Occupy Your Body! Embodiment and Activism

Your body is an incredible instrument.

Somehow in the everydayness of living in a body, it's easy to forget what a miraculous thing it is, to have one. It's easy to forget to pay attention to it, or the signals that it gives us every moment, of every day. Shoulders hurting? Feet aching? Back thrown out? Caught a cold? In our culture today, we are taught to view the body's messages as reasonless obstacles, to be endured or pounded out of us with drugs. With everything else there is to do in a day, the body often comes last in our list of priorities.

But each of these aches and pains is a message to us, asking us for something to change. Sometimes change is not possible, and enduring is simply what you must do. But sometimes there are small ways, small kindnesses we can give to ourselves, supporting this complex and beautiful body that is supporting us.

Shifting our relationship to our own bodies is an essential next step in human evolution. In the dominant culture, there has been an explosion of workout gyms and Yoga centers. There seems to be a general movement-- from a disembodied, mental experience of life-- toward a way of living that includes having a body (at least in the hour that you go to the gym). However, the emphasis, in many cases, seems to be about shaping and weighing, dieting and appearing. There is an element of self-mastery to it, and more than a hint of competition. In some cases it seems as though people are treating their bodies almost brutally, requiring their bodies to shape up as a measure of sex-appeal, self-esteem, or social power. But the body has a voice! Deep in our cells is a way of knowing that can't be heard, so long as you are constantly telling your muscles what to do. The relationship of mind to body is still out of balance. To "Occupy Your Body" is to acknowledge that "you" don't just have a body, you are a body.


Denying the true expression of our bodies is one more way we allow ourselves to be oppressed and enslaved, and cut off from nature. The story of our relationship to body is the story of our relationship to earth. Our attempts to control and manage our planet's resources have only brought us pain, war, and toxic living conditions. Attempts to over-manage our own bodies result in anorexia, bulimia, mental illness, drug abuse, domestic abuse, violence, and depression, to name a few. I think much of what we suffer from, personally and culturally, can be traced back to mistreatment or abuse, and lack of access to what our bodies need for health and safety. Much of this is imposed upon us, from an early age, as part of a domestication process. Parents and teachers, in an effort to help us "fit in" to society, curbed our wild-human instincts and taught us to repress and deny our body's impulses. After a certain point, however, most of us took over and become our own monitors, our own oppressor. Even if no one is watching, we don't explore our bodies. We don't explore sexually. We don't play, or express, or dance. But our natural impulses cannot be bridled indefinitely. Repressed, they simmer and stew, fermenting into a toxic form. Sooner or later it breaks out-- usually misdirected at those closest to us, or against ourselves.

Most animals on the planet cannot be tamed, because they will not act against what they know in their bodies to be true. Earth knows what it needs, for its own healing. The forest would soon take over our cities, if we only stopped cutting the trees back. Our bodies also know what we need. If I tune in and learn to listen to what it says, my body can better serve as my ally and friend as I walk dance move toward wholeness and freedom. How wild will you allow yourself to be?

Occupying with Balance: Avoiding Activist-Burnout
In my community work, I've noticed a culture of overwork tends to dominate in non-profits, social work, and activism. Body-denial becomes a thing to brag about-- who slept the least, who spent the most hours, who suffered the most. There's often a train of unspoken narratives: "Whatever you do, put yourself last because you're doing it for the team"; "you're sacrificing yourself for a great cause"; "if you put in just one more hour, that will make all the difference in saving the world"...

Sometimes there is a time for pushing ourselves like that. When a harvest is ripe, it's appropriate to go out there and work all night to pull it in, with tangible results. The issue I had with puppetry, was that there was no end to the "crunch times." There was a celebration every few months. I became used to a rhythm of pushing hard, then collapse. Then push hard, then collapse. Yes, I got results. My determination paid off, and we created some really beautiful work together. I question now, however, whether I could have had better boundaries around my health and my time. Did I really have to sacrifice my health, my relationships, my personal life? My experience has led me to look carefully: what kinds of projects do well with this kind of crash & burn rhythm, and which do better with a "steady-does-it" routine?

I've noticed a similar pattern with the endless rallies and calls to action. My thought is that the strategy of the powers-that-be must be to bombard us with as many terrible laws and bills as possible, and keep us running until we are worn out. I've already seen several Occupy-ees burn out. Several good ideas or projects got dropped or fell through the cracks because the core organizers pushed themselves too hard, and then collapsed. I've also noticed many people "not having time" for things like discussion, or relationship-building, mediation, or some of the other in-between-actions-events. Yet it's engaging in our relationships with each other, that builds understanding, trust, and solidarity. It's in welcoming new people and helping them get plugged in, that our movement grows. It's in keeping an eye on our public image, forming alliances, and focusing on outreach that we grow our true power. In the uncertain times ahead, we'll need this solid foundation with each other. More strategic thought into how we fight this onslaught, while keeping the movement steadily growing, would be a good idea.

