This newsletter is longer than the previous ones, not only because it is the culmination of a series of previous newsletters, but also because the practice, like the topic it covers, is extensive.

At first, I wanted to write a two-part newsletter, but then I realized that it made more sense to leave it as one, since this newsletter also brings together the previous newsletters.

What’s next? Next are new newsletters with quests and games that I hope will be useful to you in your activities and which, like all the practices I share with you, come from my experience of interacting with children and adults in rural and urban communities.

These games and quests will be included in the second book in the series “Conscious Creativity Technology for a Harmonious Life,” where the accompanying notes focus more on developing facilitation skills. A facilitator can be a teacher, an educator, a parent, and everyone who wants to add “one thing more” to what we are doing today. Welcome!

This practice, like the previous ones, emerged from master classes, trainings, and quests in which children and adults participated. The practice helps us find solutions in various situations, developing a skill that is necessary in all areas of our lives:

  • the ability to determine one’s values, goals, objectives, and priorities
  • finding resources to achieve them and develop them
  • seeing one’s uniqueness in unity with the community in which we live
  • being one with Nature, not as its user, but as its participant
  • being flexible and, at the same time, resilient in any life situation.

This skill is fundamental to the evolutionary process, manifesting itself at the micro and macro levels in all life processes. This amazing skill is SYNTHESIS.

So, welcome to the next practice!

Practice “Bee’s Team”

“Then he thought another long time and said: “And the only reason for being a bee that I know of is making honey.” Milne A.A. “Winnie-The-Pooh” (*1)

The goal of the practice is to create a general plan for implementing an idea that is useful for all team members based on their suggestions.

To support this practice, we will use several definitions:

  • Bees – team members
  • Queen bee – facilitator
  • Honey – main idea
  • Nectar – suggestions-thoughts
  • Pollen – additional resources of knowledge for participants
  • Beehive – the place where the practice takes place
  • Honeycombs – a place to store participants’ suggestions-thoughts.

Important feature: “Pollen” – additional resources found without using the Internet, based on personal observations, while observing natural phenomena, if participants are outdoors.

If participants are indoors, photographs of nature and nature books can be used as support, as well as nature that is indoors and what can be seen: for example, flowers in pots and trees through a window.

The practice lasts 45 minutes, but it can turn into a project that will continue in the future. Participants can be children and adults. There are no age restrictions for children: from supportive sniffing in a stroller, drawings on sand and paper, and texts with drawings.

The practice can take place at a company, park, botanical garden, community center, school, kindergarten, or family home. Don’t be put off by the young age of any participants – they are real generators of ideas! It is only important to help them understand the essence of the idea. Your wise support as a facilitator, together with the other participants, will help them in this.

More about the practice idea

The main idea (Honey) is determined in advance or at the beginning of the practice. This idea should be useful because it:

  • supports unity with Nature
  • improves health
  • develops creativity
  • unites participants with the community.

You may already have such an idea, but if you don’t, the following questions will help you define it:

– Why will this idea be important and useful for everyone now and in the future?

– What will support our positive feelings and work-life balance? (It can also be a place of study or daytime stay: school, kindergarten, center.)

– Who can implement this idea?

– How will this idea help us improve what we have now? (Namely, it will support our vital energy as a source of health.)

The practices in previous newsletters also contain a main idea, for example, to create artwork together and decorate the place where everyone spends time. Perhaps you will want to return to one of those practices for this, or perhaps it will be something else. For example:

  • create a Green Corner for relaxation and creativity in the office, school, or library
  • set up a playground in a kindergarten, center, library, or school
  • help tidy up a park or botanical garden
  • go on a hike or excursion
  • organize a gallery exhibition of creative works
  • and more 🙂

What you need to prepare for the practice

You will need a sheet of A1 paper. At the top of the sheet, leave room to write your main idea, and divide the A1 sheet into honeycomb cells. The size of each cell will be 1/4 of an A4 sheet. You’ll need 1/4 A4 sheets, pens, colored pencils, and scotch tape to stick the sheets to the cells. For each cell, one suggestion-thought (Nectar). Also, prepare an additional A1 sheet (Honeycomb) and 1/4 A4 sheets of paper.

Why? The number of participants may be greater than the number of cells, and it is also possible that the number of suggestions-thoughts (Nectar) will be more than will fit on only one A1 sheet (Honeycomb).

In addition, you can return to this practice later, supplementing new proposals because more suggestions-thoughts and new main ideas can appear. In the hive, there is room for not only one Honeycomb 🙂

On conducting the practice

When the main idea (Honey) is determined, the participants “go for Nectar”- find suggestions-thoughts to realize the main idea (Honey).

