The Vision Task Force Report

One of the questions posed in the online conversation for the Springboard Gathering was what are the global contradictions / key issue / focus that are calling for our collective attention. To begin on this, a VISION small group began a process of discerning our vision for the future from which to identify contradictions or key issues.

We asked all of the springboard participants to brainstorm answers to this question: “WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE IN PLACE 5 years, to10 years, to 30 YEARS FROM NOW AS A RESULT OF OUR INDIVIDUAL, CONNECTED EFFORTS?”

In our first work session (about 60 minutes), while the other groups worked, we did four things: 1. we talked a bit about the “best” way to do this, 2. we roughly organized the cards in 3 areas: a. those related to the external, the world, b. those related to the internal, and c. those in between. 3. we clustered the cards and titled and subtitled 12 columns (4 “external”, 5 “internal”, and 3 in between). 4. we highlighted those cards that were SHINING MOST BRIGHTLY for us because they seem most significant, caught our attention, or ones we are intuitively most eager to see happen—these are marked below with !!) In our second work session, we made some adjustments in the clusters and started a conversation about what we have with this and how to move it forward. Out of this session, Jim Wiegel offered to document the cards, Dave Thomas wrote a few sentences of commentary on the vision, Dick West expanded several of the !! cards with bullet points (see documentation below),

FOLLOW THROUGH For everyone, as you look over this, which items REALLY SHINE FOR YOU? Send your thoughts and ideas around. As a small group we intend to work more with this on behalf of the whole group. We discussed ways to move ahead with this (see below)

1. Work further to understand the brainstorm both rationally and intuitively by further reflection and conversation 2. Do further reflection in our own situations about where and how to move this emerging vision to reality and beginning to identify obstacles we encounter. 3. We think we need further input both in terms of individual thinking from others and also items and insights from any reading or study that seems relevant. 4. We project needing further face to face time to work on vision and get into contradictions 5. We need approaches to do this that bring in new developments in process that will take us to new ways of seeing this vision and the contradictions that it exposes.

I. INTERNAL Ia. A SIMPLE, TRANSPARENT COVENANT / STRUCTURE Financial model, self-sufficiency and some seed monies Next 5 year mission statement six dominants, 5 subpoints each New practical forms of poverty, chastity, obedience Expect contacts and interactions from other members

Ib. VIRTUAL LINKAGES, WIRING THE CORPORATE MINDS The education insights of #I are based on rich cultural history a dispersed world wide Education system based on individual needs Improved (more of a focus) communication Mindfulness—opportunities for political engagement provided via web portal Accessible reinterpretations of our wisdom, future oriented Some healing connectedness with ICA-USA Opportunities for participating in weekly virtual collegia Virtual collegium

Ic. GATHERINGS, NURTURING A PERSON’S WAY OF BEING Annual research assemblies !! Network of creativity (retreat)centers five retreat centers Celebration of the miracles of diaspora A loose but connected network of global / local retreat centers where spirit and other methods are shared Schedule meeting in Japan ‘08 ICAI conference annual schedule of gatherings

Id. GLOBAL RESEARCH, STUDY & PLANNING, STAYING ON EDGE Common study, plan New social process analysis 21st C CRRP Global needs / issues focused Define planetary contradictions!! Action plan interchange Virtual research system

Ie. THEOLOGY, GETTING OUR WISDOM INTO THE WORLD !! Publications: a significant increase in books, articles (publications) sharing an array of insights, tools, methods appropriate to a large audience (individuals, companies, non-profits, etc.) Program format to actualize profound humanness chart (1977) edge 21st Century language in all pubs (paper and web) Us in a consultant capacity to conferences and a creator of unique conference dcesigns Expertise—“people who know how spirit is the key” Mindfulness—an order myth is told as personal story by those connected II.

