I. RELATIONSHIP IS OUR NORTH STAR

We hold with reverence that each person’s romantic partnership is a spiritual practice. Everything we explore revolves around the idea that in the context of committed partnership, we are more likely to discover even greater levels of freedom for our sovereign expression than what we would find through personal exploration alone.

We regard partnership as the perfect mirror for our present level of consciousness and our greatest teacher for the optimal path forward. We live in harmony with what serves that partnership, as we trust that it points us towards what is in the greatest service to ourselves, to the community and to the world. 

In Eden, we search for the commonality with each other rather than exploit our differences, and use that as a reminder to awaken to a higher consciousness. When we hold this perspective, we can feel the boundary lines dissolve between us and our beloveds, between our shadow and our light, and between that which we revere and that which we detest. If we find ourselves in opposition, we remember to take a moment to see the complimentary and symbiotic nature within ourselves and our Beloved. We are devoted to loving one another with the fullness of our hearts. 

In other words:
It is through the container of relationship that we see ourselves more completely and become the most actualized version of ourselves. We take being in relationship seriously.

II. WE ARE EACH OTHER’S BELOVED

We celebrate love. We hold each other’s love and relationship as sacred. Each member of our community is a stand for you, for your beloved and for the future selves that you can only be through dedicated commitment to each other. We are unshakable in our faith in the prosperous future of each relationship. We are ever expanding the love, care and devotion we experience with our beloveds to include our community and in turn humanity. We treat each other with the same reverence and respect that we hold for our beloveds.

In Eden, we practice knowing and loving ourselves more fully, so we can be ourselves more completely. This includes the parts that have been hidden, denied, rejected or judged. We are interconnected, and with each other as our mirrors, we can master loving ourselves and each other more completely, and create a world that works for the highest good of all.

In other words:
We extend our respect, honor and brotherly or sisterly love to everyone in Eden, even when it is challenging. When each of us practices caring for each other as beloveds, sometimes shift comes up, just like it does with your partner. Remember we are all here for the same thing. Breathe and use these principles to guide you.

III. ALL THE WAY THROUGH

When we take things “all the way through” it means that we no longer have a judgement or trigger with someone or something that was in conflict for us. It means that we each do “the work” to clear our own hearts and minds of uncompleted thoughts, unresolved interactions, character assessments and interpretations of negative intent. When we are unable to do this alone, we take the initiative to get the support from others to do so.

We meet challenges with curiosity and engage in courageous conversations that lead to the healing, greater freedom, and deeper connection we all desire most, whatever it takes.

In Eden, we do our best to not push things under the rug or hold judgments that weigh on our hearts. This principle invites us all to have the conversations that get through the layers and create an even deeper connection and understanding because we’ve gone all the way through. 

In other words:
Don’t leave things unresolved. Clean it up as we go.

IV. WHAT’S IN THE WAY IS THE WAY

We believe every problem contains the seed of its own solution and the impulse of evolution. Anything we perceive as an obstacle is an opportunity for our own development and emotional maturation. We trust that all of life is conspiring for our highest good and are grateful for the obstacles that we may initially perceive as in our way, because they point to a more noble path, giving rise to new opportunities, rewards and evolutionary ways of seeing and being.

In Eden, what looks like a problem is actually the solution. We work to show up for each other with open, undefended hearts, available for feedback and other perspectives, knowing that we all bring something of value. Seeking to find the truth in the middle, the highest possibility for all, we recognize that if something is triggered, it is gold and we explore it to discover the intrinsic value of our relational field of reflections, awareness and possibilities for growth.

In other words:
What seems like a mishap is actually transformational gold in disguise. Remember, a lotus flower blooms from the deepest and thickest mud.

V. HONOR & INTEGRITY

We believe the seeds of Eden are planted in the soil of our soul and we must live with integrity for them to blossom forth into our lives. By endeavoring to align with our deepest truth, be impeccable with our words — and keep our word — we develop the congruent character that allows life to thrive in and around us. We are sincere with the agreements and promises we make and communicate honestly when we are unable to fulfill those commitments. We honor the absent and go directly to the source of any miscommunication or upset. We treat others with reverence and respect, as we would have them treat us. 

In Eden, we do our best to live in integrity in all we do. We avoid triangulation or gossip and look to the principles as a way to honor one another and clear any obstacles in the way of a loving and peaceful connection. 

In other words:
Be Cool. Don’t be a hypocrite and say one thing then do another. Don’t be gossiping or shit talking people. Do your best to be straight up with one another.

VI. PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY

We hold the paradox of individual and shared responsibility. We cast ourselves as the author of our own experience, responsible for our thoughts, actions and circumstances. 

Although we grant that same respect to others, we also hold ourselves accountable to our impact on their experience, regardless of their sensitivities or interpretations. We clean up our own messes yet, our attitude of personal responsibility does not end there. We also hold ourselves responsible for our ongoing physical, emotional, mental and spiritual development so that we learn from our mistakes. 

In Eden, we are the creator of our own reality. No person or condition has the power to make us think, feel or do anything that we don’t consent to – therefore we take 100% responsibility for our thoughts, beliefs, perceptions, feelings and actions.  

In other words:
Keep your shit tight.

