January 2023 :: Campaign Update, Events & Communitarian Dating
| January 19, 2023 |
Dear Friends, However you may have been marking the turning of the old into new this past month– be it beautiful winter holiday traditions, the miracle of light from darkness, the torrential downpours washing through, or the new Gregorian calendar year attempting always to convince us of its veracity– I hope this email finds you well-come to your emergent edge of unfolding. Here at Aletheia we have luckily weathered the storms well and are finding ourselves feeling fairly hopeful –and beyond ready– for this new chapter beginning. In this email we'll update you on the very latest with our Pool Repair to Reopen Capital Campaign, invite you to a few upcoming community events (the first since the pandemic began!), and share a bit about a call we're beginning to craft for a new residential immersion and fellowship offering here on the land. Read on!
2022–2023 POOL REPAIR TO REOPEN CAMPAIGN UPDATE This first leg of our funding journey has begun with our public, community-supported GoFundMe. It has an initial goal of $50,000 and a stretch goal to $75,000. As of this writing, we have raised just over $37,000! Wow wow wow! A month and a half in and we're already 75% of the way to our GoFundMe goal! Deep bows and HUGE THANKS to all of you who have been sharing the campaign, giving us virtual and in-person hugs, donating, and uplifting us along this journey in so many other meaningful ways. Perhaps just as momentous, we're also excited to share that we've just welcomed in our first Matching Fund Investor! This new CMI investor has matched the first $25,000 raised, getting us instantly up to the first $50,000 of the $300,000 needed by May. But far more critically, this first $50k being available has now allowed us to lock in the work on the pools to begin next week! {insert messy, joyful, tear-streaked relief dance} After more than a year in limbo and seven years working with cracked and mineral-stained plaster, we're starting to let ourselves once again imagine just how gorgeous these pools will look so very soon... and how incredible it will feel to welcome the wider Springs community back to experience them!
We've also had some wonderful press lately, which we credit for part of the momentum of the GoFundMe. First our hyper-local newspaper, The Kenwood Press, published a great article in their December 15th edition HERE (head's up: account required– but hey! support a local paper if you can!). Then, the Press-Democrat (aka The Sonoma-Index Tribune, aka Petaluma Argus Courier) published a super supportive article HERE; and we even got front page placement in the print edition! Also, if you're down for a fun ride of public sentiment/support/curiosity/childhood memories with even a whiff of culture wars, it's pretty amazing to read through the PD's website comments (found at the bottom of the above article), and especially their Facebook post's comments section, too, wow! So where does the Pool Repair to Reopen Campaign go from here? We see this community-supported leg of the journey–the GoFundMe and Matching Fund Investors portion– winding down somewhere in February or early March. Then we'll focus exclusively on Season Pass pre-sales and the grand reopening of our guest season. But before that, with a little help from our Catalyst Circle, we'll be doing a few last bumps to get the word out about the GoFundMe...and perhaps even locate one last Matching Fund Investor! (By the way, it's definitely not too late to join our Catalyst Circle– just shoot us a quick note if you'd like to hear about specific ways you could consider helping the homestretch!) On more than one occasion in the last month, a friend has shared their support but also that they feel they've nothing meaningful to contribute if it's not financial. This has left me deeply reflecting upon just how incredibly impactful non-monetized support is– for us and the Aletheia project, but also for all community-supported projects like ours reaching towards a better world. If you relate to this feeling at all (I know I do), please remember to never underestimate the powerful ripple effects of offering short messages of encouragement, engaging online, contributing comments to the press, inviting a shared meal or catch up on the phone, or simply sharing with friends the latest that's happening with organizations and projects we care about. With all our experiences thus far, we've come to understand just how much these "small" acts are, in fact, a far more fundamental support. They are prayers. They are the hands spinning the prayer wheel. They are what weave community awareness and thus creates the pathways upon which all hoped-for financial flows follow. We must remember that, long before everything became hyper-monetized, it has always been our attention and the small actions we take in our daily lives where our strongest powers for change lie.
UPCOMING EVENTS at ALETHEIA SPRINGS :: MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
Our monthly off-season Community Days & Potlucks are re-emerging after a multi-year slumber! This winter we've scheduled a few wonderful opportunities to share time here on the land together that we'd like to invite you to! These gatherings are just as much about enjoying simple, casual space together as they are about continuing to build a stronger, vibrant, diverse, resilient and multi-layered community network. Come see what we've been up to and share with us your latest, too.
Our first gathering for January is coming up on Saturday, January 21st (see all the dates/details + how to RSVP below). We hope you may join for one or all!
~ ALETHEIA WINTER COMMUNITY DAYS & POTLUCK EVENINGS ~
SATURDAY JAN 21 :: SATURDAY FEB 25 :: SATURDAY MAR 25 All are @ 2~9 PM • See schedule flow below... •• PLEASE RSVP ONLY IF YOU'RE COMING! •• ⇨ TO RSVP: EMAIL or TEXT any Steward or Resident We'll send directions/arrival info to all attendees, especially first-timers. (NOTE to Facebook users: Saying you're 'going' on FB isn't considered an RSVP!)
