Summary of the March 17, 2009 SolSeedCall
Mark, Stacey, Brenna, Ben, Shelley, and Brandon were all on the March 24 call. After OpeningWords and checking in with each other about how we are doing, we spent the majority of the call discussing WhatConnectsUsAll. When a lady asked her about what her SolSeed jacket represents, Brenna felt "it would have been nice if I had something concise and inspiring to tell her." Ben feels that TheDestiny is what makes us special and that he finds that inspiring. Shelley "finds it difficult to share TheDestiny with people in my life". Brenna is a member of the SolSeedMovement for the community, not for TheDestiny. We were just getting rolling on the topic when we reached the end of the call so we decided to carry it over to the next call.
We'd love to see you on the next call. It's fun and never goes for more than 1 hour. What connects us all? March 24 at 8:00pm (PST) Dial-in Number: 1-218-936-4700 Participant Access Code: 815066 Agenda and Notes: http://etherpad.com/AihOxUaXGO
Notes from Previous Calls: http://solseed.org/Group_Experiences
March 24, 2009 @8pm PST
- Opening Words - 5 mins
- Check in - 10 mins
- What is SolSeed? What do we stand for? - 30 mins
- Logistics / What's next / homework / assign next call - 10 mins
- Closing Words - 5 mins (Mark)
Opening words - 5 mins
MARK: The SolSeed Creed is a statement of the shared values that ground the SolSeed Movement. The SolSeed Creed asserts that life and that which sustains life is good and precious, and calls humanity to mature into its role as caretaker of SolSeed. The Destiny is the ultimate expression of what nurturing and protecting life means. Being worthy of and fulfilling The Destiny are the two ultimate goals held by members of the SolSeed Movement.
SHELLEY: We believe that: The Destiny of SolSeed is to take root amongst the stars.
STACEY: Sol, Terra, you, me, we, ALL, are precious SolSeed.
BRANDON: As SolSeed's intelligent spark, We are its caretakers, We will fulfill The Destiny.
BRENNA: We believe that: Our holy duty is to embrace Self Love, cultivate Empathy, and pursue Wisdom,
so that our being honors SolSeed, and our striving hastens the fulfillment of The Destiny.
Self Love is motive. Without Self Love, Empathy and Wisdom are impotent.
I pledge to learn to love myself; to become a person I cherish, admire, and care for.
Empathy is transcendent. Without Empathy, Self Love and Wisdom are evil.
MARK: I pledge to cultivate empathy in myself and others; to share and demonstrate my concern for others and for the growing life all around me.
SHELLEY: Wisdom is effective. Without Wisdom, Self Love and Empathy are feeble and capricious.
BRANDON: I pledge to seek wisdom; to honor my past, to strive for the future, to be open to new ideas and new beliefs, and to share my wisdom with others.
BREna Through Self Love, Empathy, and Wisdom we have come to know that:
ALL: We are SolSeed; Children of the sun, Awakened by starlight, Growing, nurturing, protecting, We bring life!
Check in - 10 mins
Report on our short term project homework
Homework
- Brandon: will check in with Brenna about the Switzerland Org
- Shelley: will email and call Kevin about Shoulder to Shoulder
- Stacey: will connect with Jason and report back via email
- Boni: will look for an organization
- Ben: will try to sort out pages on solseed.org generated by the two kindred groups
Green empowerment: Sustainable water and other systems help ... two weeks trip ... meet and work with people ... talk to associates ...
- Shelley: Contact Ben ... check in with him
- == More about what the group is - 30 mins ==
- What brought you?
- Stacey ... I was enrolled and excited about having people support each other in their projects with an emphasis on creating solutions instead of problesm
- Shelley ... I remember learning that I'll always work on problems (that's what my mind does) .. I can choose to work on "what to wear tomorrow?" and "clean drinking water?" I'd rather work on meaningul things ... I like to know more about the people on the call ... knowing and liking you as human beings and wanting to know what is going on in your lives
- Mark ... I'm drawn to that (as summarized by Shelley) ... I don't have an ultimate concern or evening a specific mission or cause in mind ... drawn to those who do ... by hanging out I'll develop it and my life will be better for it if I do develop and ultimate concern or cause or meaningful service
- Brenna ... Brandon and Shelley brought me originally ... being in relationship with people that I don't normally have relationships with ... on that weekened I met some peopel?? and it changed me and I'm all about growing and changing and being a better me ... I don't have a specific goal in mind ... not hoping it will meet something specific for me ... see what I can learn
- Shelley ... I'm hunting or yearning for spiritual practice and a spiritual community ... Brandon and I like to have friday evening special services where we have opening words, topic, song, closing words ... I really enjoy the ritual aspect of theses calls ... I was sad wehen we didn't have closing words and so glad Mark was going to care for it ... it fills the liturgical hole in my soul :-)
- What is keeping you now?
- What do you see available for you from your participation?
- What connects us all?
