Sourced Design
The source is within you.
And this whole world is springing up from it.
Rumi
Most of us have learned to adapt to a culture in trouble. We now live with the consequences of this: addiction, an epidemic of loneliness, suicide, racism and mass incarceration, poverty, the climate crisis, globalization, and oppressive systems that perpetuate the status quo. If we are to live in a world where all life thrives, we cannot continue to deny these circumstances.
We must learn a new way to live that is in greater alignment with all life.
After ten years of practice, Springhouse has learned a lot about what it takes to create a learning community that thrives. In 2019, Springhouse articulated Sourced Design – principles that we practice at Springhouse and use to support others to create vitality-centered learning communities in their respective places.
Sourced Design: The Five Principles
Take Care of Vulnerability
A thriving culture grows from one person and one community choosing to thrive in place over time. This growth is sustained only when we learn how to take care of the vulnerability of a new way of life.
Cultivate Personhood
Sourced Design begins with getting to know the design of our own lives – building a stronger relationship with our bodies and shared humanity, fostering a sense of the sacred, and growing our capacity for self-reflection.
Build Beloved Community
When we take care of our relationships over time – the ones we have with ourselves, with others, and the places we live with – we build a beloved community that respects individuality, fosters unity, and takes care of relationships.
Learn from the Earth
A tiny seed can teach us how Life works and how to build a more life-giving culture. With this wisdom, we can create sustainable examples of culture within our dominant culture and build networks to share the example with others.
Love and Serve Others
When we accept and love ourselves, we serve the world around us with greater compassion. When we know who we are, we serve the world with greater clarity. When we are in touch with what is needed in the world, we serve the world with greater dedication.
The Sourced Design principles support people to live life more fully and create the conditions for all life to thrive. These principles are older than the Earth and have been practiced for centuries. At Springhouse, we practiced these principles long before we called them Sourced Design.
We stumbled onto something that many have stumbled upon before us – principles to guide us as we learn to come alive.
