What a great time we had visiting, laughing, eating, and all of the other fun exchanges that occurred during our First Anniversary potluck. After a bit of socializing, enjoying a full spread of all kinds of divine food and then indulging in 3 different desserts from Moody’s Diner we sat down for our meeting.
Cheryl shared that both she and Carol were very proud of The Gathering’s first year. It was developed from an idea born in March of 2008 when both of us discovered that we each independently had a longing to be part of a greater spiritual (non-religion based) community in the Mid-coast. Reviewing our meetings, many agreed that the format of activities seemed to work well and were embraced by many participants. All of the wonderful guest speakers were very much appreciated in addition to the topics and journeys shared by Cheryl and Carol. In turn, we are grateful for all who attended.
With our inaugural year behind us, we asked the attendees to not necessarily look back but to join us in an exercise which could assist us in collectively defining our path for the future. To do so, Cheryl lead everyone through the Visioning Process. We were all asked to set aside ego and align with the deepest part of ourselves. In this place the vision can be revealed through us, and we can begin to understand the path that Spirit has already created for us.
After going into meditation, we were asked to seek answers to four specific questions:
1. What is Spirit’s highest idea for this spiritual community called The Gathering?
2. What must I be willing to become for this to manifest?
3. What must I be willing to let go of or release?
4. Is there anything else I need to know?
People jotted down their answers, and we were able to have a rousing discussion afterwards. From the various responses to the questions, which did happen to revolve around a few similar subjects once we looked back on our notes, we were able to formulate a new Vision and Mission for The Gathering. They are as follows:
Vision for The Gathering (The highest ideal of what we are)
A unified spiritual community based on growth, centered in love.
Mission of The Gathering (How we grow toward our Vision)
Acknowledging the spiritual connection of all, we lovingly join together to raise both our personal and collective consciousness, accepting the value and expression of all involved.
We acknowledge and appreciate the wealth of thought and sharing everyone contributed to this process. Further defining the intention of our group through our Vision and Mission Statements feels like a wonderful step forward for The Gathering. We look forward to growing consciousness, spiritual connection and loving times together.
In peace,
Carol
