Thanks, Debra, for responding, I hope this writing becomes part of our stated purpose, or at least read on Oct.21 Racial Justice Project Study Group meeting . Dr. Tomas is my favorite teacher ever. He was the clinical director of Dr. Jerry Jampolsky's Center for Attitudinal which had the first spiritual support group ever for life-threatened children. I came along a few years after it started, and asked for an internship while studying for my Masters. That Center was the main reason I went to California for graduate school. Dr. Jampolsky told me that several of the children had grown into teenagers, and he asked me to get a grant and and start a Young Adult Group. It was easy to get a grant for this pioneering work, and it was the best job I ever had. To me besides the group every week, we had in home, and hospital visits to those who could not come to the Center. In addition, we had many many free tickets to many wonderful events, like the Cirque de Soliel, zoo, aquamarine, river rafting, sailing on the TALL ship CALIFORNIA. However, my favorite was a cabin in Yosemite, where we went a couple of times a year. What I found out that the time they had left here on Earth, they wanted to LIVE. This experiential field trips was my favorite part of two of my jobs. Based on the spiritual teaching of A COURSE IN MIRACLES by Dr. Jampolsky, the metaphysical studies in psychology and Native American Shamanism by Dr. Tomas PInkson. He brought over the Home Hospice Program from England, the passing were truly "continuations" for most of us. This awesome work led me to working with Veterans who were in the Hospice in the VA. Truly believing in an eternal life in Reality, has made this work much easier. To sum it all up, I am very pleased besides Indigo Sangha, Unity Charleston, I now am in a weekly zoom group with Dr. Pinkson. Peace in Action, Ron Alexander aka Zac Vappa on FaceBook.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR. This month the Racial Justice Project Study Group will be examining the continuing disenfranchisement of the Black Voter in America through readings and sharing on October 21st at 3 pm. October's articles on the topic "the Black Voter" can be found by clicking this link. The zoom link for the 21st Dharma Sharing is here
You are the first white man to ever say or at least I have heard Ron to say such a thing statement you are in a class all by yourself you really need to be sharing this understanding with your folks they don't get it. When you live in my skin you walk 365 days on a tight rope it's so much in our consciousness until it's like our arm or leg. When I am in the Caribbean or when I was in Africa I sincerely felt free, it was like a lick came off of my brain, for everybody looked like me, although I didn't know the language but what I did know I wasn't be judged by my skin color, I would be judged as MLK said by the content of my character, we as Blacks in this country are in a mental prison, some don't even know it, or recognize it. Than we raise our children in a bubble to protect them until they are old enough for the Talk.
I believe that any of us seeking to walk a spiritual path also need to be spiritual activists taking action steps to address the impact of centuries of slavery and its aftermath inequities of institutional racist policies that still oppress black people today. To not do so means we are passively supporting its continuation which benefits those of us wearing white skins and keeps a boot of oppression on all people of color. George Floyd’s death just caught a visual of its overt manifestation through police violence.
Suggested Action Steps:
number one, learn the true history of our country which has never been taught in our public schools.
number two, educate ourselves about the true workings of racist policies that oppress people of color while benefitting caucasian people without our having to lift a hand to make it be so.
number three, get educated about white privilege and how to use it to facilitate meaningful change.
number four, do your part to repair, transform and heal what has been done,
number five, take first steps towards making reparations to those who have suffered, and who suffer still under the yoke of daily acts of prejudice and discrimination while we white race people can go on with our lives privileged in ways most of us are not even aware of. Making reparations is not about guilt or shame. It is about justice. It is about doing the right thing. It is about doing the honorable thing healing our own souls in the process. There is a Hebrew expression, Tikun Olam, which means repairing the wounds of the world which each of us has a moral and spiritual responsibility to do. May we honor this calling.
Dr. Tomas Pinkson
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