: : : Picasso's Guernica captured on canvas the torment and horror of the human spirit being crushed by militaristic onslaught. It is a scene repeated time and time again, for as every fascist dictator knows, to rule you must first crush the spirit of the people. Thus, empires have sought to outlaw religious and cultural events since they provide a people with a spiritual resource - a wellspring from which to draw strength, courage, a remembrance of the past and a vision of the future. If the human spirit is exalted through means of ritual and celebration, it can create wonders. Indeed, for any great undertaking to succeed, you must first harness some aspect of the human spirit. Thus, when the native Americans of the South and West were crushed by the genocidal campaigns of the 19th century, they were subsequently forbidden to speak their language or perform their sacred ceremonies. Spirit matters.

 : : : So, it is a curious form of self-defeatism entrenched within the old guard Leftist of our time, that they insist upon outlawing or marginalizing sacred, spiritual or cultural events at political gatherings. The power to unify people comes not from political slogans or ideologies, but from spiritually uplifting ceremony, heart to heart communication and song. Chanting, "the people, united, will never be defeated" is empty and hollow because the reality is: the people are not united.

 : : : The rationale for this defeatist policy might be found in the Left's Marxist sensibilities of dialectical materialism. Or perhaps scientism has a grip or most certainly secularism. Whatever the cause, it's effect is to do the imperialist's job for them. Now, I don't want to trivialize the just concerns of secular humanists, socialists or social engineers, but I do want to put this issue in the context of the Challenge of our times.

 : : : Apocalypse is a tough concept to wrap the mind around. Images of war's devastation, famine, plague, and natural disaster overwhelm our circuits. Yet we experience the Apocalypse daily on a global scale for we are living through apocalyptic times. The American bombing of Baghdad, while "Shock and Awe" to the Pentagon, was the Apocalypse to the city's inhabitants. And so too was the fall of the twin towers in New York City an apocalytic experience. The point here is that apocalyptic times require extraodinary coping mechanisms, extraordinary vision and faith. Any movement which intends to stare down one or more horsemen of the Apocalypse needs to access all the resources humanly available. The sheer scope of the undertaking demands that we channel the profundity of human wisdom, the depth of human compassion, the vastness of human vision and the transcendence of human understanding. These resources come from the human psyche and are accessed through ritual, ceremony and prayer. They are of the Spirit and Spirit matters.

 : : : Fortunately, there are many of us around the planet that have been accessing these forces from the collective psyche for some time. There exists a vital and relevant spiritual community and a spiritual movement worldwide that sees the Earth and all life as sacred. Many of the spiritual people in America are deeply concerned about the crisis of democracy and peace but they shun political action because of the angry rhetoric, the proliferation of ideologically based groups and the potential for violence. In other words, a substantial and valuable human resource is being alienated by the Left. At a time when the Religious Right is marshalling its forces, we need not to alienate the spiritual community but to include them. Now, if you think I'm advocating the creation of a Religious Left, you're absolutely correct.

 : : : Although Christian fundamentalism is a dangerous juggernaut racing toward theocracy, the more vexing challenge facing this movement for peace and justice is the defeat of an authoritarian fascist regime bent upon world domination, war and suppression of all civil rights. Now, if you think we haven't got a prayer maybe it's because we haven't used one. One of the most powerful progressive voices of our time, U.S. Congressman Dennis Kucinich, delivered a spellbinding attack against the Patriot Act on the House floor. He called his speech " A Prayer for America." I say, every ant-war rally, every march for social justice and every demonstration opposing this corrupt and morally bankrupt regime should begin and end with a ceremonial prayer for America, because Spirit matters.

 : : : In New York City, at the huge anti-war protest in the winter of 2003, a group of Buddhist monks from Massachusetts broke into the street with their drums and chant to lead what was to become the only march of the rally. Non-violent, peacefully assertive and compassionately political, they are a model for today's protest in a era of increasing repression. Again, in New York, Equinox 2004, the year anniversary of "Shock and Awe," a group of Mayan Americans, in casual ceremonial garb performed a traditional ceremonial dance at every intersection when the march slowed to a stop. They placed inside their circle a caldron with burning incense as an offering to the Earth and Sun. Their beauty and spirit radiated throughout the crowd and their message was clear. It is the same message that the Hopi elder released in 2000: "Everything we do now must be done in a sacred manner."

 : : : You see, this is an ancient struggle: one that resembles what Islam calls jihad. Jihad is the inner struggle between spirit and matter, between service to the community or to the self. All political action involves a spiritual struggle, both external and internal. A struggle between material realities or expedience on the one hand and moral ideals or virtue on the other. Ultimately we are struggling with our own shadow self and must change and grow or fail. When we march for peace we discover how un-peaceful we ourselves are. It is within our internal processing, this internal struggle, that the political becomes spiritual and the spiritual meets the political. We must have both to succeed. Spirit matters.

May the Earth Prevail!

Elliot Tarry
Zepelliot@hotmail.com