''This is Chapter Two of the [[SolSeed book]].''
=== The vision ===
Imagine a near-future community of starfarers on Earth. At first glance it would appear no different from a typical eco-village of the sort that is already cropping up in every part of the world: eco-friendly buildings, solar panels, organic food gardens, and a population concerned with halting environmental destruction and helping Earth's ecosystems recover and thrive.
But there is another driving concern that weaves itself into the fabric of life in this community. Under a garden-covered roof is a large workshop where some of the community members are working on small-scale satellite designs, while others are developing miniature closed ecosystem models in glass boxes, prototypes for habitats in space that could ultimately support humans. Outside, a poster announces an upcoming space-industry conference to be held in the community, with the keynotes to be delivered in a gathering space that looks like a huge rocket nose-cone emerging from the ground, made of glass and covered with climbing vines. That structure currently holds a congregation holding a quasi-religious service with the theme "How to stay motivated to work toward the Destiny when we won't reach the stars in our lifetimes?" Unperturbed by such questions, children race among the apple trees outside, playing with model spaceships that they built themselves for a school project, using everything from pieces of used bottles and cans to pebbles, twigs, and woven grass.
This is SolSeed's vision of an ideal community, and we want to work toward making it a reality. But how do we get there from here?
=== Growing the movement ===
In order to find people who share our practice and values, we're developing a presence at conferences that attract potential "Starfarers," such as science fiction conventions (particularly in the Pacific Northwest) and space industry events such as the Space Elevator Games. New Starfarers are invited to make a pledge of time and/or other resources. We're hoping to draw people in on their own terms. As an Open Source philososphy/movement, we believe in being shaped by all of the participants and the creative potential they bring. Also, it may be more attractive, to an extent, to let people approach us in their own way rather than laying out a program for them to follow--although there has to be some program to attract them in the first place.
The growth of this movement is modeled on living organisms and ecosystems. There is a general plan, with a "DNA" consisting of a few strong core principles beginning with "Life is Precious," that adapts its behavior to new environmental inputs. Our creative energies are brought to bear within the general framework of the SolSeed language and practice in order to take advantage of opportunities.
=== Forming SolSeed communities ===
One key pillar of SolSeed practice is the formation and sustenance of SolSeed communities. These communities are intended to include, to some degree, every aspect of human life just as societies do. Though some of them may occupy only a city block or two, these communities are not just places to live, but to work, to play, and to participate in [[Spiritual Practice]]. These communities help to keep Starfarers, who have chosen to hasten the fulfillment of "The Destiny," doing work and play that is "on purpose," though without trying to limit people's creative expressions in other directions.
One of the most obvious truisms in organizing is that "you spend time on what you spend time on." Basically you get more of what you have. We find that if we engage in a regular conference call every week, for example, we start to make commitments and things start to happen. If you spend time on SolSeed, then you spend time on SolSeed.
So if you live in a SolSeed community where many of your activities are devoted to SolSeed, surrounded by like-minded people who are doing likewise, then chances are that many of your activities will be devoted to SolSeed. This is perfect for someone who wants to have many of their activities pointed toward hastening the fulfillment of the "The Destiny." This is perfect for someone who wants to be in touch with the possibilities that are represented by being a Starfarer. And because of our open-source philosophy, this is also perfect for someone who has his/her own ideas to contribute to what SolSeed is about and what it means to devote part of your life to this organization and this Destiny.
=== Spiritual Practices ===
While the SolSeed Movement is not a religion, we do seek to create meaning and community. We strengthen and explore our shared values by celebrating the solstices and equinoxes and by holding regular services for our members and friends. Some members of SolSeed keep Sabbath as part of their praxis; others practice by intentionally living lightly on the earth; still others bring life by advocating for political change. We honor these value-based actions by naming them SolSeed Practices. By living our values, we strengthen our awareness of our identity as SolSeed, The Body of All Life.
We also strive to "be the change we want to see in the world" through the everyday practice of a community based on respect for all life, with all the other values that derive from that, as discussed in the last chapter: openness to difference and diversity, belief in possibility, presence and mindfulness, among others. We strive to work with members of other communities, societies, and species rather than against them, even though most do not share our goal of bringing life to other worlds. If implemented in the right spirit, these alliances will not only grow our influence and help spread our ideas, but exemplify in themselves a way to build a better society that has a net positive impact on the natural world.
=== Gatherings of Kindred ===
We will try to encourage other people and communities to express and live their own values, even though the norm in American society is to avoid even talking about such things in public, for fear of offending someone or just seeming naively idealistic. One way to do this is to create a space where this kind of sincerity is encouraged, and where people can find other people, communities, and organizations that share some of their values.
We envision this space as a sort of festival, with a large outdoor area dotted with tables where people from different co-convening communities and organizations (perhaps referred to as "tribes" for the sake of brevity and historical metaphor) will stand ready to describe and promote their groups and what they stand for. The only requirement for a group to participate is a commitment to respect all life, which we see as the core value of a vast worldwide movement that is only beginning to recognize its own existence (for example, through books like ''Blessed Unrest'' by Paul Hawken). Some people who come to the festival, particularly young people, may be searching for a place to live and contribute within that vast "movement of movements," and many of them will find one.