How do we build a culture of gratitude, self-responsibility, and group-accountability? An Occupier from North Carolina came by last month, and spoke about a series of "interaction-agreements" they had formed, to address some of the boundary and work-balance issues that had arisen. I admit, I'm concerned about the upcoming Re-Occupy. I hope that people take care of themselves and find a good balance between "saving the world", and attending to their own well-being. I hope that we can share resources and respect our different approaches for accomplishing this Revolution. There are many ways to build a movement, and many strategies for what it means to "Occupy." (my last blog has more info about the angles I'm busy working on).

What if the fight against the corporate-machine is a decades-long fight? How can we support each other on the front lines of pushing for our rights, while also working on the home-front to strengthen our resilience, creating infrastructure to survive the coming environmental crises? How do we encourage each other to truly take care of ourselves, and take care of each other, as we do this work together?

What we are up against is more than a few banks, a few laws, or one election-cycle. We are up against a system of oppression and colonization, exploitation and greed, that surrounds us and is within us. To survive as a planet, we have to come together now, and learn how to be one people as we've never been able to before.

The Politics and Fashion of Disconnection:
I think it's no coincidence, that we are experiencing such heavy backlash against women, gays, and people of color in our culture right now. It's intertwined with the fear of people still rooted in a patriarchal, racist, and homophobic culture, and their subconscious grasp that their ways are coming to an end. I think of these drastic measures as a dinosaur thrashing in a tar-pit. The old ways are on their way out. The story of stripping procreative power away from women is deeply woven with the story of earth, and the ways we have raped and pillaged her resources, taken her bounty and harnessed it into commodity. The same pattern destroys Indigenous cultures, wherever they are encountered, killing them, ripping them from their homelands and distorting their cultural stories with disrespect and appropriation.

It is the same fear, that keeps us cut off from our bodies, cut off from our true natures as human beings alive on a planet that breathes.


I look at neckties and I see a psychological noose. It's so plain, it's right out there, and yet we call it fashion and buy nice ones for our fathers on Father's Day. I know many men who refuse to wear them. And yet, it is the costume-code for dressing up in our culture. I admit, I don't get it. Why would the most powerful people on earth place something around their collars that gives their necks a sense of being constrained? Does it help them feel better, giving themselves a story of not being the ones in control? "Oh, it's not my fault my decisions are destroying lives and destroying the planet. After all, my company has its own bottom line. If I didn't do it, someone else would."

I look at high heels and I see shackles. A woman's physical strength is in her legs. You can't run in heels. The power of women is in our deep connection to the Mother Earth. Of course, the fashion of the oppressor is to encourage us to put things on our feet that push us away from the ground, and disconnect us from our source. As though everything we are, all that we eat is not from the soil. As though we could somehow push away death, push away the thought that we will one day have to return to the earth, ourselves. Earth has life-- and we, our bodies, mind, and spirit, are a part of that life.

(Photo: Tar Sands and Boreal Forest, Canada)

The time for disconnection is over.
We cannot afford
any longer
to deny the existence of
Death,
as a part of life;
Earth,
as more powerful
than humans;

Women Mother Sister Daughter
we know what it is to be
enslaved colonized
raped beaten
denied
So Rise UP
It is our time
Speak for Earth
Speak for our Bodies
Speak for our Children

Men who would be our allies, please
Learn to listen

We do not have time
to play these games with you
We do not have any bodies left
to feed your wars
We do not have time anymore
to wait, patiently, for you to stop
interrupting us

Interrupting Life,

For a new world to be born
One must die.

So un-noose your neckties
Kick off the high heels
Turn off the TV
and come out to dance with me

The answer is in your body
The answer is in your body
You were never made to be a slave
You were made to be free

* Black & White Photo by Ann Marsden. Malia Burkhart, Butoh dance. Promo for "The Survival Pages", a 2007 performance for the Naked Stages Program through Intermedia Arts and the Jerome Foundation.

What Do We Want and When Do We Want it? Manifestation 101

This past weekend my backyard was host to a steady stream of neighbors and Occupy-activists. They entered the gate and followed a pathway around the canvas side of a circular wall, finding a door that was loosely draped with a hanging sleeping bag. Taking off their shoes and ducking their heads through the entryway, they stepped into another possibility. (occasionally getting their socks wet along the way...)

This backyard-occupation was the first manifestation of the "WHealthy Human Village." This is a project which evolved out of OccupyMinneapolis over the winter. We are a group of Occupiers interested in Earth-activism, working toward changes we wish to see in society, by living them in the now.


The circular-dwelling is called a "Ger" in Mongolia. (Our culture knows of it as a "Yurt"... which

is actually a derogatory term used by Russians.) The Ger is a traditional structure, simple, elegant, stable, and mobile. One of our members, Bird, spent the greater part of this past winter building one in his garage. It's made of a single lattice-wall, that's curved around into a circle. On top of this, a ring is fitted with rafters, creating a low cone-shape for a roof. Using clothespins and rope, we hung painter's canvas all around the outside walls, fitted tarps across the top, and insulated the inner walls with blankets. With space-heaters, rugs, cushions, and sleeping bags spread out on the ground, we soon had a cozy, womb-like space that could fit up to 20 people.

