• What are ‘rings’?
Nature, and by inclusion, humanity, organizes itself in rings. These are generally recursive in nature, such that any entity exists to us as a cohesion of what we would call individuals. The human body is a unifed ring formed of many other rings, both inwardly (cells, organs, metabolic symmetries, etc) and ‘from without’ (relationally). These two dimensions are not realistically separable since relations cause physical and cognitive changes in the individual.
Socially, we can see that humans form rings of many scales, almost ‘automatically’. The world, nations, states, communities, societies, corporations and families are all examples of different implementations or scales of this activity. There are also informal rings, such as groups of friends, and spontaneously arising rings such as crowds, and smaller but relatively similar social organisms. All of these behaviors are examples of individuals acting (more or less) as unities, whether real or conceptual, formal or informal.
As children, we had deep experience of ring-making, particularly during group adventures. It would be wrong to say that all instances of this were positive, indeed, amongst young boys without good models this activity is commonly catastrophic. However, as children our imaginations would guide us into hours of incredibly intricate role-playing and activity. To facilitate this, we quite naturally and relatively informally formed rings.
In the organelle material, the idea of a ‘a ring’ is a small group of people, who join together in an active heroic quest. Part of the quest is to more deeply understand who and what we are and can become, without delimiting these things in any way. In essence, this is a quest of mutual rescue and uplift. First, for the ring and its members, and then for the world at large.
Rings are usually an odd number of people, 3 5 7 or 9. The basic idea is that as a unified team, we acquire the ability magnify the unique powers of each member in an expanding game of mutual uplift.
The goal of a ring is threefold. First, through mutual support and inspiration, to grant each member new ways to explore and develop their own relational and understanding potentials, in action, with others, in an environment of intimate interdependence and mutual reliance. Second, to develop and experiment together with nonordinary approaches to language, experience, meaning, relation, evaluation, problem-solving, and benefit acquisition. Third, to continuously effect the ongoing rescue of the members of the ring, the ring itself, and the world at large.
Members may adopt or be given pseudonyms within the ring. Rings meet regularly, for discussion, planning, and activities. The rings are not discussed outside the ring, nor is what happens within one available to any other parties, except where purposes necessitate this and by group agreement beforehand. The basic goal is imagineering new ways to directly experience and relate with uncommon yet innate intelligence potentials within each member, and the group. Each individual will need to be able to demonstrate some degree of fluency with this idea and its potentials as they may be embodied by a group. This process will commonly necessitate ‘challenges’, where the group decides to, as a team, overcome some obstacle, real or cognitive, and proceed through planning to execution. This may or may not involve role-playing in public, however this is an expedient means to accomplish these kinds of exploration. In many cases the group will be dealing with a real-life obstacle affecting some member, or the group as a whole. This is particularly true in advanced rings, where the transition from exploration to action occurs. These rings will take on ‘missions’ which have as their basis the goal of rescue taken in the broadest possible sense. The goal of an advanced ring is to radically and positively transform the world, without engendering conflict.
Rings will breed other rings, and this will provide a ‘scalar’ effect, where many scales of rings can link together and act as unities for purposes of mutual uplift, knowledge-sharing, and direct action.
Perhaps most importantly, the ring creates an empowering ‘local culture’ which can encourage and preserve gains made by the members and the group. This is one of the most crucial functions, because non-ordinary experience and opportunity is rapidly decredentialed by our common experience of activity and culture. The creation and nurturance of a culture that is both intimate and local grants us the opportunity not only to explore in new ways but to conserve and elaborate gains made during this process.
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