Welcome to the WaccoBB.net Conscious Relationship category!

[Barry]

Welcome to the WaccoBB.net Conscious Relationship category!

As part of our mission to create and catalyze community, both online and in "real" life, as well as supporting us all to be conscious human beings, I have created this Conscious Relationships category.

I had originally planned to have this be a Singles category. But after noting the wonderful and insightful discussion in the General Community category including A Handful of Gorgeous Women and other related threads, included the participation of declared non-single people, I thought it would be richer to include all types relationships! I hope you will join us in this experiment!


What's Conscious Relationship?

So what is Conscious Relationship? Here's my take on it:

- Being radically honest and authentic, both with yourself and with whom you are relating to.
- Being present - staying out of "story", or at least being aware that it is "playing" and taking responsibility for it.
- Being open hearted, connected and undefended as much as possible, especially when differences arise.
- Being compassionate, accepting and non-judgmental.

I invite you to post your thoughts on what Conscious Relationship means to you, and how it expresses in your life, what challenges you and what supports you.


Singles & not-Singles

Sure, "singlehood" is a particular state within the relationship spectrum. For some it's a starting point and others its an ending point, and for many its sort of a palette cleanser between courses! Natural for some, unnatural for others. Some like it, some hate it, and some can't let go of it even when they are "in relationship".

However, singlehood and its challenges and opportunities are all part of a bigger aspect of being human: how to be authentic and connecting deeply with other souls. Funny how this can be difficult being that we are all one! And when its done well, it's another form of sex!

So single discussions and events are most welcome here, along with anything else that is focused on how we relate to each other, including:

- deeper dating
- committed relationships of all kinds
- same sex and opposite sex
- monogamy and the various degrees of openness
- non-romantic relationships, including friends, family and co-workers (hopefully your spouse is not in this category!)

How to use this category

This is an experiment and I'm sure what goes on here will evolve. To start with, I will be organizing several events to bring the community together, including a general meet/schmooze/brainstorm meeting about this category and a hands-on WaccoBB.net tutorial evening just for singles. (Sharing a computer is almost as much fun as showing someone how to swing a golf club!). Watch this space for announcements!

In addition, my Sweetheart , Linda, (Barry's Pick! We met online!) who is "Oh so wise in the ways of boys and girls" will host an occasional "Ask Linda" column which will address all types of relationships. Fellow Wacco, Dr. Susan Cambell, who is a relationship coach and author of several books including "Truth in Dating", will also contribute articles from time to time. Please contact me if you would also like to contribute a featured article. And of course, you are most welcome to reply to these columns and anything else here!

Members are also most welcome to start new threads and post what you want that's roughly on topic, including asking questions and requesting feedback, sharing personal experiences and organizing your own events (hikes, game nights, movies, dinner and/or dance on the town, etc.).


User Profiles

One of the standard features of WaccoBB.net is that every user has a public profile. So I encourage everybody to make sure your profile is the way you want it, including posting a picture of yourself. You can see all the options in your User Control Panel. Check out the options on the left side. I have recently added a place for your expanded personal profile page that could be on MySpace, Tribe or even Match.com!

I know us Waccos can arrange ourselves in very creative relationships that blur the line between Single and Committed Relationship. So please be truthful about your relationship status! I have just increased the size of that field to 1,000 characters so you can fully describe your situation.

You can view another member's profile by clicking on their username in the upper left corner of one of their posts. (From there you can also see all of their public posts which can be quite interesting!) If you switch to the Advanced interface (by changing the drop down box below the WaccoBB.net log to Advanced, you will see a Members option on the main menu. From here you can see all member's public profiles, including an advanced search option.


Contacting other members

It is permissible to contact another member from their profile or public post. Please use this option with the utmost discretion! If you feel you have been contacted inappropriately, please notify me or one of the other moderators and we will address the situation swiftly. Anybody that demonstrates less than full respect for another person will be banned from the system. Note that while the system does not disclose your email address on your profile, you will reveal your email address when contact someone privately or reply to a private contact.

OK, that's plenty for now! I hope you'll join us for this adventure in Community!



Barry
Moderator