This article is a co-creation between Chiara Kunz / Anna Katharina Weber / Mareike Dreuße / Isabell Crone / Kari Wolf / Antonia Sophia Waskowiak / Katja Kremling & Robert Radloff. It is been published by Robert on LinkedIn 

End of 2023 i saw a post of my friends from Wir bauen Zukunft eG about ComYOUnity – CoLiving – CoWorking – CoDesigning – CoBeing & Spring. I personally was hooked by „the area of tension between New Work and Inner Work and strengthening our competencies in the area of Inner Development Goals…“

Robert: Visiting friends like Johannes Milke & Amelie Salameh who live in this special place, supporting with strategy workshops and physical work on site, sharing networks and being part of the „Zukunftsrat“ was always fun and has always led to a feeling of purpose to me. Sure I go and see/feel/smell „the tension between New Work & Inner Work“.

A six day program was created and designed by the wonderful Kari Wolf along the IDGs (Inner Development Goals) – 5 dimensions with 23 skills of human inner growth and development.

In 2015, the UN SDGs provided a comprehensive plan for a sustainable world by 2030. However, progress is not happening fast enough, and we urgently need to increase our collective abilities to face and work effectively with complex challenges.

This is why the framework of the inner development goals was developed: To fill the “knowing doing gap” and to provide us with a set of skills and attitudes needed to transform the “outer world”.

Monday, the 18th of March our journey starts.

Arriving at a place you already know, knowing the parking lot, the way into the Cafe, greeting people you know & grabbing a coffee. Some first small talks and anticipating a smooth start in the week.First thing we recognized: A TIMETABLE – wow, that is structured. Let me share some details and some of my personal learnings & observations:

MONDAY – our Check-In

We are fourteen! Anni Kraus & Kari Wolf from Wir bauen Zukunft eG are our hosts / guides / kaho.

First we familiarized ourselves with the place, with a tour of the extensive grounds and a tour of the house, were Lene draws our attention to all the special features of the rooms and the way they work together.

After dinner (sure vegan and local) and a shared clean-up, everyone present on site plus us seminar attendees came together for a plenary session to get to know each other and coordinate and organize the week together.

Robert: Almost 30 people in a big circle – I was really nervous and simply stated „i’m a teacher & a student!“

„Who would like to contribute something to the open spaces? A morning routine or a program item for the afternoon/evening?“ Many hands go up. Together we designed all our morning routines & evening open spaces. (Yoga / ice-bathing / tabata / sauna / FGM info session / sensory jam / „Reste Rampe“ / perfect posture breath work.)

In addition we have divided ourselves into all voluntary services. A masterpiece of AGILE AGENDA. The program was colorful and diverse. We were not just guests here, we were part of the community. Everyone took on two shifts in the community’s weekly schedule.

TUESDAY – our Walk of Life

Check-In on the first morning after yoga / journaling & tea. Almost everybody was motivated & excited. We all felt the „student“ in us. OK – lets go: How to tell your story, your intention & motivation to be in a seminar like ComYOUnity DEEP?

Easy – you do the walk of life. Put that 2 meter rope on the ground and tell your own story. An impressive, open & honest demonstration by Kari Wolf touched us. Thank you Julie that you showed us your endless beautiful emotions.

After listening it was our turn. In groups of three, start thinking about questions such as: “ What is important to know about me? What is needed in my story? What are the real reasons for being here…?“

In 12-15 minutes we shared open and honest the vulnerable stories of our selves. This is a simple and bold, but definitely not an easy way to connect with others and their purpose of being with us in the ComYOUnity DEEP.

This exercise has 3 layers:

• Reflect on yourself and if you tell your story, what are the really important parts you have to share? Successes / fails / values / family / partners / business / influences / cultures /
• Listen and connect to the stories and lives of others.
• Share your observations and resonances – spoiler in all the different stories there are always elements which are relatable with our very own story.

After sharing these stories in small groups – some of us had the feeling that there are so many stories that we miss. Spoiler: we shared / connected & bonded so much during this week. We didn’t have the feeling we missed something or somebody.

