February 14, 2009
From SolSeed
Heart Chakra Day!
Contents |
Agenda
- Opening words
- Love as it relates to our work; reflections on opening words
- Brief Check in, including homework from last call
Homework from last call:
- Arthur: Share spreadsheet ... not yet
- Brandon: Call water project people again ... two messages
- Shelley: Asking friends what they care about and what they see is missing in spiritual communities of which they are a part ... will try part B again
- Mickki: Launch the GrowLocalColorado.org site and schedule trainings to support others in building/caring for site ... not sure if domain pointed yet
- All: look at spreadsheet and come to next week's call with own reflections ... not yet
- preferred emails: brandon@thesanders.us, shelley@thesanders.us, ted@chicagohumanist.org
- All: Creating the space/listening for other people to share why what we're doing (church, work, projects) is inspiring to them and why it matters.
- Circles of Participation - Art hasn't completed spreadsheet ... we will talk about this another time
- Potential conversation: Distinguishing Ministerial Tracks
- Environment / nature (natural systems, biodiversity, study of ecosystems)
- Individuals (interpersonal communication, counseling)
- Community (group process, mediation, governance, facilitation, group dynamic stuff)
- Business (flows of cross-fertilization, ideas, value, etc. resource management)
- Youth (everything related to young people, including youth leadership programs)
- Food system (planting, preserving, nutrition, serving)
- Health & wellness
- Energy
- Ecovillages (as ministerial training grounds / immersive internships)
- Education / culture / learning / stories / history / language
- Building the purpose-driven social critter (Arthur's opaque language about the larger social dynamics/systems)
Inquiry about ministerial tracks:
- how do we include the passionate, warrior-type social justice activists who are working to *change* the already existing systems in the above spheres of ministry?
- how can we move the "fight against" energy into a generative domain, where actions are moved higher up in the drainage?
- what language can we use to include them/help them find their place while simultaneously moving them into a more effective/generative space? Empowering the warrior change agents to alter the current/existing systems
...change agents, activating change, active leadership (blerg) ... Oooh! We're creating new spheres/new contexts for nurturing human activities / collaboration. We need new language to create the context for these spheres -
Opening words
- From Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet:
- Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself.
- Love possesses not nor would it be possessed;
- For love is sufficient unto love.
- When you love you should not say, "God is in my heart," but rather, "I am in the heart of God."
- And think not you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.
- Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself.
- But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires:
- To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.
- To know the pain of too much tenderness.
- To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
- And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
- To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving;
- To rest at the noon hour and meditate love's ecstasy;
- To return home at eventide with gratitude;
And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.
Closing Words
- 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
- 4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
- 8 Love never fails.
- Work is love made visible. Kahlil Gibran
- To be of use, by Marge Pearcy
- Next Time:
- Shelley
Next Week
- The next call is 2/28, led by Shelley
- Arthur will share spreadsheet, but Shelley can create something for all of us. :)
