Zaadzsters.

A question!

How many of you have met someone from the site in person?

I feel absurdly lucky in this regard: I've lost count of how many of you I've had the pleasure of chatting with, either over the phone or over coffee.

If you haven't (for whatever reason!) yet connected to Zaadzsters in the real world, we're about to make it much, much easier. Jessica and Dave are in the process of organizing the next Global Zaangha Day, and you're all invited to participate.

Zaangha. I'll explain. :)

Zaangha is Zaadz's twist on 'sangha,' a Sanskrit word meaning 'gathering' that carries with it connotations of community and awakening. When Zaadz was just a wee little network, we found people spontaneously arranging to join together in person... and the very first Zaanghas were born. (You can read more about them here.)

So... I hope you can clear some time in your schedules on September 15th. We're excited to think about what it will be like for hundreds (if not thousands!) of us to come together in communities all over the world to connect in person, and all the more so because these gatherings are going to be YOURS to arrange as you wish. Who knows what magic might happen? You've probably noticed Zaadz has a way of bringing about coincidences. September 15th will be no exception.

Of course, we'll be providing you with a little organizational support. If you'd like to participate in any way—be it by hosting a meetup or just showing up with a smile at a cafe in your neighborhood—pop on over to our Zaangha page. Dave and Jessica (as you'll see) are very very eager to help coordinate.

Exciting, hm? I certainly can't wait. :)

And now, on to the good stuff. What have all of you been doing?

Do you remember Jeanine, who was working on gathering letters calling to support the people of Darfur? She'd set a goal of collecting 10,000 names, and, thanks to the help of this community, managed to get 10,397 by the time the deadline arrived.

Incredible... so here's a HUGE thank you to Jeanine and to everyone who participated.)

Geri , another Zaadzster, is celebrating the 10th Anniversary of her Good News Network. If you're not familiar with her service, you are in for SUCH a treat. The mission of the Good News Network is to provide a place for people to find and share positive news, instead of the frequently negative variety found in the mainstream. It's a wonderful place—and very much in the spirit of Zaadz—so by all means send Geri a big note of thanks for all the good she's been spreading.

And then there's Nicola. She's a Zaadz member who's dedicated her life to working for the environment, and she's currently focused on supporting the indigenous peoples of the Amazon. She'll be heading down there in November to bring rainwater caching systems so that the locals no longer need to drink the groundwater (which has been made toxic due to the workings of the oil industry), and to work on mycoremediation--a process by which fungi is used to eat the oil spills and thus rehabilitate the contaminated land. Amazing.

We'll have more to say about you, and your work, and the evolution of the Gaia community (which we're honored to be such an instrumental part of!) soon, but this is running long and I'm mindful of your time. So big hugs, and big love, and don't forget to keep being your own brilliant selves....

Siona
and the rest of the Zaadz Team.

P.S. As of this morning, there were 92,215 Zaadz members. I'm a little stunned how close you are to numbering 100,000. I remember what we started as, and, well...  it blows me away. Here's to changing the world. :)