Return to your Roots

September 8th, 2013

Going on pilgrimage gives us a chance to experience more cooperative ways of living by spending these precious days working and playing together face-to-face. We abandon our cell phones and electronic devices choosing instead to rely on each other. Cleu camp is an opportunity for all of us to appreciate the feeling of belonging that comes from living and working together. We experience At-Onement because we commit to each other and our camp. When we return to our roots, we discover that we have the power to manifest the reality we desire. Black Rock City is our collective dream, an amazing city magically appearing on the playa through the efforts of people who take this special time together to create art and to celebrate community, and above all, to live closer to our human roots. More »

This End is a new Beginning

December 21st, 2012

As darkness becomes dawn, the longest night gives way to longer days in the return of the light. According to the ancient Mayan calendar and other prophecies, the 2012 winter solstice marks a transition, the end of a cycle, a paradigm shift from the old to the new. We are called to witness the birth of a new world.

We have come a long way, baby. We have freed ourselves from tradition and defined ourselves as individuals. The capitalist culture treats us as consumers, marketing desire and greed, spreading a mass media version of reality, a zombie shopocaplyspe. We live in a world of human-caused wonders and disasters. Global consciousness is awakening. We know that we have changed the climate, collapsing the stable conditions that have supported both civilization and biodiversity for thousands of years. The planet is warming, bees are dying, great cities are flooding, and a young man shoots down children in a massacre-suicide. We are stunned, but we must confront our shadows. We must act on behalf of our existence as a conscious species on a living planet.

Now is the time to reflect on your vision of a world you choose to live in. How will you claim your spiritual identity and live by your values? Remember that you are greater together. Look for people who have a clue. Keep in mind that everyone has a clue, but not everyone wants to know. Find people who are clue-seekers and human rites guides. Get a space where you can gather in circle weekly. Take time to celebrate and grieve, share and serve. Practice our human rites of music, art, drum, dance, song, story, and circle. Build up your community infrastructure so that you can meet the new paradigm with open arms.

Let us join together to preserve Life and affirm Consciousness on the Earth. It’s up to you, fantastic speck of stardust that you are!

You are the Cleu.

Hurricane Sandy speaks

October 29th, 2012

Hurricane Sandy speaks to us as Earth– as wind, rain, and surging ocean. Superstorm Sandy warns us that more global warming means more disasters. Will we listen?

Hurricane Sandy was nicknamed the “Frankenstorm” for being a strange mixture of natural and unnatural parts, creating a terrifying sum. Unprecedented megastorms are increasingly the new normal of living on a warming planet. Bill McKibben says we need to do the math, to stop driving the climate to a future of environmental disaster on what he calls a new kind of planet: “Eaarth.”

As the spokesperson for 350.org, McKibben reminds us that 350ppm of CO2 in the atmosphere is the upper limit for a healthy climate, one capable of sustaining civilization as we know it. Now that we have hit 392ppm, extreme weather events have multiplied all over the planet, from wildfires and droughts, to hurricanes and floods. Warmer air holds more water, and warmer oceans give storms more energy. Physics and chemistry dictate the cost of human greed for cheap energy and great profits. As people with a clue, we respect the scientific consensus on the human causes of global warming, and we commit to creating a more sustainable future.

Despite the human suffering caused by extreme weather events, we can all appreciate how community comes together in emergencies. Witness the depth of altruism that exists among human beings. We truly love each other despite our differences. People who go through hard times find all kinds of ways to help each other. The spirit of giving renews our faith in Consciousness. We are the Cleu!
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Want to change the world?

September 10th, 2012

We’ve just returned from our annual pilgrimage to BurningMan where we gave away over 1100 Cleus to dusty pilgrims who used only word-of-mouth or the Cleu labyrinth to find their way to Cleu camp, located way out on the edge of Black Rock City. Meeting people from all over this fantastic city gave me a vision of circles connecting with circles. Intertwining circles made for magical synchronicities and spontaneous creativity every day on the empty canvas of the playa. My own Cleu reminds me daily of the power of the circle.

Want to change the world? Meet regularly in circle. Start with 2-3 people who either have a clue or are looking for one. Remember: everyone has a clue, but not everyone wants to know about it, and some people deny or reject their clue. Look for people who are open to the mystic truth of At-Onement and the miracles of Consciousness, Life, Earth, Universe. Take a look at the Cleu Book to see more about our vision as well as our human rites and spiritual practices. Get together every week. Make that your first intention. Commit to meeting together in circle as indigenous people have done for millenia. Everything else will follow.
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Isles of Wonder: London 2012

July 27th, 2012

Instead of the usual experienced athlete, seven teenagers with potential lit the Olympic cauldron at the London 2012 Olympics. From the Olympic torch, they passed the flame to 204 petals representing all the nations competing in the Olympics. When the petals were raised, they formed one glorious blossom, shining as One.

We are all Olympians. Reflect on those moments when synchronicities occur, patterns or coincidences that seem like magic, except that they are part of the fabric of the universe. Envision a piece of medieval chainmail, a rippling metal fabric made of interlocking circles. When we connect, synchronicities happen. Meeting in circle and connecting with other circles provides both power and protection, making us strong, flexible, and resilient. Whether we engage in friendly competition, or cooperate to create a greater harmony, we belong together. When we can do both for the benefit of all, we excel.
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Welcome to the American Spring!

March 19th, 2012

An American Spring is unfolding in Occupy Wall Street actions all over our country. Now is the time to deepen our commitment to nonviolence. We must find creative, humorous ways to send a message. Use catchy, inclusive slogans, inspiring songs and chants, and sincere good will to reach out with compassion to those who are afraid and those who protect for them. Talk to people outside of the movement, and take the time to really listen to their concerns. Focus on rebuilding our communities from the inside out. This takes time, and it means living more cooperatively, reducing consumerism, boycotting unethical corporations, and transforming our democracy so that it serves people, not profits. To counter fear, we must occupy love!

Now is the time to think globally, and act locally. Use the Cleu as a meme that represents a vision of our common humanity. Gather in circle with people who share this vision of who we are and where we come from. We are heading to a new paradigm of At-Onement, but we need to put this idea into practice. Study the Cleu Book to find common ground in our values, rites, and practices. Experience At-Onement in music, art, dance, drum, song, story, and even when chanting and marching together. We are One! By setting an intention, Cleu circles make things happen. As a circle, you can share resources, create networks of connection, and make a difference in your local community. Be the change you wish to see in the world. Be the clue!

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