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The Community of Wyrd Expanded
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Ravensmeet
In 1999, the idea of an online community which expanded on the ideas of
Annwn was born. In October 1999, the site Ravensmeet was
opened on a limited basis and thus Annwn's sister was born. Since then,
the community has been steadily growing into a warm, welcoming and unusual
place. You can read up on the basics of what Ravensmeet is about by
reading through the Guided Tour on the actual Ravensmeet site, but here
below you will find a description of how the wyrd actually works with and
through Ravensmeet.
If you liked Annwn, the chances are that you may find Ravensmeet
appealing. If you are an adult aged eighteen or over, we do invite you to
check it out and maybe even sign up. :-) If you do, you'll be warmly
welcomed!
The wyrd is the underlying philosophy of Ravensmeet, but you do not have
to understand or even subscribe to it to enjoy Ravensmeet. The purpose of
this article is not to tell you what the wyrd is; but to tell you how it
fits in, specifically, with the way we do certain things at Ravensmeet.
Interweaving
One of the basic tenets of the wyrd worldview (which you might also
recognise, of course, from your own) is that everything in the whole wide
world interweaves, forming a rich tapestry that we weave as our lives. We
have plenty of choice and plenty of opportunities to meet people. One
element where we use this interweaving is, of course, by bringing together
people.
Soulmates and Cellmates
Most online communities will bring you together on the basis of
your interests; Ravensmeet puts you into a Clan (online "family" group of
people) where you don't (usually) know anyone. It
introduces an element of randomness and of wyrd which
means that you have to get to know people you might not consciously choose
to meet. The wyrd tends to bring you to people and situations that help
you to grow, however, so this is what tends to occur in the Clan. While
you may not choose that group consciously, we're discovering that many
"themes" are already emerging within the Clans... the people put together
randomly have things in common, whether it's interests or birth signs. We
think that in time this random element will come to be something
quite special.
Most of us think that we only get one, or perhaps just a small handful of
soulmates - what we see as "forever-friends", the ones who will stick with
us through a whole lifetime. These are the friends we love; sometimes we
marry or partner with them. However, we can also accurately refer to
"cellmates" - as in, "we're all in this together". Every human with whom
we come into contact can teach us something because they reflect something
back to us. It's up to us to recognise what we have to learn and to learn
how to navigate our way through the crazy world of relationships. There
are enough apparent strangers at Ravensmeet for us to do that; some of
those strangers will become friends, or "family".
Murphy's Law and Inverse Murphy
Most people are familiar with Murphy's Law, but it's often misreported as
"If something can go wrong, it will go wrong." More accurate is, "If
something can go wrong, it probably will, and in the worst
possible way".
The word "probably" gives us room for Inverse Murphy, which is "Things can
work out if we let them".
Humans seem to spend a lot of time controlling, or trying to control, the
way things go around them. This is all very well, but sometimes that also
restricts the number of choices we are handed by the wyrd or, if you will,
plain old life. By taking a step back and letting things happen, magic can
be created. The sort of magic that opens doors and choices to us. We use
that principle a lot at Ravensmeet. Yes, we have a basic structure of
rules and norms, but also there is a lot of leeway for personal choice and
freedom. We don't try to control every last detail. We rely on things
working out; and, it seems, by doing that, things do work out. We
rely on each person doing their part to keep things good here. We rely on
the Clans filling with the right people for the life task at hand,
whatever that might be. We trust that the idea will pay off. And so it
goes. Inverse Murphy.
The Wyrd and Disputes
Our problem resolution system is very much founded in the wyrd. Our
Western society tends to rely too much on blame. Everything must always be
someone's fault. At Ravensmeet, wee think this is a bad idea,
because we know that
sometimes things just happen and that it isn't necessarily one person's
fault. We ask you to take responsibility for your own actions: this
gives you response-ability; the ability to respond to a situation
yourself and move forward, rather than dumping it on other people. When
things go wrong, we have a system in place which still puts the onus on
you to fix the problem, but which also requires all parties involved to
acknowledge the problem and move away from blame. Sometimes, yes, there is
a "right" and a "wrong", but very often there is a lot of grey involved as
well.
We have tried to arrange things so that fixing a problem can be a team
effort rather than a finger pointing exercise. It is very possible to use
a problem resolution system to abuse another; that is why we move away
from the concept of punishment towards resolution. Sometimes a
dispute just can't be fixed; people do clash. But we always try
to help you find the middle ground, which is both refreshing and
empowering.
Abuse
Abuse can take a great many different forms, some not immediately obvious.
Ravensmeet's rules and guidelines are structured to help people avoid or
recognise those kinds of abuses. One particular form of abuse which is
common is to use a third party to "get at" a person rather than handling
the dispute directly. We know that our Guardians, who help people resolve
those disputes, are distinct targets for that kind of abuse, and have
structured the complaint resolution system so that Guardians act as a
conduit for the resolution, not some kind of glorified messenger or
punchbag. It is up to the individuals involved to fix the problem by
acknowledging it, publicly if need be.
Choice
Personal choice is important. Too often, we hear cries of "But I don't
have any choice!" It is not so. There is always a choice. The choices
might not be great, and all may seem destructive. But they are there.
Where possible, we run Ravensmeet as a democracy. We have often thrown up
major decisions for discussion and plan to continue that. It is up to you
whether you let us know your thoughts. Maybe your thoughts will not be
used, maybe they will; we know that we cannot please everyone! We will,
however, always listen.
You also have choice in how often you come to Ravensmeet and how you use
it. We will keep in touch once in a while by email newsletter; beyond
that, it's up to you whether you log in every day or just once a month. We
hope to grow large enough that the balance will be maintained and to let
people enjoy the site on their own basis. However, we do ask people who
have not logged in for five months or so to start participating, even if
it is only occasionally, or to leave and create a space for someone who
needs Ravensmeet.
People will come and go. This is all planned for. Some will stay and be
regulars, but one of the ideas of the wyrd is that we come into contact
with the people and situations we need to grow, and when it's time to move
on, we do. Some people will move on. And that's how it should be.
Ravensmeet is supposed to be fluid, and only by letting this flow happen
will it stop from becoming cliquey and stale. Therefore, while we might
check in with you from time to time, we won't push you to participate more
than you want to. And we let you choose how you spend your time here.
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This page created 13 Oct 2000
Last update 14 Nov 2003
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