Deborah santana

Writing is about observing

admin — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:46:17 +0000

At a writing retreat with Natalie Goldberg, my duties were: Monday, snuff candles; Tuesday afternoon, sweep porch; Thursday morning, sweep zendo. I was in Taos, New Mexico to write, yet the teacher, a longtime student of Zen Buddhism, was also teaching her students to be present in each moment, to notice the dust gathering in corners of the room, and to participate in small actions that would create a healthy community.

Natalie knew that writing is about observing. Artistic expression is a reflection of our eyes taking in the landscape of life and transferring it to a poem, canvas, sculpture, or song. I love the small moments of awakening that occur when I am still. This morning’s sunrise with a fire-orange mound peeking above the distant mountain range, was a radiant blaze in the sky. Sitting at my shrine, I was part of the miracle of morning. No matter what humanity thinks we understand about life, no matter how brilliant our minds, we cannot change the time of a sunrise, or the quarters of the moon. We cannot stop the winds of tornadoes, or the waters of a hurricane. We are glowing embers of the sun’s burning light, sprinkles of dust on the land.

“People when they walk on the land leave their breath wherever they go. So wherever we walk, that particular spot on earth never forgets us, and when we go back, we know that the people who have lived there are in some way still there, and that we can actually partake of their breath and their spirit.”

– Rina Swentzell of the Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico

Meet the Divine in Your Life

Meshelle — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 18:42:06 +0000

“If you want to meet the divine in your life, you have to expose your heart.” I copied Aqeela Sherrills’ words in my journal five years ago and they speak to me just as profoundly today. I want to meet the essence of God, to live above the materialism of this world; I want to embrace the sacred. I also want to open myself to humanity, to be a participant in every aspect of life – the physical, the emotional and the intellectual, to be in my body in an ever-evolving way.
Exposing my heart means that I will be fully who I am, not hiding my defects, but reaching out with my authentic self, aware of my place in the circle of all beings, and adding my consciousness to life’s flow. I want to keep an open mind so that when the thoughts of others shine a light on the path, I can drop my defenses and accept their wisdom.
What I have learned through the experience of loss is that liberation of spirit comes by letting go of fear and accepting what is. From that place of awakening, I can grow stronger, feel more alive, and be filled with infinite possibility.
When I read that Aqeela Sherrills’ son, Terrell, was shot to death in 2004 and he began talking to people about forgiveness and reconciliation, I paid more attention to the power of his quote. He did not choose revenge or self-pity, but the path of traveling the world in an effort to stop violence and create peace. He is searching to find common ground in a spirit of reverence and compassion, an understanding that our primary mission is the restoration of the vitality of the human spirit.
May we join this movement with awareness and love.

International Women's Day

Meshelle — Mon, 16 May 2011 21:42:20 +0000

March 8th, 2011 marks the 100th Anniversary of International Women’s Day. Everyone can celebrate the amazing women who have shaped us, who have cared for our world, and who work with compassion and power for our future.
I have many sheroes of international fame and of local renown. To celebrate this significant day, I would like to highlight one woman whose life has inspired mine.
Wangari Maathai — Kenyan environmental and democracy activist who, in 1994, became the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Wangari founded the Green Belt Movement in 1977 because she was inspired by and for the common good. She embodied inspiration, persistence, patience and commitment to work on issues of forestation and reforestation in Kenya. Over the past century, forests in Kenya have diminished from 30% to 1.7% of land cover. This impacts water catchment and threatens farms.
As a mother, biological scientist, political activist, feminist, and environmentalist, she saw the need to carry out a tree planting campaign as a way to save the land. Planting seeds of hope would provide a greener, cleaner world, while improving livelihoods of women and families. By the time Wangari Maathai accepted the Nobel Peace Prize, the Green Belt Movement had mobilized the planting of over 40 million trees. Not an easy path to this successful end, Maathai was threatened by men, beaten by her husband because she was “too educated, too strong, too successful, too stubborn, and too hard to control,” and was even jailed for treason because she dared to challenge the political regime.
What I most love about Maathai’s life is that she continued her personal mission to serve humanity by using her intelligence and great dedication to truth, without any need of attention or fame. She persevered. She worked in hundreds of communities with a spirit of oneness.
Here is her website: http://www.greenbeltmovement.org/w.php?id=59
Please visit a website for International Women’s Day. Here is a link to one: http://www.internationalwomensday.com/about.asp

Belva Davis and Deborah Santana in Conversation

admin — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 02:31:31 +0000

Journalist Belva Davis on her memoir, “Never in My Wildest Dreams; A Black Woman’s Life in Journalism” in conversation with author/philanthropist Deborah Santana at Strand Bookstore in NYC on February 23, 2011. With Farai Chideya and Christina Foxley.

Philanthropic Women Helping Women

admin — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 21:52:09 +0000

March is Women’s History Month, which seems like the perfect time to highlight leading women who put their money behind women’s causes. With 61% of wealth now in the hands of women, and the majority of the world’s poor being women, it makes sense that wealthy women are giving powerfully.
According to a study, Women Give 2010 by the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, not only are women giving more than at any point in history, women at almost all income levels are more likely to give than men and give more money on average than men.

http://www.financial-planning.com/photo_gallery/fp/1_36/photo/-2672384-1.html

Joyous New Year

Meshelle — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 20:32:38 +0000

At the end of each year, I have a burning bowl ceremony, either with friends or by myself. I write down (on rice paper) the situations I want to let go of – things that I want to be liberated from – and say a prayer of acceptance that people or actions are no longer part of my life. In a large ceramic bowl (or a cooking pot), I light a match to this list and allow it to burn, sending the past on its way. As the paper turns to ash, so does the past. It is a simple ceremony, but one that my body knows and looks forward to.

