GRAND OPENING of ARCADIA Sunday 1st May 2016 at 1:00 pm sl time.

Are you looking for a spiritually based community that is just beginning? One where you can have a say in its shape? Well Arcadia may be the place for you. Set on a beautiful island with many places to simply sit and enjoy, along with places to gather, Arcadia awaits.

The owners, Ava and Darren have built the environment lovingly over the last 4 years and are now inviting others to share the island with the aim of forming a community. Their vision for the community is equality and inclusion. That people of many faiths, and those with no particular faith can come together and share in a non judgmental way. "We may not share each other's beliefs but we can all learn something from each other." Says Ava, a doctoral student of community whose greatest wish is to see people come together and form a community based on acceptance and trust.

As a community Arcadia offers opportunities to participate in weekly groups and special events. Some of the weekly groups on offer or planned for the future include meditation, tarot, story telling, discussion, encounter, music and dance. New members are most welcome to suggest and facilitate their own groups. Ava and Darren see the community as a living, organic thing, so nothing is fixed in stone. Instead, the community changes according to what the majority of members want.

If you like to be in the thick of planning and nurturing new projects and communities, then this could be the place for you. We are looking for leaders who can help to shape the community, ambassadors who can greet and mentor new members as well as interact with other communities on our behalf. We need group facilitators, those who wish to run weekly events or just special events and moderators who can deal with the day-to-day problems that arise in an open space. Of course we are also looking for members who don’t have the time or inclination to commit to any form of responsible role but just want to come along and enjoy the company and environment when they have the time to do so.

So come along anytime to see what we are about or join us at our grand opening for some music, dance and fun. Doors open at 1pm.  Bring along an open mind and your curiosity. Dress code – casual (it is a beach environment) – no nudity please.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Menina%20da%20Praia/115/141/21

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Welcome to Arcadia Where Spirituality is a Staple of the Community- Lanai Jarrico Reporting…

Arcadia is a new community on the grid that focuses on spirituality, group discussions, relaxation in a beautiful environment and where your beliefs matter. As a participatory community, Arcadia’s philosophy includes respect for other’s rights and do not force beliefs on others. They welcome anyone who wishes to be part of a community of like-minded people who just seek peace in a virtual environment.

The SL Enquirer met up with Ava (avaline.decuir) to learn more about Arcadia.

Interview with Ava (avaline.decuir)

SLE: Hi Ava, can you tell us about Arcadia’s philosophy, how long it has been in Second Life  and how it differs from other virtual world communities that are based on religion?

Ava: Arcadia the group is new to Second Life. The island it is on however, we have held for over 4 years. We have built the environment lovingly to represent peace and oneness with nature.

SLE: The Guardians of Arcadia Group is where Arcadia community members can come together and freely discuss topics. Can anyone join or is it by invitation only?

Ava: Anyone can join. There is a noticeboard at the main house with a poster that can be clicked to join the group

SLE: How often are there discussions and what type of things do you cover?

Ava:At the moment we have discussions 3 – 4 times a week but that is expanding day by day. We run groups for meditation, Tarot, storytelling, general discussion and encounter.

The general discussions cover topics such as trust, belief, hope etc.

The encounter groups are of two types. One is open, where people can come and vent about things in Second Life or their real life. We don’t judge and we don’t need to know details about your RL, it is just a place to let go of burdens. The other type of encounter group is closed and each one contains approximately 6 members. These people meet privately on a regular basis and come to know each other deeply. The private groups will listen to member’s problems, hopes wishes and dreams and offer support to each other. It is important for the private groups to trust each other that is why they are invitation only.

The story telling groups will depend on the facilitator. Some groups may have the facilitator tell a story each week while others may take it in turns to tell a story. Then there is a notecard collaborative story group. This one is interesting. One person starts a story and sends the card to a random member of the group. That person may add to or alter the story or simply pass it on to someone else. And so the card moves around to everyone in the group until the story is complete.

We are also talking to a gestalt therapist who may run a gestalt group and another astronomer who might run a group all about astronomy. We are looking for someone to run a group on astrology as well.

SLE:  Arcadia has a very calming feel to it and the ambient music is relaxing. What type of things can visitors do there?

Ava: We have a lot of places where people can sit (using cushions or pose balls) and enjoy the area. Of course they can join in with groups as well. We have several lovely places where people can use dance pose balls as well. We also have 4 gypsy caravans that people may rent if they would like to have their own spot on the island.

