamine, serotonin and GABA. Healthy fats, especially Omega-3’s, also contain the raw materials for the creation and proper function of your neurotransmitters. When you eat carbohydrates, give preference to those found in vegetables, especially dark leafy greens, which contain B vitamins. B vitamins are involved in the synthesis of serotonin, dopamine and GABA. In the garden, you are literally growing the vitamins and minerals to help replenish your neurotransmitters. (You also need a bit of complete protein, which provides the amino acid building blocks). The fresher the produce, the more nutrients they contain. And when grown organically in living soil, this produce also serves to reinforce a healthy microbiome. A healthy microbiome is the key to a robust immune system and stellar physical and mental health. Ferment some of that harvest, and you’re really taking this thing to the next level.

Boss move.

I= initiate movement Moving the body stimulates good mental health by boosting neurotransmitters, particularly GABA. Playing in the garden is nothing

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“The greatest change we need to make is from consumption to production, even if on a small scale, in our own gardens. If only 10% of us do this, there is enough for everyone. Hence the futility of revolutionaries who have no gardens, who depend on the very system they attack, and who produce words and bullets, not food and shelter.”

— Bill Mollison, co-founder of the permaculture movement

Continued:

NOURISH

minates into a seedling and then grows to maturity is literally participating in creation. Cutting flowers and arranging them is participating in the creation of art. Even planning a planting calendar and planting map during the cold winter months is a creative exercise.

“Dopamine loves the creative flow,” says Jolene Park. “By engaging with the flow of creation, one not only feels the pleasurable glow of dopamine, one boosts its production as well, leading to lasting satisfaction.”

Fellow and future Boss Gardeners, I hope these words serve to help you. I hope my many columns from over the years will serve as a resource and inspiration to keep you growing.

There is a revolution at hand, and I am dedicated to working as a creator, not a consumer.

Until we read again, may your body be healthy, your soil wealthy, and may your cup only overflow when you are outdoors. ◆ James Loomis is a full-time urban farmer, educator and keeper of the Old Cherry Orchard (aka OchO), a permaculture farm. He lives in Salt Lake City.

short of a cross between yoga and Crossfit!

Bending, squatting, stretching and lifting are the tricks of the trade, and this movement provides an important tool for wellness. Spread some mulch, pull some weeds, turn your compost; it’s easy to be active while gardening. I find it hilarious that so many people spend money on a gym membership to simulate work, when one could do the same actions and actually accomplish something.

ment to reflect and observe the garden, we give our mind and body a chance to take a peaceful pause from the chaos and pressure of the world we live in today. This also gives the mind an opportunity to replenish GABA, serotonin and dopamine. Whether watching pollinators visit flowers or meditating on what next year’s garden will look like, taking a moment to rest and clear the mind is a simple and powerful tool.

S= Sit in stillness

H = Harness your creativity

While the garden is full of action, it’s also a great place to sit and be still. By taking a mo-

Planting and nurturing a garden is an inherently creative action. Planting a seed that ger-

I’ve been a faithful reader of CATALYST Magazine for over 20 years, which is also the same number of years I’ve considered myself a “serious” gardener. It has been an honor to have been writing this column for the last five of those years. The entire CATALYST team have become some of my favorite people on the planet. Thank you, Greta and the rest of the staff, for the opportunity to grow, to connect with so many readers, and for all I’ve learned while writing this column.

—James Loomis

LOVE NOTES: Continued I joined CATALYST as an intern in 2019. I had just graduated college and moved t o SLC without any real roots here in the community. Greta, John, Sophie and the rest of you all welcomed me with open arms and CATALYST became my home. Now, I know that CATALYST is more than a magazine. Through the disruption of this 2020 year, we have been reminded of the impermanence of many of the structures we once relied upon as constants. Simultaneously, we're grappling with some very terrible "isms" that work to divide and exclude community healing and care. As a magazine, CATALYST may be impermanent, but as an "ism"—a good one—it will live on through each of us and continue to spark the creative energy and spiritual nourishment needed to move forward. Thank you, CATALYST staff and community, for the opportunity to engage not only in an excellent magazine, but in an ongoing movement.

Thank you for the perspective, the wisdom, the inspiration and the love.”—Emily Spacek, staff

ALYST on the stand. It softened my landing as a non-white change agent moving to Salt Lake City in 2001, served as supporting reminder during the dozen years I lived there that I was surrounded by other engaged caring locals and now, when I now pass through town, a heartening welcome to see the consistent steady growth

of the creative community. Looking forward to hearing about your next set of adventures and what form your activism takes next.—Sam Reddy I have enjoyed so much reading, thumbing thru, or just looking at the wonderful CATALYST for the Continued on page 35

Greta and team, I miss living next door to you!

Thanks for being the most wonderful neighbor and community member of Salt Lake. —Evan Melquist, one of several delightful “neighbor boys” I have so much love for CATALYST and everyone involved in it! Thank you for not only your years of service to our community, but for the tremendous impact you have all had on my life personally. Greta, you are a wonder and everyone in your life is very lucky to know you! Thank you!—Emily Marie Millheim, former CATALYST staff Greta, congratulations on your retirement and achievement in printing your 400th edition!

Thank you for your persistence, community organizing, and leadership. I will miss seeing CAT-

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MEMORIES & REFLECTIONS

A writer’s home

T

he story of how I became a writer starts with Greta deJong and the first time I walked through the door of a big pink house and into her editor’s office.

But before I start there I should explain that, when I graduated from college with a bachelor’s in English literature I left the school with a diploma and a 50-page senior thesis, an exploration of English as a language of colonization viewed through the works of two Native American poets. It was a document that I had worked on for seven months and which was, I felt, one of my greatest achievements as a writer and thinker to that point in my life. I did not want that thesis to be my last great writing achievement; I wanted my writing life to continue.

But there was one problem: The job I’d been able to land after graduation was with a trail crew for the US Forest Service. Digging trails and hauling heavy tools was clearly in my future. I did not know if writing would be.

The process of extracting story from every day life; the shaping of words, the digging deep into questions, revealing truths; the thrill of seeing one’s name in print. There are so many reasons to write. All of them appealed to me. And, for a long time, I thought that my

BY KATHERINE PIOLI dream was unique. But years spent at CATALYST—first as an intern, then staff writer and finally assistant editor—side-by-side at a table with Greta or cozied up on a sofa with story printouts in my hand, taught me otherwise.

So many of us want to tell stories. For every person who is too nervous to send their story to an editor, there are a dozen who are bold enough to try.

College students, retirees, therapists, doctors, librarians, gardeners, yoga instructors, stay-at-home moms, there is no type when it comes to a person who dreams of writing and, over the last 15 year I have seen all of these eager writers fill Greta’s inbox with ideas. Dutifully she considers them all without prejudice—sometimes she would pass the pitches on to me when the load became too great, trusting my Gladiator’s thumb, up or down.

