Fwd: time sensitive--personal invitation--join with other spiritual leaders

[Guest guest]

October 1, 2008 1:30:30 PM PDT"Sat Sattokh S. Khalsa" <satsantokhtime sensitive--personal invitation--join with other spiritual leaders Dear Brother,I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to connect in SF.  I just notified an email from you in my in-box.  I'll get back to you in a few days as I am preoccupied with the campaign described in this email.Judith and I are writing to ask you to join the two of us, along with Deepak Chopra, Jack Kornfield, Jean Houston, Roshi Joan Halifax, Sharon Salzberg, Stephan Rechtschaffen, Reggie Ray, Cyndi Lee,  Marianne Williamson, Barbara De Angelis, Shiva Rae, Lama Surya Das, Rodney Yee,  Krishna Das, Jack Canfield, Julia Butterfly Hill, Gay & Katie Hendricks, Rabbi Michael Lerner, Sylvia Boorstein, Reb Zalman Shachter-Shalomi, Joan Borysenko, Pema Chödrön, Jon Kabat-Zinn, and a rapidly growing wave of spiritual teachers who are working together to help ensure a winning turnout for Obama from our networks.Below you will find an email that is going out to all our individual mailing lists. In addition, we are reaching out to other teachers like yourselves who have substantial mailing lists of students. Please help us usher in a President who is aligned with so many of the values we hold dear. Here's what you can do:1. Please send out the Spiritual Leaders Vote for Obama email (sample below) out to your personal or organizational lists.2. Let us know if you would like to have your name added to the email and website. (We are requesting that all signers agree to send the letter to their lists.)3. Forward this invitation along to other teachers whom you know, so as to create the greatest possible viral impact. Personalize with your own invitation & signature. Feel free to remove ours.4. Download flyers for distribution at events and display in community spaces.  If you plan to send this out to your list, please note the following:1. If you are acting as an individual, you have every right to publicly endorse a particular candidate, and are free to send out the Vote for Obama version of the email you see below. Click here to download a version designed to be used with your email sending software.2. Important-- if you are acting on behalf of a 501-3C non-profit, and/or using their mailing list-- you are not allowed to endorse a particular candidate. However, you are permitted to encourage your members/students/constituents to vote, and to speak about the values you feel are important. We have created an alternative version for this purpose that asks people to vote for our values. Some business people have also preferred to use this non-partisan version. Click here to download a non-partisan Spiritual Leaders Vote for Change version designed to be used with your email sending software.3. You may want to have your name added to the email version you send out. This version is in html format, which means that they can be sent by bulk e-mail programs. However, in order to make edits (e.g. add your own name to the list) one needs to be able to work in html format. If you have a tech person, they will be able to do this.  Let us know if you are having difficulty.If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Judith at judith.ansara.We are delighted to report that our first email blast has gone out to Judith Ansara and Robert Gass's email list (and we are getting a great response!) We are doing an e-blast to a list of 10,000 yoga teachers and studio owners today. Numbers of other spiritual teachers are requesting to have their names added and have agreed to send to their lists. We have two websites up and running with lots of great links and materials which can be printed for distribution:www.SpiritualLeadersforObama.orgwww.SpiritualLeadersforChange.org (non-partisan website)We hope you will take the time and effort to do whatever you can to help create a positive wave of change for our country.  Love and Blessings...Robert Gass and Judith Ansara Deepak Chopra Jean Houston Jack Kornfield Sylvia Boorstein Roshi Joan Halifax Sharon Salzberg Marc Barasch Stephan Rechtschaffen Reggie Ray Cyndi Lee Jon Kabat-Zinn Marianne Williamson Barbara De Angelis Shiva Rae Lama Surya Das Seane Corn Rodney Yee Coleen Saidman Gordon Davidson Ed & Deb Shapiro Corinne McLaughlin Krishna Das Jack Canfield Julia Butterfly Hill Gay & Katie Hendricks Rabbi Michael Lerner Reb Zalman Shachter-Shalomi Sharon Gannon David Life Swami Beyondananda Joan Borysenko Judith Ansara & Robert Gass ...and more every day! **************************************************************************** As spiritual leaders signing this letter we are stepping forward to say: “We can make a difference.” As our spiritual practice empties, opens and strengthens us, we are naturally moved to engage in the world with compassion, equanimity, and the dedication to live our values.We know many of you are already both concerned and involved in this year’s Presidential election. Yet, in the past weeks, many of us have heard friends in the spiritual community expressing ambivalence about voting. When asked why they wouldn't vote we heard things like: “It doesn’t make any difference”; “I’m more interested in spiritual practice than politics”.This election, we have an opportunity to create a paradigm shift in the nature of politics. Senator McCain has voted with President Bush over 90% of the time leading to policies that have increased violence the world, furthered environmental destruction, tried to force religious views on the country, and shown a staggering lack of compassion for those most in need. Senator Barack Obama is a leader whose policies reflect spirituality in action: Security through international cooperation rather than wars of aggression; Care for the environment and meeting the challenge of climate change; Equal opportunity and health care for all Americans; Visit www.barackobama.com to learn more about Obama’s ideas & policies for change, & how you can help.Humanity is at a crossroads. We can no-longer afford to sit on the sidelines. We are asking you to get engaged. The 2000 presidential election was decided by just 500 votes and this November appears to be just as close. Every vote matters. Your vote and the votes in your community could make the difference. Vote.  Let your voice be heard. Together there is nothing we cannot do. TAKE ACTION NOW 1. REGISTER TO VOTE & Detailed Voter Information 2. VOLUNTEER Find out how you can help! 3. FORWARD THIS EMAIL Invite your students, friends, and fellow spiritual seekers to get involved. Let’s bring the benefits of our practice into our lives. The world needs us. Blessings: Deepak, Shiva, Seane, Cyndi, Surya, Roshi Joan , Jean, Reggie. Joan B., Reb Zalman, Jack, Judith, Robert, Sharon, Coleen, Rodney, Sharon, David, Stephan, Jon, Marianne, Krishna Das, Julia Butterfly, Gay & Katie, Michael, Steve, Barbara, Jack C., Gordon, Ed & Deb , Corinne, Marc …. and more every day.... PLEASE FORWARD THIS EMAIL WIDELY