Melissa compared her excitement for the first Laddership call to how kids in school watch the clock tick toward summer vacation :) Chris said, "the environment is stronger than will power." And indeed, what a blessing to be in -- and co-create -- a deep space with this group of 15 noble friends!



From bubbly laughter to tears in our eyes, we kicked off our 6-week learning journey with a call, joined by folks from all corners of the country/globe. We sealed the sacred container by sharing the reasons why we each are drawn to the circle, in this time in our life, and in the world. We heard the striking resonance of core values, and the rich diversity of people's paths. If this is only week 1, I can't imagine where we will be by the end of this 6 week journey together :)

After Audrey shared the larger context of Laddership Circles, Birju invited the circle to let go of the teacher-student notion, and recognize that we will be living the paradox of all of us being teachers and students at the same time. "Also, there's no carrot-and-stick here. We are all here to work hard and push the boundary of inner transformation. And that's a pretty high bar."

Natasha called in at 5am in Dubai, having beamed up onto the Ladder-ship :) She said how reading people's reflections has been almost "addictive". She also recalled how ServiceSpace values are so aligned with her grandmother's embodiment.

Pranidhi kicked off the check-in by sharing the inspiration and support she received from the Summer Laddership circle. That experience and ongoing community has contributed in subtle ways to her flourishing new yoga shala. The gift ecology values are also echoed in her eloquent wake-up call on the "business of yoga."

Yaniv recently moved back to the Bay Area, a true home-coming. He is finding himself pushing "the boundaries of my own self limiting thoughts and behaviors."

Deven has been a superstar ServiceSpace volunteer in the past two years, anchoring the Awakin call team. Reflecting on this week's theme and habits to unlearn, he asked the courageous question: How do I learn not to live out of fear?

Neerad watched the beautiful rising sun, as he joined us from India. He highlighted the importance of awareness of our hearts at a deeper level. Reflecting on a radical act of generosity, Neerad wrote down this story that blew our mind:

"One of the phrases that has stayed with me is "Generosity blossoms naturally when you have nothing left to take". I see that with farmers all the time but one act that has remained with me for quite sometime is what one farmer is doing in South India. This family saved seeds for over 500 years knowing well that the world will be need it someday. When he was approached by an organization called 'Sahaja Samruddh' to take and grow more of this variety, he generously offered most of the seeds and is now helping farmers grow the same around his area. When i heard it, i was like seriously? What does 500 years of savings seeds mean? - It means every 3 years you take out the seeds sow it, grow it, harvest it and store it again. Every generation played a role in this generous act. We are talking about 10 generations minimum. One thing hit me very hard. We tend to assume that every thing that i have bought, has been gifted or handed over to generations is 'mine'. We attach ourselves so much to this thing. How non-attachedly yet lovingly this family has been nourishing a treasure that it considers belonging to the world."

Jennifer found an opening of quietness between her neighbor's lawn mowing and leaf blowing, to share her journeys with us, from caring for an seriously ill family member, to (re)finding creative expressions and offerings to the world. Referring to this week's reading, she wrote, "my old story was quite comfortable which made it hard to pull myself away from it. But the price I paid for that comfort was great, and the restlessness, loss of self, and disquiet in my heart were no longer states of being I was willing to tolerate… For the first time in my life, I am placing my trust in the unknown."

Micky joined us by phone, and we all wish she could see us nodding our head violently in agreement with her thoughts. Commenting on her current state in life, she wrote "I was born from perfect love. I learned fear. I am unlearning fear and returning to love."

Melissa has been radiating enthusiasm and bright smiles throughout the call. She shared, "Natasha and I discussed how really we can only come to know the New Story through what is already inside us. We cannot think about it because any thoughts we have would be based on information we have received from the Old Story. So it is something we already have inside us and we need to discover it. Wow!!!" Melissa also offered the powerful image of a fish swimming ferociously in the ocean, trying to find the ocean :)

Angela, a fellow teacher, has found much inspiration from what Melissa does with her students on kindness activities. Reflecting on the current boundaries that she is trying to cross, "The things I were taught since birth slowly grew into the invisible walls and rules that govern my thoughts and course of actions in life, These invisible walls are in the important decisions I made as well as in my moment to moment action. I would like to bring these invisible walls and rules into my awareness."

Angela also relayed her a-ha moment recently, offering food to those in need while maintaining their dignity. Audrey shared this article on the difference between "helping, fixing, and serving." Audrey also asked, "How can I let the fruits of 400+ habit-patterns die, in order to allow space for nature's organizing principle to direct my life? How can I recognize the people and forms of life around me as just extensions of myself?"

Chris reminded us, "The urge to gain outward security in our life is something that is hard-wired in us, by the society. But if our inner attunement with life’s purpose is deep enough, like Gandhi, we too should then be able to invent self-sustaining measures and trust in the Universe to bring to us what we truly need. But it does take an inner leap of faith…..which is almost a daily practice."

Becky, "originally a Yangkee" but now sporting a handsome British accent and poetic presence, asked the "million-dollar question" in her reflection, "My work feels intensely personal and comes from my personal transformation/crisis: How do I take the focus off of ME, and share what I value and believe with great humility and still have enough as Parker Palmer regards as 'chutzpah' and passion to garner attention and make a difference?"

Xiaojuan has been on a decade-long journey to "finding the true self, connecting with true nature within." She loves the notion of being a "ladder", because she believes that "in order to reach my highest potential, I need to raise everyone else to their highest, too."

Zilong offered the story of the living bridge, where generations of villagers weave tree roots across a valley, over the frequently flooding river. Each generation walks on the bridge that has been maintained for hundreds of years, and continue to weave the bridge for future generations. Laddership circles feels like a similar "living bridge" undertaking, strengthened by each circle of ladders.

After the call, one of the participant wrote on the feed, which spoke for many of us: "I didn't want to hang up!! I am so very, very honored and grateful to be connected with you all, and I cannot think of a better way to spend a Saturday night. And we get to do this for several more weeks!! Thank you all for already affecting my journey so deeply :)"

Until next week!