One thing I learned from Greta, in the course of all this sifting and weighing, was that, at CATALYST, pedigree didn’t matter. Greta never asked where the writer had been previously published—an obstacle set in place by many publications—or where they had gone to school. Greta only wanted to know one thing: is this a “CATALYST” story?

And so we published articles that may have not found life anywhere else, at least not with the same approach, about raccoon poop, traumatic brain injury, riding the public bus; about passive solar houses, how to weatherize a swamp cooler, how to catch a fish; about breast implants, yoga poses, music festivals, mushrooms; about clean energy and dirty air and Bears Ears.

Greta and CATALYST came to my attention some time shortly after returning home from college, thanks to two friends of mine from high school. The friends, red-headed twins who had run both the school yearbook and the newspaper our senior year (I ran the literary magazine), had interned at CATALYST and had subsequently been hired. Eventually, they left CATALYST, but not without stories to tell of late nights scrambling to get the paper in order to

send off in time to the printer. It sounded, to me, like the Wild West of print writing: chaotic, intense, perfect. They said they would mention my name to Greta.

Within a week, with the help of my friends, I had arranged a meeting with the editor herself.

It was a big event, on par with a job interview.

I was nervous. The morning of the meeting I put on a nice outfit. I printed out an essay from my college writing. I may have even brought along a resumé. I showed up at the office right on time, knocked on the door. Waited.

A spritely woman answered. Her blond and silver hair sprung around her face in bright ringlets. Her blue eyes sparkled. Her smile was warm and welcoming. She was wearing a furry zebra-striped, zipup adult pajama onesie.

Greta invited me in.

That day we talked and talked. She wanted to know everything about me. What had I done in school? Where was I working? What was I reading? What was I interested in?

I left at the end of our conversation with two story assignments. One became a personal essay about the year I submitted to the task of eating only with chopsticks—a practice in mindfulness. To this day, that is the only story I’ve ever had published that was picked up and re-published—by a New York City magazine.

Beginner’s luck.

It’s been nearly 15 years since that first meeting when Greta, dressed in her zebra-striped jammies, took me, a young aspiring writer, in and let me follow my dream, nurtured that piece of myself which, but for CATALYST, would not exist today. And I have seen that happen over and over again, for so many people. One need not be a capital “w” writer to fit into the pages of this magazine. CATALYST launches people’s words, their ideas, their stories, whether they are experts in their field or simply people with a passion, And our readers, our community, are better for it.

It’s easy to have a story. It’s hard to find someone who wants to read it and help you tell it better, let alone publish it. I got lucky. I hope there will always be a home like CATALYST. There will surely continue to be young writers who need it. ◆ In addition to having been one of the CATALYST crew since 2007, Katherine Pioli teaches middle school at the Salt Lake Arts Academy.

LOVE NOTES: Continued from page 33 last 20 years!! I’m so sad!!

Thank you so much for the years of wonderful magazine!!— Sondra Pickering “Love you all!”—Jesse Walker, who DJed many a CATALYST party Congratulations Greta and John, forever bound to all those who witnessed the 2017 solar eclipse together, up at Eversheds’ ranch. Thanks for all the chakra adjustments over these many years.—Cliff Butter Awwwww, c'mon....can't imagine my life here since my move in the mid-80's without CATALYST. ...my community.—Dee Downing Love CATALYST, love Greta and all of you! Wishing you all the very best!—Gwen Crist Thanks Gret, John, Sophia and the whole crew of many years. Missing you already.—Willy Littig Oh my! That is big news! Bittersweet for sure... and a new chapter begins...—Kindra Fehr, former columnist

Thanks to CATALYST for giving me a foot in the door of meaningful journalism. I will always be so grateful for this magazine!!—Avrey Evans, former intern Wow!!! Thank you Greta for all your hard work and amazing insight. Utah is a better place because if your efforts. Dang, though.— Scotty Soltronic Congratulations on your 38-year run at CATALYST. I can’t imagine all of the twists and turns you navigated throughout the years and how much joy and excitement you brought into your community! As a dedicated reader for 15 years, I can say you have enriched my own life with so many stories and learning opportunities. Thank you.— Lexi Kaili Thanks for making CATALYST a thing. It reminds me of late nights at coffeeshops with friends, and all of the best things about Salt Lake. I'll miss flipping through the paper copy, but look forward to seeing

where CATALYST goes next. Hope retirement treats you well!—Mairin Rose Buckley So proud of all that you have accomplished and so honored to be your friend and part of your support. Wishing you so much joy and abundance as you step into what is next. —Carolynn Bottino, All the Details Bookkeeping Greta, thank you for putting out this incredible magazine that I have enjoyed for so many years! I will truly miss seeing it in print… I still love print, and we will miss your spirit behind it! I know it’s been left in good hands and it’s time to go digital. The content has been so full of light and love, informative, sometimes uncomfortable to read and always a treasure in my life! —Laurie Bray Dearest Catalyst, What you have meant to me: The reassurance that I am not alone.

That other people in Utah care about what I care about.

That learning new things is not only possible each day, but that someone has taken the time to lay

out a directory, a direction, a map for where to find, literally, the honey in these here hills.

That complacency is my enemy and that people are waving their arms in my face to say: Go forth and be helpful. Every month in Catalyst I'm reminded of what people are doing; I'm catalyzed.

That words matter, and proofreading matters. That reading and books and theatre and music still matter.

That the community, which seemed small and valiant when I moved here 28 years ago, is now large and valiant and much more diverse.

That everywhere I look, I've been taught to see: that the Great Salt Lake is truly Great. That pollution is in no way an abstract, distant danger to my health. That trees are large and valiant and diverse. That CATALYST will, every month, find yet another way to open up for me this landscape of life and love and danger that is Utah.—Dorothee Kocks ◆ Thanks to all who share fond memories of CATALYST, and especially to those who have shared them with us.

36 CATALYSTMAGAZINE.NET

Early Winter 2020

YOGA

Four decades of yoga in Salt Lake City Reflections on the history and changing landscape

BY CHARLOTTE BELL

I

n January of 1982 I decided—out of curiosity—to try a yoga class. In a pink-carpeted room in the back of the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas, I experienced my first postasana high.

to-do list was to find a yoga teacher. I did what you did back in those days when you wanted to find pretty much any sort of community class: I found the nearest natural foods store— Nature’s Way on 9th and 9th—and scanned their bulletin board. Sure enough, I found a black & white typewritten flyer on bright gold paper. I tore off a number and called as soon as I returned home.

The teachers, Olivia Mason and David Riley, were a married couple, a physical therapist and a doctor respectively. They taught Iyengar-style yoga at the First Unitarian Church. Iyengar-style yoga is a meticulous, alignment-based practice,

Back in the 1980s, yoga classes took place in community spaces— church social halls, the YWCA, school classrooms—where you’d come early to shove the desks and chairs out of the way to make room.

My first 90 minutes of gentle poses, including a generous guided relaxation left me feeling clearer and quieter than I’d ever felt. I knew I’d found a home in hatha yoga.

