Stewardship development

[Ria Baeck]

Stewardship is a word within the Art of Hosting community that has been the topic of many conversatons. People have been engaging in conversations to find out what it really is about and what it could be; both for the governance/stewardship of our own network and as an art that follows the cycle of: art of invitation -> art of hosting -> art of harvesting -> art of stewardship.

In the practice of offering your gifts to the community, some of us have named themselves and seen each other as stewards of this pattern in the world because we care for the whole and care for the DNA of this pattern. In this circle of Stewards of Art of Hosting has been an interesting conversation going on (via email in 2011). Later, in 2014, there was a revival of this conversation with some beautiful contributions.

Everyone is invited to join this conversation here. Be welcome!

(some context for the governance/stewardship of our network you can find here)

[Ria Baeck]

Spring 2014, there was another round of exchange around stewardship on the emaillist: here the basic contributions:

From Toke:

The simplest answer I know to be try in my heart is:

You will know when you are called to be stewarding 

- and others will know when the stewarding practice has begun for you……..

It is…... 

- it is a conscious decision

- a matter of heart 

- a matter of clarity

- of passion and responsibility

- of inner knowing and willingness to step up to be of deeper service

- detachment helps

It is not

- an application 

- a competition 

- a degree 

- a necessity 

- a matter of desire….

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From Kathy Jourdain:

Hi friends,

I have been reflecting on Toke's note here for a little while as it is such an alive question for so many and few are ever fully satisfied with the response – looking for more clarity and more structure, the route to becoming a steward or the criteria.  At the moment, one thing I would add to what Toke wrote (which I have copied out below because I think it bears repeating) - that you will know when you are called – and others will know when the stewarding practice has begun for you – is that when this is also a conversation between you who know and others who are witnessing it, about what you feel, about what others are seeing, that conversational process invites some clarity for the person who is emerging into that role.  It is an in-precise process, but so too are certification processes that detail all kinds of criteria.  The best discernments I know now are in the practice of the work we are in and in the conversations we have with each other.  A bow to the centre, to the desire and to the practices we are in.  

Kathy

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From Chris Corrigan:

I feel my own practice of stewardship most fully when I am applying the four fold practice to the community of art of hosting practitioners itself. 

Am I self hosting my own practice?

Am I participating in the community?

Am I contributing to and hosting the community?

Am I co creating the art of hosting community?

This is how one gets to recognize in oneself and in the eyes of others, ones own stewardship. If the answer is that I am doing this in my own life, then I am a deep practitioner. If I am doing this locally then I am a local steward. If I am doing this globally I am a global steward. 

I find myself moving between all these levels. Sometimes more focused on global, sometimes more focused on local. 

The only reason to steward is to help because you care what we are all up to. The sincere heart is always welcome. Offer what you can. Ask for what you need. 

In short to live out Toke's simple recipe: show up, participate, contribute and co create and soon we will all see you!  And you will soon see your own stewarding too. 

-- 

CHRIS