1.  Interested so far:  Richard Alton, Joyce Bonafield, Milan Hamilton, Ellen Howie, Larry Philbrook, Evelyn Philbrook, Lewis Pierce, Martin Rafanan, David Rebstock, Janet Sanders, Carleton Stock, Ellie Stock, Nancy Trask, Dharmalingam Vinasithamby, Edwin Waters, Jean Watts, Jim Wiegel

For the rest of you, send us an email to JOIN US IF YOU ARE INTERESTED.  We will only send future notices to those who are interested.

2.  Monday, May 17 we will get organized for this.  Here is the Zoom link
David Rebstock is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: My Meeting
Time: May 17, 2021 08:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86431860640?pwd=RnhjRmNTSDE0U3B2ZzlhR25GYUo4Zz09

Meeting ID: 864 3186 0640
Passcode: 214122
(full link at bottom of this email)

3.  Currently we are anticipating 9 sessions, on Mondays, from May 24, starting at either 7:00 or 8:00 Chicago time and running for 90 minutes.  We have been in touch with the folks at CHOOSING EARTH and they will let us use their study guide / curriculum if we choose.  Jim is going to participate in a facilitator training the next 2 Mondays to get more inside of their approach.

4.  Here are Proposed Study Group Sessions based on their outline:  does this make sense?
Session 0:  Getting Organized including Our Aims and Approach, Getting Volunteer Leadership (Session Hosts, Small Group Leadership and Technical Producers) Guidelines for Participation, etc.
Session 1: Introduction to Choosing Earth
Recognizing our whole systems crisis and several stories of transition. . . .16
Session 2: Three Pathways Ahead
Collapse, Authoritarianism, and Great Transition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Session 3: Stages of Great Transition I
The Decades of the 20s, 30s, and 40s and the challenges ahead . . . . . . . . 19
Session 4: Stages of Great Transition II
The Decades of 50’s 60’s and 70’s and the timeline for a Great Transition . .19
Session 5: Foundations for the Great Transition — Part I
Aliveness, Waking Up, Growing Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Session 6: Foundations for the Great Transition — Part II
Reconciling, Communicating, Community Building and Simplicity . . . . . . . . .21
Session 7-8 — Optional: Integration
What’s Been Learned? What’s Shifted? What’s Next for You? . . . . . . . . . . . .22

5.  Here is a rough outline for each session:  Does this make sense?
o Welcoming people on arrival
o Conducting (or designating another participant to conduct) a brief meditation for settling and connecting as a group
o Using a check-in process to build group cohesion and shared understanding
o Offering both large group and small group inquiries
o Facilitating whole group discussions
o Describing the reading and exercise assignments
o Conducting (or designating another participant to conduct) a closing process for each session — this could be a prayer, a poem or a simple dedication, like “We dedicate our time together to the well-being of all life.”

6.  TECHNOLOGY  We are assuming to use David Rebstock's Zoom account.  What else will we need?

7.  What is our PURPOSE?  A month or so ago, the Shankland's suggested some aims:  
Rational Aim: To stay current on the Climate Crisis and explore points of engagement for each participant    Experiential Aim: To have a great time in dialogue with colleagues and nudge each other to be effectively involved.

This from the CHOOSING EARTH FOLKS:  "step into a deeper understanding of what is needed to move through the greatest transition humanity has ever made — and to rise to the opportunity of becoming a mature, planetary civilization. Recognizing both challenges and opportunities, our goal is to provide a study guide that supports you — both in terms of content and facilitation.

and this CAVEAT (more on the existential side):  Choosing Earth explores profound changes, threats of collapse, and the real possibility of great suffering for humanity as a precursor to a collective transition. Facing profound change, deep uncertainty and the threat of collapsing civilization are unsettling and anxiety producing. This material can be distressing and evoke feelings of loss, grief, anger, anxiety, and hopelessness. Awakening to these feelings is vital if we are to mobilize our inner wisdom, imagination, and resilience and come to terms with climate disruption, social and racial injustice, economic inequities and more. Therefore, it is important for people to have a degree of maturity, self-awareness and resilience to engage with this material.

8.  MATERIALS:  You can download a free copy of the book on the CHOOSING EARTH website.  Ellen Howie got her librarian to make her a copy!


Jim Wiegel  

The unknown is what is.  And to be frightened of it is what sends everybody scurrying around chasing dreams, illusions, wars, peace, love, hate, all that.  Unknown is what is.  Accept that it's unknown, and it's plain sailing.    John Lennon


401 North Beverly Way, Tolleson, Arizona 85353

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jfwiegel@yahoo.com

www.partnersinparticipation.com



On Thursday, May 13, 2021, 08:16:28 PM MST, James Wiegel <jfwiegel@yahoo.com> wrote:


David Rebstock and I are quite interested in looking at this.  See what you think.  Check out the website.  We hope to find a number of you who are interested -- as participants, session organizers, small group leaders, and technical producers.  JOIN US next Monday at 8:00 pm Chicago time to get ourselves organized!!



The book is available there as a downloadable pdf, or you can purchase it as an ebook at Amazon.  There is also a documentary video accessible and several other resources.  I have been in touch with the organizers and they have made available a 7 session outline and guide for studying the book.

I am hopeful that this can open up a broader conversation, one that can include multiple generations.

Here is a 1 paragraph description that speaks.

Choosing Earth draws upon a lifetime of research by the author and looks a half-century into the future to explore how our world might evolve into a mature, planetary civilization that celebrates the miracle of life. Decade by decade, it describes stages of great transition that realistically could lie ahead. Where many see the single trend of growing climate disruption producing a catastrophic collapse, Choosing Earth sees a purposeful rite of passage for humanity where we move beyond our adolescent stage of development and into our early adulthood. With greater maturity, we can move from exploiting the Earth and each other to caring for all of life — and a sustainable and purposeful future can unfold.

The next paragraph outlines the approach of the book.

As further introduction, it is important to add that, to explore this great transition, Choosing Earth develops three perspectives often missing from the current discussion:
1. Look Wide: Look beyond single factors such as global warming and include a wide range of trends including climate disruption, social and economic inequities, resource depletion, species extinction, population growth, and much more.
2. Look Deep: Look beneath the outer trends such as climate change and species extinction to include the inner realities of evolving psychology, values, culture, consciousness, and paradigms.
3. Look Long: Look far into the future — much farther than the short run of the next five or ten years. Trends that are uncertain and ambiguous in the short run become much clearer when extrapolated to the longer run of the next 50 years.
By looking wide, deep and long, Choosing Earth constructs a realistic story or scenario describing this great transition.


FULL ZOOM LINK.

David Rebstock is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: My Meeting
Time: May 17, 2021 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
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