IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO RAISE A CONSCIOUSNESS

New Culture Minnesota is an offshoot of the Network for New Culture, which is a movement exploring how to build a sustainable, violence-free culture through compassionate, transparent, playful acceptance of oneself and others, within the context of a trust-based group (or tribe, community, village). New Culture is totally non-religious and non-commercial, and has no gurus or dogmas. 

There are many New Culture communities growing and budding around the world.  Learn more about Network for New Culture: www.nfnc.org

New Culture groups often use Non-violent Communication as a tool used for discovering one's own needs and empathizing with the needs of others.  Learn more about NVC: www.cnvc.org

One of our group processes is to explore ways of building trust within the group. We do this by co-creating a "safe-container" in which we can take off our social masks, and connect through fun group games and interactions that focus on compassion, transparency, and playfulness. We start with self-compassion, exploring and accepting our own feelings and needs, and then we extend that understanding to others in our group, and ultimately, to others out in our daily lives, in "mainstream culture," in order to *be the change* we want to see in the world. 

MONDAY NIGHT SHENANIGANS - OUR WEEKLY MEETUP

At Monday Night Shenanigans we utilize "tribal technologies" (or trust-building connection tools) to bring us from the conceptual into the experiential, completely honoring each individual's choice to participate at the level that is comfortable for her/him.
At Shenanigans, we create a *safe container* in which we practice the values of transparency/vulnerability, empathy/compassion/unconditional love, curiosity/playfulness, choice/autonomy, non-judgment/acceptance, respect, equality, and responsibility. 
We're very excited to grow a field of compassionate consciousness here in MN that we can connect to other growing fields, and extend into our daily lives!

SOME TOPICS AT MEETUPS MAY INCLUDE:

• Basic human needs and feelings
• The Value of platonic touch -- nurturing and playful touch, as something separate from sexual intimacy
• Relationship styles
• Intentional communities
• Trust-based communication and co-intelligence 
• Dominance structure of the current mainstream cultural model  
• Compassionate communication
• Aliveness! What makes you come alive in your interactions & what makes you feel dead?
• Existence, oneness, and non-duality
• Authentic expression - What does it look like? Vulnerability with freedom from shame
• Tools for letting go of social programming 
• Gender and identity
• Sexuality and body positivity
• Autonomy and equality

Looking forward to being silly, vulnerable, nurturing, and culturally creative with you!

~Brooke Murphy, co-organizer

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VIDEOS for MORE INFORMATION

If you get a chance, watch some of these informational videos about New Culture and Non-violent Communication before you come to a meetup. If you can't, no big deal. :)  Note that different New Culture communities have different personalities and explore different aspects of connection.  Minnesota Network for New Culture is developing its own personality! 

1. Kelly Bryson wrote the book, "Don't Be Nice; Be Real," and in this video below, he is interviewed about the New Culture movement and non-violent communication. 

http://nvcprinciples.com/interviews/kelly-bryson-a-new-culture/

2. Marshall Rosenberg talks about Non-violent Communication (This book has SUCH invaluable tools for navigating all sorts of relationships!) (NVC) - part 1 

http://youtu.be/M-129JLTjkQ

New Culture and Other Links to Explore:

Language Of Compassion - Kelly Bryson is an amazing Non-violent Communication and New Culture teacher, as well a therapist, songwriter, and the author of "Don't Be Nice; Be Real." He co-creates the New Culture Spring Camp in the Santa Cruz, CA area each year. I highly recommend going! I went last year and will go again this year for sure. Kelly and others also host regular New Culture weekends and gatherings on the west coast and elsewhere. 

Non-violent Communication - "NVC begins by assuming that we are all compassionate by nature and that violent strategies—whether verbal or physical—are learned behaviors taught and supported by the prevailing culture. NVC also assumes that we all share the same, basic human needs, and that each of our actions are a strategy to meet one or more of these needs."

