Being with Questions
Gina LaRoche
2009 has certainly been a year to remember for us here at Seven Stones. We began this year as a newly formed entity on January 2nd and now we find
2009 has certainly been a year to remember for us here at Seven Stones. We began this year as a newly formed entity on January 2nd and now we find
As we at Seven Stones consider what it means to build a business, make a living and be of service – all inside of sufficiency, we are turning inward to our own listening and to the deep listening of our advisers. One Seven Stones adviser, Roger Burton, has brought the wisdom of permaculture to our awareness. Permaculture is “consciously designed landscapes that mimic the patterns and relationships found in nature, while yielding an abundance of food, fiber and energy for provision of local needs.” (from Permaculture Principals & Pathways Beyond Sustainability, 2002) In its broadest sense, permaculture is attending to the reality of energy descent, or the diminishing availability of cheap fossil fuels, and though permaculture principals are largely used in reforestation projects and in farming (aka food growing), I am interested in permaculture for how it can inform our evolving business “landscape.” (from same source)
This is the final post that corresponds to the course I have been facilitating called Uncertain Times: Traveling the Road of Transition Inside of Sufficiency. And as I think of
Sufficiency is not right, but it is a right that we can harvest, a truth that exists for us to realize for ourselves. There’s no road down scarcity or road down sufficiency. For most of us the path of sufficiency is checkered with both the assumptions of scarcity and sufficiency at different times or moments. Our goal, my goal, is to lean into sufficiency more of the time.
Three recent experiences helped me start to think about A Sufficient Future: One – It occurred to me as I was doing yoga this week and making a transition from
Sufficiency invites us not to get rid of stuff but to allow our stuff to be part of our flow, the in and out of our lives. The gifting, the exchanging, the transferring, so that our stuff, our relationships, our ideas and our love can be part of the back and forth rhythm of life.
What of this ever-changing-ness that I so want to control? What excessiveness am I bringing to that? Like overeating because I am tired, or talking too much because I am nervous; do I over-think, over-plan, over-practice, over accumulate knowledge, friends, money or things to protect myself from the uncertainty?
Telling the Truth is an act of Sufficiency. The Neutral Zone of a transition, the “gap” between events – of endings and beginnings – is some of the most fertile and open terrain of our lives, waiting for cultivation and ripe of creativity. Paradigm shifts occur in the neutral zone and start by telling the truth.
An Asset Inventory is taking stock of our non-monetary or intangible assets, the resources we have internally in ourselves including: spiritual, psychological and physical, as well as the resources available to you from your family, your community, previous experience, alliances and networks. Often when we do this, we discover sources of support we were not yet aware of or parts of our life had not yet considered something to appreciate.
Consciously moving through a transition is an act of Sufficiency. If we flow through our change – accept the end, the murky gap, and the beginning of what is new – if we allow the change and all our feelings about it, if we do not resist, but honor what occurs as our unique process and response, then we are in Sufficiency. Mourning is the action of letting go, the active rewiring in our brain and of our habits. I assert that mourning, like any part of the transition process, is an act of sufficiency. Mourning’s function is to make room for something new to arise. To do this, we investigate and unpack our associations with the person, place or thing that we are letting go of and let go of those too. What are you making room for these days?
For this learning path, you will participate in the 4 virtual learning sessions and be enrolled in one of three Racial Affinity Groups:
1) People who identify as People of Color (Black, Indigenous, Asian, Hispanic)
2) People who identify as Bi-Racial or Multi-Racial
3) People who identify as White
*More specific affinity groups may be formed upon the completion of course registration
We believe that it is important to do our own work with people with similar racial experiences to build capacity for cross-race dialogue that supports authentic relationships and deep belonging for everyone. We will ask you to self-select into the group that best aligns with your racial identity. We recognize that for some this is not a simple choice and we are available to have a conversation with you to support your selection.
Together we will:
Where: Online Zoom Sessions
Time: 11am-12:30pm ET/8am PT/4pm GMT*
When: 5-Sessions scheduled between Sept 28, 2023 – Jan 26, 2024 (see below)
*All sessions will run from 11am-12:30pm ET.
| Racial Affinity Group Schedule | |
|---|---|
| Thurs, September 28, 2023 — 11am-12:30pm ET | Kick-off/ Authentic Communication |
| Thurs, November 2, 2023 — 11am-12:30pm ET | Unpacking Our Racial Autobiographies |
| Friday, November 17, 2023 — 11am-12:30pm ET | Self-Compassion |
| Thurs, December 7, 2023 — 11am-12:30pm ET | What is Sustainable Abundance? |
| Thurs, January 25, 2024 — 11am-12:30pm ET | Inclusive Leadership |
Upon registration, you will be directed to our online community space, where all aspects of your program will live, including: pre-work, event links, and a space to connect with fellow participants.
These four learning sessions will provide you with a new view and innovative framing of the problem as we see it. Below is a brief description of what will take place in each session:
Where: Online Zoom Learning Sessions
Time: 11am-1pm ET/8am PT/4pm GMT*
When: 4-sessions scheduled between Sept 21, 2023 – Jan 18, 2024 (see details below)
*All sessions will run from 11am-1pm ET.
| Learning Session Schedule | |
|---|---|
| Thurs, September 21, 2023 — 11 - 1pm ET | Why Context Matters |
| Thurs, October 26, 2023 — 11 - 1pm ET | Unpacking Trauma |
| Thurs, November 16, 2023 — 11 - 1pm ET | Global Anti-Black Racism: A History Lesson |
| Thurs, January 18, 2024 — 11 - 1pm ET | Understanding Power |
Upon registration, you will be directed to our online community space, where all aspects of your modular program will live, including: pre-work, event links, and a space to connect with fellow participants.