This event takes place in person at Charis and on Crowdcast, Charis' virtual event platform. This event is free, but registration is required for virtual attendance. Please read the in-person event guidelines at the bottom of this page to be sure you can participate in the event. 

Charis welcomes Shodo Spring in conversation with Charli Vogt & Gareth Young for a discussion of Open Reality: Meeting the Polycrisis Together With All Beings.

Open Reality speaks to the world behind and beneath our daily collective trauma. It opens practical possibilities for creating a shared, flexible culture that knows the natural world both as family and as a working partner. It invites the reader to a world of possibility. What if industrial civilization isn't the best that humans can do? What if we weren't alone in the world, but embedded in a universe of conscious, intentional, powerful beings?

Shodo Spring began with a childhood where refuge was in woods, wildflowers, and sunny meadows. Through a winding path including a degree in physics, marriage and children, growing political awareness, and Zen Buddhism, she found her life work in addressing the consciousness that conquer the earth instead of living with it. In 2013 she led a walk along the KXL route, then adopted a bit of land in Minnesota, to begin a center for spiritual community and action. 

She wrote Open Reality to reach out to invite people to a radically different awareness that may make survival possible.

Shodo is an ordained and transmitted teacher of Zen Buddhism, a retired psychotherapist, and the founder of Mountains and Waters Alliance.

Along the way, she abandoned despair and isolation, and found confidence in the working together of all beings.

Charli Vogt has been a spiritual seeker as long as she can remember, through Lutheran Catechism, Pagan studies, Feminist spirituality and Buddhism.  She is currently studying with Sensei Shun’E Greenway in the Zen tradition, received the precepts with the Jukai ceremony, and is currently an active member of Red Clay Sangha, Chamblee, GA.

Gareth Young is a co-founder and the Guiding Teacher of Red Clay Sangha. He has maintained a committed meditation practice since 1999 in the Zen, Chan and Vipassana Traditions. He received dharma transmission in the Thai Forest lineage of Ajahn Chah, Jack Kornfield and Lisa Ernst. He lives in the Atlanta area with his wife and their dogs, chickens and bees. He has two adult children.

The event is free and open to all people, but we encourage and appreciate a donation of $5-20 in support of the work of Charis Circle, our programming non-profit. Donate on Crowdcast or via our website: www.chariscircle.org/donate or in person at the event.

Charis Books is a fully wheelchair accessible space with on site van accessible parking, two ramps, and additional overflow accessible parking nearby. Additional accessibility information can be found on the Accessibility page of our website. 

In-person event guidelines:

All attendees must wear a face mask during the event.

We will begin seating people at 7:00 PM ET.

This event will be live-streamed via Crowdcast. 

As a reminder: If you are not feeling well, please do not come to the event.

If you have any questions regarding these guidelines or to request specific accessibility accommodations, please contact info@charisbooksandmore.com or call the store at 404-524-0304.

Please contact us at info@chariscircle.org or 404-524-0304 if you would like ASL interpretation at this event. If you would like to watch the event with live AI captions, you may do so by watching it in Google Chrome and enabling captions: Instructions here. If you have other accessibility needs or if you are someone who has skills in making digital events more accessible please don't hesitate to reach out to info@chariscircle.org.

By attending our event, whether in person or virtually, you agree to our Code of Conduct: Our event seeks to provide a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), class, or technology choices. We do not tolerate harassment in any form. Unsolicited sexual language and imagery are not appropriate. Anyone violating these rules will be expelled from this event and all future events at the discretion of the organizers. Please report all harassment to Charis staff immediately or email info@chariscircle.org.

Open Reality: Meeting the Polycrisis Together With All Beings -- Shodo Spring in Conversation with Charli Vogt & Gareth Young