VII. FULL SOVEREIGN EXPRESSION

It is a potent expression of divine love to be fully expressed as an individual. Every person plays a necessary role in integrating what is needed to create a world that works for everyone. We also believe that it is courageous to be fully expressed and even though this can be messy and create great contrast, it is where our differences meet that our greatest opportunities for healing, growth and evolution exist. 

In Eden, we strive to live, speak and embody our most authentic self. Enriched by our differences, we celebrate the whole range of the human experience. We understand that some expressions may be soft while others are bold and we welcome both and everything in between.

In other words:
Let your freak flag fly and watch others’ heads when you are spinning your flag around.

VIII. PRESENT AWARENESS

We hold presence as the starting place from which to love and live. We recognize that being present is a prerequisite for seeing and meeting our beloveds. Because life is ever-evolving, we release the past and what the future may hold as we enter this moment, rediscovering what’s new with ourselves, our partner and the world. With present awareness, healing of separation and ultimate communion are possible. 

In Eden, we value the flow and possibility that lies within each moment as we believe this reveals our true “current-see.” Each moment is its own experience with emerging miracles held within it.

In other words:
Be here now.

IX. ASSUME THE BEST

We aim to keep our relationships free of judgement, blame, contractions and resistance. We acknowledge that we can never know Truth without understanding others. We strive to know the Truth as the multidimensional perspective that includes all and excludes nothing. We hold that giving others the experience of being understood is often a prerequisite for being understood ourselves. We engender trust that each person is doing their best regardless of our perceptions. 

In Eden, we are committed to creating a culture of humility and curiosity around our beliefs and stories about our Beloved and all of our Beloveds in Eden – allowing us to remain open to the diversity of perspectives that gives rise to the deeper understanding – the place in the middle that serves the highest good of all. This means that we examine and take responsibility for the “stories we make-up” and remain open to understanding and hearing ALL perspectives in service to the highest truth.

In other words:
Don’t make up stories about other people, assume the best and seek to understand. If you are going to make up stories… make up really amazing ones that paint others in a positive light. Go to the source with curiosity and share with an open heart.

 X. GIVING FREQUENCY

When we are in the spirit of generosity it feeds the part of our soul that longs to be connected and feel supported. As an expression of valuing self and others we share what we have (our gifts) in order to uplift one another. Through this generosity bonds are created and weave together the fabric of a community that transcends self-interest. It is in these bonds that we enjoy true safety, security and certainty. The more we cherish our community, as a way of holding the gifts we offer, the more we cultivate a community in which everyone thrives. 

By being of service to others we can experience ourselves as having a surplus of love, energy, time and resources and align with a purpose greater than ourselves. We choose to give to this community because we are inspired by its purpose: Love. 

In Eden, we share from our abundance recognizing that we are all bearers of great resources. Some of us have valuable skills and services we can offer, some have finances and other acquisitions to share. We give unconditionally and wholeheartedly, trusting and knowing that we are provided for, as individuals and as a group.

In other words:
The more we give to the community, the more we are supported and all thrive. We give freely of our time, treasure and talent. “We-conomics vs. Me-conomics”

XI. ALL NEEDS MET

All human beings have needs. Some go unexpressed and some are loud and clear. At times those needs may feel in conflict with someone else’s needs, yet when we commit to seek ways to meet all needs, we illuminate a path towards creating something greater than what we originally thought possible. 

As a practice we strive to distinguish our needs from our preferences, desires and self-protection and are committed to exploring any friction or perceived “problem” with an open heart and mind. This process activates an emergent field of opportunity that allows us to discover and reveal the higher needs within every situation. 

In Eden, we hold sacred our faith that all needs can be met and that all of our decisions and actions can be made to serve the whole. We are unsatisfied with any conditions that leave any person’s needs unmet. 

In other words:
Help a buddy out and do what you can to support one another, even when you would rather not.

XII. WE HOLD IT, TOGETHER

The way we love is guided by the belief that the individual is most efficiently healed in partnership. The way we hold community is guided by the belief that the partnership is most efficiently healed in community. Rooted in our sovereignty, we freely choose to love, serve and support each other, expanding the freedom, capacity and opportunities available to all of us. 

Our struggles often feel personal, but when we reveal them to a loving community we recognize that the true nature of our struggles is, in fact, shared. We invest in each other’s development and emotional maturation, and in doing so we find ourselves liberated from the same emotional and cultural inheritance of patterned thinking and stored trauma. 

In Eden, when we have the courage to be vulnerable with each other and the generosity to hold each other tenderly in that vulnerability, we open ourselves up to a more expansive experience of love. Instead of trying to “hold it together” we hold it… together. 

In other words:
Being a lone ranger is a thing of the past. We are a tribe people and, as a tribe, we support each other and build each other up. I got me, you got you… we got we!

4 PILLARS OF RELATIONSHIP

We believe that there are four “Key Pillars” to a healthy & happy relationship.

1. Sovereignty – How we are in our connection to ourselves.
2. Unity – How we are within our partnerships.
3. Community – How we are within our relationships with our community.
4. Humanity – How we are within our relationships with our world.

From a sovereign individual comes a more powerful partnership (sovereign unity) which then can be more powerful and active to give to and be held in community.