Murat’s Gifts to Us, New Horizons Gift To You

With Murat’s passing we are brought to heightened levels of reflection. Death, as Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, the noted thanatologist stated, is the final stage of growth. It’s imminence calls f0rth an inordinate challenge as we seek to come to terms with the greatest of life’s mysteries; demanding exemplary comportment of those most closely touched by this transition of all transitions. Be we the one who is passing or those left behind.

Murat, in his passing, as in his life, showed all of us who called ourselves his “students” a certain and highly disciplined pathway to Divine connection, relentlessly guiding us as to how we might live abundantly, individually and collectively, with or without material riches. Others, world-wide, have, also, been called to reflect on his meritorious life and praise this great man, Murat Yagan, a “famous” representative of the diaspora of his native Abkhazia. A man who was both noble and great as well as unpretentious and humble.

New Horizons gratefully acknowledges that it has been through Murat, his wisdom and inordinate adeptness as a guide and teacher, as well as his dedication to communal and global peace, that we, at New Horizons, have had the audacity to invite others to follow our lead as guides, targeting the ascension of our metaphorical “Mountain of Awe.”

Murat was our loving and patient mentor as well as our inspiration. He elevated our vision of the possible human that lives within each of us and taught us how to realize this in concert with others. Because of him and the love and dedication of those closest to him in Vernon, B.C., New Horizons was able to undertake its two main initiatives; the Small “Zones of Peace” Project and the Possible Human, Possible Society Study. 

Without Murat we would never even have dreamed of these. Let alone risked the appearance, at least, as some have viewed us, as brash and arrogant in the certainty of our capacity to reach our destination, the “Mountain of Awe.” Certainly, there have been a handful of detractors who have thought us naïve or misled in our dedication to Murat and the teachings he brought us.

Based on Murat’s brilliance and proficiency as a teacher, our “Bus Ride Story Adventure” was designed to amplify the training and support group model New Horizons originally created, the “old” New Horizons. Today, “new” New Horizons exists in the splendor it has come to, out of the riches Murat imparted to us. From this inheritance from Murat and the Vernon community, “old” New Horizons has evolved into an exemplary community development and violence prevention model. However, only by joining with others can we make our dreams for peace and unity an achievable reality.

This aim is New Horizons’ every intention and upon which our every action is predicated.

From Murat’s gifts to us, comes our gift to you.

Walking in the air

A tribute to Murat Yagan, Beloved Mentor

Serendipitously I found “Walking in the air” and the “Snowman,” as I gave my self to being with my Vernon Kebzeh family, in heart and mind, when I could not be with them, “for real.” The animated story is about a snowman who comes alive, taking the little boy who built him to fly in the night sky. Oh, that we could fly for real!

But what is really “real,” anyway?

Now, I am listening to the music and watching a YouTube segment of the “Snowman” every day to continue keeping me close to them in these tenderest days of letting go.  Thus I find myself  flying with Murat and my Kebzeh family into the “universal awe.”

With joy in our hearts for
the jamboree that was Murat's life!

I believe Murat would enjoy this. He’s "my  snowman.” He taught me to fly.

Below are a few of the words from “Walking in the air” that lift me that high. I hope Murat’s presence on this earth and all he contributed has or will inspire you to fly high too.

So join me, every once in a while, if you think of it, to walk in the air as a spirit lift -- and -- a tribute to Murat.

 “We’re walking in the air…. 

…We´re holding very tight…

…We’re walking in the air… 

...We’re dancing in the midnight sky… 

...And everyone who sees us, greets us as we fly.”

From "Walking in the Air," a song written by Howard Blake for the 1982 animated film of Raymond Briggs' 1978 children's book The Snowman. (Per Wikipedia)

The Passing of our Beloved Mentor, Murat Yagan

Friends and supporters: We have been out of touch with our Kebzeh family in B.C. since shortly before our Beloved Murat’s passing. We had been waiting day and night for updates, after our last communication on December 10^th.  We did not find out until last night that our loss of Murat had already occurred.

The following words are taken from an announcement of Murat’s departing, published on December 23, 2013 for the Threshold Society, written by Diane Wilson.

Murat Yagan,
December 15, 1915 --
December 19, 2013

“Beloved Friends, this letter comes to confirm that our respected and beloved Murat left this world on December 19, 2013 at the age of 98. He made an invaluable contribution to our understanding of the spiritual journey, both in terms of his unusual clarity of mind and in demonstrating the beautiful possibilities of spiritual community. He carried the wisdom of his ancient ancestral tradition from the Caucasus, as well as having undergone a Bektashi training in his youth….

Murat you knocked. You became. You triumphed. And you left us with the tools to leave our exile and to triumph and enter higher states of Consciousness too.

May you be greatly blessed. We will love and treasure you, our splendid Elder always and forever. And we will honour you by following you, by also fearlessly embracing our potential as human.