Network for New Culture - This site is a treasure trove of information on New Culture, from its roots in the Zegg Community in Germany. In addition to the aforementioned Spring Camp, there are many wonderful camps and gatherings happening on the west coast, east coast and Hawaii. Minnesota is next! Sarah Taub and Michael Rios co-create Summer Camp East and many other events with the help of others, and I highly recommend checking out their offerings as well! Blake and I went to Summer Camp in southern Oregon this past summer and were transformed by all the workshops, not to mention the experience of living in community for 10 days, camping, cooking, eating and even showering together! 

Nonduality Network - "Nonduality Network attempts to go beyond the common version of reality that often goes unexamined and instead takes another look at the mystery we call life. While the beauty and truth of life cannot ultimately be described in words, by meeting together we may just taste what lies beyond concepts and thoughts."

Zegg Community - ZEGG is an intentional community and an international meeting point, developing and implementing practical models for a socially and ecologically sustainable way of living. It is located south-west of Berlin and its full German name translates as the "Centre for Experimental Culture Design."

Next Culture - Clinton Callahan teaches Possibility Management. "In modern culture’s reasoning it makes total sense for corporate decision makers to deplete global resources and promote widespread social inequality, pollution, overpopulation, climate change, war, and economic corruption. These things make absolutely no sense in the reasoning of next culture." Check out his book, "Directing the Power of Conscious Feelings," if you'd like. 

Human Awareness Institute - "The Human Awareness Institute (HAI) is a safe place to explore, enhance and discover ways to communicate intimately and become confident in your relationships and sexuality. Life is a journey and one of the most sacred parts of this journey is your relationship with yourself and your relationship with others."

Reid About Sex - Reid Mikalho amazes, educates, and role models healthy intimacy and relationship. We really hope to have him out to present some workshops with us here in MN!

Kamala Devi's Partner Playshop - Kamala Devi presents events and workshops on Tantra and polyamory in San Diego, CA. Along with Reid Mikalho and many other Tantra teachers, Kamala co-created Tantrapalooza, a five day intensive Tantra retreat that began on 11/11/11.  I attended the retreat and experienced a field of loving energy that blew my mind.

New Culture Hawaii - Amazingly heart-centered, aware and playful people offering many exciting gatherings. 

Local Gatherings We Recommend 

Songtaneous - Not just for singers!!!  Join jazz singer and vocal coach, Sarah Greer, for an amazingly fun experience building connection through vocal jams.  "Singing is an important expressive, spiritual and rejuvenating activity to which many of us lose access as we get busier in our lives. Songtaneous provides opportunities to explore singing with others and playing with the voice in a supportive environment. Songtaneous is not a rehearsal or a performance — it's about being present and in community through song."

Shamantra Trance-formational Dance - I can't recommend this enough! Here in the Twin Cities, there is a pod of genuine, open, compassionate, aware, non-judgmental people dancing to awesome music and soulful transformational messages offered by Dan Gorbunow and Hanakia Zedek. I've been to two dances so far and will continue to go! We want to collaborate with these wonderful people!

Ecstatic Dance with DJ Bonobo - "Dance encourages us to honor and express our kinesthetic wisdom, our emotional intelligence and our connection to the Divine. There are no steps to learn, no judgments and no paths other than the one your body chooses for you from moment to moment. It is our culture’s version of the ancient tribal dance rituals that helped our ancestors express prayers, fears and gratitude."

Hanakia Zedek - Hanakia teaches, performs, drums, and DJs many wonderful events in MN.  "'It is not about whom or what you believe in; it is about what you do, what you choose to think, and how you choose to feel. It is this which shapes your reality.' Hanakia’s philosophy that everything comes out of Nothing allows for the release of all that you hold onto…belief, fear, ego, hope, faith, worry, pain; all of with we have created and been trained to believe in; all of which create separation within ourselves and the Universe."

Center for Harmonious Living - "The goal is to make new acquaintances and friendships, meet a variety of interests surrounding the arena of balance and inner peace, and as a group, utilize each others talents, insights, and contacts in the planning of meetings. Some of the topics to explore may include; raw foods, all forms of yoga, meditation..."