More notes on my 2011 Journeys & the Occupy Movement

Notes from water journeys to OCCUPied OAKLAND ~ GENERAL STRIKE ~

There's been mostly travels in the Bay & some ventures out of state. Most notable were my adventures on the Canoe Journey to Swinomish... I was TOTALLY excited about the CALI canoes of Chumash (I think) pullers with their double-sided paddles ~ I was running down the beach yelling & screaming "CALI!!!" when they arrived in Swinomish ~ Later that week we joined several of them at the Storytelling Circle & I was honored to meet some of the pullers, even one young girl, whose mother is Kalinga.

Above, the different canoe families arriving at Swinomish, awaiting for permission to come ashore...

(CALI representin' with their families above.)
Shelly & Leng Leng ~ we had just arrived in time for the arrival to Samish ~ what a fantastic meal we had later ~ loads of Salmon & shell fish & deer ~ YUMMY!!!

&&& then the Pacific Voyagers visit to California...here I am with my friend, the cook from the Cook Islands vaca ~ Lorna ~ I had so much fun hanging out with her every day in San Francisco... I love my Cook Island PEEPS!!! MISS YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!

...CHECK OUT BROWN, one of the Cook Island Voyagers, carrying this famous scientist out to the vaca for our ride in Monterey... Dieter, funder of Pacific Voyagers, had a beautiful experience with a whale... his video is online & quite fantastic... on their trip south they experienced their own time with the whale ~ you can read about it online at their website...

then later ~

the Women's Retreat and work on the land, Water Blessings, Sacred Land Prayers & Meditations, and ending with Maori Healing Sessions, which was an internal journey... since I haven't really fully processed all this journeying I won't write about it. Also quick visits to Occupy Wall Street movement @ the downtown Occupy SF, a hub for the big banking institutions, where I feel supportive when I donate food & met up with friends who came down to help prevent the violence that occurred in Oakland. I confronted John Avalos during his interview with KTVU & he said he would stand with the Occupiers and has met his word by passing legislation to keep the police from breaking up the camp. He has earned my vote.

I was amazed at participating in the General Strike in Oakland. It was announced that there were 50,000 people, but another video showed perhaps 100,000 people participating in the two marches held at 4pm and 5pm... I stood @ the bridge for perhaps 45 minutes & the stream of people never ended. It's true that Occupy Oakland is peaceful and highly diverse. Everyone is supportive of each other, regardless of race, age, ability, gender, etc... I loved seeing the grandma being wheeled by her family & the Paiute/African American family that came over to be saged down with their beautiful children...

One thought ~ the vibe at these two Occupy sites are very different ~ Oakland seems to be more family oriented & diverse, with a mellow vibe & SF a little more edgy, feeling more transient... @ Occupy SF I joined a meditation circle on the day the police were supposed to evict & that small action brought me back to my center, able to continue with the day's action. The night before OPD and 17 police agencies tear gassed many of my friends at Occupy Oakland. I spent the night feeling terrorized by the Police State of Americas and knew I needed to be in Oakland to retake the plaza. I arrived at the plaza well after it had been retaken and in time to witness the historic General Assembly discussion and vote for a General Strike in Oakland on November 2nd, Dia de Los Muertos, 2011. It was pretty cool to see a former "Los Delicados" poet @ both Occupy Oakland and Occupy SF that day, b/c I took off for Occupy SF and found him there too. His story is unique. He travels a lot and has been to many of the Occupy Wall Street sites & he shared many stories with me. A writer, he shared his poem at Occupy LA & told me of a Solar company that has donated power, but also has taught folks how to make their own solar power. Hopefully, this can be replicated at other sites.

My spirit keeps me moving in different directions, but I am happy to have participated in the ceremonies this year, and in the General Strike in Oakland, one among thousands, working towards a better world. Lets bring our prayers and actions forward into a better world for all...