After 30 days of cChallenge experience, our Meta-Findhorn cChallengers gathered to celebrate and talk about our experiences on  Feb. 7 with a World Cafe (not quite the Restaurant at the End of the Universe for fans of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy)– but we enjoyed enough libations and eco-friendly treats to generate lively conversation! (For details on the cChallenge see the ccc19 cChallenge Platform here; and for summary learnings see the Blog series links at the end of this Blog.

We started with Jane Rasbash’s beautiful poem “Nature”.

Sky, clouds and birds.
Lift up thine eyes.
Be amazed.
See beauty wherever you are.
Feel gratitude.
From this blessed place  reflect on the suffering in the world.   Allow it to emanate throughout your cells without reaction —— practice equanimity whilst acknowledging the suffering and the denial of what we are doing with our modern consumer lifestyles to nature.
How are we collectively practicing as a dominant species to the detriment of other beings?
So painful, feeling the pain, nature is pain, nature is suffering.
Acknowledging what is happening can be a step towards motivating and sustaining a shift to more wholesome behaviours.
And each in our own small way like a ripple on a pond can start to influence our inner and outer worlds, our communities and beyond — slowly without ego.
Step by step may we become in harmony with all beings in the web of life.

After the inspirations of this poem, we heard from Prof. Karen O’Brien – co-creator of cChallenge and who launched us on January 8, 2019. She explained then and reminded us again how our many posts linked into the Practical, Political & Personal. (Click here to download her powerpoint report: Report – CCC2019 cchange.)

cChallengers Congratulations on Day 30!

Susi’s last post really resonated with me, especially her point that “we are just trying our best and doing what we can.” The idea that we are social beings and parts of larger groups, systems, and structures is so important, and a key to change. 

I have been really inspired by the interest and honesty in the posts describing your experiments and experiences with change.  I’ve been sharing your stories — and the research and information you have posted.

Conscious change is both an individual and a collective process — the conversations that we have about change are as important as the changes themselves. Thanks to ccc19, F.I.R.E. (and Integral City) for sponsoring and initiating this experiment and holding it so well!!

 Karen and the cCHANGE Team

We had a delicious menu, inspired by our postings on the ccc19 cChallenge platform  over the last 30 days. Our conversation became energized around these 3 scrumtious questions:

·       No Cheese Pizza – What have you done differently in the last month? What changes will endure? What will you let go of?

·       Splodge – What systems of Community have you learned about? What would you change?

·       Veggie Soup – What would you share at ccc19 (the world) about our cChallenge experiment? What tensions and insights did you/we gain?

We finished up with noticing what patterns had emerged in our relationship with each other and the climate. These were our key points:
  • Convenience has become viral (like everything packaged in plastic).
  • Changing our use of plastics requires a systemic change.
  • We realize how embedded we are in a meta-field.
  • Community supports our aims.
  • Individual change and systemic change are interconnected; eg. Choosing to go vegan.
  • Behaviour change is possible without necessity (i.e. it is not necessary to have top down compulsion to specify change).
  • This cChallenge was/is an invitation rather than commandment.
  • Consciousness and free choice lead to change of consciousness.
  • What motivates people differs. We come from different reasons and starting points.
  • Ecology of change amplifies our invidividual contribution.
  • We all have special areas to commit to – we have different ways to engage.
  • We are not judging about different levels of engagement/commitment.
  • Do I feel sense of urgency about behaviour change?
  • We can’t predict the power of change in Personal & Political spheres because any one (or all) of them can lead to unpredictable acceleration.
  • In USA New Green Deal is an unexpected development.
  • IF IT AIN’T FUN IT IS NOT SUSTAINABLE.
  • We are not in fear, rather we have an aspirational/long view.
  • Change of consciousness.
  • We experienced Care and Energy in the room.

PostSripts:

Another pattern related to replacing plastic covered products like toilet paper “What the Crap” – does not use plastic.

Saille will offer movement and arts related to Change and Consciousness related to ccc19.

Our final attunement returned to Jane’s poem with the closing lines:

And each in our own small way like a ripple on a pond can start to influence our inner and outer worlds, our communities and beyond — slowly without ego.

Step by step may we become in harmony with all beings in the web of life.

This blog series focuses on the ccc19 cChallenge experiment taking place in the Findhorn Community in 2019. It includes these titles:

How Do You and I Make Drawdown Personal?

cChallenge Draws On & Creates MetaCapitals

New Perspectives on Beauty, Goodness and Truth from ccc19 cChallenge

Meta-Findhorn 4+1 Voices Think Cosmically, Feel Globally, Act Locally

Welcome to the Restaurant at the End of ccc19 cChallenge