Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Pagan

Occupying Sacred Ground: An Open Letter to Michael Lerner

November 17, 2011 by T. Thorn Coyle

Continued from Page 1

I take particular umbrage at the casual dismissal of the encampments as a "fetishization" of the occupied spaces. Place is sacred. Place tells us we have somewhere to stand. People establish sacred relationship with spaces, which strengthens the roots of Occupy. More importantly, taking up space is what ignites the imagination, and gives the larger movement outside the camps a touchstone, something to return to.

When Solar Cross Temple organized to donate portable toilets and washstands to Occupy Oakland, people felt excited to send tangible support to those who were willing and able to camp out in the cold to lend a voice to this process of change. The camps also remind us that this movement is not going away. Occupy will continue—rain, snow, or sun—and campers are willing to become a rallying point for those of us who show up at General Assemblies, put pressure on abusive corporations and unresponsive politicians, and those who are finding ways to work together to form more viable, less isolated communities.

As a Pagan minister, for whom the sacredness of earth and sky is paramount to my sense of spiritual connection, I comprehend the importance of place in my bones. I would hope that as a Jew, Rabbi Lerner, you would celebrate the tent encampments as sacred sukkot in which people displaced by foreclosure and unemployment dwell, becoming symbols of a larger awakening and the shaking off of collective bonds of oppression.

If the camps are forced to go away, they will live on in our minds, having taken root there.

We will continue to find places to stand and speak. Together.

". . . this idea cannot be evicted."

Sincerely,

T. Thorn Coyle, Solar Cross Temple and Morningstar Mystery School

Page: 2 of 2

11/17/2011 5:00:00 AM

Pagan

Numinous and Concrete

Violence

Occupy Wall Street

Oakland

politics

Protests

Sukkot

Tent city

Judaism

Paganism

more at patheos

"He's a lover, not a train.'

Dan Peterson

I Once Was Blind, But Now I See: A Prophetic Witness

Jeff Hood

The Struggle Between Doctrine And Institutional Hypocrisy

Henry Karlson

Ascension Thursday: The Meaning and the Mission

Dennis McIntyre

About T. Thorn Coyle

T. Thorn Coyle is an internationally respected visionary and teacher of the magical and esoteric arts. The author of Make Magic of Your Life, Kissing the Limitless, and Evolutionary Witchcraft, she hosts the Elemental Castings podcast series, writes the blog Know Thyself, and has produced several CDs of sacred music. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook!

Patheos Logo Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Subscription Support Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In

Follow Patheos