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Confronting the Shadow
Side in URI
by Sandy Westin
 When the Shadow sneaks
into peace work: It usually begins small. Maybe some comment was taken wrong, or a
decision was acted on by one that not all agreed with. Then the gossiping starts. A snide or
critical remark is made in person or (more indelibly) by email. Dissension grows. Pretty soon what
ostensibly exists as an organization dedicated to building peace and harmony is experiencing
anything but such a climate. Feelings are hurt, and resentments brew like festering toothaches.
Good people leave, and the shadow of grief and confusion descends. Read
more
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Watch for the December issue when Sandy will provide an
example of a conflict reconciliation procedure for URI to consider using or adapting at all
levels. |
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Here are several thoughtful columns about Occupy
Wall Street. What does this new movement mean for URI?
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Spiritual Support
for a Just Revolution
by Linda
Lauretta
 On my second visit to the ‘tent city’ at Liberty Plaza, I was fortunate to be
there for one of their Interfaith services. The encampment had just survived an early snowfall on
October 29th and the seizure of their generators, used for heat, on a night when the
temperatures had dropped to 26 degrees. There are so many words I can use to describe
the scene there that day. The campers, day protesters, tourists and ministers shared a
sense of elation, commitment, cooperation, efficiency and TLC for everyone present and mostly
for a way of life devoid of exploitation of any person or resource. If this sounds Utopic to
you, then you should know that what is happening there, as well as at the over 1600 other
Occupy camps, is a shining example of what a compassionate, non-violent and
mutually-respectful community can be. F
ull Article...
Occupy Oakland - an Email
Exchange
 Sun, Nov 13, 7 PM. I think
you might find this exchange between a student and me about Occupy Oakland and the Oakland
community of some interest. There is a rumor that there may be a new violent confrontation hours
from now as the occupiers refuse to leave... Read the two
emails. (The police did clear the Occupy Oakland encampment early Monday morning, Nov 14
with 32 arrested including many clergy, but reportedly no violence. - ed.)
Global Awakening and the Occupy
Movement
by Rev Leland
Stewart
 Western civilization is fast
being replaced by global civilization. We are one planet earth, and we need to be able to
live together in this larger wholeness. All races, cultures, and religions make up our new
basis of life, so it is our opportunity to get acquainted and to discover the new common ground
that will make possible our survival and our happiness. Complete article...
From the November issue of The Interfaith
Observer
Life the mortal gift!
by Dr. David
Thompson
A Catholic priest, a Protestant minister, and a rabbi were
discussing what they would like people to say at their funeral when people filed by paying their
respects. Priest: I would like someone to say, "He was a righteous man, an honest man,
and very generous." Minister: I would like someone to say, "He was very kind and
fair." Rabbi: I would want someone to say, "Look! He’s breathing!" Continued...
Protecting the Sacred - Urgent Unified
Spiritual Action Needed
Address to the Third Annual International Indigenous Leaders
Gathering by Phil Lane, Vancouver
Very Beloved Friends and Relatives,
...As we know, these ancient prophecies clearly promise that
after a very long, difficult, challenging and painful spiritual wintertime our Indigenous
peoples will fully arise from our suffering and become global leaders in the
spiritual transformation, reconciliation and healing of our Human Family. This
spiritual wintertime has ended and our long-promised spiritual springtime is now
unfolding, with ever-increasing strength and beauty. Complet
e address...
Interfaith
Celebrations for Thanksgiving -- see the URI N.Am. Calendar for
details. Houston, Nov 17, 7 PM * Los Vegas, NV, Nov 20, 6:30 PM * San Francisco, Nov 22,
5 PM * Bainbridge Island, WA Nov 22, 7 PM * San Rafael, CA Nov 23, 7 PM * San Francisco, Nov
24, 10 AM.
Nov 19, Culver City,
CA: Peace Sunday
Collaborative Exploration, 1-3 PM, AGAPE, 5700 Buckingham Parkway, Culver City, CA
90230
Los Angeles:
Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Ethics is gearing up a new dramaturlogical
program aimed at teens, L
ife Choices through Interactive Drama. Might there be a good connection with URI Youth
Programs?
Nov 20, Orange
County, CA: How to Boil a
Frog. Chapman University Auditorium 3:00 pm Presentations, 4:00
pm Film Screening and Q&A with filmmakers, 6:00 pm Catered. HTBAF is a comedic
documentary about the consequences of overshoot: too many people using up too little planet.
