THE PETALS AND BLOOD FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN
August 26, 2013
A whole-hearted thank you to everyone who has so generously contributed towards the fund-raising campaign for Petals and Blood. I am more grateful than I can ever put into words.
And thank you Indiegogo! I recommend this fundraising platform without any reservation.
Sincerely,
Gavin
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This campaign endeavors to underwrite the majority of the costs of production, promotion and distribution of my latest book Petals and Blood: Stories, Dharma and Poems of Ecstasy, Awakening and Annihilation, an interweaving of my ecstatic poetry, gorgeous imagery and gritty humanity.
Petals and Blood is a 144-page, full color, hard cover, linen wrapped book (9"x8") with a dust jacket, printed on recycled paper. The limited edition has gold gilded page edges and a linen-bound red foil stamped slipcase.
“It is rare to find a book in which the intimacy of the prose, the inspiration of the poetry, and the striking beauty of the photographs interweave into such a unified whole. That wholeness describes Gavin himself, and Petals and Blood is a fitting testament to his amazing life.”
—Joseph Goldstein, founding teacher of the Insight Meditation Society.
My previous book, In the lap of the Buddha, was universally well reviewed and translated into several languages. Petals and Blood will contribute to the shift in narrative from hopelessness and despair to one of potential and possibility for the planet and ourselves:
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Petals And Blood will introduce the Dharma to people around the world who might not otherwise encounter the Buddha's teachings on Compassion and Wisdom.
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It is an Inspiring and Urgent call to Activism and Service in the world. The book exemplifies the importance of questioning division, serving one another, protecting the planet, walking our talk, engaging limitation and taking seriously the possibility of being deeply free in this lifetime.
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It is a Fierce Call into Both our Humanness and the Humanity of one another by offering a compelling and irresistible vision of interconnection, community and togetherness.
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It affirms the Significance of a Life informed by Contemplation, Prayer and Meditation, this being a trustworthy basis for wholehearted participation in the world.
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It is a Glorious Work of Art, visual and literary. The book will inspire others to fortify their creative impulses. For those who have seen the manuscript, it has already done so!
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It is an Affirmation of the One Truth, One God, One Love, One Freedom, the unity underlying all apparent differences between religions and traditions. The poems of Petals and Blood are resourced by the language and archetypes of many different spiritual paths, while celebrating the One Ground of Unutterable Freedom that is always there, awaiting our arrival!
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It is a Stark and Sumptuous Window into the majesty, mystery and agony of Africa and Hawai’i — their peoples, cultures and traditions; the two places I call home.
The poem "In The End," (pictured above) a spread from Petals And Blood, which reveals the poem text when you receive your digital download!
“A modern day Rumi and Hafiz lies right within our midst. Filled with passion and devotion to The Mystery and True Freedom, Petals and Blood dazzles the senses, breaks open the heart and leads us to a place of connection, enchantment and wholeness. Gavin Harrison has bared his soul to create a special offering for all lovers of life.”
—James Baraz, founding teacher of Spirit Rock Meditation Center.
The poem "The Great Story," (pictured above) a spread from Petals And Blood, which reveals the poem text when you receive your digital download!
Direct and projected costs of PAB are $95,000. This campaign endeavors to cover $80,000 of those costs. My personal time and expenses are not included in the costs. The photographers, who are also personal friends, gifted the photographs for use in the book. We have titled each of the categories of giving (the perks to the right) after one of the poems of Petals and Blood. All campaign contributions will be applied to the following direct publication expenses only:
$44,000 Printing, Shipping and Insurance (4,000 qty)
$17,000 Design and Layout
$11,000 Fulfillment & Warehousing
$6000 Social Media, Website, Fundraising
$5000 Other Direct Expenses (incl licensing, advertising)
$5000 Indiegogo’s Share of Funds (fees, pay pal, credit card processing)
$4000 Marketing And Public Relations
$3000 Editing
$95,000 TOTAL COSTS
THE CAMPAIGN GOAL IS $80,000
“Gavin Harrison writes with profound wisdom and keen insight into spirituality and the human condition. It is time to take a break from Rumi and dive into the freshness of this contemporary poet’s work.”
—Anam Thubten, founding teacher of the Dharmata Foundation
Preamble to Poems of Invocation from Petals and Blood.
Let's Get Social—Join the Marketing Adventure.
YOU are the genesis of this adventure. Help to build momentum:
! Share our indigogo campaign! Forward a link to this page to help spread the word!
! Social media: like, follow, & share! Links are located at the bottom of this page:
! Blog about us on YOUR site!
! Call Members of the Media and ask them to please carry this story, on blogs, newspapers, campus circulations, or radio.
! Contact the PAB team to find out more about how you can help.(info@petalsandblood.com)
“Petals and Blood is an extraordinary gift from Gavin Harrison. The prose, the poetry and the photographs all bring us to a profound, tender and, most unusually, a direct knowing of the deepest and most beautiful truths.”
—Sharon Salzberg, founding teacher of the Insight Meditation Society.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND POET — GAVIN HARRISON
Gavin is a spiritual teacher, and poet. His first book In the Lap of the Buddha, Shambhala Publications, Boston was published in 1994. He is a recipient of the Unsung Heroes of Compassion Award presented to him by H. H. the Dalai Lama for “kindness and quiet dedication to others.” His spiritual teachings are rooted in the Buddhist Insight Meditation Tradition. His poetry has flowered from the realization of his True Nature. Gavin grew up in South Africa and lives on the Big Island of Hawai‘i. He is a gay-rights advocate and an AIDS activist.