Each participant has their own “basket for Nectar” – a sheet of paper 1/4 A4, where the suggestion-thought is written (perhaps more sheets with suggestions-thoughts from each participant) about how to realize the main idea (Honey).

After the Nectar is collected, it is time to turn it into Honey. Honey Technology you will find below 🙂

Like always in our practices, the best place will be closer to Nature or indoors, with the sounds of Nature supporting an atmosphere of creativity, and there are important conditions:

  • no competition: “who is faster or who brings more or creates better Nectar “
  • no hints or instructions like: “look to the right, then to the left”
  • no comment or analysis of what is “good” and what is “bad”
  • all sources of color are based on the colors of Nature.
  • colored pencils are better than markers because they can create different colorful shades.
  • also, the color palette doesn’t have a black color because Nature doesn’t have it.
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P.S. About Synthesis

In previous newsletters, we talked about the amazing skill that this practice is dedicated to—Synthesis. So, what is SYNTHESIS and why is it the basis of all evolutionary processes?

Synthesis σύνθεσις “a putting together, composition, combination”; from συν- “with; together; denoting joining, union, contact, proximity” + θέσις “a setting, placing, arranging”— the process of joining or combining. (*2)

Before delving deeper into this concept, let us define several other important concepts that have been discussed in previous newsletters:

–  A system is a structural unit of Life as an evolutionary process.

–  The formation and functioning of a system are based on its properties: expediency, stability, flexibility, and improvement.

–  The development of a system is the process of developing its new qualities in interaction with the environment.

–  A process is changing, changing is movement, and movement is energy.

–  The development of a system occurs based on the principles of life activity: maintaining balance, improving system resources, cooperation, and managing the energy of the system.

–  The viability of a system is determined by the compliance of its activities with the Laws of Evolution.

–  The Laws of Evolution are the general fundamental laws of the Cosmos that define Life as a process of continuous development and improvement.

– The unity of properties and the path of development with the laws of Evolution is a necessary condition for the life activity of a system.

–  The process of evolutionary development of a system is Synthesis.

“Why do we need to know so much about this Synthesis?” you may ask. The question “why” is a good question in of itself, as it determines the expediency of everything we do based on value. The value of Synthesis lies in the fact that it is a fundamental process of development and occurs in all processes of Life. In other words, if a process is based on Synthesis, then it will be evolutionary; if not, then there is no development, but rather the reverse. And there is no reverse direction of development in Evolution; there is only involution.

Synthesis is at the foundation of our evolutionary development as humans, manifesting itself in all areas of our lives, both physically and mentally. For example, we breathe oxygen, which is the result of plant photosynthesis, and in every cell of our body, the process of synthesizing energy and new substances takes place, and Synthesis is at the heart of the emergence of new progressive ideas 🙂

History contains many examples of unique discoveries that combine knowledge and experience into a new combination of quality that has helped Humanity take new steps in its development. Masterpieces of culture in art and architecture also tell us about this process, which lies at their core. This is SYNTHESIS.

– Synthesis is the foundation for the emergence and development of a system as a structural unit of Life based on its properties and principles of life activity in Unity with the laws of Evolution.

– Synthesis is the process of creating a new quality based on the previous achievements of the system under the influence of external and internal conditions.

– Synthesis is a fundamental process that determines the evolutionary development of a system and, ultimately, its viability.

– Creating something new based on an awareness of the value of what we are creating and why we are creating it helps us to create something better for everyone by combining the best we have. Just like bees create honey 🙂

Honey Technology

Returning to the practice.

So, all the suggestions and ideas (Nectar) have been collected and secured with tape to the cells (Honeycombs), and your A1 sheet now looks very much like a frame with honeycombs. What’s next?

Now your task is to combine all the suggestions-thoughts and develop a plan for realizing the main idea, which is essentially your Honey-creating plan 🙂

The same Why-What-Who-How questions we are already familiar with will help you with this:

– Why do we need Honey (the idea)?

– What is valuable in each cell with Nectar (in each of all suggestions-thoughts)?

– Who will take responsibility for implementing the steps of the general plan based on these suggestions-thoughts?

– How can we implement the plan to achieve our main idea (Honey)?

So, you have done:

  • Step one: find the Nectar – synthesize suggestion-thoughts based on observations and personal experience.
  • Step two: bring it to Honeycombs – combine these valuable resources into a single A1 sheet.

And now the next step:

  • Step three: create Honey – unite suggestions-thoughts based on the main idea, be able to find the best quality in each of the suggestions-thoughts and then combine them.

