Our Current Situation: A Call for Restorative, Regenerative and Associative Economics

As the current world accounting reveals, economic thinking continues to fail, leaving in its wake:

• Mounting world unpayable debts
• Wealth disparity,
• Environmental destruction
• Financial encroachment on politics, education and medicine
• Soulless work and a plethora of phenomena that all lead back to the money question.
  
  

Together we can turn the tide. The responsibility for this does not stop with finance ministers and central bankers but is also in each and all of our hands. How do we understand this and make it REAL? 

At this juncture in time, with economies around the world in crises, people’s initiatives halted, and cash flow curtailed, many questions arise as to the underlying causes of current world-wide socio-economic situation and to discern what it’s asking of us.

The multi-faceted challenges we face today may be an invitation to do things differently, but before we can act differently we need to see and think differently. Clearly the ailments of our current time are a reflection of our world conceptions and economic thinking. The ongoing pain and trauma in our lives and the world behoove us to open our hearts with empathy for each other, the earth, and her resources we all depend on.

An Associative Economic Reset to Restore and Regenerate? 

Almost a century ago, in his World Economics course of 1922, economic researcher, Rudolf Steiner outlined the challenges that will continue to confront us if we continue with an outmoded economic thinking that has it’s impact on every other aspect of life.

Our “fallen” thinking impacts the way our food is grown, the way our soil is cultivated, our health management, our educational systems, the “given” resources of our environment, the way we relate to one another, and those who’ve died. Many of us in the West are blind to our dependence on a war economy.

Dr. Rudolf Steiner: offers practical steps for a future worthy of our humanity

Steiner and many others since his time, describe the shift in thinking that is needed to cultivate a diverse creative world economy that reflects a healthy thinking and dynamic balance with one another with respect for the earth and her resources. In such a community neither land or labor are bought and sold as commodities. People no longer work for money but for each other. There could be multiple sources of currency exchanges managed through bookkeeping systems that track loan, gift, and purchase money. In 1922, Steiner, forewarned that neither capitalism or communism would last more than another 100 years. In 2022 that 100 years will have reached the far side far shore of it’s time.

We see the advent of the crumbling of all unhealthy social structures created in the last 100 years. People all over the world are rising up to stand for their innate rights and values.

 The principles described by Steiner of what’s needed towards an economic thinking that supports us to sustain one another and life on this planet are more relevant now than ever.  His foresight is still insufficiently understood as to its hows and whys. 

Dr. Steiner continues to be unparalleled in his multi-faceted offerings to humanity. Just a few of the in areas he addressed which have grown into world-wide movements are: Architecture (see left), Biodynamic farming and gardening to regenerate the earth,  Waldorf Education to foster free thinking human beings, Medical practices continue to be developed that treat the whole human being, new social forms to restore world peace, and an evolutionary historical view of our earth and our relationship to her.  His economic insights are more relevant than ever. The following quotes from Dr. Steiner point to some of the work we can undertake together:

“There can be no doubt, during recent (and current) times, it is clear that economic facts are no longer being mastered. The facts have gone beyond the mastery of human beings.

In the economic sphere above all, we must not think shortsightedly. We must think all things in connection with one another, as a totality.

It is necessary by direct human experience, to take hold of the economic process in its state of becoming, to be within it all the time. However the individual alone can never do this. . . it can only be done by individuals working in association in the economic life. . . .

The economic process can only find its reflection where judgments, proceeding from people who stand in the most varied spheres, work together

. . . The greater our technical accuracy (financial literacy) with which we study the economic process, the more we are led to recognize that the required (or inspired) initiatives and institutions (that serve us) only grow out of the economic life itself.

It is not a question of radical changes but of seeking the proper associative union and cooperation in each case.

When the proper understanding and clarity is there, we realize a new economic process can be achieved, not the day after tomorrow but tomorrow! We only need summon the will and the intelligence to do so.“

– Rudolf Steiner, Economics, The World as One Economy, New Economy Publications

Steiner spoke of association, ageing capital, three kinds of money and capitalizing capacities … but where are examples of these things to be found?