Our original plan, as the "Whealthy Human Village", was to take over a piece of MN Dept of Transportation-land and set up an earth-friendly version of "Occupy" over the winter. For various reasons, this plan fell through (see the Village blog here for more info on those events). We had no land to set up, and had learned that for the type of community we wanted to build, perhaps it would be wiser to be in a place with the permission and consent of our neighbors. We decided to morph our dream of a semi-permanent Occupy-"village" into a series of shorter-term weekend events, happening in backyards and community gardens around the city. The idea was that we could practice setting up and taking down the structures, learn about what it takes to organize and host events like this, and develop our vision, agreements, goals and intentions along the way.

I spent this past week taping flyers to doors along the block, inviting them to come help plan and attend the weekend events. Katie, the block-activist who heads the "National Night Out" organizing every year, showed up at our planning meeting in the Ger. She volunteered to bring pancakes on Saturday morning. Katie and her family are part of a posse of parents on the block, who regularly have neighborhood events-- often co-organized with their kids. (Moment of place-pride: I gotta say, my block totally rocks!) I live in Powderhorn Park, an area of Minneapolis known for its artsy character and activist-streak. I've also noticed that not many of my neighbors, as groovy and as aware as they are, have been involved with Occupy. And I've been wondering why.

How do we keep "Occupy" from becoming exclusive?
It's been bothering me, as I've been doing my work with OccupyMinneapolis, that there often isn't space for families to join us. I know many Occupiers who are parents often end up leaving their kids at home, making a choice between their parenting duties and participating in shaping a world they want their kids to grow up in. How hard does it have to be, to find meeting-places with separate rooms, where kids are welcome? I've been noticing that so many of the people involved with the core organizing of Occupy are childless, younger, or otherwise less burdened by responsibility. It's unfortunately typical, of people without kids, to not prioritize having kid-friendly spaces. Those who have kids are often already too burdened to do that bit of organizing-- so it gets left out. But shouldn't families be able to get involved? Aren't we missing their voices, as we choose our strategies and think about how to change our world? Shouldn't the young ones be around us, and be part of this revolution as their experience of growing up? What about others who have a hard time getting around? Elderly? People with disabilities? Do their voices count? How can their perspectives be heard?

Occupy's character is formed by the people who show up. What populations are missing from the "core-group" of our movement? How do we extend our structure, to become more inclusive, more inviting, more open and accessible? A 24/7 Occupation is one way to do it. How, though, do we open the doors to allow for those who can't be there as often? At the plaza last fall, I noticed an "inside-group" forming, made of the people who were there all the time. To be "inside", one had to show up X amount of times, until their presence would be recognized and welcomed when they arrived. There were General Assemblies every night. I went to almost every one for 2 months straight, while my health and home-life deteriorated. I didn't eat well, I didn't sleep much, and other goals in my life were on hold, as I poured myself working more than full-time into organizing, facilitating, discussing, emailing, etc. One by one, I noticed our most brilliant organizers fizzling out like 4th of July sparklers. I wondered how long we could go on like this.

Then winter happened. The Plaza was swept. We changed our structure to meet once weekly with committees, and to have decision-making General Assemblies only twice a week. There was a sense of welcome and invitation at the gatherings we had, because we hadn't seen each other in awhile. People looked happier. We weren't arguing all the time. At the "Re-Gathering" weekend, we actually had fun while talking about difficult issues. It felt like we were settling into a pace of meetings and discussions that was more manageable, and allowed for some of the other pressing matters of living to have some priority and space alongside our organizing.

There's now a call to Re-Occupy on April 7, at a couple locations in downtown Minneapolis. I admit I have some apprehensions about being as involved with a Re-Occupy as I was this past fall. My gut sense is that many of the core issues that arose when the fall-Occupy happened still haven't been addressed. I'm wondering how this movement can grow and still be sustainable for the people in it. I'm wondering if there's another way to organize ourselves. Is it possible to craft a structure that doesn't create an "insiders" group, who burn themselves out being there 24/7, and an "outsiders" group, who give money or food, but due to balancing their other responsibilities, don't feel able to be part of the central-action?

We are up against some pretty big forces. The structures of greed and imbalance, power, control, and money, are monolithic and centuries old. Last fall we managed to create a few cracks in the sidewalk of oppression. I wonder if further demolition could be given to the weed-seeds, to organize through some different strategies-- ones that say YES more than they say NO. There is something happening in the culture, something that desperately wishes to be born. Perhaps the most powerful thing we can do right now is to slow down, to notice these little sprouts and give them space to grow.

