FRIDAY, FINDHORN
This was a challenging day for me.
We began with studying SOCIOCRACY.
A very important component in an eco village.
STRUCTURE and CLARITY within RESONANCE
After looking at Common Ground Findhorn Guidelines we asked ourselves
‘How did the group do in relationship to theses guidelines during this first week ?’
We acknowledged that we created a Compassionate Structure and declared that we needed to create a Spiritual Practice as part of the Group Culture (not just a private spiritual practice).
Next we looked at GROUP AGREEMENTS in COMMUNITY CULTURE as a way to create CLARITY and CONSENTING to these group agreements, for that we we need to create a PROPOSAL and get CONSENT first, before we move ahead. These ideas were collected for now.
Open Communication.....Sense, feel, intuit
Assume intention and respect
Draw on the intelligence of nature
Active feedback....give and receive...reflection and evaluation
Practice listening
Be aware of gender balance...in general and in decision making
Story telling...emotions enliven knowledge
Give space for every one to speak
Practice self care
Practice being focused
Minimizing food waste
Minimize power and rank
Mobile phones awareness
Minimize interruptions
Let go of distractions
Next we looked at the concept of SHARING..
Our little groups AGREEMENTS were:
Use I statements
Respect confidentiality
Being present, listening
Refrain from responding...no unsolicited feedback
Give space for every one to speak
Be authentic
My brain is still foggy about what came next....but somehow we got into discussing that because one group member was absent (and some people had difficulty with that person’s behavior previously) we could not continue to make agreements without this person being with us. Fair point...however it turned into what I saw as popcorn triggers that were trying to get resulted in this moment at the end of a day when most of us seemed overloaded already. ....Not a good moment for me. I was extremely tired and had no patience for a process that sounded like group therapy in the guise of group studies, and it diverted us from the intended goal to create smaller groups for our 3 major design projects ...though maybe it was all part of learning about Sociocracy ?
Not being familiar yet with the parameters of Sociocracy principles and how they might function in such a moment I was simply frustrated with the long winded process of personal opinions related to the missing group member. I felt we were seriously floundering and getting off course.
At tea break 2 elders in our group (I am the oldest by 10 years !) ‘huddled’ with me for a month and I knew I was not alone. That felt good.
In the end the group leader helped us decide that we needed to shelf the original lesson plan about AGREEMENTS and deciding on design groups, until Monday, ....and that we should continue with the study of Sociocracy now, in the last 30 minutes of the day, on Friday evening !
I felt that went clearly over the top for me, and though we put on some dance music and moved to transition to this next task, I was mostly on the floor to readjust my body and spine with some Alexander technique/Feldenkrais movement sequences to calm down and get into some body-brain clarity.
There were a lot more detailed principles we were introduced to, but though I wrote them down, it all flew over my FULL head. I couldn’t wait for the day to be over.
Dinner was lovely as always, varied, healthy and colorful.
And the day ended with a live concert in the Universal Hall (a gorgeous building)
by
TWELFTH NIGHT, two women musicians on Orcadian fiddle and Peebles harp. A mixture of folk, jazz and classical...amazing and beautiful, great throaty voices too !
Tomorrow, Saturday is FREE !!!
I will be meeting friends in the village of Forres for Cappuccino !