Overview

·      L.A.R.S.

·      Patterns in Wisdom Community Principles

·      Patterns in Wisdom Community Practices                

 

Overview

Our research has revealed consistent patterns in wisdom community principles and practices. Community principles are the set of articulated joint intentions and commitments of the community. Practices are the ongoing tangible habits of the community that stem from its principles.

 

L.A.R.S.

We have summarized the common wisdom community principles and patterns in the form of our WisdomSpace mascot, a bear cub named L.A.R.S.. L.A.R.S. stands for: Listen, Appreciate, Respect, & Share. Watch for this L.A.R.S. wisdom attitude reflected in the varying language of the organizations presented throughout the library.

 

Patterns in Wisdom Community Principles

Community principles describe a communal being on the subtle plane. Wise principles that have emerged from a collaborative, respectful community process are so fundamental to integral community healing & development at all levels that we'll share our favorite succinct example from the healthy communities movement right here in the overview.

 

A healthy community:

·       Practices ongoing dialogue

·       Generates leadership everywhere

·       Shapes its future

·       Embraces diversity

·       Knows itself

·       Connects people and resources

·       Creates a sense of community

                                                     

From Seven Patterns of a Healthy Community, Christopher Freeman Adams and Mary Pittman, January 2000

 

We strongly recommend that you visit this principles chapter for more important examples. Principles reflect the heart of your wisdom community and are probably the most crucial element in preparing for your wisdom journey.

 

Patterns in Wisdom Community Practices

Community practices represent the community on the manifest plane. The following themes can be consistently found in the habits of wisdom communities across all levels.

 

Communal Being Practices: trust & safety, relationships, creativity, emotions, and food!

 

Community building is a birth, not just a project. To birth a wise community, we need to work and play together as whole beings. The synergy of our communal "being" needs the same attention to its collective "heart and soul" as its members do as individuals.

 

Communal Doing Practices: spark of life, home base structures, & identity systems

 

A communal being has to develop an infrastructure before it can breathe and move. It needs the spark of life, a home base, and identity systems. To create a healthy social organism, we need to create "membranes" strong enough to hold yet permeable enough to empower.