Holistic Centers Network

SPLASH at Findhorn – A new holistic initiative

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BACKGROUND NOTES TO SPLASH –
SPIRIT LED APPROACH TO SUSTAINABLE HOLISM:
A MONTH-LONG HOLISTIC PEER GROUP PROGRAMME

Holistic living involves the whole self and therefore includes the following parts of the person:

Physical

Emotional

Mental

Spiritual and

Relationships between people and groups (Social)

If there is a hierarchy in holistic learning, the process should be led by the higher self or the spiritual self. A helpful analogy is that the whole person can be likened to a carriage and driver pulled by a horse. The owner is inside the carriage, the driver is high at the front with the reins of the horse in his hands. The owner represents the higher self (spirit); the carriage (body); the driver (mind) and the horse (emotions). The direction should be set by the owner, (the spirit) and not by the driver (the mind). Each part then has a clear function in making the carriage move to its destination.

So the idea is to gather a group of people together and do a month-long journey together, making goals and logging results. As individuals this enables us to look at our current ways of living holistically and expand on them or identify areas where we are weaker and need to improve. We can especially look and share at the ways we already let our spiritual or higher self lead out lives. I use meditation as a spiritual practice and can only work as a creative person if I listen to my higher self and wait for ideas to emerge. Creative work is a spiritual practice for me. Other people may use Taize or devotional singing or walks in nature or gardening. There are many, many ways to access the spirit.

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Exploring Holistic Education – Supervision

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COMPONENTS OF HOLISTIC LEARNING

By Dave Till and Christine Lines

This is the fourteenth article in our series on Holistic Learning, to read the introduction and view the other components to follow please click here.

14. Supervision

The culture of supervision has grown in the community of the Findhorn Foundation over recent years. Each working team or service department has regular sessions, (approx. every 6 – 8 weeks unless required more frequently), with a trained supervisor from the Spiritual and Personal Development team who will help them with any ‘illusions, confusions and collusions’ that might exist within the group.

Having a supervisor (in a similar way to having supervision when you are training as a therapist), is an important aspect of holistic practice that can prevent facilitators from building their own unseen patterns into holistic learning.

Supervision can be scheduled even when there are no particular issues at hand and is a valuable opportunity for team building. I’ve heard people say, “I never look forward to supervision but then afterwards look back and think actually that was really helpful and I quite enjoyed it.” [Read more…]

Exploring Holistic Education – Mental Learning

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COMPONENTS OF HOLISTIC LEARNING

By Dave Till and Christine Lines

This is the thirteenth article in our series on Holistic Learning, to read the introduction and view the other components to follow please click here.

13. Mental Learning

There have been many breakthroughs in recent years regarding the mental task of learning information. Conventional education is quite focused on mental learning however there are new ways of using the mind to utilise more of its full capacity.

The whole field of study around Accelerated Learning (AL) suggests that we each have a preferred learning style — a way of learning that suits us best. If you know and use the techniques that match your preferred way of learning, you learn more naturally. Because it is more natural for you, it becomes easier. There are a number of AL techniques e.g. teaching someone else what you are learning, practicing the accelerated learning system in short bursts of 30 minutes of study, and taking frequent rests. And there are many more ways of practicing AL. [Read more…]

Self Awareness and Conflict Resolution

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When I attended the 2011 Holistic Centers Gathering on behalf of the Findhorn Foundation, one of the questions people in other communities asked me most often was, “How does Findhorn deal with conflict?”

Life here in a spiritual community, just as anywhere, is full of joys and challenges and it sometimes feels intense, sharing in such closeness with others, especially when conflict arises. As a person whose defense is more likely to withdraw than confront, dealing with conflict is a real growing edge! Living and working closely together in community there are times when I’m faced with the question can I keep my heart open, even in difficult circumstances?

I recognise how sensitive I am when communication is less than clear and harmonious and find such conversations painful. I’ve been exploring the idea lately that perhaps people in community hope to create the family around them that they never had growing up? For me this is deep, authentic communication where feelings match what is being expressed and there is less confusion and anxiety about what’s really going on around and within me… [Read more…]

Exploring Holistic Education – Models of Group Development

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COMPONENTS OF HOLISTIC LEARNING

By Dave Till and Christine Lines

This is the twelfth article in our series on Holistic Learning, to read the introduction and view the other components to follow please click here.

12. Models of Group Development

Groups form and develop in well-recorded ways. M. Scott Peck, author of The Road Less Travelled, is a good source to understand the different stages of group development and of community.

Dave Till says, “These stages of group development need to be experienced as part of a holistic curriculum. On the Findhorn Community Semester three month programme we the staff would wait patiently until new groups passed their “polite” stage and got through to some real learning or through to their authentic selves. One particularly ‘right on’ group famously had a big party where everyone got very drunk, and after that they were much less ‘right on’ and much better to deal with. God works in wondrous ways!”

In 1984, Peck co-founded the Foundation for Community Encouragement (FCE), with the mission, “to teach the principles of community to individuals and organizations.” In his book The Different Drum: Community Making and Peace, Peck says that community has three essential ingredients; inclusivity, commitment and consensus. [Read more…]

Exploring Holistic Education – The Value of Service

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COMPONENTS OF HOLISTIC LEARNING

By Dave Till and Christine Lines

This is the eleventh article in our series on Holistic Learning, to read the introduction and view the other components to follow please click here.

