Connection is the birthright
Jon Young
b. 1960
A student of the Tracker path who turned nature-connection into a village practice anyone can sit down inside.
Jon Young carried Tom Brown’s fire into Coyote Mentoring, bird language, the 8 Shields, and the Living Connection 1st Village.
With a design team of village-builders, he helped gather the 10 Foundation Stones of Agreement — welcoming, wiping off road dust, gratitude, unconditional listening, allowance, lifting gifts, peace-love-joy-purpose, facilitation, inner vision, wrapping the bundle.
Connection with each other and connection with nature are one weather.
Village Talk and Regenerating Connection Circles remain the proving ground.
You do not have to join a village to practice the stones.
On the shelf
What the Robin Knows
Jon Young
In the library
Jon Young
Connection is the birthright
Connection is our natural state, our birthright. Civilization has made disconnection the only thing we know. When we connect with each other we also connect with nature; when we work on our connection with nature we are also working on our connection with each other. People have an innate and deeply rooted need to be seen, heard, understood and valued. They need to know that they are contributing and that they belong. When everyone participates, and everyone feels seen and heard, the group becomes stronger than the sum of its parts.
10 Stones Protocols for Sharing
Jon Young
Ten stones of agreement
Welcoming into the container. Wiping off road dust — what is keeping me from being fully present. Gratitude, to bring hearts into resonance. Unconditional listening, as you would listen in nature. A culture of allowance. Lifting up the gifts in others and ourselves. Supporting peace, love, joy, and purpose. Facilitation so even the quiet voices arrive. Mentoring, curiosity, and inner vision. Wrapping the bundle and closing, so nothing unfinished walks home with you. The stones work together. There is no one right way. Nature is a common context.
10 Stones Protocols for Sharing
Jon Young
Wiping off road dust
Anything that keeps us from being fully present to the spirit of the gathering is a distraction generated from holding on to the stresses of the day, the week, the life. It is good to slow down to the rhythm of the Earth. The purpose is to release the distractions so you can focus on everyone in the meeting. Many people aren’t used to truly being listened to. Keep this focused on just what is keeping one from being fully present. From this, we will feel heard. All that follows will move more powerfully.
10 Stones Protocols for Sharing
Jon Young
Wrapping the bundle
Just as the first stone opens the container, the tenth remembers to close it. Wrap the bundle: what were the takeaways? Any final reflections? What are you grateful for? Intentional closing lets people cleanly separate mind, heart, and intent from the group mind, so nothing unfinished walks home. We move forward with a fresh start, still holding the feeling of belonging. The baby elephant knows this in the body. The walk ends. The herd remains.
10 Stones Protocols for Sharing