The discussion themes during the two days of dialogue covered holistic education, sacred activism, collective presencing, and the processes of interiorization.  Key concepts that evolved from the conversation:

• The capacity of the heart vs. that of the mind.  That the heart wisdom is not merely a 'soft' quality - it is powerful, measurable and we are seeing its expression in movements toward economic localization, slow food and technology movements, and greater stewardship for the Earth.   

• The need to revive/reclaim the meaning behind contemplative practice as more than mindfulness training, and rather as a concentrated effort toward awakening innate wisdom.  Though "mindfulness" has been mainstreamed in many ways and its use promoted for greater productivity and stress management, contemplative communities have a role to play in shifting the conversation back to the inner cultivation, which unfolds inner wisdom and a natural emergence of love.  These deep, centering practices have the potential to create more balanced societies through an awareness for the collective and sense of unity with the whole.

• Reframing the old story that is based on logic and rationalism to a new story that is inspired by what we know from our hearts as the "impossible dream." This new narrative comprises the human desire to be of service and work cooperatively, not competitively, as well as the desire to live more symbiotically with the planet, its ecology, animal kingdoms and the human community.  How this takes form is up to us to create; the new story is shaped by stepping out of the status quo and daring to tell your story - the story you'd like to see.

A more subtle quality of the "heart wisdom" emerged from the session on peacebuilding.  This quality is expressed in the notion of deep listening - being in stillness from within to absorb what is unfolding around you, be it environmental, political or personal.  It was suggested that from this heightened awareness, through the process of reflective practice, you respond differently and perhaps with greater wisdom to the needs that arise.  One of the weekend speakers, Dr. Sakena Yacoobi, shared her expression of this by recounting her every day peacebuilding in Afghanistan, which is about building relationships and listening to the needs of the local community to inspire deeper understanding.  Speaking to an inner peace that can arise even during times of personal suffering, Mirabai Starr and Rev. Richard Cizik offered that the current culture of 'mandatory happiness' prevents the collective from a reaching a deeper stillness that allows us to be more authentic and present to each other; it was stated that "If we truly engaged the suffering of the world this could lead to peace."  Engaging the suffering means to hold the tension from a place of deep inner awareness and thoughtful attention, and from this eventually strength emerges with which the heart empowers each individual to face great crisis and transition with courage and perhaps peace.  

LtoR: Sakena Yacoobi, Mirabai Starr, Rev. Richard Cizik

Throughout the weekend, the Awakened Heart theme challenged the group to expand the concept of how contemplatives and sacred activists engage each other as an interwoven human and ecological community.  Many of the participants agreed that it is possible to reframe how we work together in a more balanced way through the process of inward engagement - either through continued practice in meditation, deep prayer, reflective ritual, or even contemplative creative expressions of art, music/sound or dance/movement.  It was often expressed that 'inner practices' allow the universal knowing that resides within each individual to come to the surface as the expression of his/her soul calling and intrinsic understanding of the greater cosmic whole.  As individuals we are challenged with discovering how to be in that greater unfolding that contributes harmony and balance.  When we can collectively work from this point of understanding, this would be the ultimate expression of an Awakened Heart.