The World is Going Nuts! (and it’s about time)

People are going nuts!
I mean this in the most complimentary and respectful terms.

After weeks, months and years of writing letters to government officials, dutifully voting in every election, holding peaceful protests and signing petitions people have realized that the only good to come out of all their action was to gain the attention and combined efforts of like minded peers. The politicians continue to follow the directives of those who hold far more power than they do, the Big Money; and the Big Money or The Man, shall we say (sorry men) continues to feast like a glutton on the obscene wealth that is supplied to them by the politicians as they take it from the hands of people like you and me. This is trickle UP economics, folks. The few politicians who do seem to have a shred of decency rarely make it past the state or local level because, face it, you don’t trickle up to Washington by flying on the colorful balloon of humanitarian ideals…and if you do your balloon is filled with hot air and false promises. Or it will be shot and deflated by the b.b. gun that belongs to the gang of bullies that smashed your pumpkin at Halloween and stole your candy. That gang of bullies known as “The Man” or the “Corporate Machine” or the IMF or World Bank or Bilderbergs or whoever it is you believe pulls the strings around here. We are so out of touch with who really controls things that we are reduced to inventing this sort of mythology to explain the incomprehensible. Like our ancient ancestors we deify or demonize the sources of the perplexing events that kill our crops, flood our towns and steal our babies in the night.
The development of and obsession with our collective mythology has kept us all well entertained for quite some time now. Conspiracy theories, hours spent reviewing the Zapruder film, tracing the genealogies of wealthiest families back as far as written history would take us and even involving extra terrestrials have all become some sort of religion with which we soothe ourselves as we search for answers. I think we have all became bored with our stories and tired of arguing over whose pantheon is calling the shots. I think we have finally decided that it really doesn’t matter who the boogyman is, only that we are sick and tired of having our money, our rights, our homes and our basic safety stolen away by that thief in the night, that baby snatching goblin, that thirsty Vampire that keeps draining us and draining us until we feel like a bunch of empty shells. We’ve tried filling ourselves with entertainment, food, drugs, fashion and all the other crap they leave behind to distract us. We have discovered that lifestyle has left us empty, it never satisfies only pacifies. We have changed our diet and turned of American Idol and walked outside…and in that stark unfamiliar light as our eyes began to adjust we saw what was going on. We saw our streets are empty because, depending on where we live the kids aren’t safe to play outside or they’re off in daycare so both parents (if they’re lucky enough to have two) are off working 60 hours a week just to keep the boogeyman at bay. We saw that there seem to be more and more people pushing shopping carts down our alleys collecting the leftover aluminum that contained last nights pacifier so they can walk to the recycling center and get a few bucks. And we probably noticed our car had been towed because we couldn’t afford the gas to move it to the other side of the street or to pay the tickets that piled up on the windshield night after night as we were inside slamming down the beer creating income for the guy with the shopping cart. Well at least we made some contribution to society there, right?
Truth is we have made contributions to society our entire lives and society has basically taken the money and run without even an “I’ll call you sometime”.
We’ve known for some time that we can’t believe in our government, now we realize we can’t even believe in the “bad guys” anymore and we have come to realize that neither exists in the way we once dreamed they did. I have come to realize that it really doesn’t matter weather the wealth is controlled by aliens or the Illuminati or some ancient family of inbred assholes, what matters is we have to stop wondering and whining and take the bull by the horns. Maybe it’s time to take the advice of the unsympathetic, entitlement hating Republicans and “pull ourselves up by our bootstraps”, only not quite in the way we’ve been doing for the past  50 years or so. Those boots were cheap junk, the kind you buy at Walmart and have to replace every 6 months because the straps break off leaving us to fall on our faces. We kept on getting up, wiping our tears and going out for more cheap-ass boots, but if you look around people are choosing different footwear these days. They’re choosing something with a bit more substance and durability and they are taking them to the street in great numbers.
I’m encouraging anyone who is reading this to please find a news source that is not controlled by the mythical “Man” and watch what’s going on in the UK, Greece, Orlando Florida  U.S. and in all the other places that people are finally putting down the petitions, refusing to go to work and standing up for their rights. And when you do I hope you will consider creating some new boots for yourself.
Here are a few links to get you started (if you haven’t already) RT has lots of coverage of the Protests in Greece on Youtube
Peace,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/england/
http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/
http://www.democracynow.org/
http://www.alternet.org/
http://www.politicususa.com/
http://motherjones.com/
http://rt.com/
© 2010-2011 Nanakoosa’s Place, authored by Jennifer Hazard

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.

