Rebuild destroyed ecosystems and communities.

A 20-year tale of hope: How we re-grew a rainforest
This is an incredible video from TED. It shows complete restoration of horrible ecological, biological, and cultural devastation plus the patterns for how to do it everywhere! You might want to check into all the TED sites for other manifested great ideas.

Convert from money-based Exchange into heart-based Gifting.

Whatcom Potlatch
A Yahoo group for giving and receiving in a true Gifting Community. This is specifically for one local community, but you could adapt it for your community. Here people give and receive stuff, services, and info for free with no strings attached. There is no exchange involved. It is a pure Gifting Economy where you can choose to be a giver, a receiver, or both as you see fit. We have a more progressive purpose than just reducing the refuse piles. We intend to change the world.

Create a New Story that makes the existing story obsolete.

Transition Whatcom
A Ning group, this is specifically for one local community, but you could adapt it for your community. This website is a social networking community that facilitates communication among folks within Whatcom County who are interested in learning about or implementing the Transition model locally. The Transition approach empowers communities to squarely face the challenges of peak oil and climate change, and to unleash the collective genius of their own people to find the answers.

Create from the inside out through your fingertips.

Center for Touch Drawing: Resources for Creative Awakening
"In 1974, on my last day in art school, I had an ecstatic creative awakening. In a moment of playful exploration, I moved my fingertips on a paper towel that had been intended to wipe off the paint below it. I turned over the towel and saw childlike scrawls that had appeared from the pressure of my touch. Lines coming directly from my fingertips! I began to laugh ecstatically with this discovery. In a timeless moment, I realized that I had received a precious gift; a direct mode of expression that fulfilled not only my own search for a more natural way to draw, but had the potential to fulfill the longing of others to open to their creative source. With this realization there came a sense of responsibility. Somehow, I would have to find a way to share this gift with the world. I named the process, simply, Touch Drawing."  –Deborah Koff-Chapin

Restore the wisdom of myth to culture and community.

The Mythsinger Foundation
They say, "Myths, poems, and songs are the greatest repository of wisdom available to humankind today. Myth informs us, not merely in the spoken word, but in gestures. There are gestures that "sing alive" the deeply rooted memory of the migratory soul storytellers, dancers, poets, musicians, painters, actors, and ritualists of all kinds carry the wild legacy of the Mythsinger into the streets and houses of the civilized world, bringing the stuff of cultural vitality back to the human heart. The Mythsinger is devoted to the embodied enactment and expression of mythic insight and the deeper ways of knowing. Speaking the language of wind, rock, and sea, the ancient wandering storyteller, with a harp cradled in his or her arms, is the keeper of culture, the messenger who weaves the wisdoms of different lands and peoples together in the stories we live."

Consort with other lovers of the Ancient Story to help enchant our New Sory.

The Mythsinger Consortium
A Ning group that is a community of mythologists, storytellers, poets, artists, dancers, scholars, ritual and soul-work practitioners, bringing the power of myth to life. It is run by the Mythsinger Foundation. They say, "Together we work to strengthen the bonds of human communities and our relationship and participation with the living world. Returning to a deepened understanding of the meaning making power of the mythological arts. It is our aim to restore the expression and enactment of our myth-making (mythopoeic) heritage through story, ritual, and the performing arts. In this effort, we offer the Mythsinger Consortium as a gathering place for the interplay of instinct, intellect, and inspiration."

Ignite your inner being in the Great Mystery.

Jean Houston and Mystery School
Dr. Jean Houston says, "The Universe is holding its breath waiting for you to take your place. I invite you to journey through my site. Join us in the freshly tilled fields of personal, social, and spiritual development where we can reap and harvest our specific skills and qualities, igniting the fires of passionate new ways of becoming our future selves - the future humanity." Her website has a treasure of many hour-long talks in her Audio Video Room. Listen in. You can charge up your life just by visiting Jean's website.

