Update from Michael Karlin
President
Mythic Imagination Institute
The Power of Relationship
A Special Partnership with Deepak Chopra and the Alliance for a New Humanity
I recently had the good fortune to spend many hours with our friend, advisor and Mythic Journeys 2006
presenter Tom Blue Wolf of the Creek Nation. Tom said something that had
a deep impact on me. He said that his people do not view life as a challenge to survive, but as a collection of relationships.
They do not wake every morning and ask themselves "how can I survive today", but instead say "how blessed am I to be
able to have so many relationships today". I believe that philosophy aptly describes the Mythic Imagination Institute. At heart,
we are simply and wonderfully a collection of incredible relationships: relationships with our volunteers, our members, our
advisors, our presenters and performers, and our partners. These relationships form a beautiful constellation that allows
our own star to shine more brightly and reach a wider audience.
I spend most of my time creating and nurturing our partnership relationships. As I move forward pursuing these
partnerships, I am often stunned to find out that partnering is not often done in the non-profit world. It appears that many
leaders fear losing their constituencies and funding base. Worry about their organization's survival can occlude the vision
of the mission. This morning I heard a perfect example of this in a brief story on National Public Radio. It appears that Habitat
for Humanity is suing its founder for starting a competing organization called Building Humanity. The news story did not give
enough details to draw any real conclusions about the particular situation, but it is an apt metaphor for what we often encounter
in our work: organizations focused more on competing than cooperating. We believe that any great relationship requires a leap
of faith; a faith that the relationship will strengthen our respective bases, build a bigger and more active community, and help us
all achieve our missions faster.
We have been blessed to have an amazing network of partners that have been instrumental in getting us to this
point: organizations like the Joseph Campbell Foundation, PARABOLA Magazine, Emory University's MARIAL Center,
and the Mosaic Multicultural Foundation, just to name a few. Please visit Partners to read about each of them.
We are always looking to foster new connections and synergies. Lately, we've begun working with
The National Black Arts Festival in many ways
(see article),
and Creating Pride for K-12 education. As these and other
relationships continue to blossom, we will keep you informed through the monthly Mythic
Passages newsletter and our website.
In this article, I would like to focus on one of our newest relationships. Its promise has touched me deeply and
inspired my enthusiasm for partnerships in general. I am very pleased to announce in this issue of Passages, a very
special partnership with the Alliance for a New Humanity (ANH).
ANH was founded by Deepak Chopra, Oscar Arias, former president of Costa Rica and Nobel Peace Prize laureate,
and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Betty Williams. To quote from Deepak's article
in this issue of Passages, "The Alliance for a New Humanity is an open forum to facilitate an exchange amongst those who
care about their fellow beings, and who understand that there is only one human family. It is a network of love in action, a collective
statement of the best of our human nature, meant to influence social consciousness so that we can move to a society of peace and
serenity." As you will read in his article, our relationship with ANH is rooted in a deeply felt sense of common purpose.
MII is working with ANH to help them program their next big event, The Human Forum, in Puerto Rico December
8 to 11, 2005. We are working through the program with them, and many Mythic Journeys presenters will be integrated into their
program. For example, I will be moderating a closing panel at the Human Forum about the power of new mythologies, which will
be a perfect segue into Mythic Journeys '06. Additionally, MII will have a presence in their Convergence Plaza at the Forum, which is an open
exchange marketplace designed to bring together individuals and organizations working to heal humanity. We encourage everyone
to learn more about ANH by visiting their website at www.anhglobal.org, and hope to see you all in Puerto Rico in December.
Conversely, we are very pleased to announce that Deepak Chopra
and Arsenio Rodriguez, Secretary General of ANH,
will both be presenters at Mythic Journeys '06. ANH will also be represented in our Marketplace, so the Mythic Journeys attendees
can learn even more about the wonderful work that ANH is doing around the world. These programs are just the beginning of our
work together. As other projects advance forward, we will be sure to let everyone know about them.
The growing number of relationships both with individuals and organizations that are being born have given us a
renewed sense of hope. How blessed we are to be one star in this emerging constellation of light!
I hope you enjoy reading the rest of this month's Mythic Passages newsletter. As a member supported,
non-profit organization, word of mouth is our best advertising. Please forward the newsletter to anyone you think would be interested,
and encourage them to sign up for it. Also, you can
help support the ongoing work of MII by becoming a member
today. There are great gifts associated with each membership level.
Lastly, registration for Mythic Journeys '06 will go live on the internet next month, and there will be special limited time
Early Bird registration discounts. We have an amazing program coming together. You can see all of the confirmed speakers and
learn more about the event by visiting our Guest List.
Please register early to take advantage of the discounts. I hope to see you all in Atlanta in 2006!
Be well,
Michael Karlin
President
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