This "Weekend Village" was an Occupy-experiment: could small-scale organizing, block-by-block, become a way for local people to come out, meet each other, and get involved in creating changes? Does the core of "Occupy" have to be a place away from home, or can we also focus on organizing in the neighborhoods where we live? It seems that many of the people I've spoken to over the past 6 months view Occupy as something they generally support, but as beyond their means to participate in. What if "Occupy" were suddenly right there, outside their front doors? Would they come? What could happen?

On Saturday morning, Katie and her two girls Zoe and Anya, showed up with pitchers of batter and electric skillets. Freshly-grilled pancakes, stacked on a plate and doused with ample syrup, were handed to the neighbors on my block as they filtered in. About 15-20 adults and kids were spaced around the floor, licking syrup off their fingers and sipping their coffee or mint tea. After sharing our "headline news" about what had happened to us over the winter, we had a conversation about what's happening with Occupy, and I introduced the Village-project. "We're here to see if we can brainstorm some solutions, toward economic-independence and developing local resiliency against some of the eventual environmental crises headed our way. What can we do to meet our own needs, by working together?"

In the short and lively discussion that ensued, we set up a collective work-group, with 5 families to spend 6 weekends over the summer helping each other out with home-and-yard improvement projects we couldn't afford the time or money to accomplish on our own... plus one extra weekend to work on a beautification-project for the block at large. I have two neighbors who want to go in on backyard-chickens with me, because while I have space for a coop, I don't have the regular schedule or lifestyle that would allow me to commit for caring for them every day. Another neighbor, who already has chickens, agreed to help us out if we need advice.

I just took my dog for a walk. One of my neighbors, who never talked to me much, shouted "Hello!" and called to me by name. She'd come to the movie-screening in the Ger on Saturday night. While we were setting up and we'd had some conversations about her husband's sudden death 8 years ago, her basset hound's passing away last fall, and some of the troubles she's having with her house. From the sound of it, I think she's been kind of lonely. It seems this weekend-event opened up a way for her to feel connected. I know, this time, I'm not going to forget her name again. By hearing the stories about her life, this house on my block suddenly has a face and a story to it. If this isn't part of changing the world to be a better place, I don't know what is.

Over the course of 3 days at the backyard-Whealthy Human Village, connections like this happened in spontaneous ways. Relationships deepened, as we shared stories together in a relaxed way. An OccupyStPaul family stopped by, and we discussed protests and direct actions, possibilities for strategic organizing, or employing elder-power on the front-lines for actions to defend the earth. One of the Village-organizers shared her skills in spinning yarn. Some neighbors down the street own two standard poodles, had been saving their fur, and brought the fur, and the poodles, over for a visit. Yes, Rachel did manage to spin the fur into yarn! (One of the dogs was much softer than the other, turns out...). We knit and spun while a 4-month-old baby practiced pushing up from laying on her belly. We talked about how having a craft like this calms the mind, and creates something functional and beautiful. We dreamed of having a craft-circle for a new barter-network... Angora rabbits? Mohair goats? A poodle-farm? Silly, perhaps. Or maybe we'd be able to grow a dye-garden, knit, and spin yarn together while spinning stories about our community and world, & what it's going to take to heal it. Bird brought over his power-tools and demonstrated the intricacies of creating the central-ring that holds up the Ger-roof. A woman trained in non-violent communication techniques led a teach-in. An "Intergenerational Council", specifically inviting elder-activists to join us, spent a Sunday afternoon envisioning a future we'd like to live in. We shared these dreams with each other, and created a list for our common vision. One of the Villagers, a member of the Dakota community, distributed some tobacco and led us in a closing-blessing-ceremony.

I suppose the events of this weekend could be summarized as: a bunch of old & new hippie-earth activists got together and camped out in a handmade room for a weekend. But that would be missing the point.

On Visionary Organizing:
Grace Lee Boggs is an Elder-activist, 96 years old and kicking, whom many around the world have cause to listen when she speaks. I was inspired to read the following article, timely posted, by Colorlines:

“I would say to a young activist, ‘Do visionary organizing.’” Boggs told Hyphen. “‘Turn your back on protest organizing and recognize how that leads you more and more to defensive operations, whereas visionary organizing gives you the opportunity to encourage the creative capacity in people and it’s very fulfilling.’”

At a time when people are re-evaluating their relationships with money, work, and people in their communities, Boggs says these dire economic times provide the political space to answer serious questions about our common social values. It’s the lesson that she learned early on in her life, growing up in America the daughter of Chinese immigrants.

“I had the idea, for example, from my father that a crisis is not only a danger but also an opportunity and that there is a positive and negative in everything,” Boggs said. “Being born Chinese meant a big deal to my life, I think.”