„Dear class 1D, here is your homework: go in the forest and find your inner values – trust the forest, he will help you and give you the needed signs!“

IDG Self inquiry – How do you rate yourself? There is a great online test HERE for self-assessment from the IDG community.

We tested ourselves with constellation work. There were papers scattered around the room with the competencies written on them in large letters. An imaginary scale from 1 (rather no) to 10 (all-in) in front of us. We listened to the explanations of the individual areas of competence and positioned ourselves in the room.

It felt new for everyone and not only positive. We were somehow lonely. Some avoided the high ratings for authenticity, others would have liked to give more but didn’t dare. At the end of the exercise we all stood somewhere; but detached from another and alone. A feeling of missing mass was spread.

In a special moment for the group, Kari asked us: „How about you all take a few steps forward?“ Suddenly we were no longer standing behind each other on a scale, but in a circle around these values. It no longer mattered who was standing where, but that we were standing there together. At that moment, we experienced what Otto Scharmer describes as the Emerging Future: Moving from an „ego-system” focused entirely on the well-being of oneself to an eco-system awareness that emphasizes the well-being of the whole. In this moment we were enjoying the sense of community that was created in this second. That was unbelievable & extreme powerful for everyone.

THURSDAY – Projection & Mirroring

Today’s focus is on our mind. In the IDGs, this can be found in the category „THINKING“. The morning focused on the topic of projection: this is a defense mechanism in which we transfer thoughts and feelings to others that we do not (or do not want to) see in ourselves.

We were given two valuable tools to help us get to the bottom of these projections: Mirroring and The Work of Byron Katie .

In the mirror exercise we can recognize ourselves in others. Here the setting looked like this: 2 people sit opposite each other, look at each other and are accompanied by a space holder. First, person A describes what she sees in the other person when she looks at him/her. E.g. something mischievous, loving, or insecure. Then the space holder asks person A to use this observation as a mirror and to verbalize it to person B: “When I look at you, I show MY mischievous, loving or insecure feelings to myself.” Let it work! Person B is then invited to act as a mirror and say, “Thank you for seeing this. If you see that, I can help you.” And continue to use person A as a mirror: “When I look at you, I also show myself my mischievous, loving or insecure attitude.”

Let it work! Here person B can take the projection of person A again and feel whether there is something true for them to find here in the mirror. The exercise can then be continued alternately. It can support us in accepting what we see in others, whether beautiful or not so beautiful, while still offering the other person a space for resonance and discovering the connection in the mirror and reflecting mirror. Anni and Kari learned this exercise as part of their constellation training with their mentor Dana Richter. You can also do the exercise within yourself, up to a certain point, similar to Byron Katie: internally name what touches you, what bothers you about a person or, for example, in nature, etc. and turn it around, accept it you. Be with it and explore what it does to you.

The Work of Byron Katie is a tool for identifying and questioning thoughts and beliefs. Each of us has taken a situation from our lives that leads to suffering within us. After describing the situation to the other person, we used four questions to challenge our thoughts in the situation. („Is this true? Can you know with absolute certainty that it is true? How do you feel when you believe this thought? Who are you when you can no longer believe these thoughts?“) We then reversed them and took the projection back to ourselves (e.g. „My father never listens to me“ -> „I often don’t listen to myself“). The realization that many of our thoughts do not correspond to the truth led to more inner peace and freedom as to which decisions we want to make in the world.

by Chiara Kunz & Kari Wolf

FRIDAY – the dance of life

Anchoring trust in the body with Biodanza

„How do I learn to fly? How do I build a nest and provide support and security for others? How does it feel to be carried and held? How do I move freely and independently through space, expressing my inner self without fear? And when do I want to land in a safe nest again, to be carried by the community?“

On Friday, we were able to feel, experience and experiment with these core questions of human existence – the tension between safety and freedom, individuality and group on a physical and emotional level. Biodanza, also known as „the dance of life,“ is this amazing system of self-development that uses music, movement, and self-exploration to deepen our understanding of ourselves. It’s about making a holistic connection with our emotions and expressing them authentically. Practicing Biodanza opens up a space for us to strengthen our connections with others and with nature, all while expressing ourselves authentically.

