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Gaia Thrive Collaborative Business Community

Gaia Thrive is a project to support the transformation of the world of business from one of competition and stress to one of cooperation and presence. We can and should make business as peaceful and loving as the rest of our lives. In fact most of us spend so much time in business and work that it is perhaps the most important part of life to be transformed.

Business can be done in a way based on finding our flow, and each of us contributing in our best way, and supporting each other so that together we go further and are stronger than separately. This requires a shift in attitude towards being rather than doing, but is no less effective than stressful doing based business. In fact in many cases more effective. It also requires a shift in structures from individual wealth and control based companies to collective wealth and control based cooperatives and democratic businesses. (note you can still become wealthy – if that is your goal)

We invest in businesses that are ready to grow into cooperative businesses with money and time. This allows us to focus on startups and enterprises that are exciting but still quite small.

you can invest in us in the ethical investment of building community ventures, and you can support through your time, and build yourself a career as our partner, and you can bring your projects for us to build together. Let us flourish as one.

Working with Spiritual Energy Fields

A course in practical spirituality based on understanding and sensing the infinite universal energy field and how it interacts with individual human and other energy fields.

Spiritual energy fields surround everything that we do and everything that we interact with. When we understand their influence, and can work with them it allows us to create gentle, but effective responses to the challenges of the world, to fill our lives and the lives of people around us with love, peace, health, abundance and wellbeing, to heal, to fix problems, and to deal with the challenges facing the world. Whatever it is that you would like to deal with – understanding these energy fields will enable you to do it in a better and deeper way.

This course is based on a series of related and connected classes in different subjects and approaches to the spiritual energy fields. Each one gives you a piece of wisdom, and an approach that can help in your life in different ways.

Classes include:
– Taichi, Aikido and the spiritual martial arts
– Qi, Prana and healing with energy fields
– Consciousness in Business and Leadership
– Social Transformation, unity, community and cooperation
– Culture, music and Dance
– Spiritual Traditions of the world, spiritual awakening, and spiritual ministry

Gregorian Chant Revival

The Church has lost a lot of people’s interest, and for a while it seemed that people were turning away from spirituality altogether, but now there is a rise in a passionate interest in authentic deep spiritual practice thought most people turn to the east for inspiration. But among those who have turned away from the church there remains a love for the ancient gregorian chant. Few can deny its beauty and depth. There is the opportunity and the call for a Gregorian Chant Revival – to show those who have become disillusioned with the church that the depth and mystery of spiritual practice that they are looking for do not have to be found on the other side of the world, that our own tradition has it too. To give people a taste of the deep peace that can be found in the traditional catholic spiritual practices – that the west also knows about mantra and sacred language. To those people interested in esoteric wisdom the traditional latin chants of the catholic church combined with the esoteric understandings that imbue christianity can become a powerful allure.

I wish to revive Gregorian Chant – to bring it back to the churches, and back to the people – to show people the power that is infused in them, and the love and peace. This can be done through performances with specific Chants, or with simpler liturgies – The Divinum Officium, or the officium parvum beatae mariae virginis for example, and we can in time begin to put on the complete mass in Gregorian Chant. This is an opportunity for any church that wants to be part of the new wave of spiritual interest that is spreading over the world, and to become again a leader in spiritual development.

For those interested in thinking even more boldly – how about a training course in esoteric wisdom that combines some of the topics deeply interesting to people at the moment – spiritual martial arts, and healing methods, practical spirituality applied to building community and relationships and a more spiritual world, with Gregorian Chant and christian practice. This is something that would transform people, transform the towns in which they take place and truly make a difference in the world.

I am looking for support and partners in the Gregorian Chant Revival – who wants to learn to chant? what churches would like to host gregorian chant services? Who would be interested in taking this in exciting directions?

Clube de Comunicação em Português

O Clube de Comunicação em Português é um projeto destinado a ajudar imigrantes em Portugal a aprender português de uma forma divertida e comunicativa, enquanto se envolvem na cultura, nas tradições e na sociedade ao mesmo tempo. Oferecemos aulas de língua baseadas na compreensão de músicas e histórias, além de atividades de comunicação (não focadas no aprendizado de gramática). Isso permite que você adquira o idioma da mesma forma que uma criança e se divirta ao longo do caminho.

Iniciantes – Português através da Cultura e da Música

No curso para iniciantes, aprendemos canções tradicionais portuguesas e, talvez, até algumas danças – uma ótima oportunidade para conhecer um pouco da cultura. Quando se animam, os portugueses são ótimos cantores, e não é só sobre o fado! Prepare-se para rir e aprender, ganhar confiança e desenvolver a habilidade de se fazer entender em português (e ficar à vontade para usar uma gramática imperfeita, desde que consiga transmitir sua mensagem). Você aprenderá formas gramaticais básicas e vocabulário, e ao final do curso será capaz de contar pequenas histórias sobre o que está acontecendo na sua vida.