Experience an environment that encourages and supports artistry, creativity, and transformational experiences through myth.

Oracle Gatherings
Founded in 2001, The Oracle Gatherings is a series of multi-media events, workshops, and forums created by a collective of participating artists. These musicians, performers, visionaries, and eclectics collaborate to express the archetypal experiences that influence the greater community. The events draw artists of every genre, including DJ's, musicians, dancers, visual artists, actors, video artists, circus performers, and culinary artists who share in creating the fullest experience possible. Those who have been to an Oracle Gathering have come to expect ceremony, music, dancing, tarot card readers, yoga, meditation, massage, art installations, and ritual theater. By infusing spirit and celebration, many people have found an open, inviting community waiting for them in the Oracle.

Deepen your spirituality through pilgrimages to the world's most important sacred sites.

Sacred Sites Journeys
Andrea Mikana-Pinkham has been operating and leading spiritual journeys to sacred sites since 1994 including Egypt, England, France, Greece, India, Ireland, Peru, Scotland, Tibet/Nepal, and Sedona, AZ. Her groups are small, which gives you a more personal experience of the healing and spiritual growth that occurs in pilgrimages of this kind. Andrea's participants connect with the palpable mystical energies at these ancient power spots, and that strengthens their connection with their own inner guidance. Andrea says, "You will be changed forever in many positive ways as you encounter and engage the ancient energies and wisdom at the sacred sites you will explore. They are calling you! Will you open your heart and mind and heed their call?"

Learn to connect with Earth energies and communicate with Nature forms as you open your heart.

Valerie Niestrath
Valerie is wonderful teacher of Andean Mysticism. Valerie says, "Brought to height during the Inka empire, the 16,000-year-old tradition of nature mysticism embraces a set of techniques to help you develop and open to your personal potential. The Andean Path is a spiritual art, not a theology; a tradition which teaches spiritual artists how to interact with the world of living energies. It is a simple, flexible, personal path. When practiced from the heart, it will lead to the awakening of the Inka Seed, the Divine Seed within. Andean Mysticism is an indigenous earth-honoring tradition grounded in the notion that the world is made of living energy. In the Andean cosmology, there is no such thing as bad or good energy, simply energy that is either heavy or light. Moreover, because we are connected to all forms of living energy we can receive communication and dialogue with other nature forms such as trees, mountains, and lakes."

Learn to design and build your dream.

Yestermorrow Design/Build School
Yestermorrow Design/Build School in Warren, Vermont offers over 150 hands-on courses per year in design, construction, woodworking, and architectural craft and offers a variety of courses concentrating in sustainable design. Now in its 29th year, Yestermorrow is one of the only design/build schools in the country that teaches both design and construction skills. Their 1-day to 2-week hands-on courses are taught by top architects, builders, and craftspeople from across the country. Their classes are for people of all ages and experience levels, from novice to professional.

Learn how to build with cob, and see what others have built.

Barefoot Builder
Barefoot Builder is a natural building team based in the Southeastern USA. They teach workshops all over the country to show people how to build cob houses and custom buildings. They say their goal is to inspire and empower those who have traditionally been shut out of the building process to create their own healthful and heartful homes. They offer a wide range of family-friendly workshops, from one-day earth ovens to comprehensive owner/builder courses. They also provide consulting services in cob building and occasionally build custom cob structures and landscape elements. Visit this website to see some delightful and unique cob designs and to learn more about building with cob.

Build your own log house from scratch.

Log Home Builders Association
The Log Home Builders Association is a non-profit educational organization whose mission is to help men and women around the world build their own log homes from scratch, and in many cases build without a mortgage. They put on regular workshops, and their website has a lot of useful information for anyone who wants to build their own log home.

Build a small cozy house to live a more fulfilling nature-centric life.

