Yesterday was a slaughter for Democrats. Republicans now control the Senate, the House, and most statewide governorships and assemblies. How can this be when the Republicans (more so than the Democrats) are controlled by billionaires, corporations, and climate change deniers? Will we ever stop voting against our interest - and the interest of our communities?

Here at The Oracle Institute, we study religiosity and politics, as the two are inexorably intertwined. Indeed, there can be no meaningful analysis of social trends without considering how politics shape our “spiritual” environment (i.e., moral, ethical, compassionate policies).

If you want to get serious about building the world which we seek, then the following inquiry needs to take place at the personal and community levels:

• Collect current and historical resources on inequality (currently, 95% of the wealth in the U.S. flows to the top 1%);
• Enlighten yourself via discussion/film/study groups on the effects, causes, and history of inequality 
       (e.g.: the last time wealth was this concentrated at the “top” was during the roaring 1920’s, which led to the Great Depression);
• Develop a variety of practices to inspire your community to transcend barriers of class (e.g.: turn your town hall into a local forum for inquiry and debate);
• Envision the common good that will emanate from sustainable well-being for all, reduced demands on the earth’s resources, and nourishing your neighbor by sharing life’s essentials requirements 
       (e.g.: universal healthcare);
• Help overturn Citizens United, the Supreme Court case that equated free speech with money, thereby enabling billionaires and corporations to buy the U.S. government.

[Borrowed from the Unitarian Universalists, vanguards for social responsibility and change:
http://www.uua.org/economic/escalatinginequality/290506.shtml]

Currently, Oracle is spearheading an effort to both explore and manifest concrete applications that will build a brighter and better world. We are co-sponsoring the “Building the New World” (BTNW) conference, which will take place May 28-31, 2015 at Radford University in Virginia.

Progressive luminaries from all over the world are participating in the conference, including: Barbara Marx Hubbard, Charles Eisenstein, Jerome Glen, Kurt Johnson, and Philip Hellmich. And hundreds of lightworking organizations are co-sponsoring the event, including: The Millennium Project, World Constitution & Parliament Association, Shift Network, Children of the Earth, National Peace Academy, Polarity Partners, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, PROUT, and numerous micro-communities such as Yogaville and the Federation of Damanhur.

To learn more about BTNW and to get involve with a movement that is positive, visionary, and practical, please visit this website: www.BTNW.org.

And, if you wish to volunteer to help make the BTNW conference a national and international springboard for perfecting your corner of the world, please contact Laura@TheOracleInstitute.org.

Hope to see you there next May!