At the heart of perhaps every center in the network is the recognition of the interdependence of all life. We foster connection to self, other, nature and spirit, in an ever evolving relational dance. Connectivity is vital, a powerful antidote to the chaos and crises of these times. Leading scientists recognise large scale shifts in human consciousness are essential. Is our unique role to create safe space for healing, growth and transformation, to be custodians of the earth and inspire others with our place based centers? HCN seeks to link these centers around the world and to connect with other like minded networks. These include the Global Ecovillage Network and Bioneers. Together we can accelerate and amplify the urgency of our work and maximise our collective impact of doing good in the world.
The early work of the founders of Findhorn in Scotland nearly 60 years ago was dedicated to inner development. You could say the community grew out of meditation, and then evolved into outer action. The founders connected with and strengthened the Network of Light both in meditation and on their travels. Dorothy Maclean, one of the three founders, described it like this, “This network was like a communication grid on subtle levels, covering the world in triangular patterns. The ‘stations’ usually manned by a group of spiritually dedicated people, existed in most countries throughout the world.” They linked telepathically, receiving and broadcasting messages, linking the whole together in love to aid humanity. Co-founder, Eileen Caddy, received guidance about strengthening our unity in diversity, “See the many paths all leading to the centre, each one different and yet each one leading in the same direction.”
HCN is in many ways a modern day manifestation of the Network of Light. What’s been fascinating in the last 48 hours is conversations with folk from centers less overtly spiritual. These include Harbin Hot Springs (rising from the ashes after a devastating fire over four years ago), Saratoga Springs (consciously aware of their vulnerable location in a box canyon) and the New York Open Center (an urban center in the heart of Manhattan). Ross Guttler, new CEO of the Open Center, passionately believes, “Spiritual practice is the answer to all the world’s problems.” The initial focus of the center was on spiritual values but the mission quickly expanded to include how these values and intentions lead us to participate in the wider world.
After the recent Northern California Gathering, focused on emergency response to fire dangers and ecological recovery, Deirdre Davis, Managing Director of Harbin Hot Springs, said, “I also feel that we need to speak more about the spiritual vision of HCN. Do we discuss this in the monthly webinars?” Jason Courtis, Operations Manager of Saratoga Springs, host of the NorCal Gathering, shares Deidre’s perspective. He was mentored by Craig Gibsone, long term member of the Findhorn community and was in touch this morning to say, “Please thank Craig for the inspiration that has gotten me this far in cultivating a center of light, to hold the vision of an eco village here, with our own unique take on what Findhorn has seeded.”
Within HCN, the Spiritual Lineage Group grew out of the 2019 Centers Gathering at Hollyhock. The group includes Kashi Ashram in Florida and Yasodhara Ashram in British Colombia, both with a female lineage. Mount Madonna Center in California, Zendust in Oregon and Clear Sky also in BC. They meet monthly via zoom and are enthusiastic to share inspiration with the larger group during the 2020 Centers Gathering at Esalen. The conversation is clearly growing and expanding within other centers too and the potential is infinite. Swami Durga Das who grew up at Kashi and now serves as CEO says, “I believe as spiritual centers we have a unique contribution to make.”
On Sunday, I met with Kosha Joubert, Executive Director of the Global Ecovillage Network our partner network. GEN grew out of a conference dedicated to Sustainable Communities of the 21st Century hosted by Findhorn in 1995. For over 20 years Kosha has been dedicated to this work, teaching around the world and advocating for sustainable practices at high level meetings with the United Nations, furthering the action and implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. GEN and HCN recently collaborated in China when Kosha led a GEN Ambassador Training of Trainers at the House of I, host of our first gathering in Asia in 2015. Kosha mentioned her ever deepening spiritual path with modern mystic and spiritual teacher Thomas Hubl and the recent Collective Trauma Online Summit that connected 52,000 people in 176 countries.
There is clearly something emerging, weaving together that can be challenging to describe succinctly. A freshly created Trailer from Bioneers Co-Founder Kenny Ausubel is an excellent effort. Focused on planetary and human revolutions the documentary series is called Changing of the Gods. “Our future deeply depends on what level of consciousness and engagement we bring to this historical moment to bring forth the best possible results.”
A recent HCN webinar focused on social justice and the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion. Our most well attended zoom so far, with more centers participating and several staff from each, this is an area many of our centers are grappling to engage with as consciously as possible. The webinar inspired the monthly working group that focuses on case studies in different centers. Learnings and insights will then be shared with the larger group during the International Gathering hosted by Esalen in May. The Bioneers official Trailer below positions the importance of this work within a planetary context.
Bioneers is an innovative nonprofit organization that highlights breakthrough solutions for restoring people and planet. Founded in 1990 in Santa Fe, New Mexico by social entrepreneurs Kenny Ausubel and Nina Simons, the movement acts as a fertile hub of social and scientific innovators with practical and visionary solutions for the world’s most pressing environmental and social challenges. Environmentalist, Paul Hawken, author of The Magic of Findhorn in 1975, Blessed Unrest in 2006 and founder of Project Drawdown in 2014, the world’s leading research for climate solutions, is one of the many speakers.
Spirituality, the environment and social justice are all intimately connected to transformational education within these place based holistic centers and ecovillages. The Trailer below helps explain the link with human consciousness. In Kenny’s words “Be forewarned: The series is very provocative and controversial. It’s a kind of mystery story based on cultural historian Richard Tarnas’ landmark book “Cosmos and Psyche: Intimations of a New World View” that explores the correlations between specific planetary movements and recurring historical cycles of revolutionary social movements and large-scale social transformation. We land in the “fierce urgency of now” with the questions: What’s the revolution today? What’s the transformation?”
The Trailer includes voices saying, “There is one unitive process of consciousness that is manifesting on multiple scales of time and space simultaneously everywhere, and astrology is the study of those correlations…There are correlations between the microcosm of human consciousness and the macrocosm of the solar system and beyond. We are constantly co-creating together. We are the conscious expression of the universe being conscious of itself.”
In the Bioneers e-news that landed in my inbox this morning, Kenny writes, “If you like what you see, I invite you to help us circulate the Trailer to your friends and relations, as well as to any other networks with which you’re connected. And of course, I’d love to know what you think!” Feel free to post comments below and explore https://bioneers.org/
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