Six months later when I moved to Salt Lake City, one of the first items on my

and far more active than the flow-and-glow classes I was used to. I loved learning from Olivia and David, with their deep understanding of anatomy and alignment.

I assisted in their classes for almost four years, and when they moved to Santa Fe, they left me their classes, which I shared with two other teachers. I taught at the Unitarian Church for the next 25 years before moving to a local dojo in 2011. In 2013, I teamed up with some of Salt Lake’s most experienced teachers to open Mindful Yoga Collective.

Olivia and David often brought senior Iyengar teachers to town for workshops. At these workshops, I not only learned a ton in relatively intimate settings—back then 30 students was considered to be a huge class—I also got to meet the Salt Lake yoga community. Most of Salt Lake’s half dozen or so teachers would gather at these workshops. Here, I met Gennie Coleman, Lin Ostler, Roz Newmark, Claudia Pierson, Lance Daniels, Susan Ann Stauffer and Jay Jones.

Just about everyone had studied with Gennie, an Iyengar-based teacher who retired a few years ago from teaching after more than 45 years. Gennie initiated the U of U’s first yoga program and taught at the Jewish Community Center. Lin Ostler is close behind in longevity, with more than 40 years of teaching under her belt. As far back as 1978, the animated dancer/ teacher/photographer Roz Newmark was holding community ed classes at Cottonwood High. She also still teaches, now on Zoom, due to COVID. Back in the 1980s, yoga classes took place in community spaces such as church social halls, the YWCA and school classrooms, where you’d have to come early to shove the desks and chairs out of the way to make room. If you wanted to use props, you had to haul them around in your car.

Speaking of props, Hugger Mugger Yoga Products, an international manufacturer of yoga products, was founded in Salt Lake in 1986 by Sara Chambers, a student of Olivia and David’s. I actually own the first pair of shorts that started the company. While the teaching spaces were far less suited to yoga than today’s studios, the classes were intimate and humble, and the small community of teachers was friendly, cohesive and mutually supportive.

In the early 1990s, Salt Lake got its first yoga studio. Danielle Lin and her then partner, a Kundalini teacher, opened the Yoga Center in Holladay. Complete with shag carpeting and a stage, the studio evolved through at least three owners, and several yoga styles, before closing.

Kundalini yoga has been alive and well in SLC since the late 1970s. At one point there was an ashram on South Temple. Meherban Kaur, Mahan Singh and the late Deva Kaur were among the early teachers. These days, Guruprasad Singh; his wife, Guruprasad Kaur; and Karta Purkh Singh (aka Steven Valdeen, who began teaching in the 1980s) continue to teach Kundalini classes and trainings in the SLC area.

In 1996 Iyengar student Dean Campbell opened Yoga Central in the Canyon Rim neighborhood. That space became Mudita Yoga until last spring when the studio moved to Holladay.

Soma Studio, founded by Peter Francyk, opened in the early 2000s, flourished for years,

and closed more than a decade ago. Francyk now teaches in New Mexico and India.

In 2001 Jay Jones, formerly a certified Iyengar teacher, opened the highly successful Bikram studio in Sugar House. Jones sold the studio to Becky and Greg Airhart in 2010, and is currently teaching there once a week. She also leads an Iyengar-based practice once a week.

D’ana Baptiste originally founded a studio in Alpine (now Lifted Life Yoga Center, managed by Linda Black).

She opened her popular Centered City Yoga in the 9th & 9th area in 2003. Originally focused on Baptiste Power Yoga, the studio expanded to include many different styles of yoga. She sold the space in 2017 and currently spends winters in Mexico, where she continues to lead yoga retreats.

In addition to some of the above-mentioned teachers and studios, several teachers and organizations continue to offer yoga teacher trainings. These include Denise Druce (Yoga Assets), InBody Yoga Academy and Salt Lake Community College. Some of these courses continue in person, while others are online.

So many studios have come and gone. These include Flow Yoga (which became 21st Yoga), Kula Yoga, Prana Yoga and Zen Living Yoga in Sugar House. Many of these studios focused on particular styles of yoga—Bikram, Power, Prana Flow, Vinyasa Flow, Anusara, etc.—that have been formulated, and in many cases copyrighted, by modern teachers since the yoga boom of the 21st century began.

In the early 2000s, Yael Calhoun formed GreenTREE Yoga, a nonprofit dedicated to sharing yoga with underserved populations such as caregivers, VA members, immigrants and elementary school children. Still going, they also offer trauma-sensitive yoga trainings.

Back in the 1980s and 1990s, I knew pretty much every teacher in town. These days, with hundreds of teachers being certified at studios each year, I would be hard-pressed to identify 5% of the teachers here.

(The proliferation of new teachers and venues makes it impossible for me to list everyone in this article.)

Charlotte Bell - Roz Newmark

The yoga landscape has changed drastically since March of 2020. 21st Yoga, founded by Lucy Dillon, was one of the first studios to close due to COVID. Teachers who anchored 21st Yoga include Scott Moore, Kim Dastrup and John Cottrell, who are all currently teaching online.

We closed Mindful Yoga Collective in September. A survey of students and teachers showed that none of us were comfortable meeting in person. There was just too much uncertainty as to when it will be safe. Given the recent record-breaking surges, we feel we made the right choice for our community.

MYC teachers are now offering classes on Zoom. While it’s not the same, many of my students enjoy the opportunity to roll out of bed, and then roll out their mats for my early morning classes. It’s been fun to welcome former students who moved out of state back into my classes as well. Online classes make it possible to maintain these connections.

Several studios continue to offer in-person classes. These include Mudita Yoga; Avenues Yoga; Integrated School of Yoga; Wasatch Ayurveda and Yoga. The nationally branded studios, Bikram College of Yoga and the Corepower locations, are among those still offering studio classes.

Yoga is now firmly entrenched in the mainstream. Its mainstreaming has certainly faded the weird, hocuspocus reputation that made it a challenge to promote in the old days. Western yoga has become known as a healthy exercise program, with an ancient, Eastern flavor.

While more people are discovering the practice due to its mainstreaming, discarding the spiritual aspects of yoga, as many yoga styles have, comes with a downside. I wonder whether we as a culture are selling ourselves short. The physical practice is only a small part of the system. In my opinion, the juiciest parts of yoga come as you begin to explore the rest of the vast system. However, it takes time to find your way into the more profound aspects of yoga, and many people find the physical practice to be satisfying enough.

No matter what, the yoga landscape is bound to change.

COVID has mainstreamed online classes, and while many people prefer to meet in person, others have come to appreciate the online experience. I suspect that once we’re all able to meet in person again, online classes will continue as well. I look forward to watching the evolution. ◆ Charlotte Bell has been practicing yoga since 1982. She is the author of several yoga-related books including, most recently, Hip Healthy Asana, and founder of Mindful Yoga Collective.

CharlotteBellYoga.com/

38 CATALYSTMAGAZINE.NET

Early Winter 2020

MEMORIES & REFLECTIONS Diane Olson, former CATALYST staffer and contributing writer (1994-2020)

I

think I can write,” I said. I had been working at CATALYST for some time as the office manager. “Ok,” Greta replied, and gave me an assignment on the spot.