Intermediário – Construindo Comunidade em Portugal

No nível intermediário, os alunos são capazes de se envolver em conceitos e questões mais complexas, por isso estudamos artigos relacionados à construção de comunidade e à sociedade em Portugal. Quais são as questões sociais ao nosso redor? Como podemos nos engajar mais com as pessoas e a sociedade, e o que é necessário para cercar-se de uma bela comunidade aqui em Portugal? Você aprenderá gramática e vocabulário mais avançados, mas o foco não será a gramática e sim a discussão. Esteja preparado para expressar sua própria opinião sobre os temas abordados na aula.

Avançado – Português em Acção

Quando chegamos ao nível avançado, os alunos já possuem competência na comunicação, sendo capazes de transmitir suas ideias e compreender os outros com facilidade. Em vez de continuar desenvolvendo o idioma por meio de livros ou estudos tradicionais, assumimos um projeto que utiliza as habilidades de comunicação dos alunos, permitindo que eles desenvolvam e ajustem suas competências linguísticas por meio da aplicação prática do português.

Cada turma pode decidir qual projeto deseja realizar. Pode ser teatro, escrever um livro em conjunto ou abordar uma questão social. Os professores tornam-se facilitadores e assistentes, ajudando na realização do projeto e nas dificuldades linguísticas que possam surgir. Por exemplo, ao escrever uma carta sobre uma questão social, pode ser necessário ajustar o texto para que soe profissional. Nesse processo de revisão e melhorias, muito aprendizado acontece.

Ao final do curso avançado, você terá desenvolvido bastante confiança para usar o português na vida cotidiana, além de refinar sua habilidade de se expressar corretamente e com eficácia sobre questões complexas.

Base Filosófica

O design do Clube de Conversação em Português é fortemente baseado nos princípios da Economia Comunitária da Teoria da Utilização Progressiva, no Desenvolvimento Comunitário Participativo e nos estudos mais recentes sobre Aquisição de Línguas. Ele é inspirado em iniciativas educacionais socialmente engajadas, como o projeto “This is not an Ulpan” em Israel, o trabalho de Paulo Freire e o Teatro do Oprimido de Augusto Boal.

O clube adota uma abordagem inclusiva e flexível, com espaço para ideias e melhorias de outras pessoas, desde que estejam alinhadas à meta maior de criar unidade, harmonia e comunidade. Essa estrutura permite que o aprendizado do idioma vá além da comunicação, tornando-se também um meio de empoderamento, colaboração e transformação social.

Participe

O Clube de Conversação em Português é um espaço aberto e inclusivo, onde todos podem contribuir para construir uma comunidade vibrante e acolhedora. Existem várias maneiras de se envolver:

  • Como Aluno: Aprenda português de forma divertida e prática, enquanto se conecta com a cultura e as pessoas de Portugal.
  • Como Facilitador: Traga suas habilidades, ideias e energia para apoiar aulas, projetos e atividades comunitárias.
  • Como Parceiro: Colabore com o clube oferecendo recursos, ideias ou ajudando a organizar eventos que promovam integração e aprendizado.
  • Como Voluntário: Ajude na logística, organização ou no planejamento de atividades, contribuindo para o crescimento do clube.

Junte-se a nós e torne-se parte dessa jornada de aprendizado, união e transformação comunitária!

Portuguese Communication Club

The Portuguese Communication Club is a project to help immigrants in portugal to learn portuguese in a fun communicative way, and to engage in the culture and tradition and society at the same time. We teach language classes that are based on understanding songs and stories and communicating ourselves (not on learning grammar) This enables you to acquire the language in the same way a child does and have fun on the way

Beginners – Portuguese through Culture and song

In the beginners course we learn traditional portuguese songs and we might even learn some dances – get to know something about the culture. When you get them going the portuguese are great singers, and it is not just fado. Expect to laugh and learn, develop confidence and the ability to make yourself understood in portuguese (and to get comfortable using bad grammar as long as it gets the point across) you will learn basic grammatical forms and vocabulary and by the end of it be able to tell short stories about what is going on in your life

Intermediate – Community building in portugal

At the intermediate level students are able to engage in more complicated concepts and issues so we study articles related to community building and society in Portugal. What are the social issues around us? How can we engage more with the people and society and what does it take to surround yourself with a beautiful community here in Portugal? You will learn more advanced grammar and vocabulary, but the focus will not be the grammar it will be the discussion be prepared to have your own opinion on the topics shared in the class.

Advanced – Portuguese in action.