More Thoughts on Community

Happy Wednesday Warriors, Wild Ones and Wanderers,

I’ve had a thing for alliteration lately..
Anyway, I’ve been thinking about the Concept of Community these days. It may be partially in response to the collective sense of fear and uncertainty that is evident in our nation, and in many other parts of the world. Our government seems out of control,the wealthy are getting wealthier and the rest of us are losing resources on a daily basis. Many of feel that we are no longer being represented by those we elected; we are feeling like children, abandoned unsure of where to go for help.
And then there are the doomsday folks, the conspiracy theorists, the 2012ers who speak of immanent change, but offer little suggestion of what that change may look like. The only thing that seems certain is that those of us without money or substantial political influence (one in the same really) stand to be in for some difficult times at best. At worst we stand to lose many rights and freedoms that we have taken for granted for most of our lives.
I once quipped to a friend of mine that if our economy totally takes a dive and chaos ensues, poor folks, survivors and “disenfranchised” will be in a pretty good spot. We know how to navigate tough times, we know how to survive on very little money and we form tight friendships. Common suffering breeds unity in the best of us. Look at support groups. although all support groups have their problems and as any group work textbook will tell you, evolve through stages of difficulty, the beauty is that in the most circumstances there develops a mutual respect and accountability. If the group can remain focused on their common cause while honoring the uniqueness of the individual there emerges a unity that is rich with possibility
That kind of comraderie and acceptance is exactly what is needed right now. I’ve seen it happen; when our governor attempted to bust the Unions he exempted the Police and Firefighters, hoping to keep them “on his side” I’m certain he was somewhat taken aback when not only did they refuse to hop on his bandwagon, but actually joined the protests is large numbers and, I must say, in quite a grand presentation. One of the most “spin my world, never thought I’d live to see the day” moments came when a police officer announced loud and clear to the protesters in the state capitol that he was standing with the protesters; that he was upholding his vow to protect the citizens. As someone who grew up in the 60’s seeing police and National Guardsmen tear gassing, beating and even shooting protesters I was flabbergasted, and overjoyed.
We can no longer afford to be divided by class, labels, social status…we need each other. We need Community.
Next: ideas on building and sustaining community support. Stay tuned…
Peace,
Jenny

© 2010-2011 Nanakoosa’s Place, authored by Jennifer Hazard

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.

Tuesdays Tribute-Starhawk; A commitment to Permaculture

Greetings Gypsies and Rebels,

For any of you who aren’t familiar with Starhawk, she is an author and activist who has spent most of her life dedicated to Goddess spirituality, environmental sustainability and Non-Violent Protest. She frequently conducts workshops in many parts of the world with the goal of helping communities acquire the skills needed to create a sustainable and cooperative community: a Permaculture. There is no better Woman that I can think of to follow yesterdays thoughts on sustainable living. Starhawk truly walks her talk and not only lives a sustainable, lifestyle but isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty, figuratively and literally. There are many authors and teachers who write passionately about social change and many who are dynamic, motivating public speakers; but there are very few who will stand hand in hand with fellow activists as they face armed soldiers.
As I reflect on the changes and insanity that we see happening every day in the news, I spend time daily in discussion with others. We ask questions, we share information, we sift through information panning for the glittering flakes of gold that contains the Truth. There is often consensus as well as disagreement. The most troublesome roadblock is born of those individuals who have invested themselves entirely to one cause at the cost of any others. Now let me say devotion to a cause in itself is not the problem; rather we need people with areas of expertise and the passion that accompanies that dedication. But what we truly need to accomplish real social, environmental and economic sustainability is cooperation. The foundation of Permaculture lies in cooperation and in the understanding of the threads that connect all parts of our existence. I see Starhawk as a Woman who truly embodies, lives and shares that ideal.