Granted, it was a small assignment. But I made the most of it.

I was in my 30s and had neither a degree nor experience. What I did have was a compulsion to write, boundless curiosity, and an untapped passion for social justice. And for the next 10 years, from 1994 to 2004, I awoke every morning with the absolute certainty that I was doing exactly what I was meant to do in this life.

Small assignments quickly grew to larger ones. My first decade working at Catalyst was dominated by big, complex investigations into what the Army was doing—and had been doing—at Dugway Proving Grounds and Tooele Army Depot. The nerve gas incinerator it was building; the biological lab that was being promoted as a Level 3 but being built as a Level 4 facility; the open-air testing of both biological and nerve agents; and the resulting hot zones of cancer and multiple sclerosis in Tooele County.

It was surreal to suddenly be the investigative journalist I’d always dreamed of being.

Whistleblowers were knocking on CATALYST’s door, activist groups were filing lawsuits, and the military was tapping our phones and following us in clichéd dark sedans. Seriously. It

BY DIANE OLSON was scary and exhilarating, and absurd.

Then there was MagCorp (now US Magnesium) with its infamous green cloud of chlorine and sulfuric acid, the weirdly corrupt fertilizer industry, and the dangerous, ugly, fallingdown Bennett Paint building, which the Bennett family (Senators Wallace and Bob) claimed not to own. (They did.)

But I didn’t just write about environment issues; I wrote about anything and everything that caught my or Greta’s fancy. interviewed I shamans, scientists, lawyers, doctors, politicians, activists, artists and writers. I hung out with turkey vultures, bookbears, sellers, nudists, and Buddhists. I did crazy things and had crazy things done to me. I also wrote about deeply personal experiences, like being in chronic pain and going through treatment for breast cancer.

Oh, and I was also the columnist known as Madam X. It was wildly fun and freeing to journalistically explore the territory where sex and science meet under a nom de plume.

Then there were the thousands of hours I spent researching, observing and writing about the natural world for my “Urban Almanac” column. For 19 years I found utter joy in its creation. Writing it turned me into a hardcore organic gardener and an obsessive voyeur of backyard wildlife.

(Oh, the things I can tell you about bug sex.)

Also, thanks to “Urban Almanac,” my wildest dream came true—I became a book author. A Nature Lover’s Almanac: Kinky Bugs, Stealthy Critters, Prosperous Plants and Celestial Wonders, il-

lustrated by biologist/writer/artist Adele Flail and published by Gibbs Smith, is a beautiful, friendly little book and seeing it at local libraries never fails to make me grin ear to ear.

And for the record, my articles about pheromone cologne and toxoplasmosis were the most fun I’ve ever had as a writer. I laughed a lot while I was writing them.

But when I look back at my 26 years with Catalyst, it isn’t the writing I think about; it’s the experiences.

Flying over the Great Salt Lake in a brine

shrimp spotting plane. Scooping up handfuls of softly buzzing honeybees, searching for rats in Olympus Cove, and—eeekkk!—putting an IV in a bat. Laughing with my favorite author.

Meeting my bird-trainer childhood crush. Touring the biological lab and nerve gas incinerator and learning how to inject myself with atropine. Visiting homeless camps and the homes of people willing to share their stories.

And the crazy staff meetings, fabulous parties, and goofy, giddy late nights pasting up the magazine with Greta, John, Polly and other CATALYST people who became my family.

It was all glorious.

Thank you, Greta, for believing that I could write. It has been a blessing and an honor. ◆ Diane Olson is a former CATALYST staffer and contributing writer (1994-2020).

COMMUNIT Y Early Winter 2020

CATALYSTMAGAZINE.NET

39

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I

’ve been writing columns for 40 years with the Salt Lake Tribune, The Event, the Logan Herald Journal, NEO, Utah Magazine, Network, a bunch of weeklies, long forgotten internet-only publications and, of course, CATALYST Magazine for the past 30-some years.

I don’t remember exactly, but it was long enough ago that I was dropping off floppy disks to the first iteration of the McClelland office. I remember the Dalmatians and I remember what John and Greta were like before I introduced them to Burning Man. In the spirit of nostalgia, I’m tell you how I got here.

Forty years ago, I packed my '78 Honda Civic, rented a too big U-Haul trailer and headed west from Columbia, Missouri to Logan, Utah with my college degrees in the rear-view mirror and a real adult job waiting. I did so without ever seeing the place or ever traveling west of Denver. Even before Zoom, Utah State University was not paying for many fly-in interviews.

Before Google maps, how did we find anything? My route may have been recommended as the shortest and least mountainous. That meant on my way to brochure-beautiful Cache Valley, I churned through hours and hours of central Nebraska and Wyoming.

I spent my first night at the then-University Motel at the mouth of the canyon. It is no longer a motel and I now refer to it as the Tomb of the Unknown Faculty.

I was mainly a city boy, used to the conveniences of streetlights and frequent 24-hour gas stations. Even though a Honda Civic was a high-mileage vehicle, it was overburdened with the trailer. With that and fighting the Wyoming winds and wideopen spaces, I almost ran out of gas a couple times.

There really wasn’t and isn’t much open between Kemmerer and Logan at night. What is now one of my favorite drives between Bear Lake and Logan was pretty terrifying that first time in the dark. Maybe it would have been more terrifying

SLIGHTLY OFF CENTER

MO-UT

41

How this Missourian came to Utah and why he stayed

BY DENNIS HINKAMP driving by those cliffs for the first time in daylight. Either way, I fully expected there’d be at least some streetlights, one gas station or fast food stop in those last 50 miles.

Well, there wasn’t and there still isn’t, but I was a young and dumb Missourian.

Maybe memory is

just embellishing this, but I’m pretty sure I saw a dozen deer and a large owl in the road. Anyway, I coasted in with a quart of gas to spare and spent my first night at the then-University Motel at the mouth of the canyon. It is no longer a motel and I now refer to it as the Tomb of the Unknown Faculty.

The last 35 years have been peachy. The first five

were the pits. Longtimers will recall that the winter of 1980 featured almost zero snow and almost 100% inversion. Then came 1983 and the great flood that closed Sardine Canyon. I had major knee surgery in 1984 that ended my short fascination with cross country ski racing and precluded me running any more marathons, which was part of my identity. Therapy and soul searching ensued.

It would be an easy joke to say I stayed the next 35 years out of boredom and indecision. But I stayed here for 40 years the same way most people do: one year at a time, one relationship, one mortgage, one paycheck, one more brilliant summer, one more demoralizing winter, one more spring that gives you amnesia about the winter. And as you age, you just become more grateful for one more anything.

I’m a lifelong cynic and can't say I have loved every minute; but I have loved probably 57 seconds of every minute of these 40 years, which ain't bad. ◆ Dennis Hinkamp thanks everyone for the memories, even though he will continue making and writing about them in the new online CATALYST.

