EDITORIAL (Continued from page 5)
we are now, due to this pandemic, conducting most of our social and interpersonal interactions on a screen. We’re existing in a universe where we can “unfriend,” “block,” or simply “mute” one another with the swipe of a finger. So, there’s not even the possibility of sitting across the table and hashing things out. No need to even hear the pesky opinions of the ignoramuses who disagree with us. Just “unfriend” them. “Block” them. “Mute” them. It’s so much easier than engaging. In college I majored in history. One of the figures I found particularly intriguing was a man named Henry Clay, a statesman who represented Kentucky in both the House and in the Senate. Over his long career Clay served as the Speaker of the House, the Secretary of State, and unsuccessfully ran for the office of President five times. Nevertheless, Clay had a lengthy and storied political career, running each of the major political parties at the time, including the Whig Party. Clay is referred to in history as “The Great Compromiser,” because he was responsible for several major compromises between the Northern and the Southern states over the issue of slavery that likely helped delay the Civil War by 40 years. Clay inherited slaves himself but freed them as he gained both power and empathy. (Of little comfort, I suspect, to those enslaved for 40 more years.) Clay also negotiated the treaty with Britain that ended the War of 1812 and negotiated the Missouri Compromise. Whatever you think of his politics, at his core Clay was a nationalist, devoted to the economic development and political integration of the United States. And Clay was unsurpassed in the art of bringing people together to talk, often in the interest of moderation and most importantly, moving things forward (like the end of slavery) while avoiding war. And certainly, these were not easy conversations. I look around at our country and our local community and the daunting challenges we face. And I look at all the deep divisions and digging in over the many possible paths to an uncertain future. And I wonder, where is our Henry Clay, our Great Compromiser? Is that no longer even possible? Have we lost the great art of compromise? Or perhaps, as my daughter insists, that is no longer a thing? •MJ
Laughing Matters
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id you hear the one about the farmer? He was outstanding in his field.
Send us your best joke, we’ll decide if it’s funny. We can only print what we can print, so don’t blame us. Please send “jokes” to letters@montecitojournal.net
MONTECITO JOURNAL’S VISUAL ARTS CONTEST:
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his time we have decided to do something a little different. We have received many photographs and other artistic reflections on the time of corona. So, this week we ask that you submit a piece of visual art that captures a moment of this moment: a photograph, a drawing, a picture or a painting, or anything else visual image fit to print. We can’t wait to see what we get.
Send your image by Sunday, May 24 to: letters@montecitojournal.net. We will publish the winning image and award the winning artist with a $125 gift certificate to a local restaurant of our choice for take-out food.
32 MONTECITO JOURNAL
Spirituality Matters by Steven Libowitz “Spirituality Matters” highlights two or three Santa Barbara area spiritual gatherings. Unusual themes and events with that something extra, especially newer ones looking for a boost in attendance, receive special attention. For consideration for inclusion in this column, email slibowitz@yahoo.com.
Santa Barbara Yoga Fest Feeds your Soul… and the Hungry
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njoy a full day of yoga with a wide swath of Santa Barbara County yoga teachers from Carpinteria to Santa Maria – including many of your favorites and lots of chances to practice with someone new – in a special participatory benefit to raise money for the Santa Barbara County Foodbank, whose goal is “moving the community from hunger to health.” The classes are offered on a donation basis – just $25 gets you admission into any or all of the sessions – with 100% of the proceeds going to the Foodbank, which has put forth an extraordinary effort to make sure everyone in the community is taken care of at this time of unprecedented need. All of Santa Barbara’s major yoga studios – Santa Barbara Yoga Center, Yoga Soup, and Divinitree – are joined by a handful of other more specialized ones in participating in offering simultaneous half-hour yoga sessions from 9 am to 5 pm on Sunday, May 17. Each studio is conducting their own registration and producing a schedule of events, with the total sessions numbering just shy of 60. Included are all variations of the practices, including Yin Yoga with Live Guitar, meditation, sound immersions, glow yoga, kids’ classes, Baptiste power yoga, acro yoga, and even aerials. Santa Barbara Yoga Center, which is hosting the undertaking, has created a full schedule of events at www.santabarbarayogacenter.com/ sb-yoga-fest-2020, which also features links for each of the studio’s offerings, or visit the event page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ events/670648956851030.
Soul Lift Cacao
Nick Meador, a Bay Area-based transformational life coach, holistic event producer, and mindful entrepreneur, is familiar to local seekers through his participatory workshops at the Lucidity Festival at Live Oak Campground each spring. Meador is also the founder of Soul Lift Cacao, which markets organic ceremonial cacao – the natural, unprocessed form of chocolate grown in tropical regions around the world – sourced from family farms and collectives in Guatemala, and he also conducts regular cacao ceremonies. While today cacao is considered a superfood, ancient civilizations
“They say marriages are made in Heaven. But so is thunder and lightning.” – Clint Eastwood
used cacao for introspective and celebratory purposes, calling it the “Food of the Gods” and even trading it like currency. This mysterious “plant medicine” side of cacao offers the potential to put you more in touch with your body and your soul. Meador’s weekly ceremonies have moved online but still serve as an opportunity to connect with our bodies and our souls in a secure container. The gatherings take place every Thursday at 4 pm over Zoom. The ceremonies are by donation but you can register for free at https:// www.soulliftcacao.com/cacao-ceremony-online. Meador has also created a four-week group program called “Get Your Life Together with Cacao” that runs May 16-June 6, aiming to channel the ability of cacao to bring insights that help people get clearer about their life purpose, as well as support the focus and motivation to take consistent action and make that purpose a reality. Meador combines cacao with embodiment practices to de-armor the nervous system (breathwork, trauma release, energetic movement, etc.), and interactive practices to re-pattern communication, beliefs, and identity. The program includes a pound of ceremonial cacao, four weekly experiential cacao journeys via Zoom video with recordings available for later viewing, a private Facebook group for participants, and a private integration call with Meador. Learn more about both offerings online at www.soulliftcacao.com.
Spiritual Events Calendar
Thursday, May 14 Daily Dharma – Bodhi Path Santa Barbara resident teacher Dawa Tarchin Phillips, a master dharma teacher and well-known mindfulness and meditation expert, leads a 30-minute live practice session every weekday where participants meditate, build connections, share reflections, get answers to questions, and nurture the practice together online during COVID19. (2-3:30 pm Monday-Friday; www. BPSBonline.com.) Moving Meditation – Sheng Zhen Meditation is a practice of moving meditation that quiets the mind, opens the heart and creates a more healthy body. The practice is highly accessible, even for people who are convinced they can’t sit still, stop thinking, or meditate 14 – 21 May 2020
