Voices from the Movement

With 35 cities and growing, the Evolver Social Movement is manifesting change in a city near you. Hear from those on the front lines of transformation, the pioneers who are creating EvolverFests and permaculture gardens, sheet mulching workshops and women's circles, alternative currency learn-ins and "the most affordable entheogen conference ever held."  We've collected testimonials from some of the Evolver Regional coordinators who are trailblazing the way to a new planetary culture.  You can directly support their efforts and help build this global network by becoming a member of the Evolver Social Movement.

Maya Lemberg
Evolver Atlanta
Regional Coordinator

Evolver has changed my life in every single way imaginable. Like many, I've always been craving a community to help facilitate my spiritual evolution, and to quite literally, commune with. The occasional deep conversation at a party just wasn't doing it, and online interaction can only do so much. Before Evolver even launched, I hooked up with a few other Atlantans that were passionate about Reality Sandwich and all the ideals it stands for. So we started organizing local events, garnering a community, meeting new people, and expanding minds. Now 1.5 years passed, Evolver Atlanta has a solid name in the local community, a large, vibrant circle of supporters, consciousness shifting gatherings and a plethora of ideas brewing for the future. This has not only been revolutionary in the lives of all of the Evolver Atlanta regional coordinators, but for the lives of the hundreds of people that attend our events. People come to connect with kindred spirits, learn and grow from each other while exploring vital topics concerning us all in this rapidly shifting era. The local Evolver community rave about our events to their inner circle, wait anxiously for the next one, and feel a sense of lightness and connection when they come. This is what it's all about. Our local tagline is Art, Ideas, Action, Evolution. With a growing, passionate community like our own, mountains can be moved, hearts opened, perceptions expanded and paradigms shifted. We are all honored to be involved in the Evolver Social Movement and thankful for its conception and evolution.

With love, gratitude and grace,

Stephen Thomas
Regional Coordinator,
Evolver Atlanta

Evolver Atlanta started as a personal vision, a burning desire within myself to "find the others" and effect positive change in the world. As a contributing editor at Reality Sandwich, I'd been intimately involved with building this global tribe of evolutionaries since the magazine's inception almost three years ago. While watching the RS community grow has been an immensely inspirational experience, the mediated universe of blog posts and online debates wasn't enough to get me through my days. I needed to find my people, here, where I live. With a couple of like-minded friends and local RS cohorts, I put together a few consciousness-raising events around town. Little did we know, the model we were setting would soon be followed by some 40 cities around the world.

As a coordinator for one of the first Evolver Regionals, it's been incredible to see the network spread so wide and touch so many lives and communities. There's something remarkable happening here -- a global movement is springing up in our own backyards. My own life has been completely transformed in the year and a half since Evolver Atlanta began. And over time, the purpose of our work has become clear. We've met all of these collectives of inspired and tireless people, from bicycle co-ops and yoga studios to organic farms and off-the-grid homesteads. Though their interests are diverse, these groups all share a guiding vision of empowering local communities and co-creating a more beautiful world. Through the Evolver Social Movement, we are linking up these transformative tribes, to recognize our common dreams and make them a reality. I'm endlessly grateful to be a part of it all.


Robin Gunkle
Regional Coordinator
Evolver Baltimore

Founding Evolver Baltimore has been both a journey on the personal and collective levels. It began with a string of syncronicities from first hearing Daniel speak at Burning Man, to hosting Reality Sandwich at the New Age bookstore I worked at, to a dear friend/RS writer passing regional coordinator work onto me before his imminent move to Vietnam. Since our first event in June, I’ve seen our spore grow from me, B’more’s near-sole Evolver, to a core group of organizers and community that expand in network near every day. And, the spores we host every month are the heartbeat of our group. In January, we held a gifting culture, Burning Man themed party which brought in some 300 people. It was a beautiful and vibrant night that marked the birth of a new scene in our city. And it’s just as beautiful now to witness this community knitting together on and offline, expressing shared value systems as we express ourselves. Evolver evolves the community as it also evolves the self. It’s about opening one’s self to the heart chakra path. I’ve had a psychic tell me about soul mates and paths connected to Evolver, but the most amazing thing is recognizing that as I work to help build community, I also work to connect myself back to a re-ensouled world that I recognize as anything but random. This is an expression of true wealth that can only be found in growing community.


