The edge of generosity and abundance in Art of Hosting network

From the emaillist, autumn '12:

Dear mates

I'm on the train to Kalunborg, Denmark, where another very enthusiastic Art of Hosting training is about to take place. As you may know, I’m a steward of the Art of Hosting and I’m also one of the trio of people who is part of the Online team, supporting our community by maintaining the practitioner community on the AoH Ning site and currently working on a new version of our website.

I’m writing this both in relation to the immediate viability and and ongoing financial sustainability of our online community platforms to invite us all into wise conversation and action regarding our AoH community's online future, and as an invitation to everyone as individuals who practice the Art of Hosting, teams who organise trainings, organisations who benefit from the generosity of AoH in whatever way they do, to invite you to integrate a practice of giving back to the centre.

The context

We have a vibrant and growing online community with more than 1,600 people all over the planet registered on our Ning site, and approximately 15 people joining each week. Currently, more than 130 global events are registered on Ning site with more than 40 open trainings happening all over the world before the end of the year including Singapore, Denmark, Egypt, British Columbia, Mexico, Austria and Greece. There are even more events happening for specific groups not listed on the Ning.

Wow, the amount of growth in Art of Hosting practice has just been phenomenal.

The need

There are some great things happening, many of them supported by generosity and to ensure the immediate and ongoing viability of our online community platforms, the Online team relies on our collective generosity. And as our community grows so does our need for the practice of collective generosity.

As I write this email, the exchange of collective generosity is somewhat out of balance. By way of example, even though we have more than 1,600 members to our online Ning site, only 9 members have contributed financially to its maintenance and ongoing development (contributions totalling 13,519 DK/approx US$2,331).

The focus

The practice of generosity — especially around money and value — was an aspect of our recent Learning Village in Slovenia, and I’ve noticed it challenge many of the teams I’ve been part of. I am sure we were not alone in that inquiry and invite us all into this learning edge... I think if we can crack this in our community we will really have something to share.

So as a member of the Online team, I’m wondering how contributing back to the centre from every event, commercial use and as part of being a practitioner could become our standard practice.

Certainly, enhancing the consistency of contributions from the AoH trainings happening around the world would be of significant help. We are in need of additional financial resources right now to finish an updated version of our AoH website (and if you are willing and able to make a contribution to this important initiative, please do so using the donation button on the home page (Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Online Team if you need an invoice or would like to do a bank transfer instead) to reward Rowan and his team for their wonderful behind the scene efforts in maintaining our community's online presence.

We need approximately US$3,000 to cover costs for the rest of the year and finish the website.

But, there is a bigger possibility for us all to lean into an inquiry into the practice of generosity within our AoH community in how we value what AoH offers us in our personal and commercial contexts.

Our invitation into inquiry

As an AoH steward, I am also focusing on the big picture, wondering what would help us to be both sustainable and vibrant over the longer term. In Slovenia some of us envisioned that it would be great — sometime soon? — to have a fund which anyone who needs support — to attend a training, to do research, to make something happen — can make a request to.

Toke, Richard Harmer and I were having a conversation last Thursday morning after finishing our two day “The Practices of Leading Courageously” in Melbourne. We’d spent two days really diving deeply into the Fourfold Practice as an operating system. We began to wonder what would support us to become a true field of generosity, able to practice harmonious economy with each other. What would help us host ourselves and each other well? What would really support us in practicing our practice consciously?

Here are some inquiry questions we came up with:

What conscious conversations about being generous with our money would be cool to have?
What am I ready to give to help this web of practitioners live in dignity — including how we practice generosity?
How could we also practice abundance with money so that generosity may flow in all directions?
How do we more consciously practice abundant and generous flow — especially with our money?

I can be honest this is something I also need to learn! What questions come up for you that may help our global practitioner community do good work in the world? I invite your questions of inquiry into this conversation and I invite you to explore the practice of generosity around money and value within your local communities and share your harvest with our global community too.

Mates, we are looking forward to welcoming your input — both into the money pot, and into the field of abundance we want to create.

A wave to you all from the road,

Mary Alice

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Thanks Mary-Alice.

I thought I would throw my perspective out there being one of the 9 members who have already given to this great cause in the past. I am an independent project management consultant and am enjoying my dabbling into the AOH community over the past 3 years or so. I am at times an interested by-stander; at other times a participant in training; and at all times a fan of any individual or community trying to improve our world and how we collectively live within it.

I decided to give a modest amount the last time a request went out for help because it is a small way I can give back to the community that gives me pause for thought on a daily basis. What is that worth to us all? I know what it is worth to me and I want to thank you Mary-Alice for reminding me of that.

We should not be afraid to ask for what we need. If your numbers are correct Mary-Alice, each member gave on average $1.50 US so far toward the maintenance and development of the site. If we each gave $10 right now, you wouldn’t have to remind us for a couple of years!!

Pause for thought?

Mike Musial

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A very interesting thought, Mike! Thanks for being a contributor and for reminding us that every little contribution helps!

