RALPH CISSNE

RALPH CISSNE

Author, Creative Strategist

Creating a Culture of Kindness

Creating a Culture of Kindness

I do not care about your hate. Tell me what you love, what difference you make. This is the lesson to be learned and the example to be set. To those motivated by fear, division and doublespeak, stop and think. What wounds do you heal? What bridge do you build? Now is...
Yoga in the Classroom, part 2

Yoga in the Classroom, part 2

The morning after the November 8 election the Northwest Classen hallways were ripe with sorrow. “How is it?” I asked. “Everyone is in a state of shock,” Mr. Decker replied. “Half the students in my previous class stayed home.” We watched his English Language...
Yoga in the Classroom, part 1

Yoga in the Classroom, part 1

I was shocked to learn that the majority of students in OKC Public Schools receive food assistance, meaning they live below the poverty level. I asked a yoga friend, who teaches English Language Development at Northwest Classen, my old high school, if it was that bad....
Motherhood and the Ecstasy of Being

Motherhood and the Ecstasy of Being

Two mothers gave me the life I know. The mother who birthed me taught the value of strength and the power of forgiveness. My spiritual mother, aunt Joan, taught me to live in the moment and to honor the divine feminine. The confluence of these two wise women opened my...
Filling the Big Empty

Filling the Big Empty

In honor of National Poetry Month, a poem from Don’t Be Shy. (In Memory of Steven C. Clark) I have seen your face before among the crowded paths I have crossed. I close my eyes and hear you calling from some dark and distant place where parents float in cocktail...