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]

The tragic shooting in Arizona on Saturday is certainly a wake-up call for our country.  Let’s not make the mistake of seeing it merely as the isolated act of a lunatic.

Our political dialogue has fallen to an abysmal level over the past couple decades.  The tone, not only of  campaigns, but of our nation’s leaders in Washington, DC has become bitterly partisan and increasingly mean.   Rigid ideologies, misrepresentation of facts, and cruel personal attacks have taken the place of open dialogue, often derailing solutions to our nation’s many serious problems.

I’ve always believed that we get the leaders (as well as the commentators) we deserve.  So, let’s not point fingers at the folks in DC—or the folks spewing out hatred and misinformation over the airwaves and the Internet.  Let’s instead look in the mirror.  Let’s look at the places of judgment, self- righteousness, and even hatred in our hearts that are being reflected (as well as pandered to) by the commentators and the politicians.

When we look in the mirror, let’s not judge ourselves harshly.  Rather, let’s see clearly how we’ve contributed to creating the climate that led to the shooting on Saturday.  Then, let’s find a place of forgiveness in our hearts, first for ourselves, then for the hate-mongering commentators and politicians, and finally for the assassin himself.

From this place of forgiveness, we’ll remember that we’re all in this together and engage in constructive dialogue, cooperatively moving toward a peaceful, prosperous America.

— Andrew Oser, Summit Coaching Services

NEXT YEAR IN A JERUSALEM REDEEMED THROUGH JUSTICE AND THOSE RETURNING TO HER THROUGH RIGHTEOUSNESS

The Four Children at the Seder Table:  Which Child Am I?

As we celebrate this Holiday of Freedom, the ending of slavery, we ask, “Who am I, when I hear of human rights abuses? Who will I choose to be when I know that others are suffering?”

Will I be one who does not ask? Will I close the newspaper or turn off the television so that I do not hear? Will I turn my head and heart away?

Will I ask only simple questions? “What is this?”  Will I ask what, but never why?

Will I let the evil impulse, my yetzer hara ask: “What has this to do with me?” Will I let the problem belong only to the victims and the do-gooders? Will I distance myself from those in need?

Or will I strive to act in wisdom, to ask: “What are the underlying causes of the problem and what needs to be done to stop the abuse and free the oppressed? What are the laws and what does Gd expect of me?”

May Gd open the eyes of those who do not see, the mouths of those who do not ask, and the hearts of those who do not care, and grant us the wisdom to open our hands to our fellow humans when they are in need  – the hand of generosity, the hand of support, the hand of peace and friendship.
— From Passover: Ridding ourselves of the khametz of arrogance, by Rabbi Arik W. Ascherman, Rabbis for Human Rights, Israel

“People, in general, would rather die than forgive. It’s that hard. If God said in plain language, “I’m giving you a choice, forgive or die,” a lot of people would go ahead and order their coffin.”

That’s how we usually think about forgiveness. What Kidd is pointing to is not that forgiveness is hard to do, but that we often don’t want to do it. It seems hard because of our PRIDE.  We let pride get in the way. We’d rather stay right than come into peace.

With honesty, openness and willingness (H.O.W.), true forgiveness melts pride, attachment and stubbornness. It is the bridge that takes us from fear to love, the path that brings us home.

There are false generosities:  “Does it look like I’m being generous?” For women and girls, “Am I being a good girl? Am I being ‘ladylike’ in giving?”  For boys and men, “Am I showing my status and my power by having enough to give away?”

Another one: Giving out of guilt. “If I can just give enough, I won’t have to feel so guilty for being born a white American, or a wealthy European, Australian, or Japanese.”

Let’s weed out false generosity so that we have a clear path…not a path full of deception and debris.

True generosity is really something quite different. It is a feeling we get when we are so overflowing with divine love that the only thing left to do is to give it away. The only thing we want to do is give it away. It’s easy, fun, satisfying, enjoyable, and natural. This is a generosity of compassion and empathy.

Why not imagine a world where everyone is saturated with divine love? A world where the best part of our day is when we give love away…to each other and to the Earth..

Being generous – the way we are meant to be.

That is what I receive from his message, anyway.  What do you receive?

This Holy Day season, let’s remember that it is a season of peace.

This means that we can be peaceful about the season! We don’t need to create anxiety about buying stuff, or whether or not we’ve given “enough” to our kids or family members.  Even children who are used to getting a lot of presents can be re-trained to value gratitude, service to others, and simple (maybe handmade) gifts instead of the mountains of plastic they expect. Re-training ourselves and our children is going to take some work and inner fortitude. I know we can do it – if we commit to it.

This isn’t simply a stress management issue. In addition to our emotional health, we need to safeguard the resources of our beautiful planet. So cutting back on Christmas consumerism is an essential environmental issue as well.

