Are You Ready for an Awakened World?
—Claudia Abbott

Have you ever felt as if the world needs to wake up to the awareness that the challenges facing the human and planetary communities cannot be ignored? Are you frustrated with the negative barrage of news that paints a picture of doom and gloom? Do you feel called to engage in dialogue and action to create a world that works for everyone? Two hundred religious and spiritual leaders, secular experts, and grassroots activists from the great faith traditions experienced such a call. They traveled from countries around the globe and met in Rome and Florence October 13-21, 2012, to engage in dialogue to shape initiatives and encourage spiritually motivated global action for a better world.

The conference, sponsored by the International Interreligious Peace Council, the Association for Global New Thought, and the Interreligious Engagement Project, used a unique structure that engaged participants in working sessions to deepen their collective understanding of three dimensions of the twenty-first-century evolution of religion and spirituality:

• Signs (compelling indicators that ours is a time of real change in religion and society)
• Shadows (obstacles to this evolutionary advance)
• Solutions (new initiatives, projects, and action plans to support our progress).

Participants spent the first four days of the conference in Rome at Mondo Migliori Spiritual Retreat Centre (Rocca de Papa), gathering in working sessions to examine possibilities of reconciliation and peace, ecological stewardship, compassionate service, and spiritual deepening.

The fifth day, the group traveled to Florence’s Hilton Metropole Hotel for the gathering’s final three days, which were devoted to sharing action plans and refining a critical vision for our time—A Charter for Engaged Spirituality in the 21st Century. The document will provide the framework for an ongoing global process of interreligious and intercultural dialogue and engagement.

In Rome, on Wednesday, October 14, in the Campidoglio, leaders and participants met with municipal officials to discuss the work of the conference. In Florence, on Saturday, October 20, in the Palazzo Vecchio, another meeting was held to summarize the progress of the event with leaders of the municipality.

The work has just begun, as participants return to their communities energized by a common vision of global evolutionary awareness and transformative action. The charter they drafted, the bonds and networks formed, and the commitment to provide positive leadership for transformational change holds great promise. Stay tuned!