“Gavin Harrison’s powerful book, Petals and Blood, is a radiant feast of truth and beauty, both poetic and visual.”
—Joan Halifax, founding abbot of Upaya Zen Center.
Apart from his ongoing fundraising and support for Woza Moya and the Group of Hope, Gavin's previous fundraising and community activism activities in Africa includes a fundraising project for the construction of three classrooms at the Umgababa High School, in KwaZulu, Natal, South Africa where he was a volunteer teacher in 1984. This project included the establishment of the only library in the village, a feeding program for the children, the negotiation of scholarships for students at an agricultural college and stewarding situations for the intermingling of black and white schoolchildren at a time when this was illegal in the country.
For more information on Gavin, please visit gavinharrison.net.
“Gavin Harrison’s poetry is voluptuous, mouthwatering and breathtaking! Wisdom is found through each new page. This book is a wonder!”
—Sylvia Boorstein, founding teacher of Spirit Rock Meditation Center.
A note from the author and poet —Gavin Harrison
We inaugurate this fundraising campaign on July 18, 2013, the birthday of Nelson Mandela, humbly honoring one of the most eloquent, vocal and fierce advocates for compassion and understanding in the face of HIV/AIDS in Africa. I have journeyed into the heart of Aids in Africa. I have lived with HIV-AIDS for over half my life, 33 years. Africa reminds me how fortunate I am to have access to sophisticated of medical support unavailable in my homeland.
“Genuine poetry and photography, like true art itself, awaken in us a new way of seeing and being. Gavin’s heart, like his eyes and ears, is a wide open organ of perception, finely attuned to the sacred space within each and all of us. On the gorgeous mystic path and byways he has trodden, and through agony and ecstasy, he now brings us along.”
—Lama Surya Das, founding teacher of the Dzogchen Center.
My life is dedicated to the possibility of making a difference in the lives of orphaned and vulnerable children in South Africa. For many years I have raised funds and been associated with two organizations that, in very different ways, are profoundly alleviating the suffering associated with HIV/AIDS in the lives of young ones. I have dedicated Petals and Blood to these organizations, The Woza Moya Project and The Group of Hope. Their work is the inspiration for several of the poems in the book And because a few of the perks to the right include a gift of books to these organizations it is important that I acknowledge their work here. This campaign is not fund-raising for these organizations.
“The intimacy and honesty of these poems summon us into the grit of our humanity and the grace of our divinity. Gavin Harrison is a modern day Buddhist-Ecstatic. He brings new life to and through the ancient lineage he carries. Above all, these poems are a transmission of the pure presence within and beyond all struggle and joy. Read them and know the direct experience of who you really are.”
—Kim Rosen author of Saved by a Poem: The Transformative Power of Words
THE WOZA MOYA PROJECT
Excerpt from:THE CHILDREN OF AFRICA
The Woza Moya Project, established in April 2000, is a community-based nonprofit organization located near Ixopo village in the Ofafa Valley within the heart of rural Kwazulu-Natal, home to many thousands of children who have lost their mothers and fathers to AIDS. Some of the young ones are HIV-positive themselves. Grandparents care for many of the children. Others are sheltered in foster homes. Children grow up young, largely bypassing their childhood. They are vulnerable to social elements—abuse, neglect, exploitation and a prevalent superstition that the cure for HIV is sex with a very young child.
In 2008 Gavin initiated and managed a fund-raising campaign that generated $127,693 for the construction of a Children's Play Therapy Center at Woza Moya, sponsoring also the school fees for 106 children, providing food for 111 families and funding the drilling of a water-well. One of the sponsored children is Amahle Hadebe, introduced here by Benedicta Memela, the food security coordinator and project manager for Woza Moya:
"Amahle is eight years old. She is a twin, attending school at Mpofini Primary. She lives at home with her grandmother and sister. She says there is often no food. She is happy when she can play with her friends and sad when she is sick, because of the HIV virus. She would like to be a nurse so that she can assist sick people. She loves cats, dogs, gardening and growing sweet potatoes. She adores her grandmother who is taking care of her.
THE GROUP OF HOPE
Excerpt from: MISSING THE MARK
The Group of Hope has been underway since 2002 and has survived to challenge all attempts to shut it down. This unique, prisoner-initiated program, begun in a maximum-security facility near Worcester in the Western Cape, is a short distance from the retreat center where Gavin lives and works in South Africa. The group is the only alternative to joining the notorious prison gang system in South Africa. The Group of Hope has adopted orphaned and vulnerable children from the surrounding towns. They raise money and grow vegetables to help feed, clothe and keep hundreds of children in school by making jewelry out of recycled paper. As one group member says, "I am not just rolling paper beads, I am rolling opportunities for our orphans. Each and every bead contains them." The children regularly visit their unlikely benefactors and the bond between them has transformed both sets of lives.
When asked if the prison gangs were giving them any trouble one of the inmates replied, "Yes, there has been some resistance but we have unbeatable weapons - joy and hope."
I recently received an update from a friend and GOH member with this news regarding one of the founding members of the Group of Hope: "Thando is now in George prison where he formed a poetry group consisting of five inmates. Their first book of poems is going to be published in September, 2013. I know that your visit and subsequent poems, inspired him to be serious about being a poet. He has also converted to Islam so that he can understand Sufism and its poetry more deeply."
Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika
God Bless Africa