Occupy Love

By Velcrow Ripper - philosopher and filmmaker.  
Velcrow is a guest faculty in the Peace Ambassador Training and was featured in the Summer of Peace.

Today is a day to focus our intentions and come together to create the culture of peace that we know in our heart of hearts is our true nature.  The shift from a culture of war, a culture of domination, a culture of “us versus them,” to a culture of  love, a culture of shared power, a culture of “us ” is at the core of our evolutionary journey, and key to our very survival on this precious planet.
 
Peace starts in our hearts, in the hearts of each every one of us. It begins right now, not then, but now ~ as you read this ~ in your very next breath.  Push the pause button, and take a few seconds to connect with your breath...a single deep breath in and out... ah, yes.  Now take another moment to connect with your heart, breathing in and out of your heart center, grounding yourself in the loving mindfulness of this present moment. And again. Breathing in love, breathing out love. Repeat as needed. Three deep heart breathes at any moment of the day will do you a world of wonders. I like to do this before each meal, and before I make any decisions, large or small.
 
As you go through your day, allow your actions to spring forth from this beautiful place.  Remind yourself to return to your heart, your breath, this space.  Creating a sense of spaciousness allows your actions to come from a true place, not from the fear and anxiety that often percolates near the surface, but from the calm depths of the Knowing Heart. From this place, we can begin to truly Occupy Love, as an important part of who we are. In touch with this ocean of ‘being,’ our  ‘doing’ emerges, naturally, without force. We can learn to follow our heart, unwrap our gifts, and let them shine, allowing right action to unfold with right timing, emerging organically.
 
More and more of us are beginning to move from this place of deep love and deep peace.  A new culture is being born, all over this pulsating earth.  This is not a pipe dream, this is not speculation, it’s truly happening. I’ve witnessed it first hand. Yes, there is  an intensification of the setting sun mentality - aggression, hate, fundamentalism, corporate domination, eco collapse, and on and on and on.  As a documentary filmmaker, I travel the world and see this dark underbelly, close-up and personal, everywhere I go.  But I also have begun to discover the shining emergence of a global, heart-centered community that dares to dream of a world that works for everyone and all life, shimmering into existence, everywhere I go.
 
I see it in the social movements of this era, when they are at their best, dazzling displays of love in action, bursting forth amidst revolutions and evolutions. The love I’ve experienced astounds me.  I see it on social media, every day in different ways- the way we, The People, refused to sanction the bombing of Syria.  The way we are seeing through the distortions of greed and consumerism and corporate dominance, reaching for real meaning.  The way we are evolving new models of sustainability, of creativity, of  possibility. The way we The People, are arising, everywhere, and discovering each other with a shock of recognition - oh, you are a lover too?  And you, and you and you?  Yes - we are.
 
CALL  TO ACTION

Occupy Love is a feature documentary film that connects the dots in this era of turmoil and transformation, charting the emergence of the new story, the new revolution of the heart that is emerging around the world.  It is a powerful tool that works wonderfully when shared with groups large or small.  Arrange a community screening, or a house party screening with friends.  If you have a web presence, you can host the film on your own website, and become an Occupy Love partner.  Everything is based on the gift economy and profit sharing - we believe in living the new economy.  If you haven’t seen the film yet, you can watch it on-line, DVD or download.  Watch the trailer for the film and learn more at www.OccupyLove.org
 
Philosopher filmmaker Velcrow Ripper is a lot like his movies -- curious, hopeful, full of electrifying ideas. He has made dozens of award winning films, including Scared Sacred, his journey to the ground zero’s of the world searching for transformation in crisis; Fierce Light: When Spirit Meets action about Spiritual Activism, and his latest work Occupy Love which asks: how can global crisis become a global love story? He is a two time winner of the Genie - Canada's Oscar.