occupy Wall Street

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    Want to Know More About the “Occupy” Movement? (Potluck and Discussion at Wm Penn House)

    ByElizabeth

    This just in from William Penn House’s Executive Director:

    You are invited to attend a potluck and Quaker dialogue at 6:30 PM on Sunday November 6, 2011

    Our Program this First Day is presented by Ann Wilcox  &  Micah Bales

    “Occupy…”

    The outcry against the political influence of financial institutions that has swept the country in recent weeks has crossed many boundaries, including class, gender and age. “Occupy” events are growing in cities and towns throughout the world. Here in DC, there are two groups occupying different parks. The movement has energy, and is gaining attention. But how much do we know about what is driving this? Are there certain issues and an agenda? Is this a culmination of many issues of our society coming together, or is it something completely different? Is ignoring the movement a good idea? Is presuming to know what is going on too presumptive? These are among the questions we will be exploring and discussing.

    Ann Wilcox will be leading the discussion. She is an attorney in Washington, DC, practicing for more than 20 years. She is active with the National Lawyers Guild, which provides legal representation and works on issues of social justice and economic equality. She provides Demonstration Support for many activists who come to DC to advocate for peace, the environment and other issues. She is currently providing legal support for the October 2011/Stop the Machine andOccupy DC groups, and can speak about issues related to the occupations. Ann has attended Friends Meeting of Washington and is currently active at Foundry United Methodist Church.Micah Bales is coordinator of Young Adult Engagement for Earlham School of Religion and lives in Washington, DC.

    Micah has been an active presence with Occupy DC since its inception. Micah, a graduate of ESR, is a member of Rockingham Friends Meeting of Ohio Yearly Meeting Conservative.

    Bring a dish to share; family members, neighbors and friends are always welcome.  Note: William Penn House is an alcohol and tobacco free facility.

    For more information, see www.WilliamPennHouse.org

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    “Jobs Not War” (and the Power of Mantra)

    ByElizabeth

    I walked over to the Capitol building at lunchtime to see the rally in support of the Jobs Bill.  As I approached, attendees were chanting “jobs not war, jobs not war, jobs not war, jobs not war, jobs not war, jobs not war, jobs not war, jobs not war, jobs not war….”

    The act of chanting gathered the  energy together.  The chanting empowered those at the rally to deepen their resolve.  In this instance, their resolve was to seek in an ever more coordinated and expansive way a shift away from war and big finance and to community, environment, education, and infrastructure repair and development, employing the millions who have been out of work in this double recession.  Chanting also helped bring the message into the conscious awareness of those hearing the chant, which in its simplicity served as a sign post both for the more elaborate meaning and for a more universal call for unity and change.  This power to work both within and without with chanting at a rally can give a taste the powers attributed to the yoga practices of mantra repetition (japa) or meditation with a mantra.  Just how mantra and chanting work is a curious and wondrous matter, but it is hard to think of a culture that has not spontaneously used chants for both individual and collective worship and power.