Step eight: Creating new cells.

Flocking together when need be, flying solo when we ought to be...

By now you are a well functioning revolutionary cell. You are organized around a strategy. You are a small, tight-knit group of individuals capable of quick consensus, swift planning and efficient action. You have developed a circle of allies working together to accomplish the same goal everyone in the Occupy movement is working towards, ending the economic inequality destroying the world today. Now is the moment where you make your most important contribution to the Occupy movement; Spawning a new revolutionary cell.

Chances are that as you've been working with your allies you've noticed at least one individual that is highly motivated, energetic and passionate about the Occupy movement. You're first instinct is to think what a great addition to your revolutionary cell this individual would prove to be. Adding them to your cell would be not only be a selfish decision, but a bad one at the same time. Your revolutionary cell is doing just fine, you don't need to expand your group. The smart decision is to approach this individual, explain how your group got started and then hand them a copy of the strategy guide. Let them know how good you'd think they'd be at forming a revolutionary cell of their own and then work with them on understanding the strategy guide and then executing the principles outlined in it. Once they understand how to implement the strategy turn them loose to organize a new revolutionary cell around the strategy.

The idea is to increase the strength of the Occupy movement and not the size of your group. By spawning new cells you help to implement the strategy in it's truest intent. The idea is to have many small cells working independently together to create a never ending storm of pranks that
will drive authorities crazy trying to figure out how and when Occupy will strike next. Many cells organizing and executing pranks on a continual basis also prevents authorities from focusing large numbers of their forces on a single large group at any one time. This is the key to our victory, not building large groups of people around process. Large groups move slowly and ponderously, small groups are faster and harder to contain.

In the illustration above I have attempted to show the strength of the Occupy movement. Each bird represents a revolutionary cell consisting of four or five members at most. When necessary we can all come together as a single flock, but on a daily basis we can all survive independently as individual units fighting the good fight and working towards much needed social change. The strategy works. I've seen it work before and if properly executed it will bring victory once again.

(Once you have helped in training an individual to understand the strategy and sent them out to form a new revolutionary cell, proceed to step nine.)

Step seven: Time to consolidate, part two.

A lean mean "Occupy" machine...

By now you have consolidated the business end of your revolutionary cell and are indeed a lean, mean "Occupy" machine. Every day you spend some time reading the strategy guide. (You can almost quote it at will now.) Everything you do is in accordance with the prescribed tactics. Your four member cell is now capable of quick planning, fast movement, fast action and your pranks are starting to take on real humor and flair. Now for the next step in the consolidation process, Gathering Allies.

According to the strategy guide, allies are different than campaigners. The job of Campaigners is to take the initative and get the ball rolling; the job of allies is to come in and help push once the ball is rolling. Your revolutionary cell is a group of campaigners. You have started a ball rolling by organizing around a strategy and forming a small, tight-knit group of individuals working together to promote social change. You are performing pranks and attending Occupy rallies and adding your voices to the growing chorus of dissent spreading across the land. Now is the time to reach out into the community around you and look for allies who share your vision and wish to add their voices and efforts to the Occupy movement. Reach out to these individuals, do not wait for them to come to you. You'll be surprised at how many people are willing to join the cause, if you just reach out and invite them to participate.

The mistake to avoid here is extending an open invitation for anyone and everyone to join your revolutionary cell. The Occupy movement is not a social club. It is not about forming the largest possible group. The Occupy movement is about effectively organizing resistance to address the greatest evil in the world today, economic inequality. Gathering allies is the next step in organizing effectively.

Begin by inviting people you know to participate in the activities you are participating in. Invite friends to participate in your pranks or to attend the same Occupy events you are attending. Some of the people you invite will fall away or lose interest in the movement or decide they wish to move in another than you. Don't be discouraged by this fact. Eventually you will find people just as interested in changing the world as you are and these are the allies you want to surround yourself with. Eventually you will develop a group of allies who are working as hard as you are to fight the system exploiting the ninety-nine percent of us for individual profit and greed. This prepares us for the next step in organizing our revolutionary organization; Building new revolutionary cells.

(Once you have completed step seven and have invited friends and neighbors to participate in the activities and pranks you are performing and have developed a solid core of allies who are as devoted to working for change as you are, move on to step eight.)

Step six: Time to consolidate.

Time to consolidate...

All right then, hopefully by now you have followed the previous steps and have first, Organized around a Strategy, then formed your revolutionary cell, then attended your first Occupy event and lastly (but certainly not least.) executed your first prank. Are we having fun yet? Good!

Hopefully along the way you've also been taking lots of photographs, collecting fliers and buttons and other mementos of your experience in the Occupy movement. My recommendation is that you purchase a photograph album and begin a scrapbook of your adventures. Not only will it chronicle the story of your Occupy participation it will also serve as a recruiting and educational tool too. Remember, showing is always more effective than telling. Someday these scrapbooks will be important informational resources for historians and important heirlooms to pass on to our children. Someday when my own son is studying the Occupy movement in school I want him to be able to show his friends that his daddy stood up and fought against the system when it needed fighting against. I want him to know that should his time ever come to fight for justice, equality and freedom that he can do it too. Chronicle your stories, preserve our history. Someday our children will be glad we did.

Consolidate, according to the dictionary means, 1. Make (something) physically stronger or more solid. 2. Reinforce or strengthen (one's position or power).

Step six is about part one of the definition, making something more solid. If you haven't put together a version of the "Big Red Book" yet, now is the time to do so. If you haven't taken the time to develop a daily schedule for reading the strategy plan, "Strategizing For a Living Revolution", now is the time to do so and if you haven't yet started your scrapbook, now is the time to do so. (Remember, showing people what you are doing will always have greater impact than talking about what you're doing.)

