By Dave Till and Christine Lines

This is the thirteenth article in our series on Holistic Learning, to read the introduction and view the other components to follow please click here.

13. Mental Learning

There have been many breakthroughs in recent years regarding the mental task of learning information. Conventional education is quite focused on mental learning however there are new ways of using the mind to utilise more of its full capacity.

The whole field of study around Accelerated Learning (AL) suggests that we each have a preferred learning style — a way of learning that suits us best. If you know and use the techniques that match your preferred way of learning, you learn more naturally. Because it is more natural for you, it becomes easier. There are a number of AL techniques e.g. teaching someone else what you are learning, practicing the accelerated learning system in short bursts of 30 minutes of study, and taking frequent rests. And there are many more ways of practicing AL.

In addition, the traditional linear structure of learning with listed and numbered notes has been expanded in recent years by the process of Mind Mapping. Mind maps are used to generate, visualize, structure, and classify ideas, and as an aid to studying and organizing information, solving problems, making decisions, and writing.

The elements of a given mind map are arranged intuitively according to the importance of the concepts, and are classified into groupings, branches, or areas, with the goal of representing semantic or other connections between portions of information. Mind maps may also aid recall of existing memories.

Add to these such things as memory enhancement tricks, learning and note taking techniques, and subliminal techniques for the rapid absorption of information and it becomes clear that boundaries of mental learning are expanding all the time.

Each week we will introduce a new topic. Please feel free to add your views and comments to expand on it more fully.

To view the full working document on Holistic Education or share information please email christine.lines@findhorn.org

Life here in a spiritual community, just as anywhere, is full of joys and challenges and it sometimes feels intense, sharing in such closeness with others, especially when conflict arises. As a person whose defense is more likely to withdraw than confront, dealing with conflict is a real growing edge! Living and working closely together in community there are times when I’m faced with the question can I keep my heart open, even in difficult circumstances?

I recognise how sensitive I am when communication is less than clear and harmonious and find such conversations painful. I’ve been exploring the idea lately that perhaps people in community hope to create the family around them that they never had growing up? For me this is deep, authentic communication where feelings match what is being expressed and there is less confusion and anxiety about what’s really going on around and within me…

I recognise a yearning to create an atmosphere where underlying issues can be explored and win/win solutions discovered, to deepen relationship and connection.

Life feels like a continual learning experience, through every interaction with both myself and others, which needs to begin with self awareness. As an ‘apprentice’ co-worker in the Foundation, within the ‘Living Essentials Apprentice Program’ (LEAP) I can, more fully than when I first arrived, embrace the idea of Findhorn as a ‘mystery school.’ LEAP is revealing itself as a ‘rite of passage’ teaching me exactly what I need to learn, however dark or uncomfortable it feels sometimes, especially for someone so attached to the ‘light’.

Through my work in the garden I began to blend the ‘first rule of permaculture’, observation, observation, observation, closely followed by listening and learning, with the practice of mindfulness in everyday life. One of my challenges in this lifetime is the art of communication, being clear, expressive and in connection with myself. Conflict, which I always prefer to avoid, is revealing itself as a learning ground, through which I can refine my communication and keep opening my heart. I’m continually learning to balance speaking up and letting go.

I recently sent out a survey to the participants of the 2012 Gathering and amongst the most popular areas of interest are the following topics; sustainability, conflict resolution and holistic leadership. Our dynamic chair of management, Ana Rhodes, will share on these topics during our week together and I was really interested to read that she will also be offering an education session to all co-workers in the Findhorn Foundation community on the 8th May to understand the creative tension of opposites.

Within our life journeys, conflict is an inescapable part of the human experience. Ana will help us explore the creative mind that lives at the heart of a conflict. Many of us have a tendency to freeze or trance out when we experience our self entangled between opposite sides, whether they are internal experiences or in relationship to others.

How can we be a part of a conflict and at the same time be a part of the solution?

•Recycled or unresolved conflict is a source of chronic tension and dissatisfaction. It can escalate in many ways. In organisations, it can sabotage strategic goals and contribute to burnout and staff turnover. In the world it is the root of oppression and violence.

• Conflict can also be a source of positive change—when the energy contained in the conflict can be transformed from a destructive force to a creative opportunity.

• Conflict unfolded nurtures personal growth, deepens relationships, facilitates organisational change and creates community.

Specific topics that we will aim to explore include:

•  Working in emotionally intense situations
•  Mediating between individuals
•  Understanding conflict systemically
•  Concept of safety and conflict
•  Communication—feedback, criticism and double messages
•  Understanding hierarchy, rank, power and privilege
•  Conflict and the environment

I’m sure this session will be a great foundation for our exploration of conflict resolution during the Gathering…

By Dave Till and Christine Lines

This is the twelfth article in our series on Holistic Learning, to read the introduction and view the other components to follow please click here.

12. Models of Group Development

Groups form and develop in well-recorded ways. M. Scott Peck, author of The Road Less Travelled, is a good source to understand the different stages of group development and of community.

Dave Till says, “These stages of group development need to be experienced as part of a holistic curriculum. On the Findhorn Community Semester three month programme we the staff would wait patiently until new groups passed their “polite” stage and got through to some real learning or through to their authentic selves. One particularly ‘right on’ group famously had a big party where everyone got very drunk, and after that they were much less ‘right on’ and much better to deal with. God works in wondrous ways!”

In 1984, Peck co-founded the Foundation for Community Encouragement (FCE), with the mission, “to teach the principles of community to individuals and organizations.” In his book The Different Drum: Community Making and Peace, Peck says that community has three essential ingredients; inclusivity, commitment and consensus.

Based on his experience with community building workshops, Peck says that community building typically goes through four stages:

Pseudocommunity:
In the first stage, well-intentioned people try to demonstrate their ability to be friendly and sociable, but they do not really delve beneath the surface of each other’s ideas or emotions. Instead of conflict resolution, pseudocommunity involves conflict avoidance, which maintains the appearance or facade of true community. It also serves only to maintain positive emotions, instead of creating safe space for honesty and love through bad emotions as well. While they still remain in this phase, members will never really obtain evolution or change, as individuals or as a bunch.

Chaos:
The first step towards real positivity is, paradoxically, a period of negativity. Once the mutually-sustained facade of bonhomie is shed, negative emotions flood through: Members start to vent their mutual frustrations, annoyances, and differences. It is a chaotic stage but Peck describes it as a “beautiful chaos” because it is a sign of healthy growth.

Emptiness:
In order to transcend the stage of “Chaos”, members are forced to shed that which prevents real communication. Biases and prejudice, need for power and control, self-superiority, and other similar motives which are only mechanisms of self-validation and/or ego-protection, must yield to empathy, openness to vulnerability, attention, and trust. Hence this stage does not mean people should be “empty” of thoughts, desires, ideas or opinions. Rather, it refers to emptiness of all mental and emotional distortions which reduce one’s ability to really share, listen to, and build on those thoughts, ideas, etc. It is often the hardest step in the four-level process, as it necessitates the release of patterns which people develop over time in a subconscious attempt to maintain self-worth and positive emotion. This is as a rebirth of one’s true self at the individual level, and at the social level of the genuine and true Community.

True community:
Having worked through emptiness, the people in the community enter a place of complete empathy with one another. There is a great level of tacit understanding. People are able to relate to each other’s feelings. Discussions, even when heated, never get sour, and motives are not questioned. A deeper and more sustainable level of happiness obtains between the members, which does not have to be forced. Even and perhaps especially when conflicts arise, it is understood that they are part of positive change.

The four stages of community formation are somewhat related to a model in organization theory for the five stages that a team goes through during development. These five stages are:

Forming where the team members have some initial discomfort with each other but nothing comes out in the open. They are insecure about their role and position with respect to the team. This corresponds to the initial stage of pseudocommunity.

Storming where the team members start arguing heatedly and differences and insecurities come out in the open. This corresponds to the second stage given by Scott Peck, namely chaos.