We WILL be Kings and Queens, and one day you will say with joy, ”These are the seeds I planted and they have claimed their birthright!” Beloved friends, all of us here send our love to you. And our love for you too is for now and for always. Bless your steps on this infinite journey we share."

Diane

To honor Murat’s passing, New Horizons will dedicate the next few days to memorializing his life.

Note to friends and supporters: For other recent, behind-the-scenes developments impacting on the emerging direction of New Horizons, you may, also, find (Anastasia) latest articles from my series on “Recovery from Blindness,” of interest. 

New Horizons wishes you a joyous holiday season

If I could be in Camelot ---and not need to leave the earth plane, do you know where I’d be?  (Read Anastasia The Storyteller tales from "Camelot.")

I’d be, this very minute, in Vernon, B.C. – and – consider myself home for the holidays, being with my Kebzeh family.

Murat Yagan,
New Horizons' Beloved Mentor

With our “prince,” Murat Yagan.

Murat is the man who has brought a simple group of dedicated students, from around the world, together to become a model of healthy family/community living, even when we are thousands of miles apart.

Murat has brought us together  and taught us, just a bit, of what “awe” can be like when people build community/family and learn to live just this side of unity – and -- love.

In honor of Murat’s birthday, a few days belated, please do take a moment, as the holiday season begins to unfold (or sometime early next year) to find out why we are telling you this.

Discover Murat’s newest book, Ahmsta Kebzeh: The Science of Universal Awe, Volume II. 

This precious book, built on community/family devotion and perseverance, includes the how and the why of New Horizons’ choosing this dearest man to be our community development mentor.

Makes a nice Christmas gift for someone special, too!

You can order your copy here.

Even if this Christmas wish of mine seems a bit much, along with all the other holiday “to do” stuff, sometime soon, at least, check out the article contribution Sue and I made to this book that came out several months ago.

Murat’s mentorship and the ancient community traditions and teachings of  his native Akbkhazia were added to  Sue’s Quakerism, her almost countless years as Quaker camp counselor and, eventually, Camp Director, my tikkun olam and clinical treatment and therapeutic community background to become the key elements of  the “new” New  Horizons Small “Zones of Peace” Project.  Circa 1999 – 2006.

Follow our lead and, then, imagine yourself becoming an example of the “possible human” leading the way to the “possible society,” once you check out all we are and have for you!

Make room in your life for our huge package of community healing potions; let us become an integral part of your new year’s hope for a “best” possible society in motion.

On this blog site, alone, if you search, you will find more guidelines than you could ever hope to access of how to proceed in that direction.

Check out our Cultural Mediation Paradigm and Murat’s Bus Ride Story Adventure for starters.

You could stuff many a stocking with hopes and dreams, helpful hints and tools for a better tomorrow, if you look around here on this site.  

The fine print, however, is that most of what we have is interactional.

You will have to provide the people! That’s where family, friends and community come in.

Still stuck for giving New Horizons’ Small “Zones of Peace” Project as a gift?

Contact me, Anastasia, personally, at zonesofpeacenh@aol.com.

I’m here for hire as your personal Santa, with elves, to help you make an “awesome” year ahead , just for the asking.

Wishing you a joyous holiday season!

With gratitude for your continued support 

From New Horizons' Board of Directors

Spotlighting the legacy of leaning in

Nelson Mandela was an exceptional leader. Despite his failings of which he had his fair share, no doubt, yesterday’s memorial on his behalf will long be remembered as a testimony to his leadership’s greatness.  Few are those, presently alive or deceased, to rival this acclaim; the Dali Lama and Desmond Tutu, among the few living, we may recall.

Choosing to “lean in” towards reconciliation rather than pursuing a path of revenge, Mandela’s leadership brought new hope, along with the end of apartheid to South Africa. Listed among the top ten-fifteen in the “Watkins Spiritual 1oo Lists” for 2011, 2012 and 2013, Mandela takes his place among world leaders, having made a unique and spiritual contribution on a world-wide level.

Today, as I am reflecting on the passing of Nelson Mandela and the legacy he left behind, my mind is called, also, to reflecting that today is the anniversary of the “Overcoming Polarization” event, New Horizons co-sponsored, last year on this date (original date changed due to Hurricane Sandy), and at which I was the concluding speaker. (You can read the full transcript of my talk here.)

The event, held at Hood College, Frederick, Maryland, featured a roundtable discussion with a panel of local leaders, representing various community groups; a representative Republican and Democrat, a Maryland State Senator as well as the President of the Frederick County Women’s Commission, were among these.

Personally inspired by the words of author and social researcher,  Mary Pipher, in her book, Writing To Change The World, I called attention, in my talk, to Pipher’s statement that “The two most radical things you can do in America are to slow down and talk to one another.” (Which, I assume means, also listening to one another.)

Based on this quote, I noted that we had been somewhat radical with the evening’s program; taking the time to slow down enough to be present and attentive to the voices that spoke throughout.

