The Circle at Occupy London

A while back I was asked to go  down to the St Paul's Occupy site and donate some of my time to their Welfare Tent as a Reiki Healer. The area I was told was attracting many in need and the welfare tent had sprung out of that desire for some healing in this space.

When I finally went down to the site I was amazed by the level of dedication and desire for community and change. Something ommitted from mainstream media reports. On my last visit as I sat on the steps of St Paul's and witnessed the tangle of the times of shift we are in I felt called to come back to the space and this time bring Shamanic Circle to the land and those on it. I watched as news crews followed Jon Snow around, masked men gave out "free hugs" ( I got one!), a speakers platform was buzzing with addresses to the crowds and tourists and Londoners alike felt the desire to record this significant event on their phones and cameras.

What makes this Occupy Movement significant? For me the real heart felt desire for community and a coming together. In the gathered tents and placards one can feel a yearning for a society of One-ness, of equality and of Truth. The Mayans recorded much of the shifts to come in 2012. Some have talked of this time being an end of the World. For me this end is a ceasing of the World Order as we know it ( however that may happen) and a move from the world of mind, greed, and what is called The Divine Masculine into the heart centre, Truth, The Divine Feminine and The Unconditional Love Consciousness. What does this mean for us as individuals? It means we love despite the pain, despite the restrictions, despite the differences between us. We love because we see Society as a reflection of ourselves and an extension of Family. We choose Peace as the force for change.

Shamanic Circle work embodies just that. In the circle all are equal, all are One and our hopes and desires, yearnings and fears are voiced, shared, acted out in ritual and through this we come to know that we are not alone. That the barriers we feel separate us are illusory and that though we may not always agree, there is place for all. For if we can make peace within the circle we can make peace within the world. This shift cannot come about through force. That was how we birthedt it for years. This time if we are to combat the might of those we seek to educate, we seek to change, then this must be done through the power of the group as One. Through Love. And this does not mean being passive, this does not mean sitting in a room and sending Love only. This requires us to be Warriors of the Open Heart. To seek change not through conflict but through another way. A heart felt, Spirit led way. By connecting with the elements, our environment, each other and the Truth in us.

We were booked into the Bank of Ideas for the first Shamanic Circle at The Occupy Site. The room was empty, cold, and rough and ready. It was reclaimed property after all. Whilst I set up the space, my friend went around the building and announced the circle. And soon enough people started drifting in. They did not know what to expect, only one had done Shamanic work before. They had heard there would be some drumming and  they felt drawn.

The circle was a mix of those who were visiting London, to those with no spiritual beliefs, to those who were sleeping on the streets and had done for many years to those who just wanted to soak up the drumming. As we sang to the Land and gave thanks to the bloodline that had brought us to this potent time, the energy of the circle grew and the connection was heart felt.

Towards the end of this ceremony I was called away by someone who said the sounds of our drumming was disturbing their movie screening downstairs. As I followed him round the building, trying to explain we were in the middle of ceremony, that people in this space were healing and could we not make some noise for 20 mins longer I left my friend with the circle. Standing, eyes closed, facing outwards, connecting to their ancestors. I must have been gone over 10 mins. And I will  be honest all my talk of unconditonal love was going out the window as I was trying to find a room, facing a lack of organisation as people find their feet in this new space, and worrying about those left standing literally in ceremony upstairs. About 10-15 mins later I went back into the room, not sure how we would close the circle, ashamed that I had let this group of people down. They would have got bored and left by now. When I walked into the room, all were standing still, eyes closed, backs to the circle, connecting still with their hearts. Our lesson was right there. In these times of Chaos and shift, the way to survive is to stay connected to each other, to community and to the Truth we feel in our hearts. As we shared afterwards, each  person had had a profound experience. And all this in a room with old grey carpet, no heating and fading lights from the street. I was humbled by the dedication to healing, to connection these strangers had shown each other and the circle. What can we not achieve if that profound respect for something greater, that desire for healing is channelled into pro active expression. The human spirit is mighty.

To please the group on the floor below I decided we would not drum. So instead we sang and we clapped in unsion, allowing the rythmns of our souls to rise free. And it was that simple. A group of people who had never met before, sat in circle, moving as One. We closed the space, holding hands and giving thanks for all we had shared and the Love, Truth and Inner Power we had tasted.

Afterwards someone told me a simple tale. In a Shamanic community in Devon- every morning they meet to sit in circle. Each person volunteers for that day's role- whether this be kitchen duty or something else. One person is the "dreamer". In Shamanic circles, in many traditions, we are told all we see is an illusion- a construct of the mind. The Truth happens in the Dream scape. For we can dream the world we wish to live in. John Lennon told us to Imagine. And the Dreamer in the circle will go out in nature and connect in with the elements and see what dreams come to them. They then return and share. What if, said this woman, every office meeting on a monday morning started like this? And the dreamer went out to bring back innate knowledge from the heart of nature. What if? I asked myself just that as I left the Bank, my heart filled with the beauty of Connection and such profound vulnerability. One member said he felt the world was just an extension of the Family we have. He spoke with such eloquence and passion for being as One. I could see he had slept for some time on the streets. If nothing else, the reclaimed Bank is providing shelter, community, healing and hope to so many who have remained our Forgettens for too long.

May the re-membering begin.

Aho.