A Whole Design

That sounds like a great idea, Andrey!

Look forward to all the innovations.

Lots of love

Ursula

I honor the disappointment you are feeling with our community, Riversong. We are not a tightly knit group of people sharing a clearly defined objective towards which we all strive. Yet we do share common values and intentions.

However vague those values and intentions may be, they have already brought about some major transformation. Talk to Jez and Chris about how this has transformed them. Ask Nada and Stefa if they have had meaningful interactions here. Check in with peacemkr and Berry and many others about the ways they have been fed and helped to build this community.

As a new member, I invite you to explore around a bit more and not jump too quickly to conclusions. You may just be surprised. It will not likely be what you were hoping it would be, but it may be something else entirely different that can feed and nurture you, if you choose to let it do so.

I know that in spite of the difficulties I experienced in the sexuality thread, overall I have felt wonderful supported and inspired by the people and interactions here. And yes, we are always looking for more ways to interact more meaningfully and welcome your suggestions.

As I honor your disappointment, Riversong, I ask you to honor those of us who truly appreciate this place and feel very comfortable calling it our community. You take care and thanks for speaking up.

With much love and appreciation,
Fred

I am thankful to be commenting behind Fred. It was good for me to read about honoring Riversongs feeling of ''disappointment''.  It reminds me to do so. This is the way a ''team'' works right?? We remind each other to come back to our highest ideals.

I hear it said that we cannot connect. Well.....I was sitting at my kitchen table when a gift was delivered to my door. A set of books from a dear friend of mine  ''a world away''. A member of this team who saw my desire to find a spiritual path and provided tools to assist me on my journey. This is not something that I could have done on my own, at least not so quickly...And this gift is already bringing a  transformation into my life.... and as it transforms my life....it affects all that is around me.

Since I have been here, I have been inspired to buy natural foods. Drink good water. I have begun to give possessions away to people who will find good use for them. I now have a compost pile and a dirt pit that is so very slowly becoming a garden. My speech has improved. I have been better in my relations. I feel the love that is shared between us. The insight and knowledge that I have found here...the support and encouragement, they are making a very noticeable change in my life. This is a great platform for me to test my ideas....and then take them into the world around me.

I am grateful to be here.

I give thanks to ALL OF YOU!

Misty

I am neither a fan of Al Gore or an inconvenient truth...I see it as a tool to justify price increases on food and energy. I, like Nada, believe that this is a rich and abundant world that just needs to be better managed "from the top", everything "starts" there.

I know that in Australia you can now choose to pay extra for electricity and gas, 10%, it's called "green energy" and as I understand it the extra money that they collect goes straight to our government. I wonder where it ends up after that.

As long as we walk around believing we are in a world dying we will get just that.....it's all here for us, we just need to wake up and see it....

Freds course is about teaching us that we have been misled, in my opinion, and that we need to let our governments know that we are on to them, that we want them to change and that we will not let them get away with it any longer...this is what will force them to change, to finally start to represent our wishes.... It is good to not "waste" things but just turning of a light bulb might make you feel good about yourself but it will not change the world...supply and demand, those at the top need us to believe everyhting is running out, this gives them the power to rip us off and increase the gap between rich and poor.

Can I also say that I think it is wonderful the way people are all jumping in to defend the "team", nothing brings a family together like someone "critisizing" it, thanks Riversong, I see your words have got people thinking and uniting and defining this place in a way I haven't seen before, I hope you will choose to embrace all that has been said here and that we can all see how close we are becoming,

You are right Riversong, no one controls anything here, I see this as part of the wonderful magic of the place,

With love

Jez

Hi Andrey, I'm into connecting dots.  And may everyone connect them in their own way!  Some of my stuff is downloadable from my myspace site at www.myspace.com/robertvincs but its also on Amazon/itunes as CD or Mp3 just google rob  vincs and a whole lot of sites should come up.  My latest CD is also getting a fair bit of airplay on KUSF which I think is in San Francisco.  Anyway, I'd be honoured to know what you think.  Personally, I've been blown away by the stuff that I've been introduced to since being here, David Wilxox, Blind pianist brain and spirituality, TED etc I may have got there other ways but I have members here to thank, so thank-you all.  I've been blown away by the discussions between Chris B and Bodhi and Doris (Sadae) and everyone really.  The various media, film, music etc seem like the commom ground that gets explored collectively via the ensuing discusssions.  I think there was a post from  Riversong regarding the nature of community.  Perhaps community could also include a definition of shared experience.  In this way this portal intensifies the shared experience of this group..as one, Rob.