Awakening to Our Finances Together

We Need Each Other to Begin to Solve the “Money Question” 

We all have blind spots when it comes to a new way of thinking about, being with, and enacting more consciously with money in our lives and initiatives.

What each of us does economically impacts the whole. We are all in this economic soup together in one unbroken world destiny. I cannot become what I need to be until you become what you are here to bring. Together we can learn to be each other’s keepers and keepers of the earth in our local and world communities as we come to expect and demand transparent accounting.

As we feel ourselves embedded in the World as One Economy we open to the heart of the inter-connection between of all of humanity. If we recognize that we’re all in this together, a shift to associative-collaborative accounting for both needs and resources inform us of next steps – no matter where we are or what we are doing.  As we work together, an alternative to competing for any and all resources becomes an outmoded way of thinking and acting. We rely on each other as a renewable resource, Together we can hold possibility to meet every person’s basic needs within the means of the earth that supports us.

Money, Courage and Empathy Meetings

Unveiling the Heart of our Economy 

 Weekly Online Collaborative Exchanges and Practices with  Member Support Area 

Program Begins May 16th, 2021
Registration is Open Now. You will not be charged for 30 days. 

We Meet each Sunday for 3 Weeks, then an open meeting each Month for Nine Months until Feb. 13th 2022
11:30 PST, 2:30 EST, 7:30 pm London for 90 minutes

Who’s it for?: anyone who yearns to live from a healthy economic paradigm with an open heart and mind.

Intuitive initiative to create a restorative, regenerative economy and ecology so all needs are considered, is urgently called for from each of us. For example:

Initiative Takers:

• Mothers and fathers who wish to exemplify new ways of being with money as they make choices for their homes, children and in their family conversations 
• Businesses and organizations seeking a more collaborative transparent economic orientation 
• Entrepreneurs, engineers, and innovators in all walks of life. 
• Educators who are in a position to inspire others
• Private school communities who may need to re-organize 
• Farmers and gardeners and the communities around them
• Influencers of city councils, city planners, utility companies,   
• Those seeking an avenue for sustainable regenerative community development
• Priests and the communities they serve
• Counselors and therapists who meet economic anxiety in their clients

Economics impacts each one of us. We are all called to become economists and become more aware of the three kinds of money that flow between us.  If enough of us hold a new vision for humanity that inspires alignment with our individual North Star, share with others, and learn to generate resources for and with one another to support that vision, change will come.

What we’ll foster: generative resources, communication skills, visioning and implementation processes, conscious accounting for cash flow management for individuals and within an inter-relational community and what we discover as we explore needs together. 

Why? It has been proven that when we  gather and hold our attention for and with each other, more than the sum of it’s parts is accessible to us. Our individual efforts are magnified, respected and supported. Skills are shared, catalyzed and revealed, Successes are celebrated. We learn to resolve conflicts and honor the unmet needs. Wisdom is cultivated. Our capacities grow.

Gaps in our knowledge coupled with subconsciously inherited economic-perceptions can be brought to the light of consciousness and transformed as we meet with one another.

Are you Called to Collaborative Community?

If you chose to join us, you’ll be invited to share your perceptions, experiences, and practice collaborative cash flow conversations and connections with one another. As we hear from and support each other, we’ll have an opportunity to can gain more clarity and confidence as we witness and are witnessed in our economic challenges and breakthroughs.

Sunday Meetings

Money Unveiled , Empathy Exchanges and “Courage to Follow Your Star” Initiative Support Circles

Where two or more are gathered with the intention to speak with earnest vulnerability and listen to one another with heart-guided attention, new Imaginations, Inspirations, and Intuitions may arise among us that can serve each individual and those present to the process.

About the Meetings and Rhythm

Each week will feature different main presenters to approach our financial topics and questions from a mult-variable perspective.

We’ll all have an opportunity to share our personal and community initiatives and economic challenges and celebrations in each meeting.

Collaborative economic activities, exploration of new social forms, support, coaching and practices will be facilitated.

Week One: Money Unveiled Meetings with Arthur Edwards: Arthur will take the lead and facilitate the initial weekly  each month of  our gatherings. What he shares will set the tone for the next three meetings.