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PSYCHOTHERAPY & PERSONAL GROWTH

Continued from page 46

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801.231.5916. 1399 S. 700 E., Ste. 15, SLC. Feeling out of sorts? Tell your story in a safe, non-judgmental environment. Over 21 years specializing in recovery from covert narcissistic abuse, depression, anxiety, life-transitions, anger management, relationships and “middle-aged crazy.” Most insurances, sliding scale and medication management referrals. If you've been waiting to talk to someone, wait no more.

Healing Pathways Therapy Center 3/21

435.248.2089. 4465 S. 900 E. Ste 150, Millcreek & 1881 N. 1120 W. Provo. Integrated counseling and neurofeedback services for anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship, life adjustment issues. Focusing on clients’ innate capacity to heal and resolve past and current obstacles rather than just cope.

Modalities include EMDR, Neurofeedback, EFT, Mindfulness, and Feminist/Multicultural. Info@PathwaysUtah.com www.HealingPathwaysTherapy.com

801.524.0560. Theresa Holleran, LCSW & Sean Patrick McPeak, LCSW. Learn yourself. Transform. Depth psychotherapy and transformational services for individuals, relation-ships, groups and communities. www.MountainLotusCounseling.com

Natalie Herndon, PhD, CMHC 7/20

801.657.3330. 9071 S 1300 W, Suite 100, West Jordan. 15+ years experience specializing in Jungian, Analytical, and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. Are you seeking to more deeply understand yourself, your relationships, and why you struggle with certain thoughts and feelings? Call today for an appointment and let's begin. www.HopeCanHelp.net NatalieHerndon@HopeCanHelp.net

Stephen Proskauer, MD, Integrative Psychiatry

4/20 801.631.8426. 76 S. Main St., #6, Moab.

Seasoned psychiatrist, Zen priest and shamanic healer. Sees kids, teens, adults, couples and families, integrating psychotherapy and meditation with judicious use of medication to relieve emotional pain and problem behavior. Specializes in treating identity crises, and bipolar disorders. Sees patients in person in Provo and Moab. Taking phone appointments. sproskauer@comcast.net

SHAMANIC PRACTICE

Sarah Sifers, Ph.D., LCSW 10/20

801.531.8051. ssifers514@aol.com.

Shamanic Counseling. Shamanic Healing, Minister of the Circle of the Sacred Earth.

Mentoring for people called to the Shaman’s Path. Explore health or mental health issues

A LO N G T H E F R E M O N T R I V E R • N E A R C A P I TO L R E E F

A

Cathy Bagley

245 E. Main St., Torrey, Utah 84775 435-425-3200 office 435-691-5424 cell

CATHY@BOULDERMOUNTAINREALTY.COM

LONG THE FREMONT RIVER. 120 acres along Highway 24 and the Fremont River one and a half miles east of Capitol Reef National Park with the appealing combination of desert and river. This land has cottonwood trees, the river, hills and good camping spots. It is the nearest private land to Capitol Reef and is an excellent property to buy and hold. $285,000.

WWW . BOULDERMOUNTAINREALTY . COM FOR PHOTOS

42

&

INFO

43 Early Winter 2020

CATALYSTMAGAZINE.NET

using the ways of the shaman. Sarah’s extensive training includes shamanic extraction healing, soul retrieval healing, psychopomp work for death and dying, shamanic counseling and shamanic divination. Sarah has studied with Celtic, Brazilian, Tuvan, Mongolian, Tibetan and Nepali Shamans.

RETAIL line goes here

APPAREL, GIFTS & TREASURES Blue Boutique 10/20DA

801.487.1807, 1383 S. 2100 E., SLC. Shopping Made Sexy since 1987. www.BlueBoutique.com

Dancing Cranes Imports DA8/20

801.486.1129, 673 E. Simpson Ave., SLC. Jewelry, clothing, incense, ethnic art, pottery, candles, chimes and much more! www.DancingCranesImports.com

Golden Braid Books DA 11/20

801.322.1162, 151 S. 500 E., SLC. A true sanctuary for conscious living in the city.

Offerings include gifts and books to feed mind, body, spirit, soul and heart; luscious

COMMUNITY health care products to refresh and revive; and a Lifestyles department to lift the spirit. www.GoldenBraidBooks.com

Turiya’s Gifts8/20 DA

801.531.7823, 1569 S. 1100 E., SLC. M-F 11a7p, Sat 11a-6p, Sun 12-5p. Turiya’s is a metaphysical gift and crystal store. We have an exquisite array of crystals and minerals, jewelry, drums, sage and sweet grass, angels, fairies, greeting cards and meditation tools. Come in and let us help you create your sanctuary. www.Turiyas.com

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Dave’s Health & Nutrition 7/21

SLC: 801.268.3000, 880 E 3900 S & W Jordan: 801.446.0499, 1817 W 9000 S. We focus on health & holistic living through education, empowerment and highquality products. With supplements, homeopathics, herbs, stones, books and beauty care products, we provide you with the options you need to reach your optimum health. Certified professionals also offer private consultations. www.DavesHealth.com

R E S O U R C E DIREC TORY

SPIRITUAL PRACTICE line goes here

ORGANIZATIONS Utah Eckankar

801.542.8070. 8105 S 700 E, Sandy. Eckankar teaches you to be more aware of your own natural relationship with the Divine Spirit. Many have had spiritual experiences and want to learn more about them and how they can help us in our daily lives. All are welcome. 9/20 www.eckankar-utah.org

INSTRUCTION

Two Arrows Zen Center 3/20DA

801.532.4975, ArtSpace, 230 S. 500 W., #155,

SLC. Two Arrows Zen is a center for Zen study and practice in Utah with two location: SLC & Torrey. The ArtSpace Zendo in SLC offers daily morning meditation and a morning service and evening sit on Thursday. TAZ also offers regular day-long intensives—Day of Zen—and telecourses. www.TwoArrowsZen.org

A big thank-you to the members of the

CATALYST Community Resource Directory

44 CATALYSTMAGAZINE.NET

METAPHORS

Early Winter 2020

December 2020 This month is a reminder that, with due respect to the great sages and teachers, it is up to each of us personally to find our own source and divine connection.

BY SUZANNE WAGNER

Osho Zen Tarot: Creativity, Intensity, The Miser Medicine Cards: Buffalo, Lizard, Spider Mayan Oracle: Language of Light, Etznab Ancient Egyptian Tarot: Queen of Swords, The Hermit, Princess of Cups Aleister Crowley Deck: Princess of Swords Prince of Disks, Power Healing Earth Tarot: Grandfather of Wands, Temperance, Grandmother of Shields Words of Truth: Rebellion, Powerless, Grief

W

e stand at an interdimensional gateway that leads us toward or away from our light body. Sensations are heightened as the vibration of our world quickens. We have all been on a journey to expand our perceptions.

