When the dream of Green Hope Farm began, patriarchy had ensnared just about everything. Yet a group of women I knew thrived outside the net. And when Green Hope Farm got going, my awareness of women living outside this net grew and grew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the beginning I found community with a group of mothers with toddlers the same age as mine. Life was slower. There was no internet. We had the time and space to build trusting friendships in person. Yes, it was still dangerous to be a woman, but gathered together we took care of each other and healed from wounds of young adulthood that included rape and assault. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gathered with our toddlers at playgrounds, we talked and laughed and cried and even sang. In winter, we had a sewing circle. The toddlers would play and we talked and laughed and cried and even sang. When new crises stuck, the group became a sounding board for a renewed spiritual spiritual search. We didn’t always agree, but we trusted that we had each other’s backs. The shadow of the culture was kept at bay (no social media), and we were free to search within ourselves and trust our own intuition. Our very friendships encouraged us to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With such a template of trusting community, I began Green Hope Farm. In one of the best things to ever happen to me, the bank would not let me make credit card transactions. So I set up an honor system that meant my circle of trust grew to encompass a very large group of almost all women. Let’s face it, women are the ones doing the lion’s share of healing the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I know people probably think I am being glib when I talk about the greater Green Hope Farm community and how central it has been to all that has happened here, but I speak truth. For the first twenty five years, we sent out all orders with an invoice tucked in and almost everyone paid. Certainly the percentage of people not paying was less than what we now pay the credit card industry. This trusting exchange built a network of caring community that continues to this day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the things about sending an invoice was that it meant we often got a lot of letters back with payment. We heard stories about the Flower Essences and got to see photos of your world and your beloveds. Many told me my trust system was foolish and naive. Yet it made all the difference in my life as I built life long friendships with so many of you. Now it’s been thirty five years, and together we have seen each other through a lot of life. It takes a long time to grow an old friendship. I am grateful that our trust system gave me the opportunity to do this with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Making cash transactions obsolete and in every way driving all commerce to an impersonal online network that does not connect the seller with the consumer helps the credit card industry. It’s a patriarchal win for those that feel a roaring economy is the goal even if it destroys the planet in the process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We still offer our original system of you connecting with us and us sending off the order with an invoice in with the Essences. While many prefer the convenience of paying at the time of the order, we will always offer this option. We still get mail each week from lifelong beloveds and new friends too ordering the old way. We still celebrate with you as things blossom in your life and mourn with you when there are losses and sorrows. We still know Green Hope Farm to be a community made meaningful not by the bottom line but by our heartfelt connections. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As we move onward into a culture encouraging us to turn our lives over to our devices and AI, we still have choices. We can rise up and live the way our very bones want us to live. Patriarchy may tell us that the traditional values of women including community, connection, caring, trust, talking, laughing crying and even singing doesn’t matter. But patriarchy is wrong. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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When the dream of Green Hope Farm began, patriarchy had ensnared just about everything. Yet a group of women I knew thrived outside the net. And when Green Hope Farm got going, my awareness of women living outside this net grew and grew. In the beginning I found community with a group of mothers with … Continue reading Trust, Community & Caring Communication versus Patriarchy, the oppression of AI & the illusion that a computer’s “rational mind” is Better than the Heart<\/span>