11. The Value of Service

Service is an integral part of an holistic life and even within communities that focus on the spiritual, the value of service needs to be reinforced and encouraged.

The path of selfless service is an ancient and well-respected tradition that needs to have its place restored in the modern world. The word seva comes from the Sanskrit root, sev, meaning to “attend” or “to go towards.” Seva is generally understood to be “service” and one way to look at seva is simply as volunteer service, and in the case of a community, this could mean cleaning the kitchen after a shared meal, caring for the garden, or the offering of professional services such as bookkeeping or architectural skills.

In the community of the Findhorn Foundation, the concept of service is called ‘love in action’ and this is one of the three founding pillars, the other two being inner listening and co-creation with nature. ‘Work’ departments are called service departments instead and a mixture of education and service is common for most guests at Findhorn. [Read more…]

Exploring Holistic Education – Spiritual Practice

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COMPONENTS OF HOLISTIC LEARNING

By Dave Till and Christine Lines

This is the tenth article in our series on Holistic Learning, to read the introduction and view the other components to follow please click here.

10. Spiritual Practice

If individual spirituality is acknowledged as the leading edge of the holistic process, a spiritual practice becomes invaluable.

Regular meditation, excursions into nature, singing, dancing, yoga, writing or parenting can all become a spiritual practice. These are practical methods of cultivating an awareness of the higher self, and can be quite different to a religious practice that may depend on a belief system and strict rules.

Dave Till shares, “I use my own creative writing, poetry and performance as part of my spiritual practice. Other people may use gardening or listening to music. The spiritual self is alive and well if it is acknowledged and we take time to listen to the wisdom it shares. Better still, if we acknowledge that the spirit has a role to play all day long in everything we do, then we create the basis for a truly holistic life.” [Read more…]

Exploring Holistic Education – Meditation and Attunement

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COMPONENTS OF HOLISTIC LEARNING

By Dave Till and Christine Lines

This is the ninth article in our series on Holistic Learning, to read the introduction and view the other components to follow please click here.

9. Meditation and Attunement

In a holistic community, meditation is an essential way to connect with our spiritual nature and move beyond the mental and emotional realms, into a place of inner silence and stillness.

Meditation and attunement are daily practices within the Findhorn Foundation, both in the service departments and in the guest programmes. There are daily meditations in the main sanctuaries morning and evening, held by community members, before and after work.

Most departments begin the morning shift with a short sharing or check-in, followed by a brief attunement, which is almost like a ‘mini meditation.’ The attunement is an opportunity to pause and connect with how we’re feeling in the moment, to connect with each other, and expand our awareness into the spiritual nature of life. It can also be an opportunity to focus on our intentions for being together, the project or the task at hand, and bless the day ahead. People often comment on how much more smoothly the day unfolds when it begins so consciously. [Read more…]

Exploring Holistic Education – Sharings and Introductions

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COMPONENTS OF HOLISTIC LEARNING

By Dave Till and Christine Lines

This is the eight article in our series on Holistic Learning, to read the introduction and view the other components to follow please click here.

8. Sharings and Introductions

Experience Week, one of the core programmes of the Findhorn Foundation, introduces deep sharing and deep listening the ‘Findhorn’ way. In the welcome circle, everyone is invited to introduce themselves in turn, share about how they feel and their inspiration for being there. The focaliser of the group begins and leads by example.

All the other participants are invited to listen with an open heart and open mind and welcome each individual through their attention. It is a time to simply listen, not to comment or give feedback, making it a safe space for everyone. Groups form in a circle to reduce a sense of hierarchy and increase the sense of connection. [Read more…]

Exploring Holistic Education – Changing Modes

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COMPONENTS OF HOLISTIC LEARNING

By Dave Till and Christine Lines

This is the seventh article in our series on Holistic Learning, to read the introduction and view the other components to follow please click here.

7. Changing Modes – Physical Activity and Playing Games

Changing modes is a useful term to signify changing to a different aspect of the whole person and not spending long periods in one ‘mode’. During a very mental session of learning, it can be helpful to change modes by moving into the physical – getting up, moving, playing games, taking a break. The group will often signify when this is necessary if the facilitator hasn’t noticed.

The mode can change organically from the mental level to the emotional, as students give their emotional reactions to a piece of knowledge. Dave said, “During the Findhorn Community Semester we would encourage students to indicate when they felt they needed to change modes. If they didn’t, staff would change modes after no longer than 45 minutes in one area. We would never do purely mental learning for hours at a time.”

A good repetoire of physical warm ups and games is very useful for changing modes. “Also on the FCS programme we encouraged students to bring their own warm-up techniques and games to class. Often we would rota in who would be doing the warm-up that day. (Usually we started every session with a structured warm-up). Attention has to be given to the physically infirm, but warm ups can be adapted for everyone.” [Read more…]

There is a planetary transformation of consciousness and these centers give people hope.

Ralph White

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