It’s like discovering new layers of ourselves and feeling more connected to the world around us. Thank you, Vine (https://www.vine-rupp.de/) for holding the space with warm tenderness and earthy fierceness.

by Anna Katharina Weber & Mareike Dreuße

SATURDAY – the pain of parting

pain / love / money / cuddles & co-reflecting – a weird mix of words, that is what it feels like ending this outstanding week. Our last Check-In, our last day, our last 3 hours of inner work.

Today it’s time to say goodbye. That was the dominant feeling of that day. Of course not without feedback and sharing. For this purpose, our facilitators once again chose a really nice and suitable exercise. We put our heads together, literally. We formed a circle on a large camp and our heads met in the middle. With the „and then…“ method we once again practiced a mutually building and appreciative method with which we reflected on our week TOGETHER. Popcorn and hashtags. Personal high- & low lights. Emotions and observations. Important quotes and our very personal learnings. It’s great to have felt all the energy of the last week in one point and one moment.

On our last day together we faced a particularly difficult task. We talked about values again. This time, however, not about our own values but about the value of such a week, such a seminar, such an experience and what everyone has learned individually. So we’re talking about money. At the end of a seminar about inner development and the big topics in sustainability, we talk about money.

The exercise was again planned as a constellation session. We have defined our own scale, have defined the amounts that this experience would be worth if money played no role in our lives. We then tried to redefine this scale with the end point being the maximum amount of money we could currently raise.

The intention of letting the contributions emerge from the situation and the financial background of each individual was to make the program affordable for everybody and to find prices for something so priceless. And: money and finances are still touchy topics and often provoke feelings of mistrust, shame and comparison. Confusion about the motivation, costs, distribution and communication have contributed to this exercise leading to a nevertheless necessary circle about money. We found a solution that worked for the group and were able to submit all of our individual contributions. Phew done!

The tunnel of love. I am more familiar with farewell rituals from grief work or the dissolution of romantic relationships. The tunnel caused so much anticipation and was our highlight on Saturday lunchtime. The ritual is really as simple as it is effective. In pairs, people stand opposite each other and form the tunnel. We were all allowed to go through this tunnel. As we walked through, we received an individual, physical and/or verbal farewell from the rest of the group. It’s a really incredibly nice feeling to feel this special kind of appreciation in the truest sense.

THANK YOU ALL

SUNDAY – deep shit

For some of us the seminar ended with the love tunnel and some individual „good byes“. Some stay for a while at Wir bauen Zukunft eG / some are already into new adventures, some are back home and some using the place & the moment to close that wonderful week with a traditional Icelandic sweat lodge, a cleaning and healing ceremony.

OBITUARY – UMAMI

Umami means “essence of deliciousness” in Japanese.

This “fifth taste” alongside sweet, sour, bitter and salt is a relatively new discovery by the Japanese chemist Ikeda Kikunae. The taste – SAVOURY – is based on amino acids, which are also found in large quantities in breast milk. We look for this “original taste” all our lives.

Umami, that’s what our fellow traveler Isabell C. found to be typical of how she experienced her time at the Deep ComYOUnity of We Build Future. That really resonated with us.

from left to right: Ladina Krämer / Melanie Bellgardt / Chiara Kunz / Katja Kremling / Julie / Antonia Sophia Waskowiak / Robert Radloff / Anna Katharina Weber / Isabell Crone / Constantin

front: Ruth Droste / Anna Mauersberger / Mareike Dreuße / Kari Wolf

missing: Anni Kraus / Ilka with Ellie / Vine Rupp

I’m blessed with what I saw, learned, felt, tried, heard & smelled.

I’m blessed with people coming into my life who are a new bubble.

I’m blessed with new souls & companions.

thank you all – with so much love

Robert