Dear Friends,
When I began my work in 1982, I had some idea that I was entering a new life. It started with massage therapy for women rape survivors. Then I was nearly overwhelmed by demand for massage for people with AIDS. Then came work with inmates, tortured refugees, and war vets. Each group became part of my education. I helped them in their pain and learned the nature of healing trauma. My gift for releasing pain became more graceful and my disciplines for avoiding burnout grew stronger. I began to teach massage and energy work for trauma, plus avoiding burnout. It’s been my life since. I help the wounded to heal and help many to learn the way of reverence & warm hands.
The work took another surprising form. I have worked mainly by invitation and lived primarily on gifts since before the 1st Beethoven Letter in 1984. A meek income grew slowly became better known and well used. Living on gifts is more difficult now.
Still later, I also became an author. My first book, The Dance Between Hope & Fear, (2013) has wonderful reviews by both professionals in the field and trauma survivors. I am immensely happy to celebrate with you the May release of my second book, How Far Have You Traveled? This book is about goodness and knowing your own goodness as important to life, work, and healing. I hope you will enjoy it. It’ll be available at Quakerbooks.com and Amazon. As founding convener of The Quaker Initiative to End Torture- QUIT! (www.quit-torture-now.org) I continue to teach about American torture.
My calendar shows a good bit of travel and a variety of need. Speaking to Great Plains Yearly Meeting in June is my 10th yearly meeting keynote. I make my regular stops at Pendle Hill, the Vermont People with AIDS Coalition, Powell House, and Friends General Conference Summer Gathering. I will continue so long as my healing gift to release pain remains clear and strong and invitations to use it keep coming.
Some of you will read this as news from an old friend. Some of you will read this as a fundraising letter and ponder whether to give. I hope it will be both and you will celebrate with me 37 years of a life’s work, a new book, and support by community.
So many of you have helped me along the way over these 4 decades. It’s good to see you on my travels and to receive your notes of care and support. In the current economic atmosphere, living on gifts is tough! My support does not come from the 1%. I hope you will consider this work worthy of your care and support. I hope you will send a gift. If you should care to give me a raise, that would be more than wonderful. Thank you.
In the Light,
John Calvi, May 2019