He’ll present leading thoughts in light of current world events, the challenges he experiences, has overcome with new approaches to form and finance, and what he sees needed to meet what’s coming toward us. He’ll draw from his many years of involvement in community and initiative development. His experience as a father of children in a Waldorf School and an administrator of a therapeutic indedpendently run Camphill Village Community, will inform us with practical real life situations. 

More about Arthur: Arthur has offered courses and coaching in economics and financial literacy to farmers, educators, entrepreneurs, and young people. For 8 years he was the editor of Associate!, a monthly journal dedicated to associative economics. In 2008 he completed a Research Masters at Buckingham University entitled ‘Three Kinds of Money: Rudolf Steiner in the history of monetary economics’.

Week Two: Discern what the “Star” of your Destiny is Asking of You with Jane Johnson and Vivianne Sinclaire.

Jane

What are the finances of your individual life situation, the initiatives your connected to, or your geographical region asking of you? In these sessions we’ll activate our sense of purpose within the larger economic world situation and strengthen each other to engage and build associative economic relationships.

Jane and Vivianne will share activities and processes they’ve worked with to develop Imagination, Inspiration, and Intuition for next steps on our path. These “I” capacities increase our awareness and orientation from our past and what’s asked of us in the present from the future.

We’ll learn forensic accounting practices to use each day, week, month, quarter, year and life that will help us navigate our path. With rhythm, next steps reveal themselves that enable us to fulfill our life intentions – from accounting to life visioning.

About Jane and Vivianne: Jane and Vivianne both draw upon their many skills as Mothers, Grandmothers, Death Midwives, Life Mentors, Biodynamic Gardeners, and Circle Facilitators.

Vivianne

They share a passion to support people in all walks of life to fulfill their life intentions and have the support they need to get their basic needs met. They also have a mutual interest to serve associative economics as a dynamic process to address many of the social ills our time.

After a near death experience at the age of 18, Vivianne’s values and what’s important to her in life became clear..She is born to a lineage of bankers. Her commitment is that this generation resurrects our economic thinking and practices from an Economics of Death to an Economics of Life.  

Jane currently champions women in business in Hawaii in various fields: a bakery, a kindergarten, and a center for conscious living and dying.

Vivianne is in conversation with her city council members to create a shared local economy with community owned tools and electric vehicles that people in her area can rent (or borrow) at an affordable rate. 

Week Three: Practice the Power of Empathy for yourself, the world and one another with Lorene Allen:

Lorene

Lorene offers her support to Listen, Speak, Learn, and Integrate with Reflections, Questions, and Empathy as we look at our accounts and Balance Sheets!

Accounting for and with each other is likely to bring up all kinds of issues, such as questions of self worth, feelings of guilt, shame, inadequacies, as well as virtues and values.

By listening and speaking from our hearts, we find the way heart connection – with ourselves and others.

Empathy is the precursor to Altruism, where we give of ourselves to support another’s needs. These two soul capacities lie at the heart of our ability to create a new economy.

Bring your economic challenges, needs, and  longings in relationship to challenges and celebrations in your life and initiatives. 

About Lorene: Lorene’s devotion to empathetic communication has been honed through her roles as Mother, Grandmother, Artist, Poet, Integrative Communications Facilitator, and All Aspects of End of Life Care.

One of Lorene’s many communications mentors was the late Marshall Rosenberg who pioneered Non-Violent Communication. Marshall and Rudolf Steiner continue to inspire her to deepen her understanding of the impact of speech in all areas of life. She holds ongoing Non-Violent Communication Practice Circles. Her inner agility and ability to penetrate to the heart of the needs of those speaking before her is truly inspiring. 

A second deep interest is her dedication to associative economics.  She sees this practice as essential to truly meet human and earthly needs. She’s been a student of associative economics for over two decades. She graciously offered to hold circle with us to broach two areas of deep interest to her.

Week Four: Open Circle Meeting. During the fourth session of our monthly rhythm, we’ll recap the three previous sessions, answer questions, develop conversation, integrate what we’ve learned and have occasional guest presentors.