Circle of Life Suffers a Setback, But Our Mission Carries On
A Special Message from Our Director on a Recent Office Break-in


Dear Sacred Community of Circle of Life,

Yesterday the Circle of Life office was broken into. Six of our computers were stolen including three brand new computers a donor recently purchased for us. Our back up drive was smashed on the ground and it is still unclear if we will be able to retrieve our data.

The robbery happened at night when no one was at the office. No one was hurt. We do not know who did it. Some of our computers were left behind, and we were lucky to have a back up copy of our entire database in another location. However, sadly, the computers that were stolen had years of information, email addresses and data that might be lost forever. We are doing the best we can to get through this period and wanted to let you know and ask for your prayers for a successful recovery of our back up files.

The good news is that Circle of Life's insurance should cover most of the equipment that was lost. It will take some time to get back up and running, but we are hopeful that with some help, our staff and interns will all be back online in the next week or two.

In the interim, please be patient with us. Unfortunately, we are needing to use our staff time to focus on rebuilding our computer system, and won't be able to be as responsive to your emails and calls as we normally are.

If you are local to the Bay Area and have a skill to offer -- computer support, network support, the ability to re-enter and re-type lost data, or carpentry skills to get our office more secure -- please let us know by e-mailing Aaron at alehmer@circleoflife.org.

I've attached a poem below by Julia about when Luna was cut, that was actually the main reason I was drawn to work with Circle of Life four years ago when I applied for the Executive Director position. Today, as we're sweeping up broken lamps and picking up scattered papers from the break-in last night, I was reminded of it and wanted to share it with all of you.

Despite this setback, our summer at Circle of Life has been incredible. The new level of inspiration, education and connection that has been realized through our Modeling the Solutions series of community events has deepened our awareness of the need for people to gather and connect around a solutions-based vision. This spirit will carry us through the loss and disruption that we are experiencing right now. We move forward with an even deeper commitment to creating a peaceful, just and sustainable world for all.

Thanks for your love and blessings as we rebuild our office!

Peace,

Alissa Hauser
Executive Director


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We Arise Beautiful And Free

I heard today...
Luna's been cut.
Two-thirds and maybe more.
Someone in their rage,
in their anger,
in their frustration
struck out at Luna
wanting to hurt Her…
wanting to hurt me
the way they must be hurting inside.
See...
what we do to the Earth
we do to each other.
And how we treat the Earth
is reflected in how we treat each other
The pain I feel right now that threatens to rip me apart
is the pain I feel every time I see an Ancient elder cut..
the pain I feel every time another species goes extinct..
the pain I feel every time someone yells at a child…
the pain I feel every time another woman dies of breast cancer
caused by all the legal pollutants in her food,
her planet,
her life...
The pain I feel every time I think of Leonard Peltier locked inside
our prisons of disrespect and disconnect.
on and on and on
the pain in our world grows bigger and erupts.
Ricocheting bullets in school yards and halls.
Chainsaws to sacred beings.
When do we begin to look at where this DIS-EASE begins?
In the disconnection from the sacred...
In the disconnection from the heart.
The person who ripped metal into Luna's flesh
is just as ripped apart inside as Luna now is,
as I now am,
as is the world.
May the tears that pour out from the depths of my soul
cleanse the sadness of any who would wish to react in rage.
The person who so viciously attacked Luna
has enough anger for the world.
May we love even more
May we motivate ourselves to committed love in Action
May we motive ourselves to live the life we wish to see in the world.
May we be the transformation we wish to see in the world.
From the inside out...
From the roots branching upwards...
From the heart
to thought
to word
to action.
Through life's trials and hardships
We arise beautiful and free.

- Julia Butterfly Hill, 2000