As well as money (which is simply an agreed upon form of value exchange and has no intrinsic value itself) there are many, many forms of generosity alive and well within the AoH community — here are some I’ve been thinking about:

Time — there are so many in the AoH network — stewards, callers, practitioners, apprentices — who gift their time, care and attention. I think of how many calls for holding have happened over the last year and I see this as proof that it matters when we decide to focus on what matters.

Building capacity/Mentoring — First the seeing/sensing and then the calling out and supporting others, this is a gift that grows corn. I remember hearing Tim Merry say to Toke once: “I am your harvest!”.

Insight/sharing learning — sharing and encouraging learning is an act of generosity for me. I am grateful for all the people who happlly give their time and support when asked for it, and who gift us the fruits of their insights.

Deepening the practice — it is heartening to be part of a practice community that so openly shares experience, practice insights and ways to strengthen how we work and practice together.

Hosting space & process — The holding and hosting of space — often that unseen component that adds so much is a generosity. I remember hearing Ria Baeck say at a Steward’s gathering: “I cannot not hold the centre, whether I am asked to or not.” There are people hosting the budgets for events, those who do the admin work, those who anchor core teams, who dream of things for long years until they happen, who stand alongside groups who need help but don’t have monetary resources, who seem to create beauty wherever they go. Thank you all!

Seeing opportunities/making links/inviting in — and thank you to those who see the light at the edges, who make links between us so that we are more connected and therefore more resourceful, for those who keep inviting in and making space. For those who see the bigger picture and keep inviting us to go there, and those who stand for what’s possible and what might be.

On the eve of the US elections, I’m thinking how it could be and I’m thankful for the generosity of all of you!

With warm thoughts from a warm Denver afternoon,

Mary Alice

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Dear Mary Alice, thank you for bringing up this important conversation around generosity and holding this online field for the community. I wanna help not only as an individual, but also as our brazilian community.

Here in Brazil, the AoH community is growing as well as in the world, many trainings happening, specially this year and many people are benefiting from it. The conversations around money, abundance and generosity are very alive in all the hosting teams I've been part of, with rich learning around the value of the work we do and how to value it in money, because usually the trainings here are still not very abundant in that sense.

I believe it has something to do with our 'catholic background' (brazil in general) that has left its cultural marks, including the conflict around doing something good to the world and to people and earning money from it. Most of us here do the trainings, because we believe in it, sometimes even as a voluntary practice, which I think is starting to change now, but still feel this conflict present, including in myself.

I see some ways I can help:

- Here we have a practice of the hosting teams leaving a part of their earnings to the brazilian and international community and all the hosting teams I've been part of we did this. First I can start this conversation within our community to understand how is this practice happening.

- We are having our 'money circle' from the last hosting team I've been too, next week, and will have a contribution to the international community that I can send you through the Paypal.

- I can make an individual contribution

Hope that will help somehow and let's keep this reflection alive, I see it much beyond the conversation around money. Seems a reflection of the questions present in the world right now, a deep conversation around community, abundance, trust and generosity.

Love to you,

Narjara

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Replies to This Conversation

Permalink Reply by Ria Baeck on December 6, 2012 at 6:27am

More from the emaillist:

This is a really beautiful invitation to be generous and what a great inquiry! Both at the sLOVEnia learning village and online. Thanks Mary-Alice for this delicious conversation of which I will now bite into. The AoH Ning site is such a beautiful gift and you make it so easy to navigate through. I have much gratitude to Rowan and team for hosting this space with simple elegance.The wealth of wisdom, generosity & open heartedness that roots the global aoh community ignites much hope! :)

Right now, the national organization I work for uses AoH to engage citizens in nation building and governance issues that matter. I've been holding the space in stealth mode for about 5 years now. Last week I submitted a draft agenda & linked sources from the AoH Ning site that NCFNG could use to make workbooks/journals. I also let NCFNG know we must contribute back to the aoh work because this is a good practice to live respect and reciprocity.

A little story about Nuu-chah-nulth culture. If a vistor or guest uses the territory, they give the 'first catch' be it a fish, berries, medicine, elk, whale to the Haweeyah (Hereditary Chief) who is the steward of the territory. The role of a Haweeyah is to take care of the territory: land, water, air, & all of Creation. Taking only what we need is a principle to live as one with all of Creation. Leaving no trace that we harvested much wealth from the bountiful territory seems an optimists dream for today's resource extraction economy and lifestyle.

Nuuchahnulth practice fierce generosity in Potlatch. The truest sign of a wealthy person is to give everything away, down to their last spoon, which by the way would be a beautiful piece of elegantly carved functional art. The hahoulthee (territory) will always provide more of what is needed & sustain a good quality of life. Generosity is a path to abundance.

Thanks again for this beautiful invatation to offer back the 'first catch." this honors and respects the brilliant gifts that are widely shared & practiced. It invites us to be generous, which in itself is rewarding. I raise my hands to the stewards for being a living example and bringing ancient practice of community, generosity & well being which are much needed in the world at this time.