Marisa Smith
Regional Coordinator
Evolver Boise

I joined Evolver.net barely a year ago as a way to connect with individuals on a collective level who share an active interest in conscious evolution. When I moved to Boise a few months later I noticed we lacked a local Spore in the area so decided to spearhead one, anchoring the voice of Evolver in the region.  By becoming the Regional Coordinator for the Evolver Boise Spores I immediately plugged into the local tribe of expansive thinkers and celebrators of life. Not only have I connected to like-minded souls, but through hosting the Spores I have witnessed dozens of individuals and groups come together for the sharing of ideas, inspiration, and transformational collaboration.  Evolver.net and the Evolver Spores are vital tools for instigating growth and renewal through uniting efforts and vision under a shared mission - We are the change we want to see in  the world.


Jason Bowman
Regional Coordinator
Evolver Boulder

In the months since I took the reigns of the Evolver Boulder group, I have witnessed spores begin to turn into mycelium and watched boundaries between individuals and the collective fade. The Evolver rubric for communal connectivity has a powerful potential to knit the Venn diagrams of subculture into a holistic sphere of local resilience. In any community there exists so many vibrant groups of friends, acquaintances and coworkers. By beginning to mindfully connect these dots under the soil of society we work to create an enduring and energetic network of people, ideas and projects based in action.  The advent of local gatherings hosted to bring people together and learn about the viewpoints and ideas of others is exciting and powerful.  Thoughtful discourse in groups of strangers has an amazing potential to broaden conceptual boundaries and is definitely needed in this world.  Not only have the meetings taught me more about the diverse subjects, about my community and the people who I brush up with on a day-to-day basis but they have shone a powerful mirror of self inquiry back onto myself.


Gizelle Rush
Regional Coordinator
Evolver Cape Town, South Africa

I'm one of the many who got drawn into Evolver via Reality Sandwich. I loved the articles, seeing viewpoints that were "alternative" but well thought out, informative, and inspiring. The minute I read about Spores I knew this was something I wanted to do - become an active participant rather than a passive reader, a co-creator rather than a consumer of ideas. When I discovered no-one else in Cape Town had signed up, I decided to be a Regional Co-ordinator myself. It has been an interesting journey so far - every single month is a completely different experience, each meeting brings new challenges and new encounters. I've learned a lot - about myself, as well as the topics we've covered; I've engaged with some wonderful people I would otherwise not have met; and I love the feeling that I am part of something that is constantly growing, connected to a large and diverse and widely-scattered community, seeking a deepening of our relationships and understanding rather than the numbness and safety that is often held to be desirable. In nature, ecosystems thrive on complexity and diversity - and though I am just a little plant, in ground that often feels hard and rocky, I am playing my part in this evolving system. It is so satisfying to feel that I can contribute!


Baza Novic
Regional Coordinator
Evolver LA

In Los Angeles I personally had been asking the city for community.  I found it in the painted rocks of Utah where Evolver LA emerged, and with time I went from the lone warrior wolf, to the community adventuring crow integrating all spheres of context in our monthly Spores. Together here we¹ve began, again, pioneering these budding desert landscapes with transformational direct action. Fostering a loving connection to a spider-webbed community of artists, activists, new rock star scientists, urban witches and techno shamans, the cross-pollinating culture jamming new gods and old goddesses as well as those ordinary Janes and Dicks who give a hoot about people and the process of growth. The Evolver Social Movement (E+sm) isn't about the people in the community alone, it is it's own evolving entity, with it's own nascent desires and self-organizing agenda, seeking to find and express its own purpose in the world. The Evolver Social Movement shows us that an abstract understanding of the paradigm shift isn't enough. We have to actively participate and put our resources where our blogs are and step up to the proverbial plate. I am fortunate I’ve found a way to allocate my personal and spiritual capital with something I value. Good looking out Evolver. It's your move.