Norming where the team members lay out rules and guidelines for interaction that help define the roles and responsibilities of each person. This corresponds to emptiness, where the community members think within and empty themselves of their obsessions to be able to accept and listen to others.

Performing where the team finally starts working as a cohesive whole, and effectively achieve the tasks set of themselves. In this stage individuals are aided by the group as a whole where necessary, in order to move further collectively than they could achieve as a group of separated individuals.

Transforming This corresponds to the stage of true community. This represents the stage of celebration, and when individuals leave, as they must, there is a genuine feeling of grief, and a desire to meet again. Traditionally this stage was often called “Mourning”.

During Experience Week, the core programme of the Findhorn Foundation and for many guests their first experience of the community, the group magically moves through these five stages within the seven days of their time together.

I recently joined Experience Week as a trainee learning to co-focalise the weeks, three years after my first Experience Week in April 2009, and witnessed these stages of group development.

It is fascinating to witness a group of individuals from different countries and different backgrounds slowly weave together as a group. On the first day people tended to be more shy as they entered the ‘forming’ stage. As people slowly started to open up differences became visible, however the ‘storming’ stage just seemed to highlight our unique diversity.

As group guidelines and agreements were introduced and became familiar, such as using ‘I’ statements during sharing circles to keep the experience personal, and listening deeply to each other without responding or offering feedback, we entered the ‘norming’ stage. The bonding began to develop as members of the group listened with open hearts and open minds, in the spirit of acceptance.

During the ‘performing’ stage of sacred dance, group discovery games and group projects, the individuals formed more strongly as a cohesive whole, supporting each other in the journey forward, achieving more together than they could alone, through mutual support.

In the farewell circle on the last day, there was a tangible feeling of celebration, combined with the sadness of leaving the friends they had ‘fallen in love’ with during their time together and a hope to cross paths again. There was a sense of true community amongst our small group of fifteen people, within the larger community as a whole.

From my experience over the past eighteen months of stepping deeper and deeper into community life, these stages are an ongoing journey of personal transformation within a community dedicated to planetary transformation. Echoing the words of Gandhi, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

Each week we will introduce a new topic. Please feel free to add your views and comments to expand on it more fully.

To view the full working document on Holistic Education or share information please email christine.lines@findhorn.org

By Dave Till and Christine Lines

This is the eleventh article in our series on Holistic Learning, to read the introduction and view the other components to follow please click here.

11. The Value of Service

Service is an integral part of an holistic life and even within communities that focus on the spiritual, the value of service needs to be reinforced and encouraged.

The path of selfless service is an ancient and well-respected tradition that needs to have its place restored in the modern world. The word seva comes from the Sanskrit root, sev, meaning to “attend” or “to go towards.” Seva is generally understood to be “service” and one way to look at seva is simply as volunteer service, and in the case of a community, this could mean cleaning the kitchen after a shared meal, caring for the garden, or the offering of professional services such as bookkeeping or architectural skills.

In the community of the Findhorn Foundation, the concept of service is called ‘love in action’ and this is one of the three founding pillars, the other two being inner listening and co-creation with nature. ‘Work’ departments are called service departments instead and a mixture of education and service is common for most guests at Findhorn.

Work, in the form of service, becomes part of the spiritual practice for the individual and creates an holistic education practice within the community, for example during the Findhorn Community Semester programme. Students engage in daily seminars, experience living education through engagement with practical aspects of life in the community, and explore themes relevant to our times such as spiritual practice, sustainability and group process.

Everyone in the community, co-workers, students and guests, are involved in a regular Kitchen Party – otherwise known as KP – once a week where a small team of community members clean the kitchen and dining areas after each meal, in the spirit of service. There is also a homecare rota every few weeks where a rotating team prepare the guest rooms for the new arrivals, reducing the workload of the regular homecare crew at the weekend when new guests arrive for the start of their programme.

As in many communities, there are a myriad of opportunities in the Findhorn community to volunteer time and effort as part of a general service ethic that exists here; leading community meditations, driving the Findhorn bus between our two sites, ushering for community events in the Hall to name just a few. This is a working community and service is where work becomes spiritual practice and has the potential to create a sense of joy, wellbeing and fun in the service-givers.

I personally prefer to spend an hour or so washing dishes for 100 plus people once a week, than clean a few dishes of my own every day! This Easter weekend we have 200 guests in the community participating in the Into Christ Consciousness conference and the community centre is full of food and conversation at mealtimes. There is a joy in working together as a team, sharing the responsibility of doing what needs to be done, and introducing guests to our way of life.

The idea of service creates a different mindset, rather than working for an annual salary or hourly pay, the rewards of service create a spiritual abundance beyond the material. A concept that has perhaps become lost in the mainstream way of life that can be rediscovered when we simply work with love and care even in the most mundane of tasks, combined with an awareness of something greater than ourselves.

Many years ago I was drawn to the community life of a kibbutz in Israel, which was a delightful revelation after growing up in a traditional nuclear family. I loved being involved in a wide range of jobs that were all important in the daily functioning of the community, from cleaning bathrooms, to preparing meals, to picking fruit in the orchards, or working in the diaper factory. I worked with my peers and then met their extended family in a different work shift, reducing the idea of rank or hierarchy, we were all there to serve the whole.

Similarly within the Findhorn Community, one day I might be in a monthly meeting with my mentor and the next day we’re doing the dishes together. Somehow the spirit of service makes us all equal, contributing our own unique qualities and learning from and supporting one other in a way that is deeply nourishing for the soul.

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
Mahatma Gandhi

Each week we will introduce a new topic. Please feel free to add your views and comments to expand on it more fully.

To view the full working document on Holistic Education or share information please email christine.lines@findhorn.org

“The community has changed the lives of thousands of people throughout the world. Nobody comes to the Findhorn Foundation without being changed in some way. Remember, it is the vibrations here that have been been built up over time that really bring about changes in people. It is a centre of light, a place of spiritual power. There is a lot of love here.”

Today a further 25 years later as we celebrate our 50th birthday, the community continues to transform the lives of the many people who are drawn here. Some come just for a week, others stay for years or even decades, some visit again and again, and all are touched in some way by the love that emanates in the spiritual community.

In May 2012, the Findhorn Foundation will be hosting the International Holistic Centres Gathering, for the first time in the thirty years since the Gathering began, with the theme The Network of Light.

Members of light centres all over the world will come together to share their vision of the future and learn from each other in the spirit of friendship, joy and co-operation, exploring our unity in diversity and the common thread that weaves amongst us.

The inspiration from the Gathering promises to have a ripple effect in the world as we continue our work of global transformation in our respective centres. With an increased knowledge and support of each other we become ambassadors for each others centres, strengthening the network of light that weaves around the planet.

24 participants from 17 communities, in 11 different countries in four of the inhabited continents of the world are confirmed so far. If you are involved in a holistic centre we welcome your participation…

By Dave Till and Christine Lines

This is the tenth article in our series on Holistic Learning, to read the introduction and view the other components to follow please click here.

10. Spiritual Practice

If individual spirituality is acknowledged as the leading edge of the holistic process, a spiritual practice becomes invaluable.

Regular meditation, excursions into nature, singing, dancing, yoga, writing or parenting can all become a spiritual practice. These are practical methods of cultivating an awareness of the higher self, and can be quite different to a religious practice that may depend on a belief system and strict rules.

Dave Till shares, “I use my own creative writing, poetry and performance as part of my spiritual practice. Other people may use gardening or listening to music. The spiritual self is alive and well if it is acknowledged and we take time to listen to the wisdom it shares. Better still, if we acknowledge that the spirit has a role to play all day long in everything we do, then we create the basis for a truly holistic life.”

Here at the Findhorn Foundation there is the practice of using spiritual principles in every moment thus making life itself a spiritual practice. Perhaps this is the most important foundation of all, but what exactly is spiritual practice? Is it simply an approach to life, recognising the spirit within and all around us? If this is so, then every task we undertake can be an expression of love or as Peter Caddy, co-founder of the Findhorn Foundation would say, “Love in action.”

