‘Tis the season…for consciousness rising. There’s an evolution of conscious collaboration occurring around the globe, starting right here in our own neighborhoods. Can you sense it? Are you participating? Many of you are already fostering a deeper perspective of how to relate and work together to better sustain our communities and support ourselves and our neighbors.

Kudos to Tia Underkoffler, from the York County Penn State Extension, for leading the pack. Along with a team of volunteers, she successfully coordinated last month’s inaugural York County Local Food Summit, which brought together people involved in all aspects of agriculture for a day of idea sharing, education and delicious local food. Along with keynote speaker Ana Sophia Joanes, producer and director of the film, FRESH, the event successfully set the cornerstone for future Summits.

According to Jack Canfield, motivational speaker and author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books, “We're one humanity and we're all in this together.” Never more poignantly is that illustrated than during times of natural disaster, like hurricane Sandy, where the sheer audacity of Mother Nature's rant yielded such widespread devastation.

Several of our Natural Awakenings publishing family members were directly in the path of the storm and experienced devastating loss and damage. Kelly Martinsen, publisher of the Long Island edition, joined a corps of volunteers that is helping families and businesses dig out of the ruins of their once-beautiful beach town. In turn, her magazine’s advertisers and neighboring publishers reached out to share their office space, homes and other heartfelt help to keep her own business afloat. “While I have lost much, I feel blessed to have lived through this event,” says Martinsen. “I was able to experience the wonderful nature of people helping people in the days after the storm.”

Tina Woods, publisher of the New York City edition, changed the role of her delivery truck from distributing magazines to carrying food to residents and volunteers. She participated in recovery work and collaborated with her advertisers to raise $1,000 for relief efforts. Woods observes, “In times like this, you know what it means to truly be local and look to the people immediately next to you to get by.”

It’s apparent that catastrophes can bring about opportunities to awaken the spirit. I wonder what life would look like if the awakening happened without the disasters. Read more about that potential in our feature, “It's All About We,” and remember to feel good, live simply and laugh more.

Happy Holidays!

Dave Korba, Publisher