Learning at Spirited Work about spirit, money and our material needs

Fri Jan 10 12:23:59 PST 2003

Where can I find good instructions on forming an OST learning community?

Bobbi Bilnoski

Concinnity Network
214-293-8696 cell
bobbi at concinnity.net 

-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Peggy
Holman
Sent: Friday, January 10, 2003 1:37 PM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Learning at Spirited Work about spirit, money and our material
needs

>From time to time, I've mentioned Spirited Work.  It is an Open Space
learning community, about to enter its fifth year of meeting four times a
year in OS using Angeles Arrien's archetypes as a learning lens.  (More info
is at www.spiritedwork.org.)   Anne Stadler just wrote a delicious piece on
an amazing story about our relationship to money.  In the past year, we've
moved from a debt of $5,000 to available funds of $7,000 (a $12,000 swing)
through following a feeling of abundance and following what has heart and
meaning.  To me, it has been a fabulous example of learning to collecitvely
live in open space.

Thought you might enjoy her story.

Peggy

P.S.  If you're interested in buying a copy of Spirited Food, the cookbook
Anne mentions in the story, let me know.

CREATING KNOWLEDGE AT SPIRITED WORK

OUR STORY ABOUT SPIRIT, MONEY AND OUR MATERIAL NEEDS

By,  Anne Stadler

      The four Founding SW Convenors started with a commitment to "Sharing
Costs" AND "transparency" as the basis of how we would care for the material
level of Spirited Work.  
      Initially, Vivienne handled this aspect of our common life.  As far as
I can tell, Vivienne operated on an implicit assumption of "enough".  That
is, she assumed that if she articulated a sliding scale of costs, and
everyone were honest about what they could pay, it would all come out even.
So that's what we did.  BUT, Whidbey Institute didn't know how much it cost
to run the place, AND the sliding scale she established didn't communicate
the actual costs.  So, the first two years we were very hit or miss in
meeting our costs-and it was never very clear whether we did do so, or not.
For instance, in 2000, we thought we had given Whidbey Institute enough
money to pay for our share of costs, then later on we learned we did not-so
we took up a collection at the end of the year to make up the
difference-then later it seemed that this figure had been wrong as well and
we still owed money.  In any case, the whole issue of sharing the costs of
our material welfare became a s!
ource of anxiety and confusion-indicating this was a grand opportunity for
new learning!!
     Quite a bit of energy gathered around this: positive and negative.
Marketplace offerings reflected this focal point of interest in the
community.  We began to talk about the Radiant Bank.  We began to focus on
abundance-rather than lack, as a result of noticing the world around us and
the lessons of the natural world.  We began to pay increasing attention to
what sustainability means: that you had to address the material level as
well as the emotional and spiritual levels to do spirited work in the world.
People were stepping forward in the Marketplace, offering a variety of
topics which indicated their interest in helping with the material aspect of
our life as a community.
    So we Convenors realized that people wanted to steward the material
level of our community in a more thoughtful and efficient way.  We named
that function "stewarding", and invited those who cared about stewarding to
do so.  Initially the Stewards group focused on the material level of our
welfare.  Leadership came forward, and interested stewards evolved a
workable approach to realizing our commitment to sharing costs and creating
abundance as the basis for how we share the material support of SW.  (This
was the result of many conversations between MaryElla Keblusek, Walt
Blackford and responsible Whidbey Institute folks, as well as numerous
marketplace offerings and conversations on Catalyst.)
    As a result, we sorted out the real costs, started a Community Fund to
realize our intention to support all who were attracted to Spirited Work,
and we decided on a course of transparent communication so that the whole
community of Spirited Work was aware of the details of our material life.  
   Here is what we did:
   We started the year with a debt of $5,000 to BigMindMedia. This debt
resulted from the fact we'd had an agreement for the year 2001 to pay
BigMindMedia $5,000 for its services in maintaining our web environment BUT
we forgot to actually figure that into our costs or to pay them.  So,
starting 2002,  we had this debt to BigMind, we had a commitment to create a
Community Fund so we could realize our SW Community Agreement intention to
"create the abundance necessary for all who are attracted to Spirited Work
to be able to participate"  AND we had to each pay our share of the total
cost of being together at Spirited Work.
   The morning of the first Friday of our first gathering in January 2002,
we put a large copper bowl in the middle of our circle.  In that bowl, we
put information about all these costs.  AND we made it clear that as a
community, this was our shared material obligation.  In welcoming people and
articulating our intention for the year, I spoke about this bowl, why it was
in the middle of our circle, and of the principles which guide our approach
to money and our material needs.  I invited people to contribute to the
whole of our material welfare-as they found this had heart and meaning for
them.  
   We also supplied detailed written information about how the shared costs