Whether we’re performing a daily chore such as doing the dishes, or immersed in our favourite pastime or creative outlet, such as hiking in the hills or painting in the studio, we can bring present moment awareness, to connect with our inherent joy and enthusiasm for life, and ‘lose ourselves’ in the art of simply being.

For several years I organised yoga and meditation retreats, fully aware I wasn’t the most disciplined of students. However good my intentions, my daily sitting had a life of it’s own and I knew deep down I was never going to be dedicated to my yoga mat. I focused on cultivating mindfulness in daily life instead and relaxed my inner critic that suggested spiritual practice needed to look or be a certain way.

We all have our unique path to follow. Spiritual practice is personal and yet can be shared in our way of being. The Findhorn Foundation is in many ways a modern day monastery where people can be in the world without withdrawing completely and live a life of service and commitment to spirit, based on the practice of inner listening to “the still small voice within,” the spiritual principle represented by co-founder Eileen Caddy.

At the heart of all paths and traditions, there is a common ground and ancient truth. Spiritual practice serves to strip away the confusion and turn our attention inward. In this way we can contemplate and transform our thoughts and actions, align with spirit and recognise our perfect imperfections. By embracing ourselves and each other together we create a more peaceful world. Dorothy Maclean, our third co-founder, expresses it succinctly, “Spiritual practice? It’s simply all about love.”

Each week we will introduce a new topic. Please feel free to add your views and comments to expand on it more fully.

To view the full working document on Holistic Education or share information please email christine.lines@findhorn.org

By Dave Till and Christine Lines

This is the ninth article in our series on Holistic Learning, to read the introduction and view the other components to follow please click here.

9. Meditation and Attunement

In a holistic community, meditation is an essential way to connect with our spiritual nature and move beyond the mental and emotional realms, into a place of inner silence and stillness.

Meditation and attunement are daily practices within the Findhorn Foundation, both in the service departments and in the guest programmes. There are daily meditations in the main sanctuaries morning and evening, held by community members, before and after work.

Most departments begin the morning shift with a short sharing or check-in, followed by a brief attunement, which is almost like a ‘mini meditation.’ The attunement is an opportunity to pause and connect with how we’re feeling in the moment, to connect with each other, and expand our awareness into the spiritual nature of life. It can also be an opportunity to focus on our intentions for being together, the project or the task at hand, and bless the day ahead. People often comment on how much more smoothly the day unfolds when it begins so consciously.

Attunement at Findhorn can also mean the practice of the individual going within to contact their higher, intuitive self for wisdom and direction. This is usually done in silence and looks like meditation. Gardeners might combine this with their knowledge of horticulture and people can apply this approach in many ways.

Each working group at Findhorn is also encouraged to have a weekly attunement. Usually this consists of a meditation, a personal sharing in a circle, and a discussion about business matters.

We’re experiencing amazing spring weather here in Scotland at the moment with beautiful sunshine. This afternoon the Communications team decided to have our attunement by the beach rather than in the office! We enjoyed a walking meditation through the dunes to the sea and found a sheltered cove to sit and share.  Immersed in the beauty of nature, surrounded by gorse bushes abundantly covered with yellow flowers, we breathed in the unique fragrance of this wildflower reminiscent of coconut oil.

Sharing about our personal lives, there was a depth of connection with ourselves and each other, a tangible feeling of authenticity. As a team it was decided some time ago that we prefer to separate our sharing circles and business meetings, however some teams within the community combine them into one afternoon.

Both meditation and attunement can help us listen to our inner wisdom and follow our intuition. Groups or teams can also ‘attune’ to gain a sense of direction. In a recent Findhorn Foundation Council meeting, once all the information was presented and discussed, there was a short attunement before the ‘temperature check’ of opinions, (it wasn’t a formal voting process in this instance.) The spirit is encouraged to lead in the attunement process.

Attunement in itself is not a decision making process – it informs decisions which can then be made by other means. The exception to this is if every group member receives the same solution during an attunement, then decision making is usually quite clear!

Each week we will introduce a new topic. Please feel free to add your views and comments to expand on it more fully.

To view the full working document on Holistic Education or share information please email christine.lines@findhorn.org

Stan Stanfield, a long-time member of the Foundation, has been involved in a wide range of its educational activities, including focalising the Education department. He is a friend of Ralph White, co-founder of the Holistic Centres Gathering, from their time in Cluny Maintenance in the 1970′s. Stan has recently written his memoirs about his life on the spiritual path and at the Foundation, which will be published by Findhorn Press in 2012. An active member of the Cluny family and beyond the age of retirement, Stan will share his thoughts on the role of elders within the community.

Ineke Vollebregt, is a member of the Guest Department, which runs our core programme Experience Week. Because of her age and having lived here for so long, she is just beginning to explore the theme of ‘elders’ in herself and within this community.

Cornelia Featherstone and Fay Blackburn, members of the wider community, will be representing the Community Care Circle. Cornelia was involved in setting up the system of eldercare, helping both the carer and the one being cared for to have a mutually beneficial relationship, and Fay is currently one of the carers.

If you have any questions or there are particular aspects of this topic you would like to explore, please email the co-ordinator of the Gathering christine.lines@findhorn.org

Monica Bohni, is focaliser of the Spiritual and Personal Development Team and involved in our staff intake programme LEAP (Living Essentials Apprentice Programme) where people apprentice and learn the ways in which we live together here at Findhorn.

“Findhorn is offering me the practice or gift of remembering spirit in all aspects of my life, whether it is in daily activities, living in community, facilitating groups, communication, in meditation, dancing, playing music or in nature. It is that which enriches my life and radiates into the world.”

Astrid Gude, is co-focaliser of our short term guest programme LCG (Living in Community Guest Programme), which runs in one month blocks. This is a dynamic, creative and purposeful way to explore the meaning of service and to experience the gifts that come through living in community.

If you have any questions or there are particular aspects of this topic you would like to explore, please email the co-ordinator of the Gathering christine.lines@findhorn.org

Invitations have been sent far and wide and we now have participants coming from communities and holistic centres in the USA, (including Hawaii, California, Oregon, Washington and New York), Canada, Spain, Greece, Denmark, Poland, Russia and India. They represent a diverse range of spiritual traditions, business models and environments, one a remote retreat centre, another completely off the grid, and a third located in one of the busiest cities in the world!

Our Community Exchange partners Auroville and Cortijo Romero are attending and we’re encouraging Esalen, Zegg, Damanhur and Tamera, amongst others to join us. The Gathering is an opportunity too exciting to miss and promises to be the most international mix in its thirty-year history!

Many of the Centres who wish to join us need financial support. The Findhorn Foundation is offering generous bursaries for many of them, and we are searching for additional funds for the remaining costs. Ecologia Youth Trust has been active in raising funds for its partners to attend the Gathering, including the founder of Kitezh Children’s Community in Russia, Dmitry Morozov, and two colleagues.

We are also seeking funding for three people from our partners in South East Asia and welcome your support and ideas to make their participation in the Gathering possible.

THAILAND
Na, previously a Buddhist monk for 20 years, is a resource person in the Spirit in Education movement and currently designing a holistic education centre in rural Thailand. He has a keen interest in process work, engaged spirituality and coaching and leads many workshops drawing on these skills as well as his deep experiential knowledge of Buddhism.

BURMA (MYANMAR)
Naw Aung is the Director of Tamarind Valley Community an exciting initiative emerging outside Yangon (Rangoon) that focuses on Holistic Education. Naw Aung is a writer from the Kachin Christian Community. He is greatly involved in the active Green Networks in Burma and is the key person behind the regular Green Memo Newsletter that supports Green Movement in Burma and beyond.

LAOS
Sisouvanh Chanthalangsy is the Assistant Manager of Suan Mai Laos, a holistic leaning community under PADECT a Laos NGO working with youth. Ms Sisouvanh has devoted her life to social change and has great potential as an emerging young leader in holistic education.

We need approximately £4135 to pay for their airfares, visas and the balance of their conference fees. If you can help we will be immensely grateful. Please contact either:

Christine Lines, Gathering Coordinator christine.lines@findhorn.org

Liza Hollingshead and Jane Rasbash, Ecologia Youth Trust info@ecologia.org.uk

We welcome your enthusiasm and support ~ Thank you!

