As the days grow shorter, we embrace a darker season and cultivate our inner light. As the earth gets grumblier, the quaking ground upon which we all rest reminds us of the inherent instability of our very foundations. As we illuminate the history of occupation of this earth- both those peaceful and violent, symbiotic and parasitic- we begin to unravel the many ways in which each of us both occupy and have been occupied. As we all get clearer on who we includes and what we all stand for, the collective voice gains momentum.
In these very shifty times, we invite you all to consider both the many movements underway in and the many connections that compose your lives. Recognizing our embeddedness within a framework of interdependence- to be in the world is to be in relationship with it- we can see how profoundly our individual states and actions affect the whole.
There are many views coming out of and the many takes on the Occupy Wall Street Movement. The appeal of OWS for us is its complexity- the diversity of ideas, people, methods, camps and messages that are emerging from this great umbrella of a movement. The messages and the means may vary. We may not agree with all aspects of this movement. Some aspects may even contradict themselves. But this is a movement of multitudes and diversity engenders contradiction. Complexity, confusion, even contradiction are to be expected; it’s up to each of us to embrace it. It’s the price for being part of the 100%.
The beauty of diversity lies in its creativity. Thus, rather than hinder participation, we see the ambiguity of this movement as an invitation to enter into and contribute in whatever ways you are able to, to identify with whatever aspects you are called to. Founded on ideas rather than ideologies that “compromise design as much as action, imagination as much as organization (Paul Hawken, 2007),” this great intertwining of ideas, people and actions stands as a poignant example to the fact that salvation will not be found in the doctrines of a single individual or system. Our world is too complex for that.
In the words of Eve Ensler (Read full article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eve-ensler/ambiguous-upsparkles-from_b_1003908.html?ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false):
“What is happening cannot be defined. It is happening. It is a happening. It is a response to injustice and inequity and poverty and Wall Street corruption and soaring college debt and unemployment and homelessness, institutionalized racism and violence against women, the murdering of the earth, fracking and the keystone pipeline and the wars that theU.S.has waged on other countries that have destroyed them and bankrupted us here.
It is a cry against what appears to be scarcity and what Naomi Klein calls a distribution problem and, I would add, a priority problem. It is a spontaneous uprising that has been building for years in our collective unconscious. It is a gorgeous, mischievous moment that has arrived and is spreading. It is a speaking out, coming out, dancing out. It is an experiment and a disruption.
We all know things are terribly wrong in this country. From the death of our rivers, to the bankruptcy of our schools to our failed health care system, something at the center does not hold…
Occupy Wall Street is a work of art, exploding onto a canvas in search of form, in search of an image, a vision.
In a culture obsessed with product, the process of creation is almost unbearable. Nothing is more threatening than the moment, the living breathing ambiguity of now. We have been trained to name things, own things, brand things and in doing so control and consume them. Well, the genius of Occupy Wall Street is that so far it is not brandable and that’s what makes its potential so daunting, so far reaching, so inclusive, and so dangerous. It cannot be defined and so it cannot be sold, as a sound bite or a political party or even a thing. It can’t be summed up and dismissed.”
As we refine and become clearer about what it is we stand for, we find more intersections within the movement, more possibilities of relating and serving. Service rests on the premise that the nature of life is sacred, that life is a holy mystery which has an unknown purpose. When we serve, we know that we belong to life and to that purpose. The impulse to serve emerges naturally and inevitably from this way of aligning action with our vision and our values. We encourage you to participate in which ever ways you can and are called to and honor your unique contribution to this unfolding movement. How will you occupy yourselves, your time, your community, your world?
So where and how does Terra’sTemplefit into this movement? Terra’sTempleis a reflection of diversity. We are composed of a diverse group of individuals of various lineages and traditions who are unified under the common banner of our deep recognition of our part-ness in relation to a much greater whole. We believe that the healing of ourselves is intricately tied to the healing of us all- not just the 99 but the 100%. We support how the Occupy movement has allowed for creative self-expression, dialogue and movement building. We recognize how it has helped bring attentions to issues all around the world. Like the Occupy Wall Street movement itself, our participation and our views have and are varied but we are aligned under these three actions:
1) Get money and corporate funding out of politics.
2) Create more restrictions and accountability for corporations
3) Create a fair and just tax system that taxes the 1% in a just way.
Below are a few other ways we have been plugging into the movement:
Occupy the Red Tent
Sisters in service, Occupy the Red Tent at Occupy Oakland. Donna Carroll has created a lovely sacred space to set your intentions and ground yourselves and the movement.
Keep Wall Street Occupied
Have a few minutes to Keep Wall Street Occupied? Learn how to send a prepaid message to the banks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JlxbKtBkGM&feature=share
Put Your Money Where Your Values Are: Move Your Money
Essay by Dr. Aumatma Shah
I switched to a credit union! I am definitely in support of getting our money out of banks- it is important that our money stays as local as possible. There are also other small advantages to credit unions- they know your name when you walk in, they are people that live in the community and many are cooperatives so having an account is also like having Having gone thru it, these are my reflections: open your account online through the credit union you want to use. You can transfer money from your old bank to credit union with use of a debit card. Then, go into the bank and close the rest after a few days. Do not do it all at once because credit unions take a while and your money may actually not be available for a week or so after depositing in the initial start phase. Also, a request from the agent at my new union, MAKE AN APPOINTMENT. Credit unions are smaller than banks and can only accommodate a certain number of new accounts per day so if your plan is to go on Nov 5th, THINK AGAIN! I would suggest doing a slower transition, and having a plan ahead of time.
A little info on random notes I’ve made:
USE Credit Union (Shattuck and Durant in Berkeley): is part of the broad network of credit unions so you can deposit or take money out of almost any credit union. The main plus for them was that they have some neat benefits- such as 10% off your sprint phone bill! I know, random but pretty sweet for those that have Sprint. They also have some travel advantages- so check out the member benefits page. OH, they also make their own debit cards so if you lose yours, you just go in and they’ll replace it right on the spot! That’s pretty nice too 
Patelco (downtown Oakland)- its a LARGE credit union. There’s about 40 branches throughout the country. You get a 5% interest on CDs (almost unheard of!).
Almost all credit unions have free checking and savings. There are some other ones I’ve heard good things about like People’s– they invest most of their money very locally. Unfortunately, I looked up a lot more but do not remember the details of each right now… so do your research. Yelp also has reviews, which I didn’t think to look at but might be a good idea
In Gratitude to She Who Cradles Us All,
Tiffany Foo and the Terra’s Temple Priestess Circle
CONNECT * HEAL * CREATE * SELF * COMMUNITY * WORLD