My first protest-action was in 1998 on my college-campus, against the conservative administration's budget-cuts that de-funded the radical student-designed-education program I was enrolled in. In 1999, I joined in protesting against the reroute of Hwy 55 and protect the four oak trees sacred to the Mdewakanton Dakota. I was in a supporting role in providing food to the encampment there, attended their rallying-events and was witness to their final showdown with the cops. In the leadup to the Iraq War, I was strapping on stilts in Osaka, Japan, joining in the demonstrations there. Back in Minnesota, I was on the streets with people fighting against Bush's re-election. I coordinated and led a brigade of folks in a puppet-protest with Code Pink during the RNC in St Paul. I've been at countless other protests for different causes where we gathered en masse and chanted whatever the person with the megaphone said, in unison.


Most of these protests ended in tragedy, despite the massive numbers of people uprising (the trees were cut down anyway, the Iraq war happened anyway, Bush got re-elected anyway)... But that's only part of the reason I'm not pouring my heart and soul into to traditional-style protests at Occupy. At many of the actions I've been to, I often end up feeling alone or isolated. It's easy to show up to a protest, yell your piece, and go home again without having gotten to know anyone. How many times have I been walking side by side with others, having no idea who these people are, that I am in "solidarity" with? How many times can "Hey Hey Ho Ho" be recycled, anyways?

When I do go to rallies and events involved with OccupyMinneapolis, I try hard to infuse some element of creativity into it. At a solidarity-rally, circuiting the skyways after the Occupy Wall Street raids, Sam, a fellow Occupier noted: "You're always trying to get us to sing something..." It's true. At a recent "Occupy Our Food Supply" Rally, I took the megaphone and made up a song on the spot, to the tune of "Old MacDonald", changing the words to fit the message against Cargill's disproportionate control: "Mr.Cargill stole our farms, EIEIO... and to our food has done some harm, EIEIO. With a price-cut here and a price cut there, here a cut, there a cut, everywhere a price-cut..." Back during the Madison uprising last spring, I showed up at the U of M solidarity rally with a hand-painted banner, a drum and a song (video here). The atmosphere of the rally shifted, tangibly, before and after singing. A girl came up to me at a protest recently, who remembered me, and that song, even though it had been a whole year. Apparently it made an impression on her.

I greatly appreciate the "Pirate" angle that OccupyHomes has brought into their protests against the banks. It's just fun to dress up. It catches media attention. It's been very fun to witness the transformations of various Occupiers into their "Pirate-personas", and has probably baffled many a banker (or security officer) with how to respond to "Captain Jack Sparrow" or "GlitterBeard" demanding their booty back. Another creative protest I caught wind of via Facebook was the "Matador Wall Street Bull" action... which involved very few people but was epic in its conception, execution, and documentation.

I'm wondering, this spring, if we can redefine what "Direct Action" means, and expand the scope of possibility for more creativity, more fun, and take relationship-building and all-ages-accessibility into account. I love it that someone had the idea of planting sunflowers in spaces all over the city (as is being planned as a Guerrilla-Garden action on May 1) as a radical and culture-changing action!

"What Do We Want? ____! When Do We Want It??? NOW!!!"
In my own life, stating what I want for myself clearly at key points has made all the difference. Perhaps my work as an artist has given me a different view on manifestation than other people. On a pretty regular basis, I imagine seemingly impossible things, and a month or two later it's rolling down the street or unfolding on a stage. As a MayDay Parade artist, I've gotten to see sketches I've drawn turn into giant parade floats. I've met plenty of people who use their intention in a focused way, and achieved tremendous results in their lives. Of course, I also observe that simply stating what you want & when you want it-- doesn't have as much effect as when you are actively working to make it so. ;-) But a clear intention helps.

Some say that the Universe responds to a "Yes" and a "Thank You" in a direct and powerful way. Some even say that "No" doesn't register, so that when you say "No More Killing!", what is actually sent out into the energy-field is the message, "____More Killing!" I don't know what your experience has been with woo-woo stuff like this, or where you stand on some of the radical ideas and research posed by quantum-mechanics or the work of Masaru Emoto, for example. But I can say that the power of intention has had a very real and instant effect on my own life.

The way we ask for what we want makes a difference in other ways, too. I was talking recently to another Occupier and blogger. He mentioned that, to keep up with the amount of stuff he's writing, he often uses anger as his fuel in writing. And mentioned that this anger was starting to bleed over into other areas of his life... "At the end of my work day, I often feel like I've been poisoning myself for five hours. [My partner] actually told me last night that I was starting to seem angry all the time." This morning, I listened to the news on DemocracyNow!... Today is the annual anniverary of the Fukushima Plant meltdown, and we still haven't drawn the connection to the danger posed by other nuclear plants around the world and shut them down. Obama broke my heart the moment he used the words "safe" and "nuclear" together (along with "clean coal")... and I knew he'd been bought out. BP is still in business. The Old Boy's Club must know they are demographically going down, for all the terrible things they are saying against women's rights and attempting to legislate our bodies and our health. I can't even decide which of the horrible things happening in the world I should include in this paragraph as the most horrible. There is no shortage of things to be outraged about.