For more information on Starhawk and her work see the following links:

For some excellent information about Permaculture, Starhawk and colleague Donna Read have recently released a film titled “Permaculture:The Growing Edge”
The film is available for order on DVD and dowload now—for more information on the permaculture and the film including a promo/trailer visit the Belili Productions site at http://www.belili.org.

Earth Activist Training
http://www.earthactivisttraining.org/

or visit her website

http://www.starhawk.org

© 2010-2011 Nanakoosa’s Place, authored by Jennifer Hazard

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.

Following Nature’s Lead; How’s the weather Up There?

Hello Fellow wanderers and wise women

I hope everyone had a pleasant weekend, we have a new moon this weekend which I always welcome as a beginning, a chance to organize, plan and if needed, make changes or adjustments. One thing I have learned over the years is that self assessment and reflection are vital to my own well being. It probably doesn’t hurt the well being of those who live with my eccentric nature on a daily basis either. this practice is complimentary to my thoughts on changing seasons and the cycles of nature that I referred to in an earlier post. if we relate to the environment around us it can serve as a guide and prompt us to be respectful and responsive to our own cycles and process. what a beautiful way to monitor one’s own inner self and daily routine. The wild windy storm that pelted us with huge hailstones seemed fitting for the frustration and anger than many of us have been feeling with current events. for me storms are exciting, exhilarating and expressive of intense emotion. today is rather dark and gloomy, a day that could prompt quiet time and reflection, much as we ourselves will do once our anger has been spent.
Most recently i have been trying to stay afloat and in balance between the interests, passions and responsibilities of my life. I have been almost obsessive in following politics and attempting to inform, motivate and organize in whatever way i can. This involves a substantial amount of reading, discussion and fact finding. the only cause i will fight for unquestioningly is social justice. the path to this goal is not always easily negotiated as i sift through the volumes of claims, opinions, commentary and the sometimes ego driven motives of others. there are individuals who will vehemently defend the actions of their political party or particular candidate without taking the time to look within themselves and feel if they are truly comfortable with the plan, policy or action. they hurl hailstones at one moment then hop right into the next sunny day without taking that foggy, cloudy quiet day in between to reflect and restore.
i myself have been troubled by some decisions that have been made in president obama’s term. i voted for him, i still believe he wants to do the right thing for our country and our future but at the same time i am willing to call out my own candidate on issues where i disagree. remember a while back when i wrote about not taking oneself too seriously; about true humility and maturity? i believe that the ability to draw our own conclusions rather than blindly following a party line or ideology is the fruit that is born of that self awareness there is great comfort in being true to one’s own values and there is great power in challenging the decisions of others who may have promised us one thing and delivered something entirely different. we do not all have to agree, but i believe that if we are true to our inner values and respect ourselves, we will be more inclined to take the time to question situations that don’t feel right. and because we are “walking our talk” we will not be afraid to stand up for our beliefs in a way that is respectful without being self compromising. how do you handle disagreement or conflict? how do you react “after the storm”? how’s the weather in your soul today?
peace,
jenny
© 2011 Nanakoosa’s Place, authored by Jennifer Hazard

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.

Budget deficit? Or attention Deficit?

