Staff contributors FROM THE EDITOR
Debra Beck , author of the award-winning book My Feet Aren ’ t Ugly , A Girl ’ s Guide to Loving Herself from the Inside Out , is a devoted mentor for teenage girls and parents on issues facing teenagers and parents today .
Paula Donnelly-Roark is a participation practitioner and social analyst working on poverty and post-conflict issues in African countries . Her recent book Social Justice and Deep Participation was recently published by Palgrave Macmillan .
Michael Iskowitz has worked for decades with national and international leaders , United Nations , and nonprofit organizations envisioning and shaping initiatives that have made the world a better , fairer and more peaceful place for the most vulnerable among us . He has built common ground across party and country lines and often divergent constituencies to create change in the areas of children and families , global health and human rights .
Wib Middleton , editorial photographer and writer , is co-owner of Thunder Mountain Design with his wife , Jane Perini . He is a board member of the Tibetan Buddhist organization , KPC , that built the Amitabha Stupa and Peace Park in Sedona , where he also serves as one of its caretakers . Wib and Jane have been involved in helping to establish several nonprofits dedicated to world peace and sustainability .
Jane Perini held to a vision of Sedona being known around the world as City of Peace after the Amitabha Stupa and its surrounding Peace Park were established in Sedona . She is one of the founding members of Sedona City of Peace and is president of Thunder Mountain Design , which specializes in magazine and book design for more than three decades .
Lori Rubenstein has a special gift : holding sacred space for people to transcend their “ stories ” and step into a new , more empowering life . As a forgiveness teacher , coach , inspirational speaker , retreat facilitator , and author of three transformational books , Lori walks her talk and helps her clients see that what they call “ tragedy ” can in fact be the soul ’ s greatest gift .
Dawn Shattuck has been a social advocate throughout her career in public service and nonprofit administration . Whether working on child welfare , human rights , civic leadership , or diversity issues , her focus is on fostering a culture of compassion . She has specialty training as a peacemaker , reverend , conflict negotiator , and is an aspiring author , writer and speaker .
Margaret Joy Weaver is a writer , social activist and community builder . She has led transformational programs throughout the world for thousands of people dedicated to harmonious relationships , team building and authentic creative self-expression .
Our beautiful planet spins in a boundless sea of ancient stars , and the twinkling canopy we see with our naked eyes is the same night sky that filled our ancestors with wonder . When I gaze into the stars I feel peaceful and comforted somehow by the predictability of what shines down on me . It still makes me happy to find the Big Dipper no matter where I am !
In Sedona we are particularly blessed by the beauty of the night sky . Much care has been taken to minimize the effects of light pollution so that you can actually see the uncountable stars of the Milky Way . In fact , Sedona was the sixth city in the United States and eighth in the world to receive the prestigious designation of a Dark Sky City .
But as seemingly constant as the night sky appears , we know the universe is changing in every moment , and we are inseparable from its dance . As American astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has pointed out : “ The atoms of our bodies are traceable to stars that manufactured them in their cores and exploded these enriched ingredients across our galaxy , billions of years ago . For this reason , we are biologically connected to every other living thing in the world . We are chemically connected to all molecules on Earth . And we are atomically connected to all atoms in the universe . We are not figuratively , but literally stardust .”
From this insight we can begin to understand how everything we do has an effect that ripples out in an infinite wave of cause and effect relationships . And the myriad causes we have set in motion , knowingly or unknowingly in just the last century , have presented us with the dynamic and interwoven challenges of our modern era .
In that regard , we have devoted this issue of Imagine to perspectives , knowledge and experiences from a variety of authors who see ways we can begin to heal our planet and ourselves . We hope their thoughts serve as inspiration because it really is up to every one of us to create the causes for the world we wish to inhabit .
IMAGINE l spring 2016 3