I was aware, also,  at the time that, if we had made any difference, at all, with this program, it was only a drop in the bucket, needing to be filled to make the “overcoming of polarization” a genuinely, valued experience, to any extent; “talking was not walking.”

And, New Horizons had, by this time, already made enough headway in its Possible Human, Possible Society Study data collecting to know that swimming just below the water’s surface of “talk,” most people, along with most communities, throughout our fifty states, have a long ways to go, in real time, where and when community unity is sought.

However, prompted by what we had experienced at this event; the positive as well as the problematic, New Horizons redoubled its commitment, following the occasion, to taking an active part in helping to create the changes for which we were yearning, based on our core principles. Thus our Possible Society In Motion Radio Show was born, a few short weeks later, to provide an ongoing forum for discussion on the factors and advantageous elements to consider that contribute to the social change that can help us get out of the many messes polarization can breed.

What we are contributing, through this show and our various other projects and programs, is only a small drop in that bucket that needs filling. But with almost one year of on-air time, continued data gathering for our Possible Human, Possible Society Study, countless discussion hours geared toward collective considerations on how we can overcome our national epidemic of alienation and conflict, we do seem to be finding and joining with others of like-mind to build “a lean in legacy.”

With the support and, thoughtful input of my Possible Society In Motion Radio Show co-host, Jack Slattery, and, occasional, regular guest, retired social worker, Gloria Livingston, we have already, to date, offered stimulating discussion on numerous topics, geared toward the hoped-for “overcoming of polarization” in our society and politics.

Over the coming holiday season and into the New Year, it is our intent, here on this site, to revisit some of the highlights from these radio shows, with links so you can, readily, hear them on podcast and related commentary on these that will enable you, as our audience, to expand your own, personal thinking on how we, all, can best help build a more unified U.S.A.. That "Possible Society In Motion" for which we are yearning.

Above all, we, at New Horizons, are wishing that some of the limitations identified by our data gathering and in our “Press Release” of October 24 will be turned to the good as we leave behind 2013, a year that saw far too much, unhelpful, U.S. polarization, sadly, leaving our country functioning far beneath its capabilities for the exceptional endeavors of a more humane society.

The leaning in with love for one’s neighbor, the leaning in, always, toward healing and reconciliation rather than that of alienation, as Nelson Mandela exemplified in the legacy he left behind.

The Lean In Legacy

Bravo!! Guess what????

Out of last month’s leaky roof and the vision, love, loyalty and stubbornness of board member and Remodeling Project Chairperson, Sue deVeer – it ain’t gonna leak no more.

Sue was gonna install that roof herself, if no other way showed up.

Look what her stubbornness hath brought instead.

Who knows the ways of Magic, Mystery, Fairy Dust and Love.

And, there was a chill in
the air as that roof went on.

The roof is almost done and it’s only Wednesday!!!

There will be no Roof Raising Community Building Event this coming Sunday!!

This week so far --

• Monday, Allen Beckett, contractor, called Sue, taking the initiative to respond to our greatest hopes for a ROOF!
• Tuesday, Allen sent us materials and a roofer that installed most of it.
• Wednesday, Allen called/texted Sue. Sue called Anastasia and excitedly shared that most of the rest of the roofing will be completed on Thursday as per Allen, again, and his loyal and talented roofing team.

Now how did that happen? You tell me!

All I can see is Magic,Mystery, Fairy Dust and LOVE!! 

And the Lean-in Legacy!

Much gratitude to Allen Beckett, contractor and his steady team of helpers.

And to Guy Burkett whose early generous donation to this project helped the dream start to become reality when it was only a wish!

More to come.

Raising the roof on our small “zone of peace”

Fewer than 10% of our study interviewees “walk their talk” each and every day in every way.

New Horizons is proud to be one of these!

So what are we up to next?

Together building our small
"zone of peace"

Our next community building event –

Raising The Roof

Harpers Ferry Retreat Remodeling Project

Chairperson: Susan deVeer, cell: 240.409.5347, email: suedeveer@juno.com

Date: Saturday, November 16 (rain date, Sunday, November 17)

Time: 9:00 a.m. to sundown

What we’ve got

• The land!!!!!
• The vision!!!!!
• The spirit!!!!
• Our own unique Cultural Mediation Community Development model!
•  Growing participants and supporters
•  Roof building materials
• Volunteers for roof raising (have some, need more still)

What we need

• More volunteers (roof builders, food committee for roof builders care   and feeding, painters, if you would prefer to do that).
• Donations of food for volunteers
• Cash donations 
• (Yes, we are a 501 C (3), tax deductible organization).
• Materials, volunteers and cash donations for next remodeling  project – remodeling our meeting room and efficiency apartment to provide a wonderful new home and living opportunity for ---

Someone Special

Contact Anastasia for “Searching For Someone Special” Project

Cell: 240.409.5347. email: zonesofpeacenh@aol.com