No Bluebirds Here!

Too Many Bluebirds - A Fairytale

Once upon a time there was a far away land. In this land, some things were similar and some things were different to the land that we know of today. People were similar to the people of today, but some things were different. People in this land could see things that in our land today we cannot see. People could see and experience each others’ thoughts, intentions, wishes and desires.

Not only that, it became very obvious when thoughts and intentions did not match their actions. But how? you might ask. These were seen as little blue birds waiting for a nest to build their home in. So how did this work?

In this land if you talked about an intention, or even thought an intention or a wish, a little bluebird would appear and fly around your shoulder. It would stay there until you completed the intention. People who did not complete their intentions would end up with many birds around their shoulders, and like the statue under the pigeons… you can imagine what their shoulders looked like…

So my question to you is, How many birds are flying around your shoulders - How many bluebirds have you attracted?

-Silvia Zuur

The Beautiful First Days of Autumn

: By Vini Ferez

Editorial

It is with great thanks and excitement that I ‘officially’ hand over the reigns of editorship of the YouthSection eNews to Caitlin Vollmer. Caitlin has already overseen the publication of the last eNews in April, as well as the first eNews after Ani Hanelius’ time as editor. She will remain editor until January. I look forward to supporting her as much as she and Silvia Zuur supported me and Katie Dobb over the last 15 issues, or so.

Thanks to all those who contributed articles and photographs over the last couple of years – for it is you and your work in the world that the eNews has striven to highlight. Katie and I are grateful for the opportunity we’ve had to share your work with so many others. We will both continue our work in the YouthSection, of course, and look forward to supporting this network in new ways.

With warmest wishes, John Stubley.

Coffee - Culture - Community

: Photos by: Banjo Mountain Cafe

Banjo Mountain Cafe

What role does a cafe play in a community? Can making cappuccinos change people's lives; change the life of a community; change the world? These kinds of questions have been on my mind a lot lately, probably because my partner and I just opened a cafe – the Banjo Mountain Cafe in Harlemville, NY. Here's the story:

Eight months ago a local bookstore owner put out a call inviting people to give their input into what they thought the bookstore should become. The unanimous answer was: a cafe! My partner and I shared this inclination and eventually offered to take the new venture on, not as a personal fancy, but in response to a perceived need and want in the community. The venture also seemed like a good next step for us and a way to put into practice some of the things we had been learning about in Think OutWord. It could be a kind of petri dish for new and innovative economic ideas. It could provide an opportunity to explore relationships between economy, rights and culture from the perspective of a business – an economic endeavor.

Some of the specific questions we have come to work with are:

How can we support the cultural life of our community? A cafe is naturally a place for culture – for good conversation, for visual art, drama, poetry and music. We have done our very best to create a beautiful, comfortable space for people to meet and be fed, spiritually and physically. We have also pledged to donate a percentage of our profit to cultural institutions in our community. Imagine the impact this could have if a number of businesses in a given community pledged to do this!

How can we practice the principles of association and transparency with other businesses and individuals in our community? This has so far proven to be very difficult for various reasons – mainly because the mindset of competition is so prevalent in business today. Few business owners want to share their business plans or show their books; we are generally perceived as a threat by other local businesses doing something similar. I'm finding that the first step in addressing this is to establish personal relationships and talk to people directly about what we are trying to do. I try not to feed negativity with more apathy or gossip on my part. I find that for the most part people want to help and feel a part of things and are capable of rising above their initial reactions.

We have been able to make modest steps toward association by buying and selling products grown, made or distributed by people in the community. I hope, once I get more of a handle on the books, to make them transparent, and also to have regular meetings with fellow producers, distributors, and consumers.

Can we bring more consciousness into our social, working relationships, so that the venture belongs to and serves all who participate? Competition is usually heralded as the force behind innovation, excellence, and entrepreneurship, a force which leads to economic prosperity and diversity. I am finding that collaboration is just as potent a force. The cafe is a living testament of this. The fact that we exist at all is due to the input, help, and support of a strong community, all voluntarily participating. Through sharing insights and skills we have achieved excellence. Through perceiving and responding to the needs of the community we have taken the entrepreneurial step to provide something diverse – something that didn't exist here before.

Does the mindset of self-interest and competition lead to economic prosperity? Has anyone read a newspaper in the last two years?

We can choose, through social insight, conversation and mutual respect to cooperate and collaborate in creating a healthy, prosperous culture, rights and economic life for the future. This starts in the closest proximity of our working relationships with each other, and rays out from there.