I have a fantasy that I think may be archetypal because it is so clearly represented in Star Trek. I imagine myself recruited to join a team, one with a clear mission, the tools to carry out the job, and an organization with leadership based on function rather than hierarchy. It would be like heaven for me to find myself part of such a group with Captain Picard arranging the activity so each team member was doing exactly the work that they most enjoyed and which they were ideally suited to perform. I think this is a fantasy worth nurturing, but I don't expect to find it these days on Planet Earth. The closest I can get to believing in the mundane reality of such a thing is when I consider the possibility of sleeper cells: groups of people coming together for no reason they have thought out in advance which, under intense pressure of events--shock events--suddenly remember who they are and why they are here. I think TT members share a strong desire to see Heaven manifest on Planet Earth. Maybe one morning very soon each of us will wake up at our stations around the planet and get our marching orders. Then working individually we will carry out the mission and for the first time realize what this is all about.

...can it be made so?

And should we be getting our house in order?

Whose order?

River Song, do I sense fear? I know I sense an old wound in your resistance to a virtual community. Where Magic Godmother's seeking a cyber-squad, I'm thinking in terms of a virtual nation! This gives you an idea of the scope of the resources each of us believes we've found here: tools for our personal mission. It may be that you find no tools here for your personal mission. I doubt that's true but what do I know? I know I'd hate to lose your strong, blunt but enlightened voice here in our conversations. You're a strong Earthman like I am. Not every resource here is appropriate for every member to take advantage of. This is a good thing, for it means that we can pick and choose until we find what we need. At the same time we may acknowledge that we won't find everything we need. There's nothing here at the portal that can give me the charge I get when I go hiking on my favorite trails or when I stalk coyotes or eagles with my camera down by the lake. And for all the wonderful resources I have found, the assembly of them into the tools I need was something and is something I have to do myself.

For what it's worth, I thought Al Gore's documentary was more about Al Gore than anything else. For those who buy his thesis, I invite you to read Michael Crichton's novel, State Of Fear. The fact remains that many are affected and even inspired by the film. I hear there are actually many such films out there. So, if there is a way to "advertise" the Transformation Team to such folks, perhaps it could be a win-win as you propose.

Are we talking about money? Because if we are, back in Old Paradigm land. Or are we talking value added? Who'll do the "selling?"

We seem to be growing at a pretty good pace already. Are we really ready for a massive influx? Although I don't see the whole picture I know there's a grand design for this virtual land we share, and it's exciting. I know I probably won't like everything about it but that's irrelevant. I say go for it if you can, and I only caution that such deals are often a trap. Money is a direct tie to the OP business model, and we see around us where it's led.

What about the Transformation Course itself? There are things about it I wouldn't mind see modified, but I have no vested interest. If we're beholden, will there be changes made? Will there be spies among us?

Bottom line: Andrey, I like your idea a lot and would like to see it explored.

8-D

Long life to you my friend.

 I'm on for bringing more voices to the forums.

I wonder as I read these posts if this cacophany of voices is evolving to a symphony conducted by unseen forces.  In my experience, after reading some of the different posts and blogs and then blending into my physical community, synchronicity seems to be quicker and more precise.  Seemingly out of the blue, someone will begin talking about something directly related to an idea in the forums or blogs soon after I have read them.

Now it appears that virtual community and physical community are not so separate. 