* IIa. FORMATION PROCESS, TRAINING NEW MEMBERS Formation of the already awakened !! Continuation of people who share our EI theological understanding of humanness and response to being human a set of courses to support the new / radical university movement globally (environment), moral, etc. Developsome format for growth, sustainability by recruiting new members who don’t have a 30 year history Soulfulness, those who will have a commttment to discipline of connection via web 2 new generations of leadership Soul friend training design Boot camp drill seargeants

IIb. PRESENCING CARE, LOCAL COMMUNITY CARING FOR PEOPLE Local care sustaining structures (core, congregation, outreach) Points of awakened communities & organizations every 100 miles

IIc. HUMAN WORKPLACE Spirituality in workplace conferences Discover depth spirit issue of guild members

III. EXTERNAL, WORLD, Working with existing organizations !!

IIIa. GLOBAL CONNECTIVITY Global consensus on process for handling global conflicts Strategy for impacting ‘08 US elections Support Middle East peace process

IIIb. PLANETARY ECONOMY: SHFITING THE PLANETARY ECONOMY Micro-credit everywhere !! Commoditized financial systems Clear trend to equality in incomes

IIIc. ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY Watershed communities carbon sinking Workable plan for limiting population growth

IIId. INDIVIDUAL, SOCIETAL WELL-BEING A life-giving spirit-centered public school system = K-Post secondary Near complete access to education / internet Maximum individual choice Alternative health approach preferred

COMMENTARY: The uniqueness of our spirit movement is our theological understanding, shared during the period of Joe mathews and the Order Ecumenical. Our mission is to get this theological understanding to those who are caring for the world. Since our diaspora, we have not maintained structures for providing this theological understanding to our new colleagues. (this is a contradiction). Unlikely to return to former structures, we can use electronic communication and cooperation technologies to create structures and processes effective within a dispersed community. BULLETS OF EXPLICATION FROM DICK WEST: SOME HEALING CONNEXUS OF ICA-USA Forget it, let it happen or not Grief work happens at different speeds for different people Opportunities for all to find coherence with ongoing and new efforts

NETWORK OF CREATIVITY (RETREAT CENTERS AND CADRES) Can always find places to meet Retreat centers can become centers for various expressions of coherence Networking may or may not happen Recognizing what’s going to happen anyway

ACCESSIBLE REINTERPETATION OF OUR WISDOM (FUTURE ORIENTED) Info from learning group what is our wisdom in contemporary terms? Who needs it most? What do we need to say?

FORMATION OF THE ALREADY AWAKENED Define awakened combine with awakening process Chart awakenment journey for our time Begins w/ life stories so what does formation mean now?

RESEARCH ASSEMBLIES many ways to do Few or many focused narrow or broad Might be contradiction based, possibly guild based Everything is connected—no way to keep the chaos out How use ICA International & 2008 conference

MICROCREDIT EVERYWHERE Micro-credit success has been fully demonstrated Micro-credit process builds community and has the power to precipitate micro-action in other arenas Power is bieng concentrated in fewer and fewer hands —this helps move away from that Supporting in whatever way we individually can communities / groups responsibly working in this area.

DEFINE PLANETARY CONTRADICTION Create a history of contradictions CSP VIS contrad – did about—result—ne situation Context for action: all the goods, all the gifts, all the decisions True Depth issue What that’s going on now which must change stated so we can do something about it Also define individual / personal contradictions for moving ahead to make a difference

WORKING WITH EXISTING ORGANIZATIONS Compare values / vision / way of working Synergy “Outsourcing” can give away critical skill sets

GETTING OUR WISDOM INTO THE WORLD find the gaps create images which find acceptance, promise to enable wholeness Integrate wisdom of world into ours—new articulations—test out and integrate / change as needed

EDUCATION INSIGHTS ARE BASED ON RICH CULTURAL HISTORY FROM WORLD-WIDE SOURCES Indigenous Waldorf schools—Rudolph Steiner—fast growing Educating for what CSP —education situations / results Coordination with how brain works

Jim and Judy Wiegel

-- GordonHarper - 25 Oct 2007