Hello From Your New ED!
By Renkyo Heather Fehst
Hello, sangha!
A little wave and bow from your new Executive Director at Clouds in Water. For those of you who don’t yet know me, I’m Renkyo Heather Fehst, a member of our sangha who, as chance would have it, gets to work at my spiritual home. I’m feeling pretty grateful to be able to take my volunteer work at Clouds next level! If you missed the last sangha news, you can read my official bio here.
I put that picture up there so that you immediately have a reason to smile as you open this missive from us. That’s the Dalai Lama and the late, great Desmond Tutu. The friendship and love between these two men serves as a constant inspiration for me. I have a picture of them dancing together over my desk here at Clouds to remind me:
It’s all about the joy and love.
No matter how different we are, there are so many opportunities to find common ground in our desire to bring more love, peace, and healing to this world. #interbeing
Spiritual friendship is one of the greatest gifts our practice has to offer us.
If these two men, both of whom have experienced deep trauma in their communities and lives can be this goofy, there is hope for us all and for our country.
The energy of these two wonderful beings is what I hope to bring each day to my work at Clouds and in all of my interactions with our dear sangha. As the 2024 Presidential election ramps up, I’m ever mindful of how lucky we are to have a place like Clouds to support us during extraordinarily difficult times. Our commitment to social justice, deep listening, and the Bodhisattva path is exactly the medicine our times need. This is why I’m so thrilled to announce the creation of the Clouds Bridge Action Group for Social Justice and Community Care. I hope to work with many of you as we shine a light in the darkness off the cushion. See more in this announcement to learn more and get involved.
I’m so honored to be stepping into this role in this particular zeitgeist and as we celebrate THIRTY YEARS of Clouds in the Twin Cities! We have some incredible offerings coming up, and I can’t wait to share them with you and to practice together.
Watch this space! You won’t want to miss the special events we’re cooking up this winter and spring.
I’ve been thinking a bit about Sosan’s dharma talk at the beginning of the winter/spring practice period, which gently challenged us to consider how we might use this winter/spring practice period to deepen our engagement with the dharma. I’m aiming to get my bum on a cushion each day (or doing some kinhin), and I’m going to try and chant the heart sutra every day…and, if I forget, to be nice to myself about it. What about you?
I’d love to hear your feedback, thoughts, and questions. My “door” is open, and you can email me at ed@cloudsinwater.org or leave a message for me in the new ED section on our community bulletin board when you come to Clouds, if you’re local.
Wherever you are, I wish you peace, joy, and ease as we push off into 2024!
Renkyo