A multitude of symbols present themselves in our world this month. Notice the themes that repeat. When that happens, grab a book on symbolism or go to the internet and look up the deeper meanings. That’s just a beginning; symbols have personal meanings, as well.

Guides and angels are showing us things that align with our previous experiences. Now they want to expand and deepen our perceptive abilities.

There is a doorway to integration and unification. There is a place where love is offered with grace. Together, we stand in that space.

With Etznab, we see that the mirrors of judment and illusion accentuate self-doubt and magnify problems. However, some mirrors provided by others are projections of their own issues.

Truth has an ability to help us stand in the doorway between the duality and the polarity of this world. While the world can feel caught in the distortions of the mind, know that we have inner clarity to help us discover that which is bigger than our own experience.

We are in a powerful time of immense change that is not like anything we have ever witnessed.

All things need to find their flow. Water that is not allowed to move becomes stagnant. To navigate these waters, we must remember that that the game is not about acquiring but about discovering our deepest innermost self.

This month is a reminder that, with due respect to the great sages and teachers, it is up to each of us personally to find our own source and divine connection.

Our personal path is unique and one that must be experienced to be understood. The past many years have been intense for a rea-

son, and that was for the light within us to begin to burn more brightly and engulf us in what is our personal code and gift to this world.

We are here to give our love to the world. We are here to make life our meditation. We are here to dive into the desire realms of humanity and rekindle independent self-reliance and instinctual confidence.

The Hermit card indicates that we are in a time of conscious withdrawal and isolation.

Winter is the perfect time for such contemplative action.

Guidance and foresight come from stillness.

Wisdom comes from recognizing that we each must learn to control the thoughts that come in, especially those that disrupt peace.

We are learning to keep our romantic heart but to support it with a realistic mind that will not be held back by nostalgic idealism.

Expressions of rebellion are based on grief.

Yet the Medicine cards show us that even though we are in the direction of the cold and bitter energy of the north, Buffalo is strong and determined to keep us moving forward through the deep snow and down the mountain toward greener pastures.

The Lizard reminds us to sleep deeply and allow our dreams to formulate a new vision for ourselves and those we love. And the Spider will help us cultivate the skills and proper words to unify the broken web of our nation and allow healing to unfold in the way that allows us to become One Nation again. ◆ NOTE: Suzanne’s visits to Salt Lake City have been canceled till further notice. Connect with her via www.SuzanneWagner.com/

I

send a fond farewell to the Old CATALYST and to the great people who have worked so tirelessly on behalf of a spiritual community that has transformed this state over the last 38 years. We owe a debt of gratitude to Greta deJong and her amazing staff. They have supported a community that is about unification and healing via thoughtful information.

Thank you, Greta, for allowing me to be a part of the Catalyst family. I hope you have a fabulous retirement—one filled with the health and well-being that you so graciously championed for the rest of us.

As CATALYST goes through this change, I hope to see all of you again on the other side as we shift into a new and more modern engagement with this great state of Utah.

I

MEET OUR COMMUNITY SUPPORTERS

The gift of Turiya’s

n the space amidst the spirit, the body and the soul, there is a veil space. The veil space, the fourth state of consciousness or pure consciousness, is the definition of turiya in Eastern traditions. Turiya appears as the top dot in the “OM” symbol. The Western definition of the Sanskrit word turiya is “unspeakable peace” or unity/bliss.

For Jan Jacobsen, co-owner of the Inner Vision Institute and student of intuition, the gifts were given to Jacobsen. Completely sepname aligned deeply with her on many levels. arate from one another, two people in the comShe also wanted to choose a name for her busi- munity, one a former advertising rep for CATALYST, brought Jacobsen new ness that had a prayer in it; a prayer of doves, Angel and Gabriel, who bepeace. came lovebirds. Emi (one of In the early 1990s, Jacobsen Angel and Gabriel’s nearly 70 and a business partner used offspring) lived at the store all the money they had to for 15 years. Turiya’s will create a place where peohave another dove after ple could be together, the pandemic settles study intuition and be redown. minded of the magic that One of Jacobsen’s stuis all around. Jacobsen dents, Kristen Dalzen, reopened up Turyia’s Gifts in members passing the time November 1991 at 1088 at Turiya’s, browsing their South 1100 East selling books, Jan Jacobsen crystals and talking to Jacobsen. jewelry and candles.

“Jan always had these bright loving “It was at a time when few peoeyes, and this presence about her,” says ple even knew the word chakra. People thought we were witches because we were Dalzen, who eventually rented a Reiki space in selling things like rose quartz and incense!” the healing center. Dalzen, who grew up in Provo, found her place in Salt Lake through the says Jacobsen.

For those who knew, though, the name (and Turiya’s community.

In 2003 when Jan lost her lease, Turiya’s the place) was a blessing.

A young man came into the shop one day moved to the current location at 1569 South who had recently returned home from travel- on 1100 East. In 2008, Dalzen and business partner Stephanie Pappas took on the stewarding in India. “I’ve felt so disoriented since being Jan Jan Jacobsen Jacobsen ship of Turiya’s when Jacobsen was ready for a back, having just spent so much time studying the Upanishads. As I was driving by, I shift. Jacobsen is still the crystal buyer and merchandiser for the shop. looked up and saw this “It’s been this beautiful expansion and colword Turiya, and I was laboration,” says Turiya’s current at peace,” Jacobsen reo w n e r, members him telling her.

The gift store and healing center had become a place for many to gather and feel at peace. The white dove, Jennie Bird, who lived at the shop for many years, became a symbol of Turiya’s.

Along with a symbol of peace, Jennie Bird also tells a story of grief and new life.

Jennie Bird died in 2001, around the same time of grieving the deaths of 2,977 people from bombing of the Twin Towers and the Pentagon.

During that time, when the space for grief seemed bigger to so many, some very serendipitous

Turiya’s is open again and has a second location

BY SOPHIE SILVERSTONE Dalzen. In October she opened a second location, Turiya’s Gallery, in the building formerly occupied by Charley Hafen Jewelry on 900 East at 1400 South.

In a year like 2020, the feeling of abundance might feel in short supply; not so at Turiya’s Gifts on 1100 East (which just reopened for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic) and Turiya’s Gallery. Turiya’s Gallery, with its tall ceilings and elegant array of larger crystals, stones, statues and artwork interspersed with orchids and rose petals, is a space to go fill yourself with joy and wonder.

Even though my budget does not yet allow most of the offerings at Turiya’s Gallery, going there reminded me that in order to manifest the riches and beautifully adorned inner and outer life of my dreams, surrounding myself with the feeling of abundance is a good first step. I did, however, take home two small stones from their opening day: red jasper for a sense of calm, and moss agate for bravery and new beginnings. Each cost me $4.

The Turiya’s saying, “Come home to yourself,” takes on a deeper meaning in this new location. It’s like coming home to that sacred space in yourself, maybe a place you’ve forgotten, that is abundant with love, warmth and safety.

“I just hope that we come out of the other side of this pandemic and get to be together,” says Dalzen, who envisions the new gallery space as a place to gather, when the time is right.

