It is comforting to get a note from y'all and have to stop and actually READ it. So much of the crap I deal with in communication from others is very bare-bones, and without a sense that sometimes it just needs to be taken to another level. Your writing demands full attention. Your selection of words and sensitivity to the present goes fully noticed and deserves note.

Thank you Sven for being one of those unique individuals out in the great largeness of it all. One of the people in my life, that whether you know it or not, is burning brighter than many and can have a profounder effect on those around you than you are currently able to understand.

- Dylan Cardiff, Oakland

The Psychic Reader, January 2001

by Kirstin Miller

The Alchemy of Activism

Over a year ago, I happened upon a cool band in Berkeley. They were playing a gig at People's Park, near Telegraph and Haste. In addition to their upbeat, danceable, funky style, bright clips and smooth dips, I just really liked their vibe. They have this collective aura that is both integrated and individual. It's very stylized, a very S.F. Bay Area urban earthy jive energy.

Since that People's Park afternoon, I've gotten to know Chemystry Set more, especially singer/songwriter/activist Sven Eberlein. Sven, a German native, can't even vote here; nevertheless, he has a most well developed sense of the democratic process and the American mindset. I am inspired by him, because Sven is one of those people who engages life.

There are so many people out there who live out their lives as observers and watchers. Maybe that's because there are countless things to watch: TV, movies, computer screens, time going by on clocks, scenery flashing by as we drive back and forth to work....

Overall, not many of us get excited about changing the world, taking a stand, or risking something for a principle. To do that, you have to quit being a watcher or an observer. Although we are taught that we live in a country ruled by the will of the people, we prefer to sit back and will it all to go away so we can do something else instead of participating in creating our country. Evil aspersions have been cast on politics and government, and for the most part quite rightly, as politicians and governments have, for many centuries, been oppressive and harsh.

But then there are people like my friend Sven, who can't help but to take a stand. Sven mixes music, politics, spirituality and activism into an ongoing quest for a life path that makes sense and a difference. There was a time in my life when I disliked activists. But looking back, I realize that it was because I was so inactive myself. Anyone who generated that energy, that movement of change, invalidated my in-activism and made me nervous.

Since then, I've come to realize that this world needs a lot more activism and a lot less passivism on the part of 'the people.' There are many challenges out there - corrections to be made, wrongs to be righted, things to do, ideas that need implementing and risks that need to be taken in order for the planet to continue evolving, or even to sustain life and the species inhabiting this place we all call home. Collective soul, collective creativity - this planet is our shared adventure. We are individuals, but we've all got tickets to ride together.

Sometimes I'll walk into a room full of people and wonder.....is anybody really here? When you meet an activist, you find that they are right there, alert and ready to think and react. Acting and doing take energy, but with certainty and purpose, you generate more of whatever you do, and in the end, you have more for yourself, or perhaps more OF yourself. You have to be more aware, more in the present moment. To be proactive and alert, I believe, is our natural condition as humans. Social programming and family conditioning, on the other hand, would rather us be passive consumers than risk-taking activists. Too bad for us, but nice for the status quo.

If I may make a suggestion: for your New Year's resolution, I would hope that you consider doing something for yourself by consciously doing something for somebody or something else. Your charity, your good will made active, your conscious creativity aligning with a healthy vibration for people, the flora and fauna, and the planet, will not compromise your personal abundance. As you will see, when you thoughtfully and consciously learn how to give of yourself, you may find yourself in the process.

Happy New Year to all of you, and thanks to Sven and so many other people who have taught me about the dynamics of giving and receiving.

Dear Sven,

On your birthday, I send you a long overdue note to tell you how beautiful and valuable I think your book is. It is imbued with the most magical spirit of openness and expansiveness; it manages to achieve the most difficult balance between gravity and whimsy, philosophical weightiness and lightness of spirit. It teaches so much without ever being ponderous or pretentious and it enchants without ever being cutesy or sentimental. I have the greatest admiration for your sensibility and all the work you are doing. Keep sending me your wonderfully written newsletters and please do send the CD when it is ready!

fondly always,
Priscilla