So to move onto Frustration, the one that you've all been waiting for...I think that it's no surprise that Frustration comes straight after dream. In many ways the dream opens our eyes to the possibility of what could be - perhaps in a somewhat utopian way - but never-the-less it still opens the eyes, and once the eyes have been opened there is no turning back. Frustrations come because the dream will not last for ever, and hence I think that the first point of learning is to let people know that!
The challenge is negotiating a pathway through the frustration that does not necessarily lead to death. We accomplished this a few times in Sanctus1 by reinventing ourselves, this would happen through a change in group set-up or venue, and what this seemed to do was to re-energize people and bring the dream stage back. However, this was temporary and we still remained in the cycle, the real challenge is breaking it and moving into something more permanent.
I'm becoming more convinced that the way in which the cycle will be broken is by a process of aggregation with the wider church. An aggregation process that involves both parties learning together, so that the FX can move out of this cycle and move towards something more permanent. BMO's, Parish Share, whatever it maybe are ways in which a FX can break the Fantasy Cycle. Without this reference to something other I think that the FX maybe too self-absorbed and too concerned about reclaiming the dream.
Victor Turners thinking is good on this, he uses the language of Aggregation when a group has gone through communitas. The process of aggregation needs working on within the context of a FX. What are the rituals of belonging? BMO's maybe a half-decent bit of legislation but how do we create rituals of belonging that move a BMO beyond the legalities and into relationship. A relationship of a shared journey, of a mixed economy.
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