CATALYST has shared 30 of its almost 40 years with Turiya’s.

“There was nothing here when CATALYST began,” reminisced Dalzen, “And now it’s amazi n g how fertile, diverse and abundant it is—the shops, the practitioners, the gatherings. What’s happened in Salt Lake, and in Utah at large, is a result of these places of connection.” ◆

Kristen Dalzen

Turiya’s Gifts, 1569 S 1100 E. (801) 531-7823. Turiya’s Gallery, 1409 S 900 E. By appointment only. (801) 9068621. Covid precautions: Only four customers in the store at a time.

46

CATALYSTMAGAZINE.NET

URBAN ALMANAC

Early Winter 2020

Early Winter 2020 COMPILED BY GRETA DEJONG

see when they bloom, you can tell by the shape of the "leaves" (technically, it is all stem). The Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata) has pointed, clawshaped projections on the edges.

Leaf projections of the Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesti) are more scalloped or teardropshaped. The Easter cactus (Schlumbergera gaertneri) has rounded edges. The plants enjoy bright but indirect sunlight. Let soil dry to an inch below the surface before watering—don't overwater! I've heard they do the best when root bound. Some are reportedly over 100 years old, having been handed down from generation to generation.

7 Need a new cutting board?

Consider bamboo. Technically a grass, it's less porous than hardwoods, resists knife scratches, and is an environmentally sustain-

able resource. Clean it (or any other wood cutting board) as needed with a paste of baking soda, salt and water.

1 Average temps today: high 43º, low 28º. Sunrise: 7:32am. Sunset: 5:00pm.

2 Planting outdoors in December in Utah? Yes! The seeds of many pollinator-friendly flowers actually perform best if strewn about now (that's all—no digging); choose a day with no snow on the ground.

For details, see James Loomis' column in the Autumn CATALYST (online at CatalystMagazine.net).

3 Cauliflower is at its best in cool weather. A simple soup: five shallots, 10 garlic cloves, two heads of cauliflower, four cups milk of your choice, three cups water, a fourth cup butter, salt and pepper to taste. Melt butter in a large pot.

Cook shallots for five minutes, add garlic, and five minutes later add

cauliflower; cook till slightly caramelized. Add everything else and cook till cauliflower is tender (15-20 minutes). Puree; taste and adjust seasonings.

4 Storey's Curious Compendium of Useful and Obscure Skills: 214 Things You Can Actually Learn How to Do may be the perfect gift for a DIYer you know. Learn how to predict weather by the clouds, make a medicinal honey, rewire a table lamp, test the freshness of an egg and much more. The part on how

to milk a goat was written by my big brother, founder of Countryside Magazine, Jd Belanger.

5 Snowfall will be near normal this winter in the Intermountain region, according to The Old Farmer's Almanac, with precipitation slightly below normal. Winter will be a bit milder than normal, with cold periods in early to midDecember, late January and late February.

6 I recently acquired two large and lovely "Christmas cacti.” Actually, they appear to be Thanksgiving cacti.

Besides waiting to

8 Curious how brainless slime molds both learn and teach?

That's one of thousands of questions answered in Asknature.org, a free online tool from the Biomimicry Institute. A field day (or lifetime) for nature nerds, and fun for everyone.

9 Nasal fresh,

mucus, when traps dust, pathogens and more from reaching your lungs. But dried out mucus, aka boogers, are annoying. Especially in this no-no nose-picking time of Covid, now may be the time to use a neti pot. Choose distilled or filtered water. If using tap water, boil and cool it first.

10 If we lived on Mars, what would our calendar look like? The Martian day is about the same length as Earth days. But a Martian year equals roughly two Earth years.

And no correlation can be made

with our Moon-based months at all: Mars has two moons, with orbits of seven and 30 hours.

11 Looking for an any-age art activity? Orizomegami, the Japanese art of folding and dyeing paper, is sort of like tie-dye origami. Make your own gift-wrapping paper! Instructions are all over the internet.

12 All of Santa's reindeer, including Rudolph, are females. How we know: Males drop their antlers in November, while females keep theirs through the winter until their calves are born in May.

rise in the east and set in the west.

18 “In the U.S., we consume twice as many material goods as we did 50 years ago. Over the same period, the size of the average American home has nearly tripled, and today that average home contains about 300,000 items. Home organization is now an $8 billion industry. Still, one of 10 households

link unless you are prepared (I was not) to disappear down a rabbit hole. Nostalgia Machine is a time machine for music from 1951 to 2015. How far back do your memories go? I recognized tunes to more than half the Billboard hits from the year I turned one. That’s one benefit of having older siblings. TheNostalgiaMachine.com/

13 Geminids Meteor Shower, running annually December 7-17, peaks tonight. Considered by many to be the best shower in the heavens, up to 120 multicolored meteors are visible per hour. The nearly new Moon will ensure dark skies for what should be an excellent show.

14 Practice random acts of interest. Writer and futurist Richard Watson suggests we randomly pick up books and magazines and strike up conversations with strangers to break our information consumption routines and expose ourselves to new viewpoints.

15 Most of us grew up "knowing" that Clement C. Moore authored "A Visit From St. Nicholas" (aka "Twas the Night Before Christmas").

However, many scholars now believe Henry Livingston, Jr. is the author. It's a wonderful poem, whatever its provenance.

16 Jupiter and Saturn are edging nearer to each other. Go outside just after sunset and look to the southwest. On December 21, the planets will be at their closest since 1623—about one-tenth of a degree apart. That's about a fifth of our Moon's diameter—only 432 miles! Weather allowing, it should be spectacular.

17 On Earth, the Sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Similarly, the Moon, stars and planets also

rents off-site storage.” —Joshua Becker, The More of Less.

19 NEW MOON @ 9:18am. The first of Great Salt Lake Audubon Society's annual Christmas bird counts happens today. greatsaltlakeaudubon.org/ 20 The often-repeated NASA story about houseplants as air cleaners is so out of context that it’s silly (yes, we’ve repeated that one, too). But houseplants do decrease the incidence of dry skin, colds, sore throats and dry coughs, according to studies at the Agricultural University of Norway. That’s in addition to all their other aes- thetic and soul-lifting benefits!

21 Don't miss the Great Conjunction tonight (see 12/16). Winter solstice begins today, with the Sun at its lowest in the sky all year.

22 Today is the shortest day of the year—nine hours and 15 minutes long. Spring Equinox is only 88 days away!

23 WARNING—Do not visit this

24 The breathtakingly colorful Cathedral of the Madeleine, under the patronage of St. Mary Magdalene in downtown Salt Lake City, is live streaming midnight mass tonight (we hope). Details at utcotm.org/ 25 Quiet Christmas? Now's as good a day as any to begin a nature notebook. Record the moon phases. On a walk, look for abandoned bird nests, animal tracks, seed pods and tree bark. Take pictures, and bring something home to sketch. Study frost. Set up a bird feeder and record what happens.