were arrived at, what they supported, etc.  MaryElla also spoke, and offered
a marketplace session as well as her personal availablity to anyone who
really cared about these issues.  Questions about money and our material
needs came up in the closing circle, and we again realized the importance of
continually reiterating how we care for those needs.  We have made all our
decision-making and communication transparent on Catalyst, and we have done
the same each seasonal gathering in writing and in speaking.
   At first, a group of Stewards volunteered to take responsibility for the
Community Fund and for raising money to support that Fund and paying off our
debts.  Joan McNeary, Sue MacNab, Michael Dobbie, Jo Shelver were all part
of this initial group.  They met several times and came up with a variety of
ideas for raising money-a one of which was to have a big auction in the
fall.  Membership in that task group fluctuated during the year, but those
who stayed with it evolved a very practical, inviting method of paying
attention to our money needs.
   Over the course of the year, what started as a Silent Auction to
"practice" for the REAL BIG Auction in the fall, became a regular
low-maintenance occasion for recycling our "extra" valuables, offering our
services, and buying them from each other in a Silent Auction which took
place each seasonal weekend.  
   The Silent Auction raises about $2,000 each season for the Community
Fund.  My favorite story about the Silent Auction is that at the first one,
Fritz Hull bought an item for himself.  He forgot to pick it up.  At the
second Auction, it came back out again, and Vivienne bought it for Fritz and
gave it to him! Without knowing he'd bought it earlier!
   Our efforts to help the whole materially also bring wonderful personal
connections between Spirited Work seasonal gatherings:  eg. Gabriel buys
Yoga lessons from Candi, and sees her and other Spirited Workers in town;
Jerilyn, Anne and Dave, Paul, Joy M. and Sue McNab offer a Pistolet dinner,
and a SW consortium buys it! --and spends the evening together eating up a
storm.
   So one take-home lesson from this is experience is do what is FUN, EASY,
and brings JOY when you focus on creating material abundance
    Another initiative happened:  Noticing our delight in eating and
creating sustainable approaches to food and abundance, Anne  and Dave
Stadler, Steve Silha, Nancy Bond and Jo Shelver  invited everyone to help
create a Spirited Food cookbook to raise money for the Community Fund.  They
were joined by Leslye Wood (who turned out to be the REAL honcho behind
getting the book done!), Ann Amberg and Katie French.  Anne and Dave, Steve
Silha, and Sue McNab choose to front the money for the cookbook, and are
being paid back as the cookbook sells.  
   There seemed to be a deep creative stream which supported the book all
the way along.  Nancy Bond had to drop out.  So we asked for help and Ann
Amberg and Katie French showed up to help on the graphic design. To begin
with, Anne Stadler thought she and Dave could front the entire amount of $$.
But in the fall when we were ready to print, she and Dave had unexpected
family expenses which meant they couldn't afford to front all the costs.
So, she called Steve and Sue McNab to ask for help, and they were able to
give it.  We were also delayed getting the book together, and when Anne was
called away to deal with a family emergency, the book needed to be taken to
the printers and final production work was needed.  Again, Anne asked for
help.  Leslye had an opening in her busy professional schedule, so she
stepped in and took over the entire production process. The book came out in
time for the November gathering of Spirited Work in time for sale as
Christmas gifts, and is st!
arting to earn money.  The whole thing feels like SUCH a lesson in how
staying aligned with abundance.
.
What we have learned:
    By being true to our Intentions, we are creating abundance and sharing
the wealth as well as the costs.
    The year 2002, we ended up with a surplus of money which we are sharing
with the Whidbey Institute, giving as a turnkey grant to Peter Donaldson for
SalmonPeople development, buying a gift for the Sanctuary, and starting the
year with a bank account for the Community Fund.   
   We also have actualized the Radiant Bank concept of individuals "lending"
money and resources to help deserving projects happen, which will then be
paid back as the projects earn.   AND we have initiated a formal Resource
Bank of people who are offering their services through Spirited Work at the
Whidbey Institute, and donating part of the funds they receive back to SW at
the Whidbey Institute. 
    We also learned that clear intention applied in making practical
decisions all the way along drives manifestation.  
To take practical action, you follow what has heart and meaning, measure
what you are doing against the intention you declared, and ask for what you
need, when you need it.  When glitches or unexpected events happen, you keep
the space open for emergence: notice what is happening, listen for Guidance,
and welcome places of anxiety and static as evidence of the opening for new
learning.

LET'S CREATE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THIS ALL IMPORTANT SUBJECT:
Please ADD your part of the story!  
What is your "aha" experience re. money and creating abundance in SW?  
Please tell your story, and reflect on what it means in general-
AND ADD TO THIS NARRATIVE!.

_______________________________
Peggy Holman
The Open Circle Company
15347 SE 49th Place
Bellevue, WA  98006
425.746.6274
www.opencirclecompany.com

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