Debbie Herron originally worked in rural and inner city community development specialising in regeneration. She then lived on the Isle of Erraid, one of the most beautiful of all the Hebridean Islands off the West Coast of Scotland, to learn more about living simply and sustainably in community.

After nine years there, Debbie moved to Moray to continue  living and working in the Findhorn Foundation. Her current role is Grants and Projects Co-ordinator, working with the different departments within the Foundation to raise funds from grants provided from a number of sources.

Debbie also closely engages with the wider community by representing the Foundation on the board of the Moray Social Enterprise Network and Moray Third Sector Interface. Her personal interests include organic gardening, singing, patchwork and being in nature.

Jacqueline Buckingham has lived and worked at the Findhorn Foundation since March 2011 supporting the fundraising, or manifestation, work of the foundation and community. Originally from the UK, Jacqueline’s personal spiritual journey began in earnest when she moved to Australia in 2001.

During this time of self-discovery and growth, she explored and trained in a variety of modalities including reiki, yoga and psychosynthesis.  One of the most powerful parts of her journey was making regular visits to Aboriginal elders in the Central Desert and learning about their sacred ceremonies, songs and dances.  Jacqueline is a Reiki Master Teacher and a Transpersonal Art Therapist.

However her greatest love is for the natural world, which she expresses primarily through her voluntary work with the Pachamama Alliance leading workshops and trainings, and for the 4 years prior to coming to Findhorn she worked as the Business Manager and Fundraiser for The Wilderness Society, an environmental conservation charity.  Jacqueline also continues to volunteer for Be The Change Australia, an organisation committed to empowering people to live a more sustainable and connected lifestyle.

If you have any questions or there are particular aspects of this topic you would like to explore, please email the co-ordinator of the Gathering christine.lines@findhorn.org

Ana Rhodes Castro has been living and working in the Findhorn Foundation since 1994. Ana has been a member of the Central Management team over the last seven years, six of those spent being responsible for the area of Spiritual and Personal Development. This comprised of internal trainings, conflict facilitation, supervision and other internal structures that support the Findhorn Foundation to function gracefully and efficiently at an individual and collective level.

In February 2009 Ana stepped into the role of Chair of Management/Focaliser of the Findhorn Foundation. “What called me to take on this role was my deep love and desire to continue to serve and support the unfoldment of the Findhorn Foundation in the world as a Holistic Educational Centre, a Spiritual Community and a system dedicated to walking lightly on the planet”. Ana is one of the representatives of the Findhorn Foundation working in conjunction with the UN.

One of Ana’s greatest passions is maximizing the inherent potential of individuals, groups and organisations in a way that is supportive and enhances the natural leadership that lives in people.

If you have any questions or there are particular aspects of this topic you would like to explore, please email the co-ordinator of the Gathering christine.lines@findhorn.org

The five night option commences on Saturday 12 May and concludes on Thursday 17 May. The seven night option concludes on Saturday 19 May and includes an interactive group version of the Transformation Game, played in teams around a path on the floor.

The Group Game provides a unique opportunity for personal learning and group experience as well as time to integrate the experience of the Gathering. It will enable you to focus on areas that interest you both individually and collectively, to work creatively together to bring insight and resolution to them and explore ways of moving forward together, supporting each other with our work around the world in our respective centers and communities.

It also offers the opportunity to explore how you relate in groups and how to work together most effectively, helping you identify your own strengths and attributes, release non-productive patterns, and learn about our interconnectedness in tangible ways.

You will work in teams of three or four people; each team will identify issues you wish to explore and results you want to achieve together. These purposes provide the foundation for each team’s Game. Then, focusing around the Game path on the floor, each team will deal with the emerging opportunities, challenges and successes related to its purpose.

At any one time, there will be one player for each team who focuses the play. The purpose of  each team works out not only through the Focus Players’ interaction with the Game, but also through the interactions and experiences within each team, and between the teams.

Moving along the path brings opportunities to receive insights, face and identify challenges, share appreciations and feedback, experience miracles and transformation, go through periods of isolation, give and receive service, and exercise creativity.

Other potential experiences include exercising free will, checking and acting on intuition, finding new ways and resources to deal with difficulties and setbacks, exploring how to reduce stress, experiencing synergy, and sharing awareness and blessings with one another and with the earth.

The Game provides a context in which personal awareness, group work and spiritual growth are magnified and quickened. Individual growth and learning are inevitable, however this version of the Game is played beyond the personal level.

By engaging in mindful play together, we can explore our interconnectedness in tangible ways, realise our potential to effect change in ourselves, our groups and our world, and help generate hope, vision and movement in our collective body of the Holistic Centers Gathering.

The concept for the Transformation Game was conceived in 1976 by Joy Drake when she was living in the Findhorn Foundation, with the aim to increase awareness on the spiritual path and reflect the essence of the Findhorn experience. The Game evolved over many years and in different incarnations, from the first group version, called the Planetary Game, which was included in a workshop in 1977, to the Game in a Box that was launched in 1987. Today there are trained facilitators holding games all over the world.

Please click here for more details of the Gathering and to book your place, or email the co-ordinator christine.lines@findhorn.org

The Fellowship for Intentional Community announces that nominations are now open for the 2013 Kozeny Communitarian Award. This honors the indomitable spirit of Geoph Kozeny, who devoted his adult life to creating community in the world. This Award is intended to celebrate the accomplishments of a person or organization in one or more of the following ways:

A. Networker: to a person or organization who did any of the following: an outstanding job of creating or strengthening relationships between two or more community-focused organizations; spearheaded joint projects among network organizations; has been noteworthy for a lifetime of bringing the inspiration and information of community living to the general population.

B. Media Relations: to a person or organization who has done an outstanding job of one or more of the following: accurately and fairly representing intentional communities to the press, especially in moments of tragedy or loss; generating media interest sufficient to get stories in print, profiling intentional communities and/or cooperative living; a lifetime achievement of writing and/or speaking passionately and ecumenically about community and cooperative living.

C. Good Neighbor: to a person or organization who has provided consistent and noteworthy assistance that was key to one or more communities dealing effectively with major challenges.

D. Community Builder: to a person or organization who has offered consistently high-quality assistance to fledgling intentional communities, measurably helping them succeed.

E. Creating Community in Place: to a person or organization who has helped existing neighborhoods, businesses, or nonprofit organizations develop a significantly greater sense of community and connection.

F. Cooperative Leadership: to a person who has modeled exemplary and inspirational leadership in a cooperative context. This may include the creation and development of a culture in which the leadership capacity of others flourished under this leader’s guidance; the demonstration of grace and the ability to hold the group together in times of crisis; the modeling of healthy ego management and the appropriate acceptance of responsibility when things didn’t work well; and foresight to prepare well for an orderly transition to others when it was time to step down.

G. Historian/Preservationist: to a person who has demonstrated over the course of a career that community stories and materials have been collected and recorded: that they have been captured accurately and with sensitivity; that they have been preserved for posterity; or that have been made available to the public openly and without prejudice.

Guidelines

• This Award is intended to honor a lifetime of achievement more than a single accomplishment.
• We intend to primarily honor people who helped create community in North America, though we are open to considering candidates whose contributions were mainly made on other continents.
• We expressly intend that the concept of “community” will be interpreted broadly and is not limited to intentional communities. It includes the concept of creating or enhancing a sense of community in any context, so long as it is genuine, lasting, and and is not accomplished through the promotion of us/them dynamics.
• The recipient’s contributions should significantly impact people beyond the members of their home community.

Eligibility: Nominees may not be current Fellowship of Intentional Community board members, paid staff, or volunteers serving on FIC committees. Anyone may submit nominations.

Deadline: To be considered for the 2013 Award, nominations must be received no later than March 15, 2012.

