Dear John,

This coming Wednesday, August 14th at 5:00 PT/8:00 ET, we'll be gathering for our next Local Peace Economy Community Call. Join us as we come together to connect, learn, and nourish one another. We'd love to see you there!

Many people are feeling powerless and demoralized right now as the U.S. government continues to support the genocide in Palestine. These feelings are understandable—and we must also find avenues toward joy as we continue to call for an end to the violence. One avenue toward joy is community. During these calls, we gather to connect and feel the joy of being together.

We've been taking the summer to really dig into the learnings from our own lives and practice. What have you been learning as you've been working with the pivots? As you've been organizing with your community? As you've been reconnecting to our Home Sweet Home? We can't wait to hear from you during the call!

If you weren't able to be with us during our last meeting, we hope you can join us this time. You can catch up on our last call here. You can also watch the recording of our introduction to the Local Peace Economy Workbook during our first meeting here.

Local Peace Economy Community Calls take place every other Wednesday at 5:00 PT/8:00 ET. Newcomers are always welcome. Stay up to date on all of CODEPINK’s events here.

Next Community Call Topic: Out of our Heads, Into our Bodies

The war economy keeps us in our heads and cuts us off from the knowing in our bodies. This is where our intuition lives. It's also where we can access our full range of emotions and return to our power. Many of us are feeling depressed, demoralized, and powerless right now. We need to tend to these emotions in our bodies. During this call, we will be grounding in our bodies by inviting in some movement together!

Before the call, begin to listen to your body more deeply:

What has your body felt over the last several months? What sensations have arisen along with any emotions you've experienced? Where in your body have you felt tightness, constriction, holding on? Where in your body have you felt space, ease, freedom? 

We'll explore these questions and more as we learn together during the call. In the meantime, continue to explore The Local Peace Economy Workbook and the peace economy website. We look forward to being with you on Wednesday, August 14th!

Pivot to Peace

Control to Rootedness

Some of our feelings of hopelessness, powerless, and despair can come from our attempts to control things that we cannot control. The need to control distances us from the flow of life and what it is teaching us. It is hubris to think we are in control. Letting go of control and surrendering—while connecting with our internal rootedness—is liberating. When we experience hopelessness or powerlessness, we can root into ourselves and what is local to us. This is our sphere of influence.

What is your relationship with control? Where and what do you find yourself trying to control? What have been the consequences? How does control show up in your body? What in your life gives you a strong sense of feeling rooted or whole?

Read more about the pivots to peace here.

The Cycle of (Re)connection

Grief, care, joy, and celebration—these experiences are some of the key entry points for (re)connecting with ourselves and each other as we divest from the war economy. We call this the Cycle of (Re)connection, and it's important work to attend to as we cultivate local peace economies. When we are attentive to the cycle of (re)connection in our own practice, we can more fully show up for what matters. In this video, Joanna Macy invites us to flip the narrative of personal and collective despair that is so easy to fall victim to in these days of multiple global crises. She encourages us instead to fully embrace the moment and the role we may play in giving birth to new life-sustaining values and practices. 

Find more resources like this one in our Cycle of (Re)connection library.

Inspiration for the Journey

The local peace economy is all around us. Stories of the local peace economy inspire us and teach us how we can create a culture of peace together. On the Local Peace Economy Wiki, we’ve been gathering stories of local peace economy projects. Check out this story about why the local peace economy is a rooted response to the violence of the war economy.

 Resources

You can always find more resources for your local peace economy journey on the peace economy website. Here are some helpful links:

• Lean into supported reflection by downloading or purchasing The Local Peace Economy Workbook
• Tend to yourself with The Cycle of (Re)connection
• Find a community of practice with The Local Peace Economy Ecosystem
• Get inspired by The Local Peace Economy Wiki
• Listen to CODEPINK Radio's episodes all about local peace economies - Ep. 242 and Ep. 256
• Read why the local peace economy is an antidote to the weaponized confusion of war

Don't forget to follow us on social media!

Please email Emily at [email protected] with any questions. We look forward to being with you on Wednesday, August 14th!

With care, 

Jodie and Emily

PS: Spread the word about local peace economies in your community—buy CODEPINK's new Local Peace Economy t-shirts and totes!