IS: State of Intentional Society mid-2024
Liminal week — No open events this week
S15 starts July 7th.
Dear members, allies, supporters, and curious onlookers of IS,
The state of the Intentional Society is strong not reducible to one word. Here's a brief summary of what has happened, and what I think comes next, in each of our spaces:
Practice Dojo
This season, we ran an Exploratory practice series with guest teachers introducing us to Dia-Logos, Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais Method, Mettā Meditation, Gendlin Focusing, and my intro on Growth as Object. Average attendance was down a bit from our first (and "flagship" type) series, but the move to Saturdays felt clarifying and the openness has been working quite well thus far. The connection from Dojo to Community was IMHO weak and unclear at times.
I'll continue to direct our Dojo calls next season, and anticipate moving the series focus from breadth to depth, organizing a Practice Dojo offering aimed at deepening with a few of our core practices. They'll remain on Saturdays; dates are TBD still.
Member Community
The membership roster grew as expected (we moved from "start fresh each season" to a perpetual model as 2024 began), and participation remained about where it's been (also expected) with 12-20 present any given Sunday. We held a 4-week series-within-a-series where a "flotilla" of small group pods met with each other and took turns in the center of case work support sessions. These seemed to have higher energy and presence than average. I also enjoyed our exploration of "Somatic Knowing", as well as our "Garden Mapping" exercise, and we ended the season with an EGP inquiry on the meta-questions (about IS) we'll carry into next season.
I intend to broaden the "season orchestrator" role by inviting the community to design its own Season 15 roadmap for July-August-September. Member Community culture will likely continue its journey broadly toward more agency and leadership of this relational space of connection and belonging.
Intentional Ventures
As a brand new initiative, the theme was very much one of "formation" as this invite-only team came together to build understanding and trust with each other and with the field-of-possibilities of IV itself. The draft mission remains: "We intend to grow a thriving economic ecosystem that supports our material security, in ways that align with our values and purposes, leveraging our crucial skills."
Looking forward, we are very much ready to move into action-research with concrete real-world ventures joining participants at the center of our experiments. Flows of action, of capital, and of people may fill our next phase of evolution.
the larger umbrella and wider network
These three spaces exist within a larger diaphanous membrane of the Intentional Society umbrella, which itself exists within a larger Liminal Web that includes a budding movement-building node in Second Renaissance. I look forward to what will emerge in our "2R" alliance as another piece of the systemic puzzle: responsive action as part of the relationally-catalyzed and inner-led development loop across the polarity of size/scope in our world.
Tomorrow, seven IS members are converging for our first physical regional meetup. Larger physical activities seem farther down the road, but I'm aware of future potential hanging in the air regarding the evolution of IS beyond the virtual.
The state of Intentional Society is solidifying, self-awareness-building, expanding, deepening — being and doing, loving and caring, as we are continuously called to dance with life.
Questions, ideas, and other replies welcome. Cheers,
James