The Banjo Mountain Cafe is right at an intersection where roads come together from three directions. It also happens to be the site where Native American tribes would meet and mediate agreements, and it was the first schoolhouse in town. We see our mission right in line with these attributes.

We are trying to create a place of mediation where the three spheres of social life – culture, rights and economics – intersect; where people can meet each other in new ways; where ideas and insights can be exchanged; where the beauty of art, music and poetry can be appreciated; where the seeds of a new social life are sewn; and where you can get a good cup of coffee!

Can cappuccinos change lives? We think so!

Kristin and Peter

Learning Landscapes

: Photo Collage: Caitlin Vollmer

Here in Dornach we have been dreaming about, living into, and creating our learning landscape(s). We've decided to hold a weekly or bi-weekly session using Open Space Technology to create learning possibilities together. We've created a Google calendar where we'll post all the different sessions, studies, events, parties, trips, and other things that come up. Anyone is welcome to join us anytime for a session, a day, a week, a month, or longer. (The calendar includes a location and a contact for each session – not everything is in Dornach, so check for things near you too!) (Some events are private and that is also noted in the calendar.)

Another picture that we have been living with is the world and life as Open Space, meaning that all events, resources, people that are happening all over the world can become part of what we choose to do and who we choose to spend time with. We want the rules and the law of Open Space Technology to become more part of our learning and work culture.

Open Space Rules:

1. Whoever comes are the right people,

2. When it starts it starts and when its over it over, and

3. Whatever happens is the only thing that could have happened

And of course The Law of the Two Feet.

Over the next few weeks we will try to make this as accessible as possible – people could even try participating via Skype. The Google calendar should help, and we're always brainstorming new ways of living together apart.

We see that there are so many tools and resources available to help us plan our learning journey. We are in the process of collecting them at the moment and we look forward to sharing this and hearing your contributions as well.

There are so many different paths, approaches and ways of learning, and each of us who has decided to embark on a learning journey is also creating his or her very own learning landscape to walk through. We've identified at least three layers of learning that contribute our learning landscape. We see that all three are equally important and, depending on each individual situation, a different balance between them is required:

1. Spontaneous learning

2. Learning possibilites arising from people gathering together (using tools such as Open Space Technology)

3. Learning that is planned and scheduled ahead of time

We want to give time and importance to spontaneous learning. The idea of following your feet and making the most of the conversations, people and situations that come towards us. How do you want to move through your terrain? Do you want to walk, dance, stomp, skip, somersault.... How will you find your way? Who do you want to travel with?

Katie, Silvia, and Caitlin

PS: If you would like to be included in emails about this and/or added to the google calendar, please send an email to youthsection.dornachgmailcom.

The Credere Fund

Think OutWord
community credit for social, scientific, and artistic initiative

THE CREDERE FUND is a program of Think OutWord that encourages the community to direct its excess capital (usually in the form of small gifts) to cultural initiatives, empowering individuals to freely manifest their visions for the future. Credere awards grants to individuals with creative projects in art, social change, and Goethean science. These initiatives nourish the cultural life of the whole community, awakening an ethic of mutual support.

Individuals striving to realize social, scientific, or artistic initiative are encouraged to apply. Applicants must demonstrate that support from the Credere Fund is essential to their initiative and that funds will be used effectively and responsibly.

Preference will be given to projects which are anthroposophically-inspired, and while there are no age or geographical restrictions, young people in the northeastern United States are especially encouraged to apply.

The Credere Awarding Committee welcomes applications for each of the following three grants:

Art & Anthroposophy Awarding up to $2000

Social Change & Anthroposophy Awarding up to $2000

Goethean Phenomenology Awarding up to $1000

-Sponsored by The Nature Institute

Please Support the Credere Fund by Donating via our Website

2009 Credere Grant Recipients

Social Change + Anthroposophy:

-Silas Beardslee ~ The Rimbi Farm Project
-Bea Birch ~ Agawamuck Project for the Fine and Practical Arts

Art + Anthroposophy:

-Benjamin-Jonas Meier ~ A Marionette Performance of 2 scenes from Rudolf Steiner's first Mystery Drama

-Seamus Maynard ~ Music for Everyday Life

-Patrick Stolfo ~An Outdoor Flowform Cascade, a Memorial for William Ward

: Photo by: Emily Hassel, who recieved a Credere Grant in 2008