Winter's a great time to learn your trees. I highly recommend A Life in Hand: Creating the Illuminated Journal, by Hannah Hinchman (Peregrine Smith, 1991)—out of print but available online.

26 Even though we're not concluding this year with a pile of ticket stubs, group photos and other mementos, there still were milestones and memories.

Take today to recall and record, month by month, your experience of this "unprecedented" year.

27 “Let us give thanks for unknown

blessings already on the way.” — a Quaker mealtime blessing. From The Whole Heaven Catalog, by Marcia and Jack Kelly.

28 CATALYST founder/editor, Greta deJong, celebrates her birthday for the first time in many years not fretting about a CATALYST press date. Also, the website Radio Garden presents you with a spinnable globe of the Earth covered with 8,000 green dots that represent radio stations. Rotate the globe, click a dot and you are suddenly listening to live radio in that part of the world. Right now I’m listening to Radio Parole d' Animaux in Montgeron, France.

Radio.garden/ 29 FULL MOON @ 8:30pm, known by early Native Americans as the Full Cold Moon. Full moons always arise at sunset and set at sunrise.

New moons always arise near sunrise and set at sunset. Moonrise occurs about 50 minutes later each day.

30 Cozy nights call for candlelight. Consider beeswax over petroleum-based paraffin. Beeswax candles release a subtle honey aroma and are easier on the air.

(Keep the wick trimmed to 1/8-1/4 inch.) You can find them at Salt Lake City’s Winter Market (Saturdays, 10a-2p, The Gateway. Two hours of free parking; north garage is closest.)

31 Average temps today: high 35º, low 23º. Sunrise: 7:51am. Sunset: 5:10pm. ◆ Thanks to Diane Olson, who began this column many years ago, and birthed a book from it (A Nature Lover's Almanac: Kinky Bugs, Stealthy Critters, Prosperous Plants & Celestial Wonders, illustrated by Adele Flail) and to art director Polly Mottonen, whose layouts made it so inviting. Thanks to Anna Zumwalt, who contributed in recent years. Researching “Almanac” each month has been hugely time-consuming and utterly worthwhile. I hope you have enjoyed reading it as much as we have loved writing it.

— Greta deJong

Onward! Thanks to CATAL TALYST’s supporters this his past year! (and all the years...)

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Barb Guy Stacy Hafer Octavia Haines Merry Harrison Ghulam Hasnain Lisa Hazel Michael Heinz Jim Hickman Maya Myozen oz Hill Laurie H Hilyer i Hirschi Julie H ir Pam & Richar hard d Holman Va er Holt Valerie Teresa Holtr Ter Holtry Aly Hopkins Alya ns Kerrii Hopkins H Karen Horne Hor Julie Howellll Karen Hoza Kir Huffaker Kirk Leslie Hugo Hu Bi Hunt Bill Ken Hu K Hunt Tera Ter ra Hunter ter Tom Hun Tom H ter K Kacy Huston H st Zane ne Hutton n David d Iltis I Albert Imesch me T Tiffany Ivins-S s-Spence Artt Ja James Carmela la Javellanaa Jo Jonny Jemm ming Carlie lie Jimenez Erin John hnson Boulder Mountain ou Guest est Ranch (Ronald Johnson) Ran Julie Jone ones L Kaili Lexi Patie ience Kanda Lo Lotsa, Inc nc. (Barry ( Katz) Lauren n Singer Katz Ka Eva Kauffman K Jo ocelyn Kearl Leslie lie & Joyce Kelen Brendaa Kell D Diane Kelly lly Talia lia Keys Rach chel el Kincaid Phylisss & Richard ar Kirk irk R Rusty Kirk rkpaattrickk Su ubhash Kithan nyy Willliam & Carol Komlos ml C Carol Ko oleman ema Karlaa K Knoo noop Jonathan Jo ha Krausert Krausert Beth hK Krensk nsky Marllena Mar na Lamber Lamb t Ann Larsen rsen Suzanne Larson Kari Larson Jerry & Elise Lazar Debbie Leaman Jon Lear Margi Lebold

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Jam mes Paull Todd P Todd Paulsmeyer a r Pe Meredith h Peebles Amy Penecharr Maria Perkins Cole Perschon Meike Pe Meike Peters Chris Peterson n Bo Bonnie & Denis Phillips hillips Sondra Pickering icke Barbara Pioli Katherine Pioli Michael Place P Bruce Plenk P k David d Powell El Powelson Taylor & Ellis Maura Powers ers A Alastair Prescott Luxly xly Preston Christop pher B Quan K Kate Randall all Jerryy Rapier Peggy Rasba Ra and Marci a ci Rasmussen sen R Robert Rasmussen mu en Sam Reddy dy Mark ark Rese esetarits Jo ordan an Rettig tti Vitaliz alize (Ange (Angelaa Rhinehart) Jeff eff Ricce e Bill Rice Bi R ce Nini ini Rich Ev Ric Eve ickles--Y Young Aubrey Riggan Aubre Chris Riggle D Deborah Robertson Maria Robinson Katie Rogers Dana Rogers Erin Rogers g Janet Romano Jennifer Rouse Teriesa Runyan Ter Emma Ryder Press Backers (John & Pete Saltas) Keri Sanders Deborah Sax Kate Schockmel Andrew Schoenberg Richard Schoepp Richards Brandt Miller Nelson (Barry Scholl) Sherie Scott Deeda Seed Anthony Segura Alyssa Sheehan Helene Sill David Silverstone Naomi Silverstone Sophie Silverstone Marilyn Simon Shannon Simonelli SLC Co. SB Impact Grant SLC Corp. ACE Grant

SL Co. ZAP Grant SBA Grant Pilar Pobil Smith Poonam Soni Susan & Larry Sousa Su Emily ly Spacek Sarah Spacek pac Loi Spiegell Lois Kamii SSt John David Stan anley ey George Steed M Stella Matt Kim mberly SSte tevenss Marrgo Stev Stevens ns Kalleigh gh Stockk S oner G ye Sto Gaye ner Mich ichele Straube St aube Suzanne Su anne SStu turrn Valerie SSwa waner Tim T im Ta Tate Marth Ma tha Taylor Jim mT Taylor LLana Taylor Tesoro Nancy Tessman Kathie Theall Susan Thomas Kate Thomas Debora Threedy Paul Tinker Alice & Trent Toler Toler Patty Trela Claire Turner UCAIR James Ure Kathy Van Dame Jonny Vasic Raymond Vismantas Emily Voll Jesse Walker Rebecca Wallace Phil Wannamaker Janet Warburton Lianna Warden Angela Warner Paula Webster Bonnie & Paul Weiss Thomas Welch Elizabeth Weldon Catherine Weller Monica Whalen Samantha Wheelock Vicki Williams Dana Williamson Mindy Wilson Mary Wintzer Judith Wofsy Lucas Wright-Moore Karen Y Yaates Zeidner Family Fund Sherry Zemlick Bonnie & Jim Zinanti Patrick Zwick Ursala Zwick UTA