Whatever the question, love is the answer...
The Community that Grows Together...
Beloved Community,
I am deeply grateful that we have found one another! I believe that we are on the path to awakening, and we have come together to support one another on this incredible journey. There are many ways to share our support - from afar, up-close, in huge bursts of energy or in long periods of consistently being there. There is no "right way." We are all in this together, sometimes as a student, and other times as the guru, sometimes as a healer, other times as the healed.
Our personal evolution is greatly accelerated by coming together and interacting with others who seek to awaken, grow, learn, and love. We are a young community establishing ourselves in a fast-paced world with values that do not always emanate from the heart. Each of us brings our stories, our gifts, our shadows, our needs, our judgments and our passions to our community. As we share, as we interact, as we work together in community it is inevitable that conflicts will arise. Perhaps an old wound is opened, a misunderstanding occurs, a boundary is crossed, or harsh words are spoken.
It is my vision that this is where we, as an awakening love-oriented community, can take a higher path. How we deal with conflict is at the core of our character as a community, and will make the difference between a functional, growth-oriented experience that is fun and energizing or a dysfunctional experience that is difficult and draining. As we find ourselves in conflicts and take the time and energy to lovingly resolve them, we shatter old boundaries and build bridges of understanding across the illusions of our separation.
Common Ground is gifted with members who are trained in conflict resolution and who can share with us tools and techniques for improving communication and resolving conflicts. Max Rivers is one such person, and has graciously offered his mediation services to Common Ground. With Max's help we'll be creating formal guidelines for conflict resolution. Perhaps you feel called to participate in this effort? Let us know.
Of course, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. It is my vision that we develop and incorporate positive traditions into our community that help us to build and maintain healthy, loving relationships even with those who challenge us. Because we all are coming from diverse backgrounds, cultures and faiths, we may need to invent some of these traditions ourselves. For some, this might mean speaking up louder when we feel violated. For others it might mean holding ourselves back long enough to hear a softer voice. And for us all, honest self-assessment and introspection should precede the urge to blame.
Good emotional hygiene contributes to clear, honest communications and prevents unnecessary dramas. It opens the door to joy and helps dissipate past traumas and wounds. We all have times when we get caught up in our personal issues, and sometimes it is obvious to everyone but us! A loving, growth-oriented community with healthy emotional traditions and boundaries can be an incredible mirror for exposing our internal "tapes" that compel us to act out and repeat negative behaviors. Have you ever felt victimized over and over in the same way? Often it is us who creates these situations for ourselves. As a community, we can help one another to heal these wounds - when we are ready to heal, that is.
Over the coming months I ask you to consider how you relate to others in community. Does someone challenge you, or throw you off center? Do you feel rejected by others? Or perhaps you feel superior. How you relate to others in community is a powerful mirror of our internal processes. We have much to learn from one another.
Max Rivers is planning a future workshop that will focus on our community "shadow." I encourage you to join us in discovering ourselves and one another while developing new and better ways to live and grow together as a community. As we overcome our illusions of separation and learn loving ways to live, work and grow together, we'll be doing our part to usher in a new age of peace.
Blessings,
Ed Lantz
President
Common Ground Fellowship
I am deeply grateful that we have found one another! I believe that we are on the path to awakening, and we have come together to support one another on this incredible journey. There are many ways to share our support - from afar, up-close, in huge bursts of energy or in long periods of consistently being there. There is no "right way." We are all in this together, sometimes as a student, and other times as the guru, sometimes as a healer, other times as the healed.
Our personal evolution is greatly accelerated by coming together and interacting with others who seek to awaken, grow, learn, and love. We are a young community establishing ourselves in a fast-paced world with values that do not always emanate from the heart. Each of us brings our stories, our gifts, our shadows, our needs, our judgments and our passions to our community. As we share, as we interact, as we work together in community it is inevitable that conflicts will arise. Perhaps an old wound is opened, a misunderstanding occurs, a boundary is crossed, or harsh words are spoken.
It is my vision that this is where we, as an awakening love-oriented community, can take a higher path. How we deal with conflict is at the core of our character as a community, and will make the difference between a functional, growth-oriented experience that is fun and energizing or a dysfunctional experience that is difficult and draining. As we find ourselves in conflicts and take the time and energy to lovingly resolve them, we shatter old boundaries and build bridges of understanding across the illusions of our separation.
Common Ground is gifted with members who are trained in conflict resolution and who can share with us tools and techniques for improving communication and resolving conflicts. Max Rivers is one such person, and has graciously offered his mediation services to Common Ground. With Max's help we'll be creating formal guidelines for conflict resolution. Perhaps you feel called to participate in this effort? Let us know.
Of course, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. It is my vision that we develop and incorporate positive traditions into our community that help us to build and maintain healthy, loving relationships even with those who challenge us. Because we all are coming from diverse backgrounds, cultures and faiths, we may need to invent some of these traditions ourselves. For some, this might mean speaking up louder when we feel violated. For others it might mean holding ourselves back long enough to hear a softer voice. And for us all, honest self-assessment and introspection should precede the urge to blame.
Good emotional hygiene contributes to clear, honest communications and prevents unnecessary dramas. It opens the door to joy and helps dissipate past traumas and wounds. We all have times when we get caught up in our personal issues, and sometimes it is obvious to everyone but us! A loving, growth-oriented community with healthy emotional traditions and boundaries can be an incredible mirror for exposing our internal "tapes" that compel us to act out and repeat negative behaviors. Have you ever felt victimized over and over in the same way? Often it is us who creates these situations for ourselves. As a community, we can help one another to heal these wounds - when we are ready to heal, that is.
Over the coming months I ask you to consider how you relate to others in community. Does someone challenge you, or throw you off center? Do you feel rejected by others? Or perhaps you feel superior. How you relate to others in community is a powerful mirror of our internal processes. We have much to learn from one another.
Max Rivers is planning a future workshop that will focus on our community "shadow." I encourage you to join us in discovering ourselves and one another while developing new and better ways to live and grow together as a community. As we overcome our illusions of separation and learn loving ways to live, work and grow together, we'll be doing our part to usher in a new age of peace.
Blessings,
Ed Lantz
President
Common Ground Fellowship
Comment
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Comment by Zane Seubert on April 3, 2009 at 11:33am -
Thank you Ed.
I like the shadow (sometimes), and know that when my courage and willingness is big enough, any shadow can be a blessing and a transformation. I can think of some people, right now, off the cuff, that I hold back or 'feel awkward' around. It's a small thing, and it's something that limits our expression--not just mine, but theirs. If I am awkward or suppressed or judging, others will know. If not blatantly, they'll know subtly, like a hint or feeling in their gut.
Therefore, I can see an opportunity to have a brief conversation with these people, this Sunday, to let them know my experience. This, I know, will be an exposing of the shadow, and a revealing of the silliness that our humanity creates at times. I also know, because of the greatness of these people, that all that will be left will be greater closeness and affinity.
Thanks again for the reminder.
blissings-
Zane
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