- How do we filter? What do we filter and in what way?
Stacey ... be that for the group
We're all here and we feel stirred and moved to put together something bigger than the parts ... in that process what do we leave out? what do we not bring to it? Mark ... I often filter out bad news or negativity that I don't want to bring to the group ... there is a part of me that is filtering (upgrade in honesty is possible If I brought everything) I'm listenign for that spark that will juice up my life Stacey ... confused about the question Mark ... what do we filter in bringing our humanness ... what do we leave out Stacey ... why relevant? what the core values of the group? Mark ... as we discuss core values ... sometimes in the process we might not be talking about stuff that is important to us ... as
Stacey ... for me you haven't defined who you are so how do you know who/what you are attracting?
Shelley ... we did the "come come whoever you are" ... is that really true or do we want to filter certain people ... I like all the people here :-)
Brenna ... I was at Taco Bell and I had my SolSeed jacket on ... and a lady asked me what it was about ... and I didn't feel I could give her a clear answer ... I'm not sure I understand it myself ...
Mark ... who are we? what do we really stand for? what are we about?
Brenna ... should we have business cards? she asked me and was so curious ... I felt very ... it would have been nice if I had something concise and inspiring to tell her
Shelley ... I've had the same experience
Mark ... joke
Shelley ... same experience with Doctor
Ben ... what makes it unique ... a lot of groups believe life is precious ... we have this thing called TheDestiny ... you can take it literally or figuratively ...
Stacey ... what does the destiny say?
Ben ... TheDestiny of SolSeed is to take root amongst the stars ... the literal version is to travel to the stars ... a figurative one is to say we're already orbiting a star ... doing things that are long term (potentially centuries long) and becoming the sort of people who can achieve that kind of project ... the connection with "Life is precious" is that to help life grow and thrive ... we must recognize the power and danger of the cosmos and the fact that Earth may one day no longer be friendly for life ... having more than one "basket" (planet) would be better for life
Shelley ... I would find it difficult and I do find it difficult to share TheDestiny with anyone in my life ... I'm not sure exactly why ... and I don't have a real desire to grow SolSeed just for the sake of growing it ... and that might not be aligned with ... I sense Brandon and Ben would like to grow the movement
Ben ... I don't want to get a bunch of people who aren't interested in the ideas behind SolSeed ... life giving but not connecting in any way
Stacey ... are you tied to the literal interpretation of the destiny ... is that what you really want the group to do?
Ben ... the way we put it at Seed 2009 ... there are SolSeed literalists (into flying to other planets) ... and there are people who are willing to accept the words describing the destiny but using them in another way
Stacey ... are there room for both to coeexist in the group for you
Ben ... seems possible but there is a tension (if we are too figurative do we lose what makes us unique)
Shelley .. Brenna did you broach the destiny with the lady?
Brenna ... no ... I don't wish I cared about the destiny ... I'm not here for that reason ... For me its more about a sense of community ... Bringing life to what we have right now ...
Stacey ... we're over time
We'll start up right here again next time.
- How do we make it safe for the people who do want to join?
Logistics / What's next / homework / assign next call - 10 mins
Agenda for next time
- Report on our short term project homework
- More about what the group is: Intention, Goals, What people want from the group, What connects us all?
- Do we want everybody? How do we make it safe for the people who do want to join?
- Bob: well, who do you not want?
- Make sure different people with different emphases all feel supported
- Everyone will work on it and Stacey will facilitate
Homework
- Brandon: will check in with Brenna about the Switzerland Org
- Shelley: will email and call Kevin about Shoulder to Shoulder
- Stacey: will connect with Jason and report back via email
- Boni: will look for an organization
- Ben: will try to sort out pages on solseed.org generated by the two kindred groups
Closing Words - 5 mins (Mark)
It's never too late to have a happy childhood. Walk in the rain, collect rainbows, smell flowers, stop along the way, build sand castles, watch the moon and stars come out, say hello to everyone, make up new rules, go on adventures, act silly, take bubble baths, hold hands and hug and kiss, dance, laugh and cry for the health of it, feel happy, say the magic words, and trust the universe. Bruce Williamson
Act as if The rule for us all is perfectly simple. Do not waste time bothering whether you "love" your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him. C. S. Lewis
Be a Do-er Not a Critic
A non-doer is very often a critic-that is, someone who sits back and watches doers, and then waxes philosophically about how the doers are doing. It's easy to be a critic, but being a doer requires effort, risk, and change.
Dr. Wayne Dyer
The Attitude You Bring to Life
Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens.
Ideals are like stars; you will not succeed in touching them with your hands. But like the seafaring man on the desert of waters, you choose them as your guides, and following them you will reach your destiny. Carl Schurz
My will shall shape the future. Whether I fail or succeed shall be no man's doing but my own. I am the force; I can clear any obstacle before me or I can be lost in the maze. My choice; my responsibility; win or lose, only I hold the key to my destiny. Elaine Maxwell