Erin Shaw
Regional Coordinator
Evolver LA

My role in Evolver Los Angeles was a natural progression from my contributions as a newswriter for Reality Sandwich. Both RS and Evolver have greatly expanded my ideas of what's possible, but Evolver LA has revealed a strong network of collaborators that I didn't know existed all around me. From green-thumb activists to crisis recovery specialists, polyamory coaches, to savvy business consultants, lucid dreamers and soul retrievers, the Evolver network is the nexus of transformative thought for Los Angeles. The city's evolution is steadily actualizing in form of sheet mulching workshops, sound healing ceremonies, alternative currency learn-ins, blessings of the Los Angeles river, and the community garden starting at the Evolver LA space with more channels for evolution to come. In that way, the Evolver network has more than fulfilled its mission to provide a platform to discover and share what will change our lives.

Jill Ettinger
Regional Coordinator
Evolver LA

Moving from New York City to Los Angeles is a big deal. Though I was definitely looking forward to all the sunshine, it seemed impossible that I would ever feel as full and supported in LA as I did in the New York community. It's nice to be pleasantly surprised. Stepping in from the work I was doing in New York with Reality Sandwich to support the Evolver LA crew expansion has become more rewarding than I ever imagined. Maybe it's all the great weather that we have out here, or the abundance of fresh local produce that keeps the community healthy, or maybe it's the incredible yoga studios and teachers, healing modalities, music and art that make sure we stay aligned. Whatever it is, I love seeing so many open and intelligent discussions on our varied topics each month. Our collective transformation in this massive city is enriching our community and reaching out beyond the computer screens into practical every day applications. We're no longer preparing for the evolution in LA, it has already come.

Tony Damico
Regional Coordinator
Evolver Long Beach

I started off as a contributor to Reality Sandwich, the website that aided my transition toward a positive alchemical understanding of the crazy world we were born into. I started an Evolver spore in Long Beach, CA, in order to explore these topics with stakeholders in the community. In the past 8 months, Evolver spores have aided in the transformation of our city, inspiring our community to launch creative projects and enriching our knowledge of topics not privileged in the mainstream. These events have built alliances and relationships with experts, professionals, and leaders in the community, as well as having the opportunity to practice the art of communication. At each Spore, Evolvers step up to present, perform, and enlighten through their arts. Ultimately, having some revenue behind the Evolver movement would allow us to expand the vision and reach more people, and connect them with a more streamlined, cutting-edge Evolver.net.

Alan Lowenschuss
Regional Coordinator
Evolver Naples

I was very inspired by Daniel Pinchbeck's books a few years back, and that led me to Reality Sandwich where I found my soul tribe, basically.  Once Evolver and the Evolver Spores came into the picture, it was just a logical next step for me to participate.  While Naples is not a big city with a vast array of cultural happenings, and actually it tends more toward being a sleepy retirement community than anything else, I've noticed quite a sea change here in the last 7 or 8 months in regard to Evolver-like community gatherings taking place.  I can't help but think it's at least partly due to the Evolver Naples presence here because the souls we have attracted, though few in number, have tended to be influential individuals who have been inspired to implement the ideas we've discussed in their little pockets of our community.   Even further, I see the Evolver Spores as playing a very important role in a huge, worldwide transformational shift that is happening right now.  This is good work, and I wouldn't hesitate to add, it is "the Great Work." 


Benjamin Kappel
Regional Coordinator
Evolver New Orleans

Since becoming a regional coordinator in New Orleans, I have seen a tangible social movement forming. By attracting like minds of diverse talents and backgrounds, seeds are being planted for the utilization of a powerful group of people to coordinate with one another on future projects and social re-engineering. The evidence is already apparent in the number of wonderful people that I have connected with in the fledgling stages of the process. I have many great new friends and we have already started planning further collaboration. As The Evolver Social Movement takes root, it will be a recognizable banner under which people will flock to participate in this unique niche that early adopters have created.

By sponsoring and participating in this movement, you support  a truly worthy and powerful cause. The intersection of the organizational power of the internet with those who feel impelled to create new dialogue and act on behalf of improving humanity's relationship with itself and Mother Earth can bring about great shifts in our lives. As we move forward in bringing more Evolvers together and becoming more highly organized, Evolver and the people associated with it can push the counterculture into the mainstream and harness the collective pool of the community's intelligence and passion into a recognizable entity that is by its nature irascible, irrepressible, and
irresistible.