Back in my organizing for the Code Pink march on the RNC, the coordinators wanted to reclaim use of the term "Pro-Life", and use that in some of our slogan-generation. Of course the "Pro-Choice" advocates in the group ruled against it. But it does raise the question, why "Pro-Life" is a term we allowed to be owned by a very specific group around a very specific issue. (Who, in my view, don't do nearly enough to eradicate poverty, rape, empowering young girls, providing birth control, or providing decent shelter, food, or education for any of the countless children who are undercared for in our world... but that's for another blog)...

These times feel very much to be about a struggle for Life. I don't just mean my life, or even our childrens' lives (if I get to have children)... Lately I've been having some conversations with people whose version of optimism is to say "Well, Earth's life will continue, even if we humans exterminate ourselves..." Some people shrug their shoulders and mention that the Sun, itself, will turn into a supernova and we'll all die then, anyways. It tears at me when I hear people talk like this, as though all the beauty being destroyed every moment doesn't matter. I wonder if they have any children in their lives, any one person in this generation, they'd fight for to make the world a better place to live. It strikes me as a death-wish. Or an excuse.

Some people are awake and responding to the earth-crisis, but from the heady way they talk about it, I wonder how much they are in tune with their own hearts. I listen to other people advocate this and that solution to the massive problems we are facing (such as voting, or legislative, or different light-bulbs, or using less plastic forks). Of course every little bit makes a difference. I will act where I can. I'll vote. I will call my legislator. I'll change my lightbulbs, I'll wash my utensils. But when it comes down to it, I have to conserve my own life-energies and put them where I feel it will create the deepest change. I have to organize in ways that feed and sustain me. Anger and grief are sources of fuel. They burn hot, and also burn me out when I run on those feelings only for too long. But underneath those feelings of grief and rage is a slower, deeper fire: a sense of deep and abiding passion-- for life, for the beauty of the Earth, and caring for the future generations. I will base my actions on what I most love, and work for that through what I most love: the talents and service I was born here, at this time, to give.

As Grace Lee Boggs' father said, "...a crisis is not only a danger but also an opportunity and that there is a positive and negative in everything."

On my better days, I can turn around and view the impending crises we are facing as a society, as a nation, as a planet, as an opportunity. There are many Indigenous prophecies, such as the Hopi, who speak of this time as the Great Purification. The Seven Fires prophecy of the Anishinaabe people mentions turning from a material reality to a spiritual reality. Joanna Macy, whose work has profoundly affected many, describes this moment as the "Great Unraveling" and, simultaneously, the "Great Turning." It's quite possible that it's too little, too late. But I have to try. Even if it's just in my own backyard, organizing with my neighbors to have a few chickens. Even if it's just in learning how to communicate compassionately, and how to love just a little bit more. Maybe this August we'll see some sunflowers blooming in odd spaces, and be reminded that a little bit of resistance has taken place.

As I see those nodding heads and cheerful yellow petals, I will remember to say YES, and Thank You. Yes to life. Thank you to my ancestors, my neighbors, the person who planted the seed, for this chance to be alive and fighting for life.