Once we get to advanced level students have a competency in communication, and are able to get their point across, and also to undertsand others quite well. Rather than working on developing the language through more book learning or studying we take on a project that will use students communication skills, and allow them to develop and fine tune their language skills through practical application of the language. Each class can decide for themselves what project they are going to take on. They might choose to do theatre, or to write a book together, or to tackle a social issue. The teachers become facilitators and assistants to help take on this project and to help when language issues come up. For example in writing a letter on a social issue it might be that some editing is needed to make it sound professional, so in working through the editing and improvements a lot of learning takes place. At the end of the advanced course you can expect to have developed a lot of confidence in using portuguese in daily life, and fine tuning the portuguese usage so that you are confident to express correctly and effectively regarding complicated issues.

Philosophical Background

The design of the Portuguese Conversation Club is heavily based in the Community Economics of the Progress Utilisation Theory, Participatory Community Development, and the latest studies in Language Acquisition. Inspired by other socially active education such as “This is not an Ulpan” in israel, and the work of paulo freire, and the liberation theatre of Augusto Boal. It has a lot of room in it for other people’s ideas and improvements as long as it is always in the direction of creating unity, harmony and community.

Get Involved

Help us develop educational material, become a teacher or an assistant, or host a class yourself. We are interested in proposals, partnerships and suggestions.

Projeto Harmonia

Project Harmony

Music can be a tool for community transformation, and I would like to use music to build community, connection and wellbeing in portugal. I do this with solo and group performances that are imbued with the spirit of uplifting joyous connection, and also have a message that can help people take one step towards a more connected society.

Strengthening Tradition

A large part of the strength of a community depends on the health of its traditions. By reviving traditions (not in a cold preserved way on the stage, but in a living way where the people celebrate together as one) we can strengthen the bonds between people, the pride of belonging, and the self knowledge of the people. We can sing and we can dance and we can share the joy. This can set the stage for many more opportunities for building community and positive projects. It is also deeply imbued with the other elements of deep wisdom and spirituality despite it often seeming secular on the surface.

The Cooperative Society

A large part of my vision for a vibrant community comes from my study of Progressive socialism, cooperatives and participatory community development. I would like to bring songs and stories and shows that highlight and educate on the important elements of such a society and how we get there. It would help people to understand that there is a way forward, and what that way is, and how they can be involved.

Spirituality

Spirituality is imbued in every note and ever song and every show, but it can also sometimes be more overt. It is wonderful to bring light to the authentic deep spiritual traditions that surround us. Especially the local traditions that people often turn away from for lack of a deep understanding, and transformative experience, but also the traditions of the world. We can celebrate together, in a deep spiritual way.

Highlighting Projects, Issues and Opportunities

Music has the possibility of touching many people, and opening their hearts and the minds to new directions. Sometimes music by itself is enough, but often it is only the beginning and should lead to classes, workshops, projects, businesses, charitable fundraising – wherever the need and interest lies. Each show, each performance is a way of touching people and bringing them one step towards unity, and should be combined with ways to support people more. We can promote many good ventures, and we can create our own new ventures from the shows and performances.

Clothing and design

In time i see the musical program becoming more and more linked to other projects especially including the clothing design project – beautiful clothing is a simple way that people can take the joy that they feel in the performance or celebration and bring it into their lives. Clothing design is another whole field and project however, and I will devote another post to it.

Opportunities

Projeto Harmonia needs musicians and other performers, songwriters, organisers, promoters. If this project speaks to your heart then it would be great if you can get involved.

Resonance

Resonance is the key to all challenges in life.

When in resonance things transform, when out of resonance they resist.  Are you resonating with your challenges?

Resonance includes:

Flow – in resonance with oneself

Harmony – in resonance with the world around

Connection – in resonance with the cosmic energy

Simple and Deep

It is a simple principle and a lifetimes study to learn to resonate with all of life

Every personal problem, every relationship problem, every environmental, political and social problem can be resolved simply through resonance – and I would go so far as to say cannot be resolved in any other way

Everything you do in your life creates some kind of resonance, it is an unavoidable aspect of our lives.

Are you aware of your resonance?

Environment and Society

When you ask people what they dream of in an ideal world, it is always very similar – community, connection, beautiful gardens, abundance and sharing etc. and yet we are surrounded by such a plethora of conflicts that seem so difficult to resolve. Why is that? How can it be that we agree so much on the big things, but when it comes to the little things there is so much conflict? The truth is that in our deepest desires there is little conflict. We dream of positive things that synergise, but when we refuse to believe in our dreams and try to do smaller, seemingly more practical things we lose track of that beauty and the ideas are no longer universally agreed.

If we are to transform society effectively and solve our problems as a global community we need to use the same principles as with relationships – presence, and synergy – find directions that create enthusiastic agreement. This is possible and in fact much easier than many people think, but it requires some personal growth and some understanding of the forces at play.