Hmmmmm

Tricia

... Wow, what a wide range of ideas to respond to. When I read the original post I thought that this would be quite a unique and practical idea and I still do. Being bottom line people, movie makers usually want the $$$ to put anybody's name on their baby and since we don't have a till that might be a little hard unless Andrey's good looks could do the trick. (I'd let him put whatever names he wanted on my movies any day!) (That was meant to make you feel good and possibly blush, Andrey.) I think endorsements by organizations would give media credibility and form a larger network. I googled "transformation team" on the video portion and got 17 hits, one including Fred's talk. Is any one thinking about putting a video on google or any other of the video web sources? What brought me into the TT was the statement of intention, WantToKnow, Fred's talk on YouTube, my ever increasing uncomfortableness with the world situations, and the way TT invited those who are not satisfied with what is. I belong to a group that supports "attraction not promotion" and I felt that with TT as well. TT is where I get information, encouragement, entertainment, enlightenment, and a soulful link with the outside world. There are so many different personalities and interests that I can't imagine TT adopting a baby that would fit everyone. I sense that this is a great place to put forth individual ideas for action and who ever wants to jump on that band wagon would do so. I submitted my "5 minute peace plan" and asked that any one who wanted to pass it on. And, if any one wants to be involved more than that then "welcome". I pray on a daily basis to be honest, open minded, and willing to do the next right thing. This includes searching within myself for what is right for me. And, since I have no idea what's right for any one else, I just have to start where I am and pray that what goodness I am doing right now will spread. I have learned by working with children that attraction works so much better than promotion which rarely works at all. It's really great to see so many people respond to what attracts or distracts them in some cases. If anyone would like to work with me on the "5 minute peace plan" I am open for suggestions. Strength in numbers.

Dear Friends,

Those bulbs they sell as green also contain mercury....disposal a problem......they will someday swich to LEDs,don't get hot, last forever,much better color, and use VERY LITTLE energy. Love Mary

Buy now....avoid the scam!

until now. Wow,In this one post I have seen a half dozen new names(to me). Andrey, you sure did a great thing with this post,,I haven t been part of this group for very long,so all these (joined in 2008 ,and 2007) folks are new to me.I wish they would stop deleting their posts though..I would like to hear their opinions..I also like the idea,,as pooling ideas is a step to creation, even if it doesn t happen the way we "plan "it.....l....T

One of the sad (from one point of view) things is that most of these people whose names are new to you, Todd, haven't been seen for a while.  (Click on their graphic and their page will come up, with a note as to when they were last seen.)  Some of them had great things to contribute, but, for whatever reasons, they appear to have moved on.  Currently there are 201 users listed in the membership file, many of whom go way back and most of whom don't seem to log on anymore.  But that's fine... people get and give what they need to for as long as they do, and then other things call them.  A lesson in impermanence.

It's interesting that the post that Kevin pulled up was one in which there was quite a bit of criticism and some negativity expressed (maybe this is why the deleted entries), and at least two of those people did end up actually leaving.  So, I'm left with a question:  How much controversy and friction can a community withstand?  (My sense is that it can withstand a lot more controversy if the participants say whatever they do with respect for one another, than if they just "let fly".)  How open can an open forum actually be and still function?  What are the limits?

Just FYI for the newer members, about two and half years ago there we two controversies that arose in our community here. Sadly, they both tended to split the community and about half a dozen members left. One had to do with sexuality, the other with a particular member whose comments were controversial. I think we all learned a lot from those experiences, though they were not easy.

Also, about a year and a half ago, we migrated from another community portal to this one, which is more public. All members were give the option to have all of their previous posts removed, as this current forum is open to the public where the old one was private. For that reason, about a dozen people elected to have all of their posts removed.

Thanks to all who are here and contributing now, the Gathering Spot overall has been a very rich and harmonious place for about the last year and a half. Take care and enjoy!

With lots of love and gratitude,
Fred

Thanks for the clarification about the post removals, Fred.  Somehow I wasn't aware that the removal option existed when the changeover happened.  Must not have been paying attention. 

Yes, this has been a harmonious community overall for the past while, and we indeed have learned a lot from one another.  And if we remember to pause before we respond to some issue that's hot for us and be respectful, it will continue to be harmonious, even when our views differ.