Village Community : a Vision for All
My Vision is that sacred spaces exist for entire families, that build community and co-creative sharing of energy.
This Vision includes spaces where women, men and children can find solitude or connection, can build and grow, or retreat and rejuvenate.
This is a sharing of energy that is contributive, intentional and unlimited.
In this community we connect in Realationship.
There are no dictators or people of higher decree/degree. Everyone is equal - woman, man or child.
There are simply individuals and families working together for a common goal : to be present with all the aspects of daily life as it is.
I call this VILLAGE COMMUNITY.
What do you mean by village’?
In my Vision there are 9 core values of village community. This is not about living physically in close proximity to each other, but rather that we live our everyday lives in intentional proximity to each other. In other words, by holding strongly to the same set of core values, we are creating a global village of like minds who activate Real living, wherever we are in the world :
Be a Renegade – be willing to live outside the mainstream. A renegade as defined by the Institute R.E.b.E.L.s is a person who bails against what everyone else is doing or the expected norm. Be willing to be free!
Be a Leader - walk your talk and lead by example. The village community doesn’t need preachers, it needs doers – people who are blazing their own trails. If you’re not sure if your path is the right one, see above.
Be contributive – share your gifts. Every one of us is unique and in the perfect position to achieve what we’re here to do. Do what YOU can. Comparing yourself to others is futile – only you can contribute your own brand of awwweeesssoomme, and that is just what this world is waiting for!
Be creative – trust your way even if it’s not the same as others. Follow your heart and be fearless with new ideas that you believe will benefit the world. Invent new ways. Allow your limits to drive your unlimited choices.
Be present – life is now. Bountiful reasons to celebrate can be found in every moment of everyday. It takes gratitude and conscious, mindfulness. It takes people who are willing to let go of the past and not to get caught up in the future. Being present is about paying attention to right now.
Be accepting – accept other peoples sacred point of view, even if it is not the same as your own. You don’t even have to like their opinion, but it is important to real-eyes that as we all walk on this earth we are all of equal value to each other. Allowing and accepting other people’s opinion means that you are able to direct your energy to what you really need to do to make your own visions a reality.
Be power-full – when you are filled with your own power no one can take that away from you. Paying attention to your own business, and allowing others to have theirs is a rad way of ensuring that all of your energy goes into building your own power, and therefore your own Vision.
Be love – love is the only way. we are all walking the path of life on earth. Everyone has their own story. When in doubt, react with kindness. When in doubt of the way forward, turn to love. When you have no other option, use love. When you are not sure where to go next, go with love. Love will meet you in return.
Be you - because there ain’t no one else you’re meant to be. Embrace the wonders of You : all of it : the wondrous, the difficult and the downright shitty. If it’s a part of you and your essence, then it is important. Where there is pain you may choose to heal it, where there is happiness you may choose to celebrate it. Altogether, these things are you and we in the village love you exactly as you are.
I’ve been focusing on this kind of community for some time now. I continue to gather with people of like mind, who share the Vision for village community. We each find the different areas we are most passionate about. We contribute our gifts and what we love to do. We are creating change.
I am meeting more and more people who also want a supportive space to be the change in. There are so many women leading families into the New Way. They all do it differently and often in isolation. But it doesn’t have to be that way. We can make choices that include our entire family and the co-creation of the type of sacred spaces that have held women for so long.
You are not alone.
I'm allowing my Self to believe in the village community Vision. I’ve been thinking about it, practicing it, speaking about it, and hearing the excited responses in return. We are the change. Now, with everything I do I check in with this Vision. I am led by this quote :
“Look closely at the present you are constructing. It should look like the future you are dreaming.” – Alice Walker
So whatever I do, I ask the question, does it support my way forward? Do my decisions in my personal life, business life, emotional head space and family everyday align to this Vision? And if not, why am I doing it? Most times, now that I’ve made the commitment to this Vision, it is easy to let the things that do not align fall away.
It has led me to the decisions around how I offer this Institute space, how I engage with my local community and how I move through the world everyday. It has led me to find more examples of Village Communities, like Bluegum Bushcraft the Wise Women Gathering, Ancestral Movement Retreats, and the Village Continuum. I've also been calling people together in my local community to find different and nourishing ways to spend time together. It’s all about contribution and co-creation. Really, it’s that simple.
If this village community Vision speaks to you, and you can see yourself working with the 9 core values of the village (which is global by the way, it’s got nothing to do with where you live!) perhaps you will be interested in finding out what I will be doing in the next few months. I’d love to hear from you!
Together, we are the change.