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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>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 <A
href="http://www.spiritedwork.org">www.spiritedwork.org</A>.) 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.</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Thought you might enjoy her story.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Peggy</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>P.S. If you're interested in buying a copy of
Spirited Food, the cookbook Anne mentions in the story, let me
know.</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV>CREATING KNOWLEDGE AT SPIRITED WORK<BR><BR>OUR STORY ABOUT SPIRIT, MONEY
AND OUR MATERIAL NEEDS<BR><BR>By, Anne
Stadler<BR><BR> 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.
<BR> 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!<BR>ource of anxiety and confusion-indicating
this was a grand opportunity for new learning!!<BR>
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.<BR> 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.)<BR> 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. <BR> Here is what we
did:<BR> 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.<BR> 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.
<BR> 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.<BR> 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.<BR> 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. <BR> 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!<BR> 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.<BR> 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<BR> 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. <BR> 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!<BR>arting to earn money. The whole thing feels
like SUCH a lesson in how staying aligned with abundance.<BR>.<BR>What we have
learned:<BR> By being true to our Intentions, we are creating
abundance and sharing the wealth as well as the costs.<BR> 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. <BR> 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.
<BR> We also learned that clear intention applied in making
practical decisions all the way along drives manifestation. <BR>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.<BR> <BR>LET'S CREATE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THIS ALL IMPORTANT
SUBJECT:<BR>Please ADD your part of the story! <BR>What is your "aha"
experience re. money and creating abundance in SW? <BR>Please tell your
story, and reflect on what it means in general-<BR>AND ADD TO THIS
NARRATIVE!.<BR><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>_______________________________<BR>Peggy
Holman<BR>The Open Circle Company<BR>15347 SE 49th Place<BR>Bellevue, WA
98006<BR>425.746.6274<BR><A
href="http://www.opencirclecompany.com">www.opencirclecompany.com</A></FONT></DIV>
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