• • SCHEDULE FLOW • •
Come to one or all • Kid-friendly • No pets w/o pre-arrangement • Limited overnights w/ advance request • Please leave plenty of time to arrive & park before dinner! • No late arrivals after 6:30PM w/o pre-arrangement •
2 PM :: HOT SPRINGS RESERVATIONS + EARLY DISH PREP TIME [Thermal Baths + Aletheia Barn] If you'd like a hot springs soak let us know when you RSVP and include your preferred time block. As there are limited tub times and the first to RSVP is first-served, with priority given to those not staying overnight. Remember to BYO-towel and water bottle. The afternoon is also for those who prefer to come early and make their potluck dish onsite in our community kitchen. We have all the equipment you need to whip up your masterpiece. Usually this becomes a smaller little community kitchen "pre-party" which is fun. We circle to eat promptly at 6PM so just come with enough time to fix your dish (while chatting!) and still be ready before then. : )
6 PM :: COMMUNITY POTLUCK [Aletheia Barn] Come solo or bring along a special someone to cross-pollinate our growing community of communities. Your dish is your contribution (see guidelines below).
7:30 PM :: [Optional] FIRESIDE 'FREE SWIM' SPACE [Aletheia Barn] A time for rotating offerings and inspirations to casually emerge from the basic ground of fireside lounging. Songs, poems, music, story shares, games, etc. Pre-nominations and inspired leaders welcome! And often many just sit, chill and get chatty by the fire. This portion is optional, meaning, its totally okay to take off before we wrap up for your early bedtime!
BRING: •• Yummy potluck dish(es): Bring 1-2 items/dish per person to share (or one that serves at least five+ people), either: hors d'oeuvres, salads & sides, entrees, non-alcoholic drinks, and/or desserts. Organic, veg, low/no-gluten, and low/no single-use plastic preferred; conscientious meat & vegan dishes both greatly enjoyed but neither are required. We have plenty of flatware and utensils–no need to bring your own. If inspired, ping us ahead of time to hear what other folks are bringing. Are you a potluck pro?...bring a label to name what's in your dish, and tape your name on any serving utensils/bowls/plates you bring with you!
•• Warm clothes, cool layers, BYO towel & water bottle if you're planning to hot soak! Mud boots if it's been raining.
•• Fun things du jour: Musical instruments, poems, songs, group games or other offerings for after-dinner fireside 'free swim' space
•• Overnighters: If pre-arranged, bring overnight camping and/or sleeping gear (some private, some shared accommodations available) •• Families with kids: Your littles are valued and welcomed here, please bring them! We also have kids' toys/books at the ready. Any other questions? Please ask. : )
IMMERSION & FELLOWSHIP: REGENERATIVE CULTURAL DESIGN & COMMUNITARIAN DATING
We've been crafting our next call for kindred community-minded folks to join us in residence this year and participate in our regenerative culture "research & design laboratory" at Aletheia. The invitation will be for either an initial 1-3 month Residential Immersion (the "toe dip") or as a longer-term residential research Fellow.
Sprouting up from the rich compost of our past four years' experience with our Work Scholar and Guest Service Stay Residential Immersions, our aim with this newly emerging iteration is to be a fresh edge combining all our best practices thus far in creating a clear and trustworthy structure supporting the dance of new people living and exploring together in community.
It's a bit tongue-in-cheek but lately we've been calling this arc of our relational work "communitarian dating." Basically, for those of us drawn to this challenging art and beautifully rewarding way of life, how do we go about "dating" a piece of land and a community in much the same way we date in love relationships? What is it that creates mutual trust, value, ease, growth, flow and fun in this process? And what structures support both those short and sweet relationships (that hopefully leave us more capable than before) as well as those longer-arc ones with an aligned vision and co-creative purpose to explore?
Furthermore, we're asking: how can our practices and learnings in "communitarian dating" foster and uplift the larger cultural research field of the regenerative land-based communities movement? How can our work at this one node of Aletheia help to engage and develop all of us as mature, resilient and initiated fellow humans beings– true communitarians who are up for the task of healing stewardship with land, culture and each other? In our dating metaphor here, perhaps this work would be akin to becoming ready, mature and resilient for the sacred path of parenthood or dedicated youth mentorship.
We'll have more to share in our February newsletter as we further iron out details. But in the meantime, as part of the digestion and design process birthing this new invitation, we've been consulting with several friends and allies to incorporate a bigger range of reflections and experiences with communitarian dating. If you're available in the next couple weeks and would love to kick around this next iteration with us, please reach out! We'd love to hear your thoughts.
Thank you for reading and receiving this latest chapter in our story!
Wishing you wellbeing in this season of rain, fresh green & returning light–