It’s happening all over the country, elected officials are forgetting that they work for us, not the other way around. Some people will argue that these politicians were elected and therefore earned the right to make certain decisions which is true,to a point. It seems however that some of these newly elected representatives are so excited about their new status that they have forgotten a few details. Apparently those pesky checks and balances, those open hearings and other time tested procedures that must be adhered to when creating policy and/or law. are far too troublesome and time consuming. Supporters of these attention deficit stricken Politicians may have forgotten that we do operate with a two party system; the other party having also been elected by and for citizens who also deserve representation. These people have been flooding the streets, stationing themselves in State Capitols, campus Administration buildings and local government offices for over a month now. We have taken to the streets in thousands, in crappy cold weather to insist that we be heard. As I write thin there are events scheduled as far into the future as late summer.
It’s not only the “big” events that are propelling the winds of change; there are daily updates on social networking sites with accompanying discussions. There are conversations happening just about everywhere you look. There are small acts of rebellion, a spray painted message on the sidewalk here, and impeach Walker sticker there. Bit by bit the concepts are becoming embedded in our cultural consciousness, and the more firmly entrenched, the less likely they are to be undermined.
No matter what issue ignites a passion within you that demands Justice, there are actions you can take that will make a difference. If you are interested in becoming involved, please feel free to leave a comment or send an email and I can provide you with a list of resources, contact people and tips on ways you can make a difference. I offer the same, eve if your passion project is not related to the many current political issues at hand (although they seem to be covering all the bases if you look closely enough!) Whatever it is that calls your Heart to action…you do have the power to make a difference!
© 2011 Nanakoosa’s Place, authored by Jennifer Hazard

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.

Justice continued

Since I published my last post only a couple of days ago, I have spent hours reading through various reactions to the event in Arizona and reactions to the reactions to the event. You may be asking yourself “what does this have to do with being a survivor?” These news events, political analyses, contradictory opinions and attempts to assign or deny responsibility, are events that affect us all as citizens. The voices and opinions we hear are those of Politicians, media pundits, political journalists and, occasionally from a survivor or a relative of one of the victims. It is in complex scenarios such as this that the truth and honest assessment gets lost in rhetoric and convenient hackneyed sound bites. And that is why those of us with real life experience, who have experienced losses, who have felt the pain of discrimination deserve to have our say in these very public issues. If we continue to leave the editorializing to the same old sources, we get the same old story, usually very black and white, narrowly focused and worst of all, divisive.
Last week on my website, I posted a bit about social responsibility, as an example of one of the facets of the Whole Person. That post was before the tragedy in Arizona, but I gave an example of a cause that has struck a chord with me recently and while I do not expect for anyone to jump on MY bandwagon, or anyone else’s for that matter, I do think it is important for those of us who have been excluded from the mainstream, who have known the despair of powerlessness and whose opinions and ideas have been dismissed to take an opportunity to reexamine our values. Many of us have been told by others for most of our lives what to believe; or worse we’ve been sheltered from the news and events of the outside world and denied the opportunity to form our own conclusions. I think that gaining access to information and taking the time to examine our own reactions is an essential part of rediscovering and reconstructing the women we want to be as we create our future. Not everyone will agree in their final conclusions, and that’s a good thing. Not everyone will find themselves passionately dedicated to a cause or a social agenda and that’s ok too. I am suggesting, however, that we take some time to learn about world events, especially those that may be foreign to us, as one of the many exercises in empowering ourselves and establishing our rightful place in society as Women of Wisdom, Strength and Resiliency.
Knowledge, as they say IS power.
If you haven’t visited my future/developing business website http://www.whitewaveconsulting.org.I have begun a series addressing “the Whole Person” and the importance of recognizing our roles within different areas of our lives, social, spiritual, health and body, family, career and financial and community. It is still a work in progress but I always welcome support and feedback as I construct my dream piece by piece. It’s not a one woman job and my ultimate goal is to create a Community of survivors because we all have something that is unique to us that will create our own link the Chain of Wisdom that strengthens the Community.

© 2010 Nanakoosa’s Place, authored by Jennifer Hazard

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.

Can we get a little Justice around here?

Remember this?
..you know if a citizen was to post a hit list of politicians and one came up dead or close to, the FBI would be all up in their ass. hmmmm let’s all think about that for a moment shall we? as we also consider that Bradley Manning is being held in solitary confinement indefinitely for allegedly revealing a rather similar scenario involving US troops and Iraqi citizens….please I really want people to think about this!!!
I’ve just about had it with this country, the hypocracy, the hatred, the paranoia the lack of empathy for Human Life.
Maybe we can’t stop the fanatics, but lets support those who have made grave sacrifices to reveal the truth out of a sense of duty that goes beyond military orders, beyond false patriotism and rhetoric.
Thank You,
Nana

http://www.bradleymanning.org/
© 2010 Nanakoosa’s Place, authored by Jennifer Hazard

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.