Then I sit in silence before two lit candles and I offer gratitude for the attributes and people I carry with me into the new year. I ask for inspiration to write a list of my aspirations – affirmations of how I want to renew, refresh, rebalance, and rejoice in the coming year. What will make my heart soar? What will give me peace? What can I do to be happy? I write it all down and keep this list in a place I can refer to it – beside my meditation shrine or on my desk – to remind me that I have authority over my intentions and can bring magic to my life.

Whatever you choose to do to ring in the new year, I send you wishes for freedom and loving times in 2011!

The Girls of Daraja Short Film

admin — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 19:21:25 +0000

The Daraja Academy, an exemplary all girls’ school in Kenya!

About The Film:
Celebrating the unique and powerful Daraja Academy in Kenya: an exemplary all girls’ school in Kenya. www.daraja-academy.org

Executive Producer Deborah Santana. Directed & Produced by Emmy-winning filmmaker Barbara Rick. Cinematography & Sound by Jim Anderson. Edited by Ann Collins. Associate Producer/Assistant Editor Julia Wrona. Music by Salvador Santana, Rachael Sage, John Califra & Pearson Constantino. A Production of Out of The Blue Films, Inc. a 501(c)(3)

Daraja Academy is a Universal Giving Partner

Meshelle — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 21:01:04 +0000

Founded by a Bay Area couple, The Carr Educational Foundation works to provide a transformative education to gifted African girls who would otherwise have few opportunities for a better life. Click the link to read more: http://www.universalgiving.org/in_the_news/in_the_news/itemDetail.do?id=288

I Am Exactly Where I Am Destined To Be

Meshelle — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 22:42:37 +0000

Summer is nearing its last days, leaves are beginning to drift from oak trees outside my house, and children are returning to school. I have been writing poetry with author and teacher, Alison Luterman, who is inspiring me to step beyond what I know. I also took a one-day collage class with Lindsay Whiting, whose intelligence and talent helped me birth a piece I titled, GO. What I believe is that standing still, looking back, or missing what is no longer part of my life is a waste of my time and spirit, and shows a lack of faith in the beauty of this moment. When I listen to the soft voice within, I know that I am exactly where I am destined to be. Join me in claiming the power of today, of having compassion and love for yourself and others. An excerpt from a poem I am working on:
What longs to rise from the wondrous parts of me and cling to you,
Are strands of berry-red hands to softly touch the places you’ve hidden…

Martin Luther King, Jr. Conference at Stanford

Meshelle — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:16:05 +0000

Dr. Vincent Harding, longtime associate of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., speechwriter, activist, and currently Professor of Religion and Social Transformation at Illiff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado, was one of the panelists at a two-day conference at Stanford University July 16th and 17th. Hosted by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Institute at Stanford, the theme, Where Do We Go From Here?, referring to the astounding changes in our country because of the Civil Rights Movement, brought together scholars, students, professors, and leaders to an international debate. Dr. Harding asked, “Where do we go from 1776 – the preamble of the United States Constitution that called us to create a more perfect union? We, today, can still create a nation that does not yet exist.” Dr. Harding has written numerous books, including Martin Luther King: The Inconvenient Hero.

Mary E. King, award-winning author, professor, scholar and lifelong activist for peace and nonviolent action, reminded us that peace is not possible without the involvement of women and women’s groups. Societies must include the community-minded issues and programs of women and listen to women’s voices on every level. Ms. King gained prominence in 1965 when she co-authored Sex and Caste – A Kind of Memo with Casey Hayden, a manifesto on the treatment of women compared with the treatment of African Americans. http://www.maryking.info/Mary-King-Sex-and-Caste-Memo.html I loved Ms. King’s wisdom about government deriving its power from the people. Much of the first day’s message was that each of us carries the power to create a positive, peaceful world.

I believe nonviolence begins with an understanding of creating peace within. Michael Nagler, founder of Metta Center for Nonviolence in Berkeley, CA (http://www.mettacenter.org/) said that, “right globalization comes from the people’s drive to create beloved community. The universe came from pure consciousness; we came from pure consciousness.”

As I listened to these very different supporters of social change and social justice, every part of my mind and body was awake and vibrating with ideas to do more to change the world and increase awareness about the possibility of nonviolence, consciousness, and peace. Yes, we live in a time of overwhelming self-indulgence with media that speaks of a “just war” in Iraq and Afghanistan, but there is no way to stop war without stopping war. Period.

The very animated and enthusiastic founder of Riverside School in India, Kiran Bir Sethi, (http://www.schoolriverside.com/team.aspx?&siteID=1&nodeId=66) teaches students to take charge and reminded us that we should teach for relevance and build relationships with our children, not offer a static, information-based curriculum. We can believe in a child and foment their individual gifts and talents from an early age, rather than force them to memorize and regurgitate facts.

Each speaker reminded me of the significant, inspiring opportunities I have everyday through my connections with the grantees of my Do A Little foundation. I was encouraged to search for more resources to support the Daraja Academy so that the girls will be empowered to take what they are learning out into the world and apply every morsel of wisdom to all they do. We can all extend our knowledge and growth to everyone we meet, and create a sustainable system of transformation and oneness as Dr. King suggests:
… today our very survival depends on our ability to stay awake, to adjust to new ideas, to remain vigilant and to face the challenge of
change. The large house in which we live demands that we transform
this worldwide neighborhood into a worldwide brotherhood.

Martin Luther King, Jr., Where Do We Go From Here?
16 August 1967