Yours,
Malia

~~~
Comments about this topic, or on the writing in general, are welcome! I'd like to hear from you.

Next topic: Occupy your Body! Liberation of the white male and the suburban woman. Why do men wear ties? Why do women wear high heels? Fashion as psychological enslavement, Embodiment as Activism.

Collective Intelligence: Why Occupy is Wiser than it Thinks...

Q: What do Bugs, Sex, and Mutants have to do with Occupy? Read on!(*okay, I put "sex" in that list partly just to hook your interest. But it does fit in with this theme...)

First off, I will own that I am a nature-geek. When my sister wanted to watch the "Monkees" on TV, I would hide the remote control to keep the channel on "Wild America." I would watch nature-documentaries for hours and never get bored. It was really hard for me to get why she would rather watch some goofy guys singing cheesy songs wearing too-tight clothes on Channel 24, when we could be watching Channel 2, and see real monkeys resolving their territorial disputes, swinging through trees with mind-reeling gymnastics and deafening howls. I was a quiet kid, and could spend hours scooping up guppies in a pond just to see their different-colored tails.

All this to say, observations about nature are a major way I understand the world. I am a pattern-seeker. Some patterns take time and attention to notice... even though they're right there. When did you last really marvel at feathery etchings of frost on a window, or the spirals in a sunflower-head? I saw a book called "Chaos Theory" and it had pictures comparing patterns in nature: the branches of capillaries, the branches of a river, the branches of elm trees in winter, twining into the sky. I had noticed these similarities before, but I'd never thought there might be a whole branch of science devoted to studying this! The idea is that patterns repeat, and that you might be able to understand something much bigger than yourself, by looking at something much smaller than yourself. Capillaries carry water. Trees carry water. Rivers carry water. The branch-pattern happens for a reason.

So the nature-observer in me has been looking at some of the patterns I see in Occupy, and wondering: What nature-metaphor could describe what I see happening here? If we were a plant or creature, what would we be?

I've heard Ricardo Levins Morales, one of the artist-sage-historians I know, describe Occupy as the first set of plants in succession. After the ground is disturbed, these are the first plants who move in and cover the earth. Some of the best plants in this "pioneer" phase are the ones we usually call "weeds." In most of our dealings with earth, we do a lot of "disturbing." Plowing, digging, building. After these plants have covered the bare ground, new trees start to take root and grow. Eventually, a forest moves in. The plants "know" what to do. It's a dance that holds the soil in place until the trees have time to establish a community in their basket of roots. A "Climax forest" is the result of centuries of accumulated effort to establish an ecosystem that, if you've ever been to one, truly feels like holy ground. This is what the earth would do, if we only just let it.

There are forces at work on the planet. It knows how to heal itself. Our job is to humble our monkey-minds enough to get a sense of what we don't know, and to listen. Then act, prudently. We humans tend to think we understand everything. Up until now, we've been prone to act rashly, boldly. I'd say arrogantly. We ignore the signs all around us, telling us to stop.

Nature is powerful. If we continue to align ourselves with the false wealth of money and human-based power, humankind will be shaken off (with a mass-extinction of plants, animals, and ecosystems on our hands). Conversely, if we *do* align ourselves with the force of life seeking health and wholeness, we will have power behind us that is truly unstoppable.

(How do we align, you ask? That's the big question of this age we're in. There are ways to listen to nature. Animals, plants, and even the weather speak to us all the time. There is more than one way of knowing... In fact, there are as many kinds of intelligence as there are life-forms on the planet. What if we let them be our teachers? But that's for another blog.)

"Collective Intelligence" is a term scientists use to describe the behavior of creatures like ants.
Have you ever noticed a line of ants, tracing the shortest distance from a food-source to their nest, and wondered how they "knew" where the food was?

Occupy sprang up, spontaneously, in locations all across the United States. No one thought of planning something like this. A horizontal structure and collective-decision-making were at the heart of each of these Occupations. The culture we began creating showed a willingness to invent, to try out a different way of being.

In October, a new group of humans arrived on the Government Plaza of downtown Minneapolis. We crawled out of our holes, the little places where we were surviving alone, and came into the open. We pushed tables together between concrete planters, and called it a kitchen. People cut apart mattresses, took out the stuffing, and invented sleeping bag covers. We began sharing resources with each other, developing new sign language and changing "point of process" from a pinkie to an index finger. We created teach-ins about consensus-decision-making. We organized. One of the most exciting things was the cross-pollination that began occurring: Occupations were talking with each other. Alternative Media. Facebook. Visitors traveling across the country and checking in. Like ants spreading across a field, we put our antennas together and shared information, stories, strategies. Media set up Livestream, and Occupiers across the country tuned into each others experiences, chatting late into the night with whoever was tuned in.

Later, as we began having conflicts and problems with each other, it was reassuring to know that other Occupations were having the exact same dynamics, similar issues. We heard some of the ways they were working to address the problems. We shared ours with them. It took some of the intensity of individual ego-clashes happening, and helped put them in a broader context: What we were experiencing was normal, and tied to much larger dynamics at work. Occupy had a hive-mind, and we learned much by tapping into our collective-intelligence.

Let's remember what makes us different than the "powers that be", and celebrate and honor how smart we can be when we let chance help us. (Give chance a chance) By including some space for random networking in our gatherings, along with "keeping the agenda" linear-styles of organizing, we can keep getting smarter. Keep the internet free, develop our relationships and networks with other Occupies, and let's continue supporting each other as we do this work.

Coming back to what sex has to do with Occupy:
In the biological sense, sex is a lottery. It's a way nature found, to more wildly and radically combine genes. Before sex, all that existed was cloning. Each offspring an exact replica of what came before. Single-celled organisms ruled the day. Evolution happened very s-l-o-w-l-y. Occasionally an organism would get the reproduction-codes wrong, and a "mutation" would result. If the mutation happened to be a good one, that organism could possibly out-do its "parents." This was a cool thing, life replicating itself. Without it we pretty much wouldn't be here right now ;-). But long story short, life before sex was pretty boring.