Selection Process: After the deadline for nominations has closed, the FIC Award Committee (comprised of Oz Ragland, Deborah Altus, Betty Didcoct, and Laird Schaub) will review all submissions and prepare a short list of the most promising candidates for Board consideration. In a closed session, the FIC Board will then select the 2013 recipient during the FIC’s spring organizational meetings, which will take place April 22-24, 2012 in Carrboro NC. After a winner is announced, the Award Committee will make arrangements for the Award presentation sometime in 2013, in collaboration with the recipient.

How To Make A Nomination. Please submit the following:

1. Contact information for the nominee, to the extent that it is known
2. Contact information for the nominator
3. Nominating letter describing the nominee’s contributions

Please direct all questions and nominations to:
Laird Schaub email: laird@ic.org

Past Recipients:
2009    Fred Lanphear (Songaia Cohousing Community)
2012    Ina May & Stephen Gaskin (The Farm Community)

News courtesy of www.ic.org

Reading these words recently in the Faces of Findhorn, published in 1980, I had a strong feeling this was the voice of my friend Ralph White, who I’d met two years earlier at the Holistic Centres Gathering in Hawaii. I sent him an email and he wrote straight back saying, “Yes, I recognize those words. They’re what I felt all those years ago and they’ve actually been proved true. It’s a wonderful thing!”

After a few years of living in the Findhorn Foundation in the late ‘70s, working in Cluny Maintenance with Stan Stanfield and focalising programmes, Ralph moved to the States. There he was involved in the early years of the Omega Institute before co-founding the New York Open Center, the largest urban holistic centre in the US.

In the mid ‘80s Ralph was one of the initiators of the Holisic Centres Gathering, which began with participants from the Open Center, Esalen and Omega. “A clear sense quickly emerged that there was genuine value in the Centers meeting in a relaxed spirit to exchange insights, information and best practices,” Ralph recalled. “There was a feeling of mutual support and friendship as Centers emerged increasingly as focal points for the new holistic, spiritual and ecological worldview.

The original caravan in the Findhorn Bay Caravan Park, home of the co-founders, Peter, Dorothy and Eileen, in the early years of the community

The guidance of Eileen Caddy, co-founder of the Findhorn Foundation, said, “More souls are becoming aware of what is taking place and in these centres of light the love within each individual is free to grow and develop in the right environment. That is why at this time you will find more and more centres of light being established all over the world.”

In 2010 I attended the annual Gathering for the first time, met Ralph and was inspired to return to Findhorn after my Experience Week the previous year. The Findhorn Foundation is approaching its 50^th birthday and I spoke to Stan and Ralph about hosting the Gathering here in 2012. Plans for this unfolded and in the meantime I attended the Gathering in California in 2011.

Feeling inspired that the Centres Gathering was an important part of the physical manifestation of the Network of Light, I read an extract from Eileen’s autobiography to the group, “We started to send out love radiances to people or groups around the world…It was becoming obvious that we were part of a bigger picture.”

Peter Caddy, co-founder of the Findhorn Foundation, first heard about the network of light when he met Anne Edwards in 1953. Peter recalled, “Prickles ran up and down my spine; I knew we’d met for a purpose. We were told in guidance that we’d been drawn together from the opposite ends of the earth because we had a lot of work to do.”

Anne was the focal point for a group near Chicago and told Peter about the network. Guided in meditation, they located and telepathically linked up with centres of light throughout the world.

Later Eileen received the guidance, “Get a globe and start marking the centres on it. You are part of a tremendous network and each member needs to feel part of the whole. This is a network of light. The strength comes through the linking up of the centres.”

Peter said, “Our early work at Findhorn was entirely on the inner planes, linking up with the network of light, tuning into centres twice a day, receiving visions and telepathic transmissions… it’s very much a communications network as well as a network of energies.”

They linked with 370 centres sharing information about the world situation. Dorothy Maclean, co-founder of the Findhorn Foundation, found the easiest group to contact was a tribe of aborigines in Australia, “They were always right there, as if their consciousness was constantly open to non-physical realms.”

Their work was done in absolute faith. “Our only confirmation that these centres existed was an inner knowing. Sometimes I received visions. One was a group of businessmen in Turkey,” wrote Eileen. “I saw them quite clearly dressed in formal suits around a central figure.”

Katherine Collis, who arrived in 1970, said, “The founder’s years of inner linking with individuals, groups and centres around the planet created a deep sense of the wider community of the consciousness of spirit emerging and radiating energy. There was a knowing that some of us would meet at some point.”

And indeed they did, after an American hitchhiker called Stephan told the manager of a Turkish youth hostel he was off to visit Findhorn next. The amazed manager had been a member of the Turkish group. He said they’d received this word Findhorn, but had no idea what it was. They couldn’t find it on the map it was so small.

Stephen came to Findhorn, and Stan remembered, “One evening a tall, handsome man with a deep voice, sang a Turkish song of greeting to the community, and particularly Eileen, from their community, as a representative from the group who had met on the inner planes.”

Findhorn Foundation Cluny Hill, location of the 2012 Holistic Centers Gathering

The network of light evolved into a conscious outward link. Peter believed, “It is very much our work to be a point of synthesis, to be able to link these centres together to see where we can unite, explore what each centre has to give to the whole. Each centre has something different that we can learn from, that they can give to us, and we can give to them.”

Peter and Eileen began to travel and give presentations in different countries about community life and their vision for the future. “Outreach was always a fundamental purpose of the Findhorn Foundation”, explained Rosie Turnbull. “Some people are called to be the pillars of the community and some are called to be here for a few years and then share the message of Findhorn with the world. Our Outreach Education diary lists Findhorn-related events and courses taking place across the world.”

Peter also felt the importance of connecting with the United Nations, whose major purpose is to be a unifying force in the world. In 1997, the Findhorn Foundation was approved for formal association with the United Nations. The new status was a sign of a great maturing of the community, which continues to provide a contemporary and evolving model of sustainable living.

The words of Ralph White remain true, “Each group’s vision is a facet in the emergence of a collective new image of planetary humanity.”

If you’re involved in a holistic center and would like to attend the 2012 Gathering, to share insights, challenges and experiences in a supportive learning environment, please click here for more details or email the co-ordinator of the Gathering christine.lines@findhorn.org

Over the next few months, until the Gathering commences in May, we will introduce you to some of the members of our community who have been invited to share their knowledge and experience, and learn from the exchange of ideas and information.

Representing Education:

Yvonne Cuneo, originally from Australia, has over the past 11 years worked in the Maintenance Team, been Head of Communications and a member of the Management team. Yvonne is now a member of the Building Bridges Team, a sacred dance teacher and a Game of Transformation facilitator. She combines co-creating programmes for the corporate world with writing the Foundation’s email newsletter and creating and delivering bespoke programmes for visiting groups.

Robin Alfred has extensive experience of coaching, training and organisational development in a wide variety of contexts. He is founding Director of the Findhorn Consultancy Service and a Lead Presenter for Olivier Mythodrama Associates. Formerly a Chair of the Findhorn Foundation’s Management Team he now Chairs the Foundation’s Board of Trustees.

Representing Programme Development:

Jacqueline Palmer has lived and worked in the Findhorn Foundation for the past 14 years and currently holds the role of Education Liaison & Development. She co-ordinates the calendar of events – the trainings, workshops and essential Findhorn programmes – that are listed in our annual brochure.

Representing Communications, Marketing and PR:

Eva Ward is the focaliser of the Communications Department, with 21 years’ experience of sounding Findhorn’s note in the world. She is also a member of the Foundation’s management team.

If you have any questions or there are particular aspects of this topic you would like to explore, please email the co-ordinator of the Gathering christine.lines@findhorn.org

By Dave Till and Christine Lines

This is the eight article in our series on Holistic Learning, to read the introduction and view the other components to follow please click here.

8. Sharings and Introductions

Experience Week, one of the core programmes of the Findhorn Foundation, introduces deep sharing and deep listening the ‘Findhorn’ way. In the welcome circle, everyone is invited to introduce themselves in turn, share about how they feel and their inspiration for being there. The focaliser of the group begins and leads by example.

