### Discussion at [Sol 2009](/Sol_2009)
#### Participants
- [Brandon CS Sanders](/Brandon_CS_Sanders)
- [Shelley Sanders](/Shelley_Sanders)
- [Ben Sibelman](/Ben_Sibelman)
- Steve Sibelman
- Judy Sibelman
#### Origins of the [SolSeedMovement](/SolSeedMovement)
- [Brandon](/Brandon) was working on his dissertation when he discovered Omidyar.net and met [Kim](/Kim), [Ted](/Ted), and possibly [Mark](/Mark)
- He had a "peak experience" related to his parents' Christianity and how to relate to it
- SolSeed was going to be a religion (name chosen partly because Earthseed domain name was taken)
- Religion has a privileged place in people's lives, opens a space for the discussion of meaning
- Goal: create a [community](/SolSeedCommunity) with a shared language and practices
#### What it is now
- Judy: Now, SolSeed may be a spirituality
- Avoids problems with trying to convert people
- No need for claims of exclusivity
- See the [circles drawing](/Media:Seed2009Map.jpg) from [Seed 2009](/Seed_2009) on how the [SolSeedMovement](/SolSeedMovement) relates to the wider world
- Overall, Brandon wants to live a life that is part of an epic story
- SolSeed's [story](/TheDestiny) is about seeding the galaxy with [life](/life)
- Other people who have been involved in SolSeed, such as [Bonnie](/Bonnie), are in it only for connection to people
- Humanists may object to [TheDestiny](/TheDestiny) because "we need to fix our problems on Earth first"
- But maybe life is as good as it's ever going to be
#### What it wants to become
- An intentional [community](/SolSeedCommunity)/[society](/Intentional_Societies)
- Would attract "normals," i.e. people uninterested in space?
- Judy and Steve's example: housing co-op in Davis, CA house bought by Judy's parents
- Created by renting out bedrooms
- 4 or 5 total occupants at a time with pretty high turnover
- They've also been involved in a babysitting co-op in Washington, DC
- SolSeed could start with an association of neighbors
- **Specific goal:** SolSeed room in new neighborhood community center
#### How to pursue/support achievement of [TheDestiny](/TheDestiny)?
- Steve: [TheDestiny](/TheDestiny), and space travel more generally, requires building real wealth
- Best way for SolSeed to help with these big goals may be by "acting at the headwaters," as per the movie [The Upward Spiral](/The_Upward_Spiral), taking focused actions aimed at much larger downstream results
- But how to know if we're doing something that will work?
- [Shelley](/Shelley): science itself is young, so there's no shame in not entirely knowing what we're doing
#### Spiritual development
- Judy's religion is "Allishness," defined as connecting with an inner reservoir of awe at All-That-Is instead of focusing on the buzzing of one's thoughts
- Rainier dying: [Shelley](/Shelley) had to learn to "let it be what it is"
- [Brandon](/Brandon): Being open and connected is powerful
- Back to religion: is community its most important aspect rather than the stories it tells?
- Stories about people are effective
- But do people want to follow along with someone else's existing story?