It is important to remember:

If bees competed with each other, they would never have honey.

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They:

  • don’t prove to each other who is more important in making honey
  • do not compete
  • are aware of what they are doing and share their knowledge with others
  • work together as a team, helping each other

May the principles of Conscious Creativity and the next part of this newsletter, with Step four, support you in this practice.

The Principles of Conscious Creativity

  • Freedom of Choice through Responsibility

I always create my life, and I always have responsibility for What and Why I create.

  • Independence through Unity

I always create the best for myself, together with people for people.

  • Tolerance through Respect

I am always unique, and everyone is, and I always have my talents, as everyone has.

  • Activity through Improvement

I can share with others what I have, and I can always improve everything that I have

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About Quality

Development is always an improvement in what already exists. Improvement is a new quality. New quality is the result of the process of Synthesis and is a necessary condition for Evolution as a process of constant development and improvement.

The process of Synthesis in our human activities is also a necessary condition for our development and is the creation of a new quality based on previous achievements.

Synthesis as a process combines four stages:

  1. Cognition
  2. Comprehension
  3. Acceptance for action
  4. Action.

The division into stages is conditional, since, as in our other schemes (such as Feeling-Thought-Action-Result), the process of development is a simultaneous process in which the second stage begins during the first stage and the third and fourth stages continue.

Nevertheless, to understand the essence of the process itself, we conditionally distinguish the stages. We will discuss these stages in more detail in the next newsletters, but for now, let’s focus on their basis – QUALITY.

  • The Synthesis process is based on the Quality of Impulse through the Quality of Feelings

The quality of feelings determines the quality of impulse, which is based on the value of purpose and cooperation as the most important resources of Synthesis.

Impulse is the catalyst that activates the process of Synthesis. In a machine, it is a spark; in biological processes, it can be enzymes, a drop of water, oxygen, etc. For example, sunlight and heat help buds on trees, flowers, and also bees to awaken in the spring.

In our lives, impulses arise constantly because of the influence of feelings. Impulse is a catalyst for cognition and manifests itself based on our feelings. As we discussed in previous newsletters, when we create based on the best feelings, the result will be the same.

Our task is to recognize the QUALITY of feelings, since they determine the quality of the result. Feeling-Thinking-Action-Result.

Bees know how to choose nectar, which is why their honey is delicious and healthy 🙂

  • The quality of the Impulse manifests itself in the unity of interaction and affects Life force

As we noted earlier, any process is an energy process. Synthesis is a process of accumulating and exchanging energy to share the best with the outer world in the form of best achievements. Why? Because any process is movement, and movement is energy.

The movement of charged particles (+ and -) forms an electromagnetic field where what we give attracts the same, according to the law of correspondence. We can see this principle both on a physical level and in our social life, in the form of the saying, “You reap what you sow.”

In addition, the boundaries of a system are conditional, and any system is part of another and contains others, so by giving, we are essentially giving to ourselves. If we pollute the air or water, we breathe it ourselves. The evolutionary process is based on Unity.

“But not everyone shares the best!” you might say. Yes, that’s true, but this is no longer a process of evolutionary development, but the opposite. Bees know this and therefore create more honey than they need 🙂

At the basis of Synthesis, as a foundation of Evolution, is always “sharing the best” by creating the best. In the process of photosynthesis, plants produce oxygen not only for themselves 🙂

In us, the process of Synthesis is also constantly taking place. For example, our cells create and transfer energy, sharing it with our body from ATP and ADP molecules, not only for our physical needs, but also to create.

Impulse directs force, and everything that we humans create with inspiration in unity of interaction carries the power that manifests itself in the result.

The quality of the impulse determines this process: whether it will be a process of Synthesis as an evolutionary process contributing to the development of the system, or whether it will not be SYNTHESIS, in which case the process will be the opposite of evolutionary, i.e., degradation.

Who is the main “guider” of this process? Our feelings. Feeling-Thinking-Action-Result.

Everything that we humans create by inspiration, based on the best feelings in unity of interaction, is “sharing the best”. And then some “coincidences,” such as an apple falling from an apple tree on Newton, peas in Mendel’s garden, or Steve Jobs’ calligraphy classes, became impulses based on which the authors created achievements that we use today.

“Well, that’s all theory,” you might say, “but in practice it’s impossible!” Why not?! Nature will help us with this if we pay attention to it. And another important part of the SYNTHESIS process is observing Nature not as a user, but as a participant. That is why “Pollen,” which we talked about above, is also important in the process of creating honey.

We talked about momentum and its importance in the newsletter and will return to it repeatedly. But now let’s go back to the bees, who know how to create HONEY 🙂  based on the QUALITY OF CHOICE.