My work with Evolver fosters a great level of personal satisfaction and commitment to its growth, and many of those who participate feel the same. We have reached a pivotal moment for developing as well as implementing this project. Given the resources it needs, the Evolver Social Movement can tap into people's consciousness quickly and effectively, helping our network achieve its maximum influence and growth capacity.


Isabella Stoloff
Regional Coordinator
Evolver Orange County

My name is Isabella Stoloff and I am a Shaman who does one-on-one sessions as well as takes groups on Spiritual journeys to Peru. This is where I first heard of Evolver.net.  Upon my arrival home to Fullerton, CA I looked into it and found there was one in Los Angeles, Long Beach and even Upland but none in Orange County! So I signed up to become the regional director, just so those seeking Evolver in the area would find a landing pad. I entered the Shaman's path about 3 yrs. ago and these days trust my intuition more then ever before hence my signing up with Evolver.

As I am always traveling I found it challenging to get a group together here. It was around the time of the Food spore that I first got involved. This topic is something I am very interested in. So I found myself going to LB to see how the Spores are run. What I found was an amazing group of people with an excellent organizer at the head of the wheel, Tony Damico. Tony had put together a wonderful, interactive evening which I thoroughly enjoyed. I continued to travel and tell those I bumped into about Evolver. When I returned Tony had sent out an idea for their Feb. Spore to be called a “Love Spore”. I wrote back saying how I loved the “Love Spore” idea and if he would like me to come speak, do a meditation for the group and a demo healing I would. Tony wrote back right away saying he had just had that same thought. No sooner had my email hit his box then he had the thought of how nice it would be to have someone in to do just what I had offered!

It was at this moment that I realized this is what Evolver.net is all about. Connecting like-minded spirits on the consciousness grid so we can connect at an incredible speed. We can all feel the planet shifting and changing at an accelerated rate. Now is the time to connect! Go to Evolver.net and get involved with a Spore in your area today. If there is none do what I did…start one…. the people will show up!

Thanks Evolver.net

One more thing this social movement needs funds to continue. If you have a meeting charge a donation, also ask those who attend if they would like to become a member by donating $5 a month. This will help the movement grow strong and continue to connect us like-minded spirits who want to bring the planet back into alignment with nature.


Robert Garvan Snyder
Regional Coordinator
Evolver Philadelphia

For several years, I have found unique contributions on Reality Sandwich, and felt a kinship with others drawn to that site. It was refreshing to know that a growing number of souls also included a helping of open-mindedness, visionary creativity, and unbranded hope in their daily diet of media. When I learned that the creators of that site were launching a new project, Evolver, to ignite the organization of local communities to gather and share, I knew I would play a part. Philadelphia did not yet have a Evolver Spore, as these gatherings are known, and I offered to host it myself. Each month, we have forged connection with local authors, reporters, activists, therapists, artists, event planners, and organizers. Collaborative relationships continue to evolve at a fearsome pace between each Spore. In a few short months, seeds planted in the Spore have grown into film screenings, an epic rave, a healing circle, employment opportunities, a women's new moon circle, and more. And we are just getting started. From our first gathering last July, I have been astounded again and again by the openness, creativity, gifts and vision that participants bring to the table. After each Spore, I leave as a more hopeful person, knowing that communities in cities around the globe are having similar conversations.


Kent Bye
Regional Coordinator
Evolver Portland, Oregon

It used to be that your community was seeded from people who either lived or worked in close proximity to you, but the Internet has helped expand how people connect to each other. It has helped to form niche communities of interest around the country and catalyze gatherings of like-minded people who used to feel very isolated and alienated from the mainstream culture.  For me, the local gatherings facilitated by Evolver.net has provided the perfect context to be able to connect with people who share my values and interests of consciousness evolution, alternative paradigms, and heart-centered community.

It's been refreshing to be able to find this level of resonance locally without having to travel across the country to a weekend conference, or to be limited by online-only interactions. The fact that Evolver has been able to connect people both online and offline has been a key reason why I find it so compelling, and why I've taken up the role of Regional coordinator for Portland, Oregon. It's been a great contradiction to isolating pressures of our culture to come together face-to-face for the monthly Evolver Spores, and to be able to share visionary ideas and though-provoking debate about the future of humanity.

