Holistic Centers Network

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…]

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…]

Holistic Approach to Sustainability

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Excerpt from the Annual Report 2010 / 2011 of The Findhorn Foundation entitled “Pioneering Sustainable Solutions.”

The Findhorn Foundation pioneers a holistic approach to sustainability that integrates four aspects – spiritual, social, environmental and economic. By developing not just the externals of sustainability such as ecohousing, ecological sewage treatment systems and renewable energy, but also addressing the inner life of human beings and giving them an opportunity to experience being part of an interconnected web of life, the Foundation has become a unique centre for learning and a valuable and potent force for change.

Our holistic approach to sustainability is demonstrated in our three main areas of activity:

  • spiritual community
  • eco-village
  • learning centre

Community life provides the spiritual and social framework of sustainability upon which our ecovillage and economic activities are woven. The Foundation financially depends upon sharing our learning with others through our guest programme of workshops and events.
[Read more…]

Exploring Holistic Education – The Learning Community

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COMPONENTS OF HOLISTIC LEARNING

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

1. The Learning Community

When a group forms for educational purposes, a learning community (LC) can be created consciously. The learning community is different to the conventional classroom. For instance; in the LC the teaching role can move round the group – it doesn’t stay with one ‘teacher’.

The ‘teacher’ is also there to learn and the teacher role becomes that of facilitator, or in the Findhorn Foundation a ‘focaliser’, the person who holds the focus. (The teacher can certainly be the one with the most information to disseminate, but information dissemination and absorption may not be the primary learning of the group!) [Read more…]

This gathering has been INCREDIBLE. As a small center based way out in Yosemite National Park, I really feel folded into the greater network. This feels so vital. Thank you for creating this!

Heather Sullivan, Executive Director & Co-Founder, Balanced Rock Foundation