The Small House Society
The Small House Society is a voice for the Small House Movement. The movement is the result of concerns about what we are doing to the environment, and what the environment is doing to us (wild fires, flooding, hurricanes), as well as a shifting economy. Some people just desire to live simply so that others can simply live. Because of this, architects and builders are now providing smaller housing alternatives. The increase in websites, books, and magazines about small houses reflect the movement's growth. Small house dwellers include those who have moved into a smaller space or made better square feet per person use of the space they have. Members of our group might include families of five happy in an arts and crafts bungalow, multifamily housing in a variety of forms, and more extreme examples, such as people on houseboats and in trailers with just a few hundred square feet around them. Size is relative, and mainly we promote discussion about the ecological, economic and psychological toll that excessive housing takes on our lives, and what some of us are doing to live better. It is not a movement about people claiming to be "tinier than thou" but rather people making their own choices toward simpler and smaller living however they feel best fits their life.

Create a drum to connect with the healing properties of rhythm.

Centralia Fur & Hide
This is the place that created my pow wow drum. They have many different drum kits and drum-making supplies available. They can supply you with rawhide, American Indian drums, leather goods, and Native American supplies. They say, "We take pride in the complete satisfaction of our customers, and are honored to be able to respect the spirits of the plants and animals who give of themselves and continue their life as healing tools for us. We offer tools such as elk leather, fine deer horns, handmade Native American Indian drums, and animal skulls for spiritual expression, to be in balance with Mother Earth and one's self. We are proud to offer items such as elk horns and elk teeth, tanned deer hide and leather lacing, various herbs and sweet grass, and horse hair and horse tail in addition to our fine selection of drums and furs."

Put an art studio yurt in your yard to use for creativity and for gatherings.

Pacific Yurts
These are the folks I used to build the Earth Creativity School yurt. They are the oldest and best modern yurt builders. Their motto is, "A quality product, a quality experience" and that was exactly what I got. They say, "So how is it that a company is able to grow from its humble beginnings in an old Oregon dairy barn to the leader of its industry? In our case, first we had to create the industry. That happened in 1978, when we pioneered the modern adaptation of the yurt, which centuries ago was the traditional dwelling of Mongolian nomads. From that point forward, as other yurt companies have come and gone, we've continued to grow and to stay atop our industry. We attribute our success to a combination of factors, not the least of which, of course, is the quality of our product. But as much as our customers rave about their yurts, they also speak of the quality of their experience with our company. For all of us at Pacific Yurts, there could be no higher praise. From the beginning, our guiding philosophy has been to create the best yurt in the world, and to treat our customers the way we like to be treated as customers - professionally, respectfully, fairly, and honestly."

Combine spiritual nourishment with enhanced professional qualifications

Wisdom University
This website says, "Wisdom University is committed to personal and professional renewal. Our highly differentiated pedagogy, learning methods, and curriculum focus on nurturing the whole person, fostering and catalyzing personal and professional transformation. Because the whole person is nurtured, the integration of discernment and compassion is enhanced.

The average student enrolled at Wisdom University is a professional, with an established career and one or more advanced degrees. They have come to the conclusion that they need deeper spiritual challenges in order to maintain momentum and meaning in their lives. Our students soon discover that they can continue to grow spiritually and professionally at Wisdom University, thus combining spiritual nourishment with enhanced professional qualifications.

Wisdom University explores both ancient wisdom traditions and the wisdom culture shaping our future today. In many schools, knowledge learned is abstract and disembodied without immediate relevance to the students and their lives. This is one reason that there is such a high drop out rate in high schools and universities. Students simply don't see a connection between what they are studying and what they are doing or want to do.

Not so at Wisdom University. For us, the ancient wisdom traditions are living traditions that inform decisions, affect behavior, and lead to personal transformation. Moreover, the university emphasizes the importance of how wisdom is alive and active today not only at the personal but also at the national and global level. Our focus is on how the pursuit of wisdom has transformed lives over the ages and how it is transforming life today. This dialectic between ancient and contemporary wisdom is the container within which all our programs are shaped."