All the other participants are invited to listen with an open heart and open mind and welcome each individual through their attention. It is a time to simply listen, not to comment or give feedback, making it a safe space for everyone. Groups form in a circle to reduce a sense of hierarchy and increase the sense of connection.

It is a standard practice in Findhorn that group members share about themselves and how they are feeling at ‘check-in’ times during a working or learning week.  Each programme and each work department will begin with a short check in or time of sharing, depending on the time available, to help everyone become fully present and increase awareness of each other within the group, developing empathy, compassion and understanding.

When a new group forms it is also standard practice that everyone introduces themselves. These techniques move the individual into emotional awareness and learning. A group that doesn’t share emotions is already disabled; by not incorporating what can often be felt in the field of awareness there can be a dissipation of energy and less effectiveness.

A group that hasn’t introduced its individual members and heard from each of them, hasn’t formed properly.  Acknowledging each person present creates an emotional connection and sense of openness.

Everyone, even the quiet introverted group member, can be included by these practices. When people have been invited to speak the first time, it often makes it easier for them to speak voluntarily and contribute to the group, task or process more fully. By being encouraged to share we develop our emotional intelligence, which can happen at any stage in life.

Each week we will introduce a new topic. Please feel free to add your views and comments to expand on it more fully.

To view the full working document on Holistic Education or share information please email christine.lines@findhorn.org

By Dave Till and Christine Lines

This is the seventh article in our series on Holistic Learning, to read the introduction and view the other components to follow please click here.

7. Changing Modes – Physical Activity and Playing Games

Changing modes is a useful term to signify changing to a different aspect of the whole person and not spending long periods in one ‘mode’. During a very mental session of learning, it can be helpful to change modes by moving into the physical – getting up, moving, playing games, taking a break. The group will often signify when this is necessary if the facilitator hasn’t noticed.

The mode can change organically from the mental level to the emotional, as students give their emotional reactions to a piece of knowledge. Dave said, “During the Findhorn Community Semester we would encourage students to indicate when they felt they needed to change modes. If they didn’t, staff would change modes after no longer than 45 minutes in one area. We would never do purely mental learning for hours at a time.”

A good repetoire of physical warm ups and games is very useful for changing modes. “Also on the FCS programme we encouraged students to bring their own warm-up techniques and games to class. Often we would rota in who would be doing the warm-up that day. (Usually we started every session with a structured warm-up). Attention has to be given to the physically infirm, but warm ups can be adapted for everyone.”

There are other options, beyond for example yoga or tai chi style physical warm ups. The book, “Building trust in groups” published by Findhorn Press explores ways to help groups function at their optimum level by encouraging openness, fun, co-operation and trust. The games can involve groups or pairs, be silent or vocal, silly or meaningful, still or active. All contribute to group bonding and a change from the mental level into the physical, and often the emotional and spiritual levels too.

During the three month Foundation Programme (which has now evolved into Spiritual and Personal Deepening) different presenters would come in for different sessions and we would often begin with a short game or exercise as a gentle introduction to the day.

One example is in a group of ten, there would be only nine chairs. Everyone would stand up and then one person would ask a question that is true for them, eg. “Who had breakfast this morning?” Everyone who had breakfast would rush for a seat first and the person left standing would ask the next question. This can continue for just five or ten minutes and become as bold as participants feel comfortable.

Games can relax the group or build the energy and can be introduced for different purposes. This one fosters spontaneity and can generate more attention in the information presented next, by shifting the energy in the room.

Each week we will introduce a new topic. Please feel free to add your views and comments to expand on it more fully.

To view the full working document on Holistic Education or share information please email christine.lines@findhorn.org

Over the next few months, until the Gathering commences in May, we will introduce you to some of the members of our community who are excited to be involved…

Ana Rhodes Castro has been living and working in the Findhorn Foundation since 1994. During this time she has worked within a variety of areas in the organisation.

Ana has been a member of the Central Management team over the last seven years, six of those spent being responsible for the area of Spiritual and Personal Development. This comprised of internal trainings, conflict facilitation, supervision and other internal structures that support the Findhorn Foundation to function gracefully and efficiently at an individual and collective level.

In February 2009 Ana stepped into the role of Chair of Management/Focaliser of the Findhorn Foundation. “What called me to take on this role was my deep love and desire to continue to serve and support the unfoldment of the Findhorn Foundation in the world as a Holistic Educational Centre, a Spiritual Community and a system dedicated to walking lightly on the planet”. Ana is one of the representatives of the Findhorn Foundation working in conjunction with the UN.

Part of her accreditation is as a Transpersonal Psychotherapist. She is also trained in Process Oriented Psychology. This enables her to work as a Psychotherapist, with young people, single adults and couples in the local Moray Area, Scotland. Ana also runs regular trainings and offers consultancy in Spain, the UK and other international locations such as South America.

One of Ana’s greatest passions is maximizing the inherent potential of individuals, groups and organisations in a way that is supportive and enhances the natural leadership that lives in people.

May East is a sustainability practitioner, educator and designer heading two international organisations: Gaia Education and CIFAL Findhorn – UNITAR Associated Training Center for Northern Europe.

Based at the UN Habitat Best Practice Designation Findhorn Ecovillage since 1992, May has been leading a whole generation of sustainability educators delivering trainings in 23 countries in the most different stages of development and in both urban and rural contexts, under the umbrella of Gaia Education.

A tireless networker she has played a prominent role in developing relationships between the UN and the Findhorn Ecovillage, culminating in the launch of CIFAL Findhorn in 2006.

May facilitates international think-tanks such as the Club of Budapest World Wisdom Council and delivers Transition Training since 2008, creating pathways for low-carbon global to regional performance.

She has a UNITAR diploma on Climate Change Diplomacy and has recently been nominated one of the 100 Global Sustain Ability Leaders 2011.

Graham Meltzer has a deep, abiding interest in shared or communal living, having lived two years on Kibbutz, eight years in Australia’s largest commune and five years at Findhorn.

Graham’s academic research of the last 15 years has focused on cohousing – looking specifically at the link between social cohesion and effective environmentalism.

His current role in the Findhorn Foundation is community architect and project manager, and teaching applied sustainability in undergraduate and postgraduate courses run by the Findhorn Foundation College.

Graham is organising the June 2013 event here at the Findhorn Foundation, Communal Pathways to Sustainable Living: Past, Present and Future.

If you have any questions or there are particular aspects of this topic you would like to explore, please email the co-ordinator of the Gathering christine.lines@findhorn.org

By Dave Till and Christine Lines

This is the sixth article in our series on Holistic Learning, to read the introduction and view the other components to follow please click here.

6. Feedback Loops

Based on his experience with the Findhorn Foundation College, Dave believes, “In any holistic programme you need good feedback methods to adjust and shape the programmes. This is particularly true of any programmes that are groundbreaking.” (Refer to the article on learning contracts for the value of clear feedback!)

Staff and students need to jointly assess their experience at the end of any course and the course needs to be modified accordingly. Feedback sheets and verbal sessions are common tools in the College. As holistic methods grow and evolve, feedback is essential for this to continue in the right directions.

Dave continues, “On the Findhorn Community Semester (FCS) programme at Findhorn, the structure was changed after every programme on the basis of feedback information from students and staff. Feedback sessions were also quite good fun.”

After any retreat or workshop, feedback sheets give participants and facilitators the opportunity to learn from each other, receive appreciation and weave insights and ideas into future programmes, for the benefit of all involved. It’s healthy to know what we’re doing well and where we can improve.

The Findhorn Foundation regularly hold education sessions for co-workers to attend. One important topic for people, however long they’ve been in the community, is giving and receiving feedback. This is defined as ‘the art of telling another person or group how they are perceived or experienced by you.’

There are continual opportunities for the exchange of feedback, in work departments, meetings or reviews to name just a few, and doing so skillfully makes all the difference. Feedback is often verbal and good feedback requires a high level of awareness.

