Walking through an opening into the barricaded park, I was struck by how small the space is. Not a trace of the People’s Library, the 200 tents or the trash survived. Yet something was still alive here, if bruised and brooding. I stopped to listen to two young women in their 20s being filmed for an interview. “The Occupy Movement was incredible while it was here in Liberty Square,” said one. “But now it’s moved to other locations. OWS lives on in cities throughout this country, and the world. We’re hurting here; in fact, someone just got arrested 15 minutes ago for lying down in the park. The police won’t let anything happen. We need to regroup and reorganize. But we’re not dead!”

Leaving the park, we walked a couple of blocks to Wall St., where the New York Stock Exchange, J.P. Morgan’s imposing stone mansion and a statue of George Washington stand together in a triangular vortex of political and financial power. Breathing deeply, I took some time to release my judgments while I stood at this crossroad of American hegemony, symbolizing the Empire of the 1%. “Those greedy people,” whispered my judgments, “I bet they just care about making billions for themselves. They aren’t concerned about the environment or justice or sustainability! etc. etc.” There were many emotions, too, rising up for my attention. Anger, superiority, guilt, blame. None of it was pretty.

I released it all with my breath and turned to prayer. Standing beside the statue of George Washington, gazing at the Stock Exchange, I prayed, “Beloved One, may this spot on Earth be uplifted. May greed and domination of one over another be healed. May everyone here come to peace and equality. May the truth of our union be returned to this land. May the joy of our oneness heal the errors of our ways.” Knowing the power of prayer is real, I blessed the Occupy Movement AND Wall Street. Together. Equally.

On the subway, I contemplated the 99%. People are coming together around the world to make a stand for justice, truth and balance. Everywhere I hear stories of “ordinary” people becoming heroes as they step out with courage, facing police brutality, racism and fear. Some of our neighbors are taking pepper spray in the face — and worse. It’s going to take massive discipline to create lasting change. With satyagraha, the peaceful commitment of Gandhi, I know we can do it.

And while I’m inspired by the 99%, my heart also goes to the 1%. Without including everyone, we cannot forgive and start anew. As Starhawk informs the violent dictators in her story, The Fifth Sacred Thing, “Even now, there is room for you at our table.” That line always moves me, because it tells me that even at the very last moment, there is a place for everyone. It’s an extraordinary welcome, giving the chance of grace to each person, as long as they come to the table of thanksgiving, where each person is sacred and respected.

Admittedly, it seems we’re a long way from such a resolution, however delightful it may appear. Many people, rich and poor, have no intention of renouncing violence. They may never choose to take their seat at the meal of plenty. Still, we who love peace carry on.

There’s much work to do, and we have the opportunity to do it with conscious awareness and gratitude. We need an entirely new framework, though, because all too often, leaders of the 99% devolve into the 1% once they ascend to power (see Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Pol Pot of Cambodia, and the history of France and the United States). Eventually, a new cycle of revolution begins and the process repeats itself endlessly — unless we change it.

One essential way to shift the global situation from a battle between the 99% and the 1%, or “us” vs. the “others,” is to deepen our spiritual abilities. For success, we must listen to the still, small voice within. When everyone begins acting upon this inner wisdom, each person will intuitively know what to do, when to do it, and who to do it with. And in case you’re wondering which of the many voices in your head to listen to, remember that action from this state of consciousness is always truthful, loving and compassionate.

Bringing meditation practices to the forefront of our personal lives complements our action in the streets. The compassionate nature of Reality offers wisdom when we examine the option of switching our bank accounts from corporate giants to credit unions. This is no longer a time for an either-or mentality when it comes to living on Earth. We aren’t spiritual OR political. It’s time to be both. Your inner listening will guide you to right action.

One obstacle you may encounter is the idea that peaceniks are weak. Many protesters wonder how they’ll have any impact without their anger. So a big part of our transformation demands grabbing a-hold of the immense power of Creation. Rather than the temporal muscle of Wall St., we choose, instead, the supremacy of the force-which-gives-us-life.

Walking off the battlefield altogether, we’ll find that we still show up at meetings and protests in the street, but now with a sense of serenity and determination. Listening to and acting on our inner guidance, we gain the kind of power that served Gandhi and Martin. In addition to being gentle at heart, we’re fiercely committed to liberty and justice for all. We agitate for what we DO want, rather than ranting against what we DON’T want, receiving increasing clarity from our inner vision. Taking time to be still, we’re energized to spread the message of peace and respect for the Earth who sustains us.

If you need some inspiration, let me tell you about our brother Pancho, who lives at Casa de Paz in Oakland, CA. Pancho fasted for 9 days to dispute nuclear weapons research in the UC system. Sitting peacefully with locked arms at a student protest, he invited his arresting officer to a Mexican meal, saying, “I tell you what, when I get done with this and you get done with this, I’d like to break my fast with you. What do you say?” At another arrest during Occupy Oakland, he wrote on a piece of paper: “On Mondays, I practice silence.  But I’d like you to hear that I love you.”  The officer smiled.[1]

As I traveled into my breath, in and out of yoga poses, I also journeyed in and out of perceiving myself as a separate person. Intellectually, I know that my individuality is a scam, and I’ve touched upon the vast, unfettered Truth of Goddess many times. This morning, and more and more recently, my prayer was (and is) to experience the vastness on an ongoing basis.

I began to sense Aliveness in the air around me. Not only in the very atoms and molecules, but beyond physicality. I started to drink copiously from the prana which completely filled what appeared to be space all around me – it stretched from one centimeter beyond my skin all the way to immense creations of divine intelligence, to “places” that my mind has not yet imagined. Everything was seamlessly linked inside this river of love. I floated in joy….and remembered to include my body and what is inside my body in the river, too.

I’ve been getting bored with only tasting the good stuff – and only sometimes. I’m tired of snacking…OK – enough noshing, as we say in Yiddish. I’m pulling for the eternal experience of experiencing eternity. I’m desiring freedom with the full extent of my glorious being. Can you relate? There are many, many people who are sharing this prayer with me. We are a team, and we are awakening together.

Here are the words to a song I wrote that describes my desire for the mystical touch…and my experience of the Beloved One. Hope you enjoy it.

River of Love

wash away my fear

River of Love

take away my tears

River of Love

cleanse me to my soul

purify me

River of Love

cleanse me to my soul

Call me and I’ll sing it to you.

530-926-4639 PST, California, USA

We are all swimming in this river, but we don’t remember, most of the time…and this is changing…there is no place else to be…

Come swim with me in the River of Love.

Unresolved memories of past pain cause emotional and psychic knots within our systems. These memories take up a lot of energy and they can sap our life force. With a lot of unhealed trauma from the past, we are not mentally clear – so we are unable to access our intuitive wisdom easily. Even if we do contact it, we may doubt it, not listen to it, override its messages and/or distrust it. When we do this, we make foolish decisions and wonder why consistent destructive patterns never seem to go away.

With an inner cleansing process of emotional release and forgiveness, the emotional and psychic knots unwind. Intuitive wisdom, which is constantly available, becomes readily accessible. We can finally hear the guiding messages coming from Spirit and trust them. If we are courageous and act upon them, a whole new life comes forth for us.

Intuitive wisdom supports every aspect of our lives and our visions. Decision making becomes simple and easy once we listen within and trust our guidance. Instead of emotional highs and lows with plenty of dramatic storytelling about our lives, we move into simplicity and peace with ourselves and our world. From this place, we are ready to fulfill our unique calling in service to others and to the Earth.

Click here for more information: www.anahoub.com