SLE: Do you offer housing for Arcadia community members?

Ava: Yes we have 4 gypsy caravans available for rent and are in the process of building some skyboxes as well.

SLE: What type of events do you host and how often?

Ava: We are planning to hold regular beach parties with a dj. We have one on Sunday 1^st May at 1.30 pm. We are planning some solar and lunar events with small rituals. Other than that our main focus is on the group activities for now.

SLE: Are you hiring or accepting guardians?

Ava: Yes we have several different roles that we are looking for people to fill. Guardians are those who are moderators to deal with the day to day issues that occur in any SL space. Ambassadors meet and greet visitors as well as talk about Arcadia wherever they go, so they are social people. Facilitators run group sessions. It is important to understand that roles don’t indicate a hierarchy. Our ideal is for all members to be equal and have an equal say.

SLE: Is there anything  else you would like to share with our readers about Arcadia?

Ava: We are excited about the potential for Arcadia. We want it to be an inclusive community that has something for everyone.

Additional Information

Teleport:

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Menina%20da%20Praia/115/144/22

 Group: secondlife:///app/group/af5f9e1f-7535-e90f-0108-dbf9cfcf2f32/about

Preferred contact: Avaline Decuir and Darren Islar

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Adopt an Attitude of Gratitude by Linda Lauren

 

I think about gratitude every day of the year.  When I am rising to greet the day and retiring for the evening, I give thanks for the blessings that have been bestowed upon me, and for the people in my life who bestowed them. My thanks does not just include family and friends.  It encompass the many people I come in contact, and the things that happen in my life during that year that elicit my appreciation.

I often read about how grateful people are during the holiday season and with social media and the Internet, we are inundated with streams of photos and information flying by our computer screens that are designed to illicit our gratitude. But once those streams fly past us, do we remember to be grateful?

When we show gratitude it’s like money in the bank. It’s  is a way of giving thanks because as the holiday season unfolds, so do our expressions of gratitude.  It is a time when we shine a light on the people in our immediate circle who love and honor us all year long.  They’ve embraced us and we, in turn, strive to do our best to show our thanks.  A little “thank you” really does go a long way, so why not stretch it and make it go long and wide?  Why not also extend your appreciation to the people you come in daily contact with who have been there in different ways, offering something vital just when we needed it?

Did the grocery clerk smile at you and make you feel good this morning?  Maybe the mailman delivered good news.  Perhaps someone held a door open for you when your arms were burdened with packages.  Did you say thank you to any of them?  Are they on your mind this year as you reflect on your blessings? More importantly, how are you honoring and showing your thanks? It’s never to late for gratitude, so let me get started with some ways to accomplish this special kind of remembering.

Write it out! Keep a gratitude journal and use the method of counting your blessings by writing them down, etching your appreciation in stone. You can even write the names of some of those people and events in your journal, thanking them. But be sure to at least three reasons you are grateful each day. Can’t think of three? Well, you are breathing, aren’t you? That’s one! You are reading this positive article. That’s two. You get the idea and soon the number on your list will grow and change daily.
Be kind! Pass along an act of kindness for every act of kindness you receive. You would be surprised at how the little things you do can add up to an abundance of joy to the lives of those you touch, whether they know you’ve touched them or not. You’ll gather a lot of positive energy you way for the kindness in the action you take.

Embrace spirit through Prayer! This is another great way to give thanks. To be prayerful is to be connected with your spiritual foundation by way of an expressed intention.  Send your intentions out to the universe this way enforces our belief system, no matter what that is.

Follow the above suggestions as you move through the season and share in the spirit by adopting the attitude of gratitude and applying some of the thoughts I’ve shared. I promise you it will make your spirit bright and your attitude positive.

originally published by Intent on November 27, 2013 in Inspiration
By Linda Lauren 

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Religion In Second Life- Jessi2009 Warrol Reporting…

If you are in tune with your religious and spiritual side, Second Life offers many locations and groups for the religious and spiritual minded individual.

Religious & spiritual locations can be divided up into three categories. The first category is replicas of famous landmarks. This category includes replicas of such famous religious landmarks as The Cathedral of Notre Dame. The second category are sims which have actual in world religious and spiritual services that you can attend. The last category are places of meditation, where you can sit and reflect in your surroundings.  So how do you find these places? An easy way is the Second Life Destinations Guide, which has a Spirituality & Belief category.

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