Sourced Design

The source is within you.

And this whole world is springing up from it.

Rumi

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.

Springhouse is the home of Sourced Design. Sourced Design guides us as we practice taking better care of Life, starting with our own. Teens and adults practice these principles in our school community, and we share the principles through Sourced Press and the Sourced Design Lab.

Life pushes back against a story that excludes it

Meg Wheatley

Sourced Design invites Life back in where it has been excluded in a person, a community, or place. Even though we articulated the principles and practices of Sourced Design, this is not our design. This design is older than the Earth and has been practiced for centuries by people who had no choice but to rely on the power of Life in a world that continues to exclude it. They show us that, when Life is excluded, we can choose to include it through a more courageous and intentional design.

Sourced Design Lab

The Sourced Design Lab is a two-month virtual program for those who want to learn more about Sourced Design. The Lab happens three times a year (fall, winter, and summer) and consists of three two-hour virtual workshops that explore the need for these principles in our culture today, what it means to start with ourselves when it comes to this design, and how this design supports culture-building. The Lab is an introduction for those who are curious and want to learn more about Sourced Design.

**The Lab is a prerequisite for the Cultural Design Program for adults

Tuition: Our Sourced Design Lab tuition is $300 per Lab. The default payment schedule is $300 paid on registration, but alternative payment plans are available. No one is turned away for a lack of funds. Learn more about our economic approach here.

Sourced Design Around the World

Read more about the impact of Sourced Design globally!

Become a Design Partner

Looking to apply this design to your organization or community?