This is often simplified to 2 forces – the conservative force of the conventional system and the progressive force of the movement for change, and in some cases that is enough to get a general understanding, but in many cases it helps to look a bit deeper and see the four corners of the political map – four psychological approaches to life and how they each have their important part to say. I will include some more in depth exploration of the 4 elements and 4 psychological types as it applies to society.

When dealing with 2 forces the synergy always involves some kind of combination of the 2 directions – in order to create a third direction that can be agreed upon by all – for example there are many conflicts between money and economy and jobs vs environment, and preservation of beauty. The resolution always involves some kind of community, environmentally conscious business – generally a cooperative that provides for both needs at the same time.

When dealing with the complete 4 forces the resolution is always a cycle – or a spiral we keep moving between one approach to another depending on the needs of the day.

Either way there is the need for those who can step outside of the conflict, stand in the middle and facilitate a better solution. This is the big challenge in social transformation, large or small – to have the presence and inner peace, and wisdom to be able to stand in the middle and help all people come together in an ideal solution.

This is why personal development is essential for change agents, and practicing and becoming effective in all the other areas of life will make you also effective in change making, so change makers should study personal spiritual growth, relationship development, business leadership, and community building in order to be able to bring all the pieces into play.

Centring

Centring is a cross-cutting issue that affects the way we approach many different areas of our lives. Principally how we approach our businesses, our approach to leadership, and the kind of personal development techniques that work for us. This is a development of the understanding of the chakras (the energy centres up and down the centre of the body). In my own research I found that every person has a particular chakra or energy centre that is predominant, and that helps to bring all the others into balance. When we focus our mind in that key centre many aspects of our life are aligned and we become effective and in flow. This I term finding your centre, or just Centring.

Centring is essential to effective business and project development, and leadership. Without it we remain stressed and ineffective. It is also quite important in choosing our personal spiritual development pathway, but in this case is often done in a less conscious way.

The research on centring continues, but as far as I understand it at the moment here are the types of centring – this is still in beta development. there may be some mistakes.:

The feet: gentle, introverted people who love elegance and beauty – they find relaxation and the taoist tradition very effective

The Base centre (base of the spine or more generally – the butt): Good listeners and connectors, matchmakers

The Lower abdomen, or sacral centre: facilitators and mediators who bring out the best in a team.

The upper belly, or solar plexus: system thinkers, and planners. engineers who appreciate systematic approaches such as yoga

The heart centre – people who are good at service and assistance, as well as being in the now in presence.

The throat centre – those who are good at dreaming and goal setting and making their dreams come true.

The third eye – intense focused people who know what they want to create and have the focus of mind and spirit to bring it into being.

The crown centre – perfectionist elegant people who try to organise everything perfectly – the western spiritual and cultural tradition is highly influenced by the crown centre – christianity, ballet, classical music etc.

Win-Win

A life of harmony and connection is a life of negotiation – now that might not sound very exciting, but that is only because you have not experienced the power and joy of effective win-win negotiation. True effective negotiation allows you to have your cake and eat it too, to get all the things you wanted for yourself, to share them with others, and to give the things that they would like as well, and just to sweeten the mix it leads to loving connections and friendships with the people around you. Negotiation whether done consciously or unconsciously, through conversation or through action is the only way to solve many of our life problems. I hope you will become more and more interested in negotiation as you discover its power.

Safety

Negotiation starts with a safe space where people are able to explore. This requires presence, and this requires holding a space where people are not hurt, and where they can be themselves and express themselves. This is in many ways the deepest and most difficult part because this requires us to develop ourselves and our own emotional maturity in order to create that space for ourselves and for others.

Understanding

Now we need to understand the needs – understand what it is that is driving people, what it is that is driving you. It is not the overt obvious, conflicting desires that are important, but the underlying needs and feelings so you need to ask \”why?\” – why is that important? and it is important that needs of different parties are not contrasted and compared, but that we simply make a list of all the needs – add them together, so that we can meet all of them at once. Meeting all the needs at once often seems difficult and unbelievable, but meeting only some of the needs generally leads to conflict and so is ineffective and often actually impossible.

Ideas

Get creative – come up with lots of ideas, crazy ideas, good ideas and bad ideas. Important here is not to criticise while being creative. Let the creative juices flow and we will critique afterwards.

Agreement

now we look for enthusiastic agreement – for things that we can all agree on – do not be satisfied by grudging agreement, we need ideas that will meet all our needs, try to improve on the ideas you came up with, discard the bad ones, combine and develop the good ones till you come up with a solution that is exciting.

Action

Now you need to put it into action. The best ideas and solutions often require building – they are not just a resolution and that is it, they are the beginning of a project together.