Peace is our birthright. It is our very nature. We’ve lost track of that, and Christmas stress is a great barometer for how far we can lose ourselves in the expectations and habits of consumer society. But we can divorce ourselves from the madness, and claim the simplicity of true Christ consciousness.  It is within us, every moment of every day. Let’s find it together.

Merry Christmas!

Underneath, though, I was worried.  What if I get tossed?  Every serious river runner has to deal with this fear at some point or other.  I’d been kayaking the Klamath for years and had voluntarily jumped in plenty of times. I’d also been quite handy with my kayak, managing to stay in the boat through countless rapids.  I’d only “gone swimming” once before, years ago. I knew that at some point, the river would take my little body and propel it out of the boat, because that is just how it is. You can’t do a lot of river rafting without that experience, and the more I kayaked, the closer I came to the inevitable.

I was lucky – the day was warm. Coming up to a class 3 rapid, I paddled hard in preparation.  I needed to align my boat with the perfect slot in the rocks ahead. As usual during river rafting, the slightest drop in my concentration would be my undoing.  I looked quickly to “river right”, making sure to avoid overhanging branches, then put my attention back on the slot ahead of me.  But that glance cost me one micro-second too many, and the river wasn’t waiting for me. I went over the rapid and into the river so fast I couldn’t even think about it. I was swimming, and I had no choice.  I was wet, the water was moving, and my boat was bobbing somewhere close by.
Here’s the magical part: after the first shock of surprise, I realized that the Klamath River was embracing me. I felt absolutely safe in its arms of love, and I began to cry. My salty tears met the river water and we celebrated the truth that, in that moment, there was nothing wrong, nothing scary, nothing to be avoided…just warm water carrying me downstream.

The river was so strong and steadfast! Except for my upturned face and knobby knees, it completely covered my body. It took me. I relaxed into the safety of it, still crying with relief and new understanding. It was a moment I will never forget.

River rafting can be a dangerous sport. Every toss from a boat will not be as ecstatic as the experience I had that summer day.  Just the same, I gained a powerful lesson from the Klamath. It taught me about the river of love, the river of life itself.  All of my fears, hesitations and assumptions were exposed and laid bare in one moment of my heart’s relief, when I got wet and realized they were not true. The lesson moved me because I was so aware of the metaphor: this water was alive and teaching me to trust – just as the water of every moment is also wet and alive and welcomes my trust, even if it doesn’t look like I’m in a river any more. I am. It is the river of life.  That day, I found out it’s also the river of love.

I don’t know about you, but the past week has been a time when all of my *&#! came up. Any place where I wasn’t trusting my connection to the One came to greet me with a devilish grin. Yikes!  What an unpleasant crash into a hell world of my own creation. I notice that I get really bent out of shape if I get worried about the future. In reality, in this moment I’m fine…doing my thing, healthy, with a roof over my head and all the blessings of my beautiful life…

In my imagined future, I can create all sorts of scary possibilities. And it sucks. Reeling my mind back to this moment NOW has taken all of my patience, strength and self-love. I know I am not alone. Everyone I work with and play with is also feeling this deep inner challenge of remaining present in the Presence…or losing our way and coming back…So if you are feeling slightly or majorly insane these days, go into your heart and reach out to all of your teammates…the incredible souls around the world (and beyond) who are committed to the awakening of Love and Peace and Health and Justice on Earth.  There are millions of us, and we are strong. Tap into the group determination that we yield, especially if you’ve temporarily lost your way.

Together, we awaken. Together, we support each other and learn to love Life. God is perfect love.  And so are we.

I received this email from Randall Butisingh, a wonderful, wise man I met through the Internet.  Randall is an elder to almost all of us, since he is in his 90’s. I share his words to inspire you:

“We are all, when we choose, 100% saints and also 100% sinners. That is the challenge in our lives. In the present we are faced with our greatest challenges; a diminishing environment, economic deficiency, attack by terrorists, the proliferation of the Aids virus and other dreadful diseases; all caused by man’s greed, his excesses, his selfishness and recalcitrance.  But this should not affect those who love and have the inner peace.  Bear in mind, the darker the night, the brighter and more brilliant the stars. So it is with evil – the greater the evil, love and mercy and forgiveness manifest to a greater degree. This we can see in the work of selfless individuals, charitable organizations and benevolent governments.  What happens outside of us is of very little consequence and is transitory, but what takes place inside of us is what greatly matters; like the continuous ticking of the clock in the most violent storm.

Here is a stanza from a hymn that bears me out:

“A faith that shines more bright and clear

When tempests rage without;

That when in danger knows no fear,

In darkness feels no doubt.”

Thank you, Randall, for your long life of service, faith and love. You are a blessing to this Earth.