One commonly known technique is ‘the sandwich’, i.e. sandwiching constructive feedback in between positive feedback, which makes it easier for the recipient to digest. Living and working in the Findhorn community, I was soon introduced to new techniques and one that seems so obvious and yet is often overlooked is asking permission to give feedback first. This shows respect for the feelings of the other, recognises the importance of appropriate timing and allows for the mindful pause before launching forth!

Prior to this stage, it’s important for the person offering feedback to first consider their intention. Does it come from a heart felt place, is the intention to create connection?

For the person on the receiving end, it can be helpful to consider ‘where is the 1% of truth in this?’ If it is challenging feedback to hear, this approach has the potential to minimise a defensive reaction and learn from the experience.

Feedback can also be requested via email, for example before the Spiritual and Personal Development (S&PD) team of the Findhorn Foundation departed for their annual retreat on Iona to review aspects of their work, they sent a request for feedback to all co-workers and included a list of questions to encourage response and stimulate ideas. I was surprised by how much feedback I had to offer when invited to do so!

When requesting written feedback it can be helpful to state the mission first, eg. from S&PD, ‘Our overall mission is to monitor and promote the personal, spiritual and professional well-being of the individuals and teams within the Findhorn Foundation’ as this creates a framework for the questions.

Asking specific questions is more likely to generate feedback that is helpful, however creating an open space for any other feedback that needs to find expression is also important. Allowing for anonymous feedback can help create a safe space if someone is concerned how their opinions will be received. Of course we all need to take responsibility in both giving and receiving feedback and be willing to stand by and expand on how we feel.

In giving feedback, the five steps to remember are;

1) Be clear about what the feedback is. Being vague and hesitant will increase the anxiety of the receiver and will not be understood. Being both direct and diplomatic is helpful.

2) Own the feedback you give – remember it is your own perception and not an ultimate truth. It therefore says as much about the person giving feedback as the person receiving it.

3) If the feedback is given regularly it is more likely to be useful. If this doesn’t happen there is a danger that grievances are built up and then delivered in one overwhelming package.

4) It is good to balance negative and positive feedback. If you find that feedback you give to an individual is either always critiquing or always affirming, this probably means that your view is distorted in some way.

5) Be specific – generalised feedback is hard to learn from. Applying the steps of Non Violent Communication (NVC), which is based on empathetic listening and honest expressing, can be helpful – expressing the observation, feeling, need and request eg. beginning with ‘I notice…’

In receiving feedback, the five steps to remember are;

1) It is not necessary to be completely passive in the process of receiving feedback. It is possible to share the responsibility that the feedback is well given. What is done with the feedback is entirely up to the receiver.

2) If the feedback is not given in the way suggested above then you can ask that it be more clear, owned, regular, balanced and specific. Ask questions to understand the feedback given.

3) Listen to feedback all the way through without judging it. This isn’t easy to do however jumping into a defensive response increases the possibility that the feedback will be misunderstood, as the ability to really listen and hear what is being said is obviously reduced.

4) Try not to immediately explain why you did, or didn’t, do something and try not to dismiss positive feedback. Simply hear it and acknowledge it by saying thank you.

5) Ask for feedback you have not been given but would like to hear, eg. “I haven’t heard your feedback about my presentation yesterday, how do you think I did?”

Each week we will introduce a new topic. Please feel free to add your views and comments to expand on it more fully.

To view the full working document on Holistic Education or share information please email christine.lines@findhorn.org

By Dave Till and Christine Lines

This is the fifth article in our series on Holistic Learning, to read the introduction and view the other components to follow please click here.

5. Learning Contracts and Learning Sets

Learning contracts are self-created contracts with yourself to encourage definite learning goals. These can be helpful for both participants and leaders of a group. Dave explains, ‘Within the Findhorn Community Semester programme, we created learning contract sheets that encouraged students to look at all the areas of holistic learning and set themselves targets.’

This was introduced on the advice of the Human Potential Research unit at Surrey University. However, as Dave continues, ‘In practice, some FCS students really hated the linear thinking behind the process and just tore theirs up! This rebellion became a great learning for staff, and we happily let them rebel and then adapted accordingly. We let the students who didn’t want to fill in a linear chart choose some other way of creating a contract with themselves or even in some cases ignore the process altogether!’

Dave considers this valuable feedback and a key learning situation happened when students expressed their dismay and dissent. It’s also a great example of holistic learning at its best. When challenges are approached from a more holistic perspective, creative alternatives are often the result.

In Stephen Covey’s latest book, ‘The 3rd Alternative‘, he introduces a breakthrough approach to resolving conflict and creative problem solving. Stephen describes a situation within the Lego Corporation when they responded in a more holistic way to the undesirable activity of hackers breaking into the Lego website.

The management team decided to open up dialogue with these people and understand the reasoning behind their behaviour. It became clear that the hackers were simply frustrated by the restrictions of Lego sets and wanted more freedom to create their own designs. Hence a whole new area of business opened up and a mutually rewarding and beneficial partnership for all involved.

Sub groups formed for the purpose of learning and development. In holistic terms, these are called learning sets. Other examples include groups who want to research a particular area of learning and compare and contrast their notes. Learning sets encourage education in a similar way to how a meditation group supports the meditation practice of the individual.

In the recent two week training to facilitate the Game of Transformation, the group of five trainees formed a learning set and each individual was encouraged to create their progress list. This was displayed on the wall and included the areas of learning within the training, eg. technical knowledge of the game, listening skills, intuitive ability, questioning skills to deepen a player’s process, confidence with the role of facilitation, whatever felt of most importance to each person.

At the beginning of the training a number from 1 – 10, 1 representing low and 10 high, was written next to each topic, and each trainee was encouraged to mark their progress throughout the two weeks. Similar to a learning contract, it was more of a visual progress list, yet both are created with the clear intention to deepen the learning process and trust the wisdom of the individual.

When a new learning set forms, it can also be helpful to create a group agreement as a form of contract. Through open dialogue, each person has the opportunity to express what is important to them, eg. punctuality, confidentiality, only one person speaking at a time, etc. Whatever is most appropriate and supportive for the group. Shared understanding and clear expectations when a group initially forms can go a long way in reducing potential conflict and also allow for flexibility as the group develops.

Each week we will introduce a new topic. Please feel free to add your views and comments to expand on it more fully.

To view the full working document on Holistic Education or share information please email christine.lines@findhorn.org

2. Experience the founding principles of the Findhorn Foundation – inner listening, love in action and co-creation with nature – as they are woven into everyday life within the community

3. Explore practical topics such as sustainability, education & programming, marketing & PR, governance & decision making, fundraising, staffing & volunteers, and children & eldercare

4. Connect with like minded souls dedicated to a more holistic, positive and sustainable future and gain insight into the work taking place all over the world

5. Link up with other centres and strengthen the Network of Light, creating a spiritual force greater in potential than the sum of its parts

6. Learn how other holistic centres function, ask questions and share your own wisdom and experience

7. Share best practices as well as greatest challenges, in an open and supportive space, and have fun in the process

8. Make personal connections with people from other centres, strengthen the flow of peace, love and light around the planet, and develop our unity in diversity

9. Be inspired and develop new ideas that have the potential to transform your Centre

10. Reflect on your personal mission and purpose in life, and strengthen your focus and direction

If you would like more details on the 2012 Gathering or want to book your place, please click here to link to www.findhorn.org

Sharing words of wisdom from Eileen Caddy

Let there be unity in diversity. See the many paths all leading to the centre, each one different and yet each one leading in the same direction. The closer they come to the centre, the greater the unity, until all become one and there is no longer diversity but complete unity.

You will find it taking place more and more with the many centres of light all over the world. As the world situation grows darker and worsens, so shall they grow brighter and brighter, until light overcomes all darkness.

It is good to see a wider picture of what is taking place, but it is also very important to realise that it all starts within you. Realise that what is taking place within the individual goes out into the world and is reflected in the world situation.

That is why peace of heart and mind is so essential within you, and why harmony, understanding and deep love should flow between you and others.

