We don’t have to like one another all the time
2021 is done and over. It went fast.
This past summer, we had the privilege of gathering together in the mountains for two camping immersions, weaving our erotic wellness with the verdant ecology of the more-than-human world.
Women self-pleasured on rocks. Cried. Took off their clothes and jumped for joy. Enacted ceremonies. Built friendship and community around the fire.
Which is to say, overall, in the land of the Verdant Collective, it was a good year.
And yet…
The world is brimming with uncertainty and divisiveness. Facts are hard to come by, truth even harder, and both are regularly twisted to fit pre-approved storylines. Many of us are retreating into ever smaller groups of only those with whom we agree. And nothing is up for discussion.
We find this to be alarming, to say the least. Healthy, vibrant, self-sustaining ecosystems require difference and diversity. Imagine a forest with one kind of tree and nothing else. No other trees, no crawling plants to cover the ground, no grass, no flowers, no insects, no birds, just the trees. How well do you think that will go?
Now, picture a forest that meets the sea. Ecosystems, teeming with diverse life, meeting one another and overlapping, producing new, never-before-seen possibilities.
As these ecosystems bump up against one another, there is conflict, certainly. But they are generative and innovative – they evolve, transform, become wiser, more resilient. They adapt to the challenges that constantly present themselves...which we definitely need right about now!.
At the beginning of each Verdant Collective program, as we’re bringing women together, we offer up a few “agreements.” (I use quotes here because we aren’t quite sure that word captures what it is we’re offering.) One of these agreements that is regularly followed by palpable relief and a hint of confusion is, “You don’t have to like one another all the time – in fact, if you do, we aren’t doing our job.” We follow this unusual invitation with an explanation expounding upon the benefits of our differences and a request that we bring them to the table.
In my experience, this is rare. Most groups that come together are based in similarity and it is our similarities that are highlighted and grown (and even requested and required by the cohort and even the facilitators!).
But to make space for and even demand our difference because it is in service to the group; because if you don’t bring it, the group is likely missing something important; because we have certainly spent enough time holding our tongues and being polite, or cutting someone out of our lives because we see things differently, that is a revolutionary act.
This is what we are inviting you into in the Verdant Collective 4-month Immersion. A community of women that extends regard and reverence to one another, and isn’t afraid to speak difference. The generativity this creates can be uncomfortable. But the creativity it unleashes, the depth, and the never-before-seen experiences, ideas, and connections are essential elements to all growth and evolution.
If you would like to join us (we have just a few spots left), apply! We’re taking in applications until January 14th.
