Globally, we have entered the twenty-first century living in a world increasingly organized — for good or ill — around democratic, market-driven capitalism. At work within free-market economics are potent spiritual and human dualities. We must contend, on the one hand, with the forces of fear and greed that would limit our lives to a refined, yet materialistic world view, or we can choose to work with human and spiritual beings whose intent is the ensoulment and elevation of life. Capitalism is the front line of a battle between those entities who would imprison the human soul within a world devoid of spirit and those whose purpose is to free the human being from the bonds of materialism.'

We will explore the laws, principles and fallacies that now prevail within the current economics of capitalism. Our intention is to awaken a new understanding of the true cohesive forces that can be called forth within this system and to explore the ways in which individuals, businesses, institutions, and governments can reverse current destructive trends. We will explore the current and potential alternative movements working within the economic forces of capitalism that have the potential to liberate the human spirit.

We will focus on this struggle across communities of people, from the poor to the ultra-wealthy. We will look at the continuing presence of poverty in a world of increasing abundance, the commoditization of all facets of our lives, and at the control of financial markets and government institutions through economic power. We will discuss ways to reverse the fear-based dynamic that tends to prevail in our economic lives, at a societal, personal, and environmental level. Other topics include the responsibility incurred through accumulating private capital and the role of philanthropy as a corrective to the excess accumulation of wealth. We will explore existing models and activities that demonstrate new approaches to an enlightened capitalism.

Can capitalism be redeemed? The forces of its redemption are already at work, but their success requires that we awaken to the consequences of our economic choices and actions; it requires nothing less than a liberation of our economic consciousness. In our course we will discuss what each of us can do to achieve this end. We stand at the threshold of a new civilization. Our contribution to the future destiny of humankind will be largely determined by our success in transforming our economic lives and our labor through the spirit of service.

Louise Hill will support the course with artistic experiences that come from her work with clowning. With her facilitation, we will experience what it is to co-create a safe space that makes possible the authenticity and individual expression of all. We will have an opportunity to recapture our playfulness and spontaneity, and to experience what it is to meet what comes to us free of preconceptions so that something new can be imagined. We will learn to give voice to those unspoken stories that lie beneath the surface of things, and from which tensions arise between what we do and who we are. Most importantly, we will deepen our relationships and develop trust in the group while having a very good time!