From Opening Doors Within
365 Daily Meditations from Findhorn

By making it possible for members of communities to visit each other and experience different cultures in an environment conducive to learning, exchanging ideas, personal growth and nourishing personal connections, greater understanding and appreciation of our unity in diversity can develop.

In the spirit of the Network of Light, strengthening connections between communities, the Findhorn Foundation has established community exchange agreements with the like-minded communities listed below and your community is invited to join this exchange!

USA/CANADA

Esalen
Renowned alternative education centre and community in a beautiful setting on the west coast of California, with hot tubs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Combine a visit with a longer trip to Canada or in the US.
www.esalen.org

Lama Foundation
A spiritual community founded by Ram Das and others in the 1970’s in the mountains of sunny New Mexico.
www.lamafoundation.org

Sky Meadow Retreat
This is a beautiful, small community in Vermont and an ideal place to relax and unwind.
www.skymeadowretreat.com

Hollyhock
“Our spectacular natural setting on Cortes Island in British Columbia is an ideal backdrop for transformative experiences.” Hollyhock would love to have visitors who can give presentations and sharings in depth about how The Foundation works and runs.
www.hollyhock.ca

Twin Oaks
A working community in Virginia that amongst other things is experimenting with alternative economic systems.
www.twinoaks.org

THAILAND

Wongsanit Ashram
The ashram was established in 1985 as an intentional community for simple living and for engaging in social action and spiritual peace. This is a great opportunity to experience a community in the “two-thirds world”.
www.sulak-sivaraksa.org

INDIA

Auroville
This is such a decentralized community that they are not able to create a community exchange programme. However,they are still open to trying to create an exchange-like visit for you, if you know Auroville is the place you’re drawn to visit.
www.auroville.org

EUROPE

Cortijo Romero
A beautiful workshop centre in sunny, southern Spain. They prefer community exchange between October and May (excluding Christmas, New Year and Easter).
www.cortijo-romero.co.uk

Holy Island
An Interfaith Centre linked with Samye Ling Monastery, run by Sean a South African monk. It’s on the west coast of Scotland and has workshops, retreats etc. An ideal place for peace and inspiration not too far from the Findhorn Foundation.
www.holyisland.org

Tamera
A community of about 200 people in southern Portugal that focuses on peace work, sustainable living, connection with nature and youth education.
www.tamera.org

Zegg
A German community with whom the FF have many mutually beneficial exchanges. They started as a social experiment, with emphasis on transparency in relationships. They now have a strong ecological focus and growing spiritual awareness. The summer camp is a great experience which is highly recommended by previous participants.
www.zegg.de

Conditions and further information

This programme is available for all full time co-workers who have been in the Findhorn Foundation for two years or more. The exchanges generally come out of your holiday/personal time.  However, for longer exchanges other arrangements are negotiable. Visit the web to find out more about the communities.

FF co-workers can visit without having to pay the usual accommodation fees. During an exchange the hosting community provide you with accommodation and food for free. You pay for your own transport to and from the community. Pocket money is the responsibility of the visiting person or their community.

Different communities have different availability and conditions, e.g. some involve some kind of work exchange. If you do a workshop you may have to pay something.

A formal agreement is set up for each individual exchange.

If your community is interested in joining the FF community exchange programme, or if you’re a FF co-worker and would like to make an application to one of the communities listed above, please contact Caroline Matters via email caroline.matters@findhorn.org for more details.

Staff here in the Foundation receive a small monthly allowance and often need to be creative to fund their travel to visit family or attend conferences etc., so we understand the financial restraints that people in other communities might also be experiencing.

We aim to co-create a wonderfully diverse Gathering, with participants from each continent, all sharing their ideas, wisdom and experience, and believe that everyone who is called to come will find a way to make their vision possible.

FF programmes offer income related prices, to help make a visit here affordable for all, and you can also apply for a bursary which will reduce your costs to an extent. However, depending on your financial circumstances this may not be enough and this is where the fundraising ideas come in…

With all fundraising ideas, some key elements to consider are:

1. How will your participation in the Gathering make a tangible difference to your Holistic Centre?
2. What will you bring back from the experience to share with your community?
3. How will your involvement in the Gathering enhance your holistic work?

Some suggestions to raise funds include:

1. Identify potential sponsors (both corporate and individual)
2. If your holistic centre has a website, offer to promote the sponsors on the site in exchange for sponsorship – offer them something tangible in return for their investment
3. Identify local / national grant-givers / trusts in your country of origin eg. Grundtvig funding and view the list of National Agencies for lifelong learning (note you need to apply well in advance, so do your research now!)
4. Design and display a poster in your centre explaining your intention and encouraging support
5. Organise an event with the support of your holistic centre (see ideas below)
6. Contact your local media – if they can create a story that has a personal/human element and that also includes images, they are the most powerful and the most likely to be published
7. If your centre has an email list or a newsletter, let people know that your centre wants to send a representative / or you aim to attend the Gathering and invite support, either directly or through a fundraising event, or both!
8. If your centre has a website, promote the Gathering on the website, tell the story, tell people that you would love to attend and why, and then ask for support (this might be in the form of donations or other ideas)

Fundraising Ideas:

Fundraising events are a great way to raise money and can be great fun for you, your friends and supporters, all for a great cause. If you organise an event as a team and the team invites all their friends and colleagues it’s usually possible to gather a good crowd.  Your community or local festivals offer a great captive audience!

Dinner Party

Invite your friends for an evening meal and charge them for the pleasure of being your guest! You could make it a potluck meal where everyone brings a dish (when you invite friends, specify if you’d like them to bring entrée, main or dessert). It makes it interesting to have a special theme eg. Indian, Hawaiian or Mexican.

Guessing Competition

You might remember this one from your schooldays? It brings out the inner child in people and is good for a giggle! Get a large jar and fill it with sweets, coins or something unusual and take it around to show friends and family in community. Invite them to guess how many objects are in the jar and charge for each guess. Then announce the winner of the jar and all it’s contents at a specified time (eg. the end of the day or one week later).

Movie Night

Choose a great movie, eg. one connected to your fundraising cause, arrange a venue, a slide projector and screen, and lots of chairs and cushions (or encourage people to bring their own). Invite your friends and family to a night at the movies and collect donations on the door. Choose a film you know your friends will want to see and a night of the week when most of them are free or when there aren’t too many other events vying for their attention. Email invitations and display posters around your community with a few weeks notice and encourage people to come when you see them. Word of mouth is always great advertising and makes it more personal.

Trivia Quiz or Music Night

Organise a fun night in your community centre with trivia teams, word games, or musical entertainment. Charge people an entry fee and pass the hat around when they are inside also for extra donations when everyone is enjoying themselves. It’s a good idea to have an MC who is relaxed and entertaining and can keep the evening flowing and generate more interest in your reason for fundraising. Think about the snowball effect!

Raffle or Auction

Ask friends and family if they would like to donate a gift or service (eg. second hand books or a one-hour massage. Or if you have a special skill such as candle making or pottery, arrange a display of your work. Sell raffle tickets or arrange an auction if you know someone who has the skills and willingness to be involved!

Yoga or Dance

If you’re a teacher of yoga or dance (or any other group activity) or have a friend that’s willing to donate their time, arrange a special class or evening when all the donations go towards your fundraising cause. You’re raising funds and contributing to the health and well being of others!

Home Made Cakes

Everyone loves a delicious homemade cake!  Encourage a few friends to get together for a baking and have fun making a range of cakes and sweets (including wheat free, dairy free and sugar free options to ensure there’s something for everyone!) Cut them into reasonable size slices and take a trestle table and recyled paper plates to the village green or community centre (or wherever the heart of your community might be, choose a popular time, when people have more free time to stop and chat (eg. Sunday brunch).

These are just are few ideas to stimulate your creativity, that can be tailored to suit the uniqueness of your community.
Click here to download the PDF: Fundraising – Useful Websites

Promote your event in plenty of time to maximise it’s potential, eg. word of mouth, posters, email, website, local and community news. Raise awareness of your intention to fundraise, include why, when and where!

Please check with your local community / centre so you’re familiar with guidelines and regulations before you plan your event.