With sex as an evolutionary survival tool, suddenly mutations weren't a once-in-awhile phenomenon. Sex meant that each parent could throw their genes into a giant mixing-pot, and what came out looked like neither one, exactly. The reason you look so different from the other members of your family is because you are all mutants. But you just may have an evolutionary cutting edge over your sister or brother (which in nature, would look like having more healthy children than they do...) Nature banks in diversity. Ancient agriculturists knew this, and for this reason the Indigenous tribes of Peru developed hundreds of varieties of potato. If one type of potato didn't do well, another would. This is very different than the current model of agriculture, which favors uniformity and monocultured fields. Standard fields planted in standard rows deliver a standard potato to the standard McDonald's, to make you a standard order of french fries. A question posed by many (who are paying attention to food & where it comes from)... is "How resilient are these acres and acres of only one type of plant?" The answer is Not Very.

Evolution happens because the organism is responding to stress. Some conditions in the environment are becoming intolerable (no food, no place to live, unsafe due to predation, climate change, etc.... sound familiar?) ...the organism has to do something to ensure the line of its own ancestors has a chance in the future. A weird and fascinating fact: around times of environmental stress, the rate of mutations seems to increase. The species is seeking a way out.



This is where Diversity, as a major strength of Occupy, comes in.

This may be a bit of a stretch, but let's use sex as a metaphor for consensus-process.

How do we view disagreement?
Usually, as something to be avoided. At least I often do. What can I say? I'm Minnesotan. Maybe Occupy Minnesota is having a particularly hard time with Consensus-process because we are sometimes called out (by out-of-state-folks) for a culture steeped in passive-aggression and buried resentments. What's this about? An inherited quirk from Norwegian culture? I'm not sure. But it is a pattern I see, that when there is disagreement, we often back away. Instead of having it out in the open and working it out right then and there, we run, we avoid the situation. We may pretend we still like that person to their face, then talk mean about them behind their backs. Or fill our plate with things to do, and suddenly a few months have gone by and you hope whatever it was has been forgotten about.

Avoiding conflict is a natural human thing to do. So is sticking with the people who more or less "clone" our ideas and don't challenge us to think differently. But it's not very growthful. Our ideas change only very slowly, and our version of reality can become more and more off-base. In our culture, "cloning" is much more likely to happen when there is an absence of critical thought or civic engagement. When people wrap their identity around an opinion that they hold, saying "I believe" instead of "I think" (Thank you, John Trudell)-- it makes it that much more difficult to engage in true dialogue about an issue. But we are so much more than our opinions. We are also human, and so is your "opponent." As strongly as you feel your truth, because it is based in your experiences, there is another set of experiences, and another truth, held by another whose life you can't truly understand because you haven't lived it.

But what if, instead, we began thinking of disagreement as a sexy chance to merge viewpoints? What if, instead of trying to clone my ideas onto you, I acknowledge that I only know my own story, and open my mind to hear your story, and the reality that you see? What if we could find a way to respectfully communicate our different experiences, identify the issues between us, and come out with a diversity of ways to address it?

Part of our evolutionary process, as a new culture and as a movement, is to learn how to turn our challenges into strengths. Consensus-process, many would agree, has been one of the most difficult pieces of Occupy. But there is a reason we don't want to shift to replicating the same models of dominance, hierarchy, and oppression of minority voices, that we are fighting against.

A key evolutionary moment happened in the world, when a few smart mutant organisms began using oxygen as a source for life, by breathing it. Before this, oxygen was building up in the atmosphere, and was toxic to all living organisms. Overall, it seems oxygen-breathing was a survival-strategy that went pretty well for life on earth. ;-)

Right now, our world is brewing in conflict... there seems to be no shortage of it. A similar evolutionary leap, on the scale of learning to breathe oxygen, seems called for. What if we could turn the way we deal with conflict into tools that help us better understand the complexities of human relationship? What if our goal was less about being right, or even keeping up a shaky veneer of 'peace', and we thrived instead on growing the heart and learning from each other?

I've been alive long enough now, to recognize something about conflict: Even though I may run away from a problem, by moving or changing jobs or ending a relationship, sooner or later I have to deal with it. The job/person/place changes, but the pattern keeps coming back. I say to it "Hey, I recognize you. I thought I left you in the dust, long ago." The pattern laughs at me and says "HaHaHA! You fool. Running is futile. Don't you know I'm part of you? Anyways, I had something I was trying to tell you..."

We are suffering, now, from the patterns of oppression, dominance, and disconnection our ancestors have been running away from for generations. As we try to escape from looking at our own shit or dealing with it, we set up walls of defense around our communities, our neighbors, family members. We separate ourselves from the earth. We separate ourselves from our own bodies. But we can't keep running. We just can't. Too much is at stake now. We have to open those doors, because the house of our planet is burning down and working together is the only thing that can stop it.

Of course it feels too big to handle. I feel overwhelmed every day at how much there is to heal from, how much there is to do. But then I remember the patterns of nature. How the small reflects the big. I will do, today, what I can, to face what must be faced. When I am in disagreement with someone, I will do my best to hold them with compassion and try to understand their perspective -- while honoring my own. I'll look at my own life, and see what this conflict is teaching me, right now, about where I need to grow. Let's be mutants & proud. How about a little Consensus-building next week? (wink, wink ;-)...


Next Blog: What do we want and When do we want it? Manifestation 101 and why YES and THANK YOU are powerful magic.

Thanks for reading. Writers out there, I welcome suggestions or comments on my work. & Readers, the same...

Yours,
Malia