Tibet Sprague

Core Beliefs

Interdependence: We are all connected. Everything we do impacts the people, animals, plants, and the whole ecosystem around us, and likewise we are affected by the actions, health and wellbeing of every part of the planetary whole, in infinite ways we can and cannot know. Abundance: There is enough for all, on this incredible spaceship earth we call home. We have all the resources needed for all beings to thrive on this planet, and we work to ensure those resources are distributed fairly. Agency: Despite the many existential crises we face, there is hope! We have the ability to choose our story, to design a new path for ourselves and humanity, and to decide how we want to live together on this planet.

From Core Beliefs to Values Based on the above beliefs, we have chosen eight core values that describe what is important to us and what qualities we prioritize when deciding how to behave in the world.

Values

1. Earth Care: We are part of nature and we nurture our connections with the more-than-human world. We orient our work toward that which supports the long-term health of the planet, committing ourselves to stewardship on behalf of the seven generations.
2. Cooperation: We work together towards our common goals, choosing collaboration over rivalry. Through partnership with allies, shared responsibility, and mutual empowerment, we make creations that are superior to anything we could achieve on our own. We balance the needs of the individual and the collective to ensure each person has what they need to thrive.
3. Wholeness: We are a whole part of the whole. We work to integrate ancient and modern, feminine and masculine, the sacred and the mundane, the cognitive and the intuitive, the mind, body, heart and spirit. We invite and embrace the needs and offerings of every culture and community ready to commit to our shared purpose. We recognize that healing at any level contributes to healing of the whole.
4. Justice: We acknowledge and work to create healing from the harms that have been caused by colonialism, racism, patriarchy, and violence. We hold each other accountable for our transgressions and work to promote repair and peace. We are committed to dismantling systems of oppression.
5. Learning: We learn from every interaction. We continuously seek to better understand the universe and ourselves, and acknowledge that there are many ways of knowing to guide our search for truth. We can’t know everything, and sometimes an open mind and one’s intuition are the best guides. We commit to integrity, transparency, and consistently acting from our highest selves.
6. Respect and Trust - We extend respect to all our relations: both human communities and the more-than-human world. We extend trust forward, and as we honor our commitments and move with integrity, we aim to be worthy of trust.
7. Pleasure: We are guided by our somatic experience toward our highest excitement, that which creates joy in our lives and the world around us. We balance work with play and prioritize self-care, celebration, and fun. We foster an ambiance of conviviality.
8. Freedom: We honor the unique needs and desires of each individual, working for the liberation and sovereignty of all.

Agreements

We live by our vision, purpose, and values in all relationships, gatherings, creations, and collaborations we undertake. We commit to acting as stewards of our world. We dedicate energy towards improving ourselves, our communities and relations, and the land to which we belong. We are a community of care. This means we make direct requests to express our needs, and respond with clear offers of help however we can. We aim to support each other in our daily lives to help each of us thrive. We are a community of practice. We find opportunities to collaborate with each other in service to regeneration and all beings thriving. We agree to discover our purpose and live in alignment with that purpose. This is what makes us Terrans. This purpose can be anything that calls to our care, according to our own unique gifts and passions. We move at the speed of trust. We commit to approaching relationships as the basis for life-long community, so we take the time to explore, deepen, and resolve tensions that arise. Our relationships are reciprocal and long-term, not transactional. We commit to seeking consent in our interactions. We first ask for permission before taking action that impacts others, and we seek out the input of stakeholders in decisions that are relevant to them. We agree to practice active listening and non-violent communication. We are accountable to each other for upholding our values and agreements, and for meeting our commitments. When there is tension, we agree to fast and fair conflict exploration. When we make mistakes, we will own up to them and take responsibility for repairing relationships and rebuilding trust. If called for, we agree to participate in the Way of Council and show up for relationships that are asking to deepen. When someone violates these agreements or causes harm, we will work towards accountability, reconciliation, and repair with the people affected and the community at large. We commit to act on behalf of the Earth, the more-than-human world, our ancestors, and for the generations yet to come. We commit to work towards the liberation of all beings. We take action to dismantle systems of oppression of humans and the more-than-human world, in service to all beings thriving.

From Values to Principles

Values describe what is important to us, principles govern our actions. These principles are based on our values, and directly steer our choices. Values guide how to be, principles how to do.

A) Consent [Related to values: Peace & Harmony, Cooperation, Truth, Liberty & Freedom]: Each person is free to choose how they want to participate, to find and follow their unique purpose and passion.

B) Non-violence [Peace & Harmony, Justice & Healing] We strive for non-violence in every communication and every action. We release our opinions in service to inquiry, and let go of debate in service to conversation.

C) Experimentation & adaptation [Learning] We seek better ways forward through continuous experimentation, integrating feedback, and evolving our systems and practices as needed. We embrace failure as a learning opportunity.

D) Honesty & Transparency [Truth, Justice & Healing, Peace & Harmony] We commit to honesty, transparency, and consistently acting from our truest selves.

E) Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion [Wholeness & Integration, Justice & Healing, Liberty & Freedom]: We will actively pursue a diverse membership that represents the many cultures and perspectives in our community. We acknowledge the power dynamics that occur between dominant and oppressed groups in our society and strive to dismantle these within the collective. Everyone carries their own perspective and experience, and when this creates tension or paradox, we explore nuances which help us respect & integrate differences.

F) Racial & Indigenous Justice [Justice & Healing, Wholeness & Integration] We work to repair the harms of settler colonialism and extractive capitalism. We work to dismantle systems of oppression. We center anti-racism and anti-oppression work as critical steps to achieving a regenerative future.

G) Decentralized leadership: [Cooperation, Liberty & Freedom] We use cooperative models of leadership, mutually assisting each other towards our common goals, through distributed responsibility and empowerment of all. We choose collaboration over rivalry to partner with allies of all kinds who support our mission, teach and inspire us.

H) Systems thinking [Wholeness & Integration, Truth]: We design for a world made up of interconnected, complex systems, and identify feedback loops and unanticipated consequences of our actions. We look for leverage points to shift current systems and develop new ones that are win-win, closed loop and regenerative.

I) Patience & Long term planning [Regenerative Earth Stewardship, Cooperation, Wholeness & Integration] In all our actions we prioritize the long-term health and thriving of the next seven generations and our home, Mother Earth.

J) Restorative & Transformative Justice [Justice & Healing, Truth] We see conflict as an opportunity to deepen relationships.

Governance Principles

• Democracy: All voices should be included in the decisions that impact them. • Rights of nature: include the voices of the more than human beings impacted • Subsidiarity: decisions should be made as close (local) to where the decision has an impact as possible. • Fairness • Transparency • Separate money from decision making • Trust is central

Governance Practices

• Sociocracy: small circles with clear domains of decision making • Clear roles and processes for moving in and out of them • Consent based agreements • Iterate on proposals over time and reevaluate how things are going regularly

We achieve healthy, effective planetary governance through nested bioregional governance councils, including the wisdom of elders and indigenous folks, voices of nature, and inclusive, participatory democracy.

Thoughtful, casual, compassionate, regenerative culture, oakland vibes, whimsical, a touch of mythic poet.