One key theme that has come up over and over again is resilience through community, and Evolver is playing a huge role in connecting people of like mind in cities all around the country. And for that, I am grateful that Evolver exists and would encourage other people to get involved and do whatever you can to help support their vision.


Chris Hopkins
Regional Coordinator
Evolver Sacramento

I've learned a lot through starting this spore. I've met some amazing people through Evolver, including my fiancé, who I now live with and we are having a child together. Evolver has been a catalyst for a lot of really positive amazing change in my life. The spore in Sacramento has mostly been an uphill battle, but also amazing. You see there really isn't any kind of transformational culture in Sacramento. So where as the spore in most cities has been bringing like minded groups and people from the alternative culture together, in Sacramento it has been starting an alternative culture. It's tough to start from scratch, but I'm learning it can be done. For those of you that have wanted to start a spore in your town, or city, but fear that you wouldn't get the support there, don’t worry, it will come if you put your heart into it. You might not have an alternative culture in your town, but that's even more of a reason to start a spore. This information we are spreading needs to be heard everywhere, especially in the places that are less exposed to it. So while it's been an uphill battle starting a community from scratch in Sacramento, it's one of the most rewarding things I've ever done.

Sobey Wing
Regional Coordinator
Evolver Vancouver

I got tapped into Evolver back when Daniel Pinchbeck was touring doing magazine launches with Evolver Magazine which was originally going to be called Metacine. I had a copy of Metacine from a trip to Burning Man. I ended up hosting a Metacine or Evolver magazine launch at the BC Marijuana Bookstore on the potblock in Vancouver connected to a Bassnectar show that evening. I was aiming to get some articles written for Evolver magazine which morphed into Reality Sandwhich. When the opportunity to start a Spore came along I was eager to jump on board as I am ever the networker and saw this to be the ultimate excuse to span beyond my regular underground dance culture and spiritual community into something wider.

Our first two months were more piggy-backing off of other events in more of a sponsor kind of way with a Spiral Dynamics event for the first event connected to generating networks to our second month which focused on a talk by Rupert Sheldrake and Jill Purce. That talk was well attended so it was a nice place to give Evolver some exposure although I didn't do much for the event other than serve horchata which was a hit.
Our first few real on-our-own events took place in private residences and allowed us to circulate in different parts of town which I prefer to staying in one place. It wasn't until we did our spore on 2012 that we went to a more public venue which worked out well. It was here that we experimented with our first ustream.tv live webcast of our spore which was viewed by 144 viewers around the world. We also experimented with skyping in a guest from New Mexico. This inspired us to keep doing both these things ever since. The benefit of ustream.tv is we can also record our spore events and all we need is a webcam with a built in mic. Later we found that using a zoom mic really helped sound quality for those listening online. The technical set up of video projectors, laptops and ustream.tv has often been challenging to figure out without help from more savvy people. We've found it necessary to do dry runs prior to the spores to get more prepared. Each time we do a spore has given us a chance to refine our presentations and lately putting together slideshows has been a lot more rewarding than showing film clips although those are always good to use as well. But with a slideshow I can tell more of a story that can in turn generate discussion. I enjoy the process of putting these together, finding guests, and especially shaping a story that reminds me of the bardic traditions that transmit culture. I like to showcase the intelligensia of Vancouver and consolidate community networks locally as well as tap in some of the people I am fortunate to be allied with from afar using the readily available technology. This month I am doing the most ambitious Evolver Spore I've done yet with a conference weekend on Psychedelics which will blend all of the methods we've been using so far and add in elements of ritual based on Eleusian Mysteries to mark the Vernal Equinox as well as a visionary art showcase on Luke Brown and Simon Haiduk's work.

Lastly I have to say that none of this would be possible without the help of my slowly evolving team which includes Jordan Tal, Rev.Anne, Andy Warren, & Omid. Having a team to do these things feels amazing and makes it seem like we can keep raising the bar higher. The inspiration certainly is great and I'm glad that Evolver Network keeps feeding us great topics to sink the imagination into fortified by hearing what other Spores are up to when we do our conference calls and the regular feed of emails from the list.