URI co-sponsored. Flyer.
Santa Barbara,
CA. Dec 2-4, Master Class in Peace Education from the National
Peace Academy. Instructors: Betty A. Reardon and Tony Jenkins. $300 commuter, $400
residential. The "Occupy" movement is building energy for change and transformation around the
country. Education will and must play a critical role in the transformations now being
considered. Knowledgeable, well prepared, practiced and reflective peace educators will be
on the front lines of these efforts. More information.
Nov 20, Spirit has
chosen Vancouver, BC, for Inter-spiritual Sacred Dance. Come to the 3rd
annual InterSpiritual Sacred Dance Festival: Sunday, Nov 20th, from 2 - 3:30 pm at Christ
Church Cathedral, 690 Burrard @ Georgia.
Washington, DC, Dec
5: S.A.R.A.H., a URI in N.Am. CC, is a
2011 recipient of the Peace X Peace "Women,
Power and Peace Award". Sande Hart will be accepting the award in DC. More information. Congratulations to
SARAH and to Sande Hart!
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Search for a New
Regional Coordinator
 A month long
search for a new URI in North America Regional Coordinator began on November 4. This
is an exciting opportunity for the right person. Starting date is January 9, 2012.
Details are available on the URI website and for downlo
ad as a pdf. Please help us build a truly excellent pool of candidates by sharing this
announcement with individuals and organizations that might provide a good match. You are
encouraged to download the pdf and distribute it as seems appropriate. The position is posted at
idealist.org as well.
2011-2012 Global Trustee Selection
Nominations for the
URI Global Council are now being accepted through the end of the year. The
Trustees are your voice and it is not that hard to get nominated. It is an open process. All
Cooperation Circles are likewise asked to certify their eligibility to vote before the end of
December. Changes to the URI Bylaws are to be voted on in the same time frame, and the
proposed changes affect how the elections will work. Please be sure your CC leadership is aware.
There are five documents: Guide to
the Process | Certification
Form | Nomination
Form | Bylaws
Material | Bylaws
Ballot. The documents are also available in Spanish and Portuguese. Send questions to Mark Mancao
at the URI Global office. The Trustees are your voice and it is not that hard to get nominated. It
is an open process.
The Global Trustee elections will be held
March - May 2012. The three North America Trustees are automatically included as part of the URI
in North America Leadership Council, so nominations and the elections make a direct difference at
the regional level.
News from URI North America
Charlotte, NC: The URI Charlotte CC held a tree planting day in
conjunction with Habitat for Humanity and had a great time as these lovely photos attest.
 Elsah, IL: Euphrates Summit: Our World Beyond
911 October 27 & 28 made a difference of the sort that pile up until one day it is that
one extra difference that makes all the difference. It’s not often that a conference on the
Middle East begins with a talk about the Golden Rule and ends with one on loving one’s enemies.
Full article...
Indianola, WA: The URI in North
America Leadership Council (LC) retreated in October to Camp Indianola across Puget Sound from
Seattle. As in previous retreats, the LC members felt their bonds strengthened and themselves
rejuvenated. Despite Sandy Westin's resignation there was a sense of optimism about the future
of the region. Photos of the retreat are posted here.
Orange County, CA: Valentina Khan of
URI in North America Affiliate i am jerusalem was
featured on Newshour
on PBS with Claremont School. "I am jerusalem" represents Jews, Christians and Muslims all
over the world, whom each have Jerusalem as a sacred place in their hearts.
San Mateo, CA: Summary of URI SF
PENINSULA CC - Meeting on Religious Science and New Thought presented by Rev. Judith Fleenor
- Monday, 7 November 2011 - reported by Oscar Koechlin. Reverend Fleenor's presentation was
very well organized and lent much clarity to the complex development of New Thought religions.
Continued.
And here is The Interfaith Observer's Third
Issue focusing on "How We Organize"..
News from URI
Global
World Interfaith Harmony Week, which was
launched at the UN in 2011, will be observing its second year in the first week of this coming
February. If your organization is planning an event near that time, you are encouraged to register
it as part of this worldwide recognition of the importance of interfaith peacebuilding. As you will
see on the homepage of www.worldinterfaithharmonyweek.com,
URI as a whole has registered and is a supporter of this global movement.
2010-2011 URI Organizational Review: Can
You Envision World Peace?