  • The quality of choice determines the evolutionary process

If bees made their choices only for the “now,” “quickly,” and “were not ready to share,” creating only what they needed, then we would never see honey. If plants produced oxygen and everything else, and didn’t share with anyone, the other inhabitants on our Earth would not be able to survive, or would live in a different form, including you and me 🙂

If we observe Nature as participants, not users, we can notice many things that are important to us humans, helping us to develop based on the Quality of Choice, which is necessary for Synthesis.

As we talked about above, any process is changing. Changing is movement. Movement is energy. An energy process is a process where the energy reserve determines the possibility of further development. The formulas of Descartes, Newton, Gibbs, and Tsiolkovsky, which we discussed in previous newsletters, confirm it, and also confirm the unity of the natural sciences and humanities. (Resources -*) If we have the energy for development, there is development. If we don’t have energy, there is no development.

Synthesis is a process in which energy is spent not only “for today”, but for creating our future, improving what we have today.

Bees take care of their vital energy. They don’t waste it, and that’s why they create delicious honey :), sharing it with others. Therefore, Honey, in our practice, is the beneficial main idea for everyone.

  • Synthesis is Creativity based on Unity through Collaboration

I can continue to find new examples of bees’ unique community, but you might say, “But we’re people, not bees!” and it will be correct 🙂 We are people, and what we create, we can always improve. So, we can create ideas that are useful for us and the community together.

Through bees, butterflies, dandelions in a meadow, streams, and rivers, Nature is happy to share its wisdom with us humans simply because we are part of it and are important participants.

Life is the process of creation by Synthesis, where we people also create. We have the power of Thought, and we can create more effectively when we don’t isolate ourselves from Nature as users but as participants in the process of Life, the quality of which depends on us. The Noosphere from Vernadsky’s research is a special sphere surrounding Earth, created by Humans, that influences all processes of Life. (*)

A system, as a structural unit of Life process, can’t be isolated because any life process is based on collaboration. Newton’s laws, Gibbs’ dynamic balance, and Einstein’s relativity, with many other great scientists, confirm this by their research. (*) The basis of collaboration is Synthesis that unites uniqueness by unity. So, 1+1 is not only 2. This is Synergy based on Unity.

Let’s summarize.

SYNTHESIS is the fundamental evolutionary process of Life. This is a process of creation by improving what has already been achieved, based on the properties of a system and the principles of a system’s life activities, in unity with the Evolutionary laws. We are participants of this process, and we can improve what we have by improving our own Consciousness.

The map below unites what we talked about in the previous newsletters to support developing our Culture of Thinking by developing the skills of Synthesis. We are People, and we create. And Step four of Honey Technology – let’s do it! Below is really a Technology map that helps you to create the best as bees create their own honey 🙂

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Value of the practice

“Well,” said Pooh, “if I plant a honeycomb outside my house, then it will grow up into a beehive.” A.A. Milne, “The House At Pooh Corner”(*3)

Developing skills of SYNTHESIS as a process of Conscious Creativity by:

  • cognition based on unity with Nature
  • comprehension based on the quality of thinking
  • acceptance for action based on the quality of impulse
  • cooperation as the synergy of interaction.

Developing the skills of Synthesis is a necessity for the development of our Consciousness and is our evolutionary way as Humans. The impact is the development of the Culture of Thinking that is reflected in all spheres of our life and is the foundation of our future, defining the Sustainable Development of our Society, Economy, and Environment.

(from the book “Conscious Creativity Technology for a Harmonious Life” ISBN 978-1-963690-74-3 by Olga Verasen)

One more P.S. 🙂

I had been observing bees since I was 4+ years old: simply sitting quietly next to a hive and watching how they lived and then asking my grandpa many “Why” questions. He was always busy, yet he found the time and patience to find answers to my questions or guided me in my search for the answers.

Even if, at first glance, children’s questions seem unimportant to us adults, or we feel like we don’t have time to find the answer, it makes sense to take the time to look at Nature with our children as participants. Then, perhaps, we’ll find many answers for sustainable self-development and support our children in this.

The process of consciously seeking answers is the development of the skills of Synthesis, which is the essence of Life, and is also the skill of finding the answer to the question of why we Humans live on Earth.

And may the example of bees and this practice help us create the best in unity with ourselves, with each other, with the world we live in, and the world within us. I and I, I and You, I and World, World in Me. I’m continuing to cognize this endless World and am glad to be in this process with you.

Olga Verasen

Resources *

More resources for you https://olgaverasen.com/articles-and-practices/

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