(When you have completed step six by making your revolutionary cell more solid through creating a "Big Red Book", of your own, setting aside time for daily study of the strategy guide and starting a scrapbook of your revolutionary cell's adventures, proceed to step seven.)

Again, simple as that...

Step five: Time to do something!

Time to make yourself heard.

Now that you've organized your revolutionary cell around a strategy and are now working that strategy as a small, tight knit group of Occupy activists it's time to first plan and then execute your first "prank". A prank is a small and brief protest, oftentimes of a light-hearted and mischievous nature, held in a place where a maximum number of people will see it. The idea is to have those who witness the prank carry the message home with them where they'll talk about what they saw with friends and family. If your message is creative and connects with an issue they already support they'll talk about it. You can "bank" on it.

Above is a prank I call, "Operation: Box Lunch". It makes people laugh and it gives them something to talk about later over dinner or lunch with friends or coworkers. It hearkens back to the Great Depression when the 1% laughed at the 99% of their day by portraying the poor as lazy bums who wore rain barrels and nothing else. The purpose is to show how the 1% today are even more greedy than their predecessors because all they want to leave us with are cardboard boxes. (Another disposal commodity like the 1% of our day see we the 99% as being.)

Be creative. Remember, laughter spreads the Occupy message much better than negative actions that only anger viewers and drives them away from the cause. If we're having fun, people will want to join us and participate too. Give folks a good reason to join, make em' laugh...

If you thought attending your first Occupy event was exciting just wait until you plan and then execute your first prank. There isn't any more uplifting feeling than being out there on the front lines doing it for yourselves.

And don't forget your camera. Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words. Show your friends what you're doing, don't just tell them.

(When you have completed step five by first planning and then executing your first prank, proceed to step six.)

Step four: Continue organizing.

Occupy Wants You!

Now that you and your compatriot have attended an Occupy event it is time to continue organizing. The first thing to avoid after your first Occupy event is the temptation to run out and invite all of your friends to join your revolutionary cell. Avoid this mistake at all costs!

What you and your compatriot should do is think about one person you each know who would potentially bring the same passion for the Occupy movement that you feel to your revolutionary cell and then invite those two people to consider joining you. Show them the photos of your Occupy event. Talk to them to see if they'd be interested in attending an event with you. Once these two and only these two individuals have attended an event with you give each of them a copy of the strategy guide and ask them to read it. If they agree that this is something they can and are willing to do, invite them into the revolutionary cell.

This will bring the number of your cell up to four people. Your organization around a strategy phase is now complete. Your revolutionary cell is now closed. You are now a small, tight knit group of individuals capable of quick planning, quick movement and lightening fast execution of what is known as, "The Prank".

(Once you have completed step four and now have a tight knit revolutionary group organized around a common strategy, move on to step five.)

Step three: Go to an Occupy event.

Standing together with those who share your dream.

Now that you have a compatriot who shares your dream and is willing to work a common strategy together it's time to attend an Occupy event. Don't worry if you don't know where to find one, simply Google the words, Occupy and the name of your hometown and the chances are you'll find a website for an Occupy group near you. If you don't find one in your community Google the name of the state you live in and the word Occupy. You'll find something close to you I'm sure. Visit their website, find out what they're doing and if they have an event planned in the near future go to it. Simple as that...

Remember, Occupy is a new movement. Sometimes events will consist of only a small handful of people. Sometimes you'll find large groups of people with inspirational speakers. I've attended both types of event and always managed to find something good to take home with me afterwards. The most important thing to remember about your first event is your participation. Whether the event is small or large you added to it simply by being there.

First Event Tips.

1. Be sure to take a camera. Nothing helps to recruit new people to your revolutionary cell than pictures. One picture is indeed worth a thousand words. Showing people what you're doing will always have more impact than telling them what you're doing.

2. Don't forget to pick up informational and event fliers. Use your first event trip as a fact finding mission. The more information you have, the more information you have to work with.

3. Have fun. Yes, Occupy is a serious cause and the issues we're addressing are serious issues, but having fun brings people together and that's what Occupy is about too. Enjoy the experience and you'll want to do it again.

(Once you have completed step three and have attended an Occupy event, proceed to step four.)

Step two: Begin to organize.

Now that you have your strategy in hand step two is to begin organizing a group of people to work the strategy together to achieve the common goal shared by all those participating in the Occupy movement, to change the current economic and political dynamic in the world today. I suggest doing what so many great visionaries have done for centuries, find one person you believe shares your interest in the Occupy movement and tell them, "I have a dream and I have a strategy for achieving that dream." Hand them a copy of the handbook and ask them to read it. Simple as that...

Now the two of you can discuss the handbook and your organization is under way.

(Once you have completed step two and have a compatriot to begin working the strategy with move on to step three.)

Step one: Organize around a strategy.

The Big Red Book

Step one in building your Occupy revolutionary cell is to organize yourself around a strategy. The strategy I strongly recommend using can be found here. The very first time I read this article I immediately printed out a hard copy of it and reread it with a highlighter in my hand. I've been reading this piece on an almost nightly basis ever since and it is one of the most brilliant "how to" handbooks on revolutionary tactics I've ever read. It was the very first thing I added to the Big Red Book and I've been working this strategy ever since. It will help you from day one to avoid so many of the mistakes I watch so many people making on a daily basis that actually do more to harm their cause than to promote it. If you take the time to truly "study" this piece you will rewarded with a level of success in your endeavors beyond your wildest imagination.

(When you have completed step one and have a copy of this little handbook in your version of the "Big Red Book" proceed to step two.)