Indra Udayana of the Gandhi Puri Ashram CC
in Bali, Indonesia received the 2011 International Jamnalal Bajaj Award for Promoting Gandhian
Values outside India. He was presented with an award of 500,000 rupees ($10,000USD), a
citation and a trophy at a ceremony in Mumbai, India on November 7th. Mor
e...
URI Global Newsletter for October, 2011.
Funding
Peacebuilding
Each month in this section, we list a few of the fund raising
efforts of URI in North America Cooperation Circles and Affiliates.
URI Principle #17: We have the
responsibility to develop financial and other resources to meet the needs of our part, and to share
financial and other resources to help meet the needs of other parts.
Just Vision relies on the generosity of
individuals -- your donation will help us support
Israeli and Palestinian peacebuilders and nonviolence leaders. All contributions are tax-deductible
in the United States to the fullest extent offered by law.
Kashi Foundation: Since its foundation
in 1976, Kashi Ashram and Ma Jaya have touched many thousands of lives throughout the country
and the world and continue to do so every day. Kashi Ashram is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization
and we rely on contributions from our generous
supporters for our continued operations.
The National Peace Academy has received a
$40,000 Matching Grant from the Biosophical Institute. Click here to help meet this challenge!
Please consider giving a recurring monthly donation of just $25 in 2012. With the Biosophical
Institute challenge grant your $25 donation becomes $450 over the course of a year.
Network of Spiritual Progressives: If
you'd like to support Rabbi Lerner's voice to continue to be active in presenting a
religious/spiritual perspective in the active social movements of our time, please make a
tax-deductible contribution to Tikkun www.tikkun.org or
send a check to Tikkun, 2342 Shattuck Ave, #1200, Berkeley, Ca. 94704 or JOIN the Network of
Spiritual Progressives, an interfaith activist organization at www.spiritualprogressives.org.
URI in North America is in search of a
volunteer grant writer to work with us in building our region's capacity. This might be
an internship opportunity for a student, or a way to contribute life experience and expertise to
help in building URI's strength throughout the US and Canada. Please contact Ardey Turner,
(449) 434-8128, for more details and to explore the possibilities.
 The URI in North America Region also seeks your help.
When you buy from Amazon, please always go in through the N.Am. website. Look for the Amazon
search link on the right at urinorthamerica.org.
New Resources
From the GreenFaith website we have
easy ways to get started for ind
ividuals/households and for houses of worship.
A Morning Prayer for Mother Earth from Neshamah Emi Miller of URI Charlotte, NC.
 A Greater Democracy Day by Day by Sally Mahe and Kathy Covert brings
together 365 thought-provoking quotes from around the world and through time, all centered on
this concept that is the keystone of modern society. The book presents a theme for each month
and a quote about that theme to ponder on each day of the year. Sally and the publisher have
donated dozens of copies to the Occupy Wall Street movement, and more are available: For
donation to OWS encampments, you may order a box of 50 books for shipping costs of USD 15.00.
Order via the author's website.
Educational selection of quotes and they are cool.
The 11 Karmic Spaces: Choosing freedom
from the  patterns that bind you by
Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati, founder of URI in N.Am. CC, the Kashi
Foundation. The 11 Karmic Spaces reveals how and why most of us become stuck by karma
and our habitual patterns of action and reaction. We learn that although karma is a spiritual law,
we do not have to be bound by it. Through awareness, intuition and grace, it is possible to
choose freedom from Karma. Ma Jaya shows us how. Pre-order for Thanksgiving.
Bay Area Interfaith Connect - indispensable
Interfaith event calendar for the SF Bay Area - is sent each month to nearly 2,000 subscribers,
and is available online at the Interfaith
Center at the Presidio website. To subscribe: simply write to
info@interfaith-presidio.org. Please include your name, and, if you are willing, your street address
and phone.
Interfaith Made
Easy - Dial 1-800-INTERFAITH because Unity CAN be Made Visible.
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Cooperation Circle Contacts: Please forward to your email list and/or encourage your list members to subscribe directly
at urinorthamerica.org/subscribe.
Forwarded? Subscribe yourself so as not to miss an issue. Keep up with the
expanding community of URI in North America.
Send your favorite quotation to the editor for possible use in an upcoming
bulletin.
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Sandy
Westin
Regional
Coordinator
1735 W State of Franklin Rd
Suite 5-296
Johnson City, TN 37604
(423) 262-8099
swestin@uri.org
Roger
Eaton
Communications
Coordinator
San Francisco, CA
reaton@uri.org
(415) 933-0153
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Next Issue, December 21, 2011
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