As a lay-led church, we believe it is important for our community members to be informed about the beliefs and philosophies that shape our spaces.
We invite you to read our living “doctrine” as we continue to explore our shared values while honoring our spiritual sovereignty.
Our Beliefs
Our Gathering Principle
Soul-Sensitive Care
All of our events, media, programs, and rituals are created according to our Soul-Sensitive Care framework.
The Soul-Sensitive approach is an expansion of trauma-informed care principles that incorporates nervous system education, the impact of our lived and inherited experiences, and the belief that every individual possesses the dignity, ability, and power to make their own sovereign choices.
The Soul-Sensitive Framework:
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We acknowledge the impact of colonization, white supremacy, and capitalism on the human mind, body, and spirit, and we believe there is a need for trauma-informed care, education, and facilitation in all dimensions of our communities.
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We understand the nervous system’s role in shaping our everyday experiences and relationships. We incorporate practices that tone the vagus nerve as a tool for supporting our abilities to create, care, connect, & change.
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We acknowledge the impact of cultural and ancestral inheritances on our minds, bodies, and spirits. We believe that we have all inherited both gifts, wounds, and patterns from those that came before us & that these should be considered when creating opportunities to gather.
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Soft Power is a principle of sovereignty that focuses on reconnecting with our creativity as opposed to hard power tactics of force and coercion. It's through our creative expressions that we remember our true nature, shift how we engage with the world, and co-create the future of our dreams.
“Soul Sensitive-Care intends to create an environment for individuals to reconnect with what the body knows and soul remembers.
The Soul-Sensitive Care Creator’s role is to cultivate virtual spaces that allow each person to identify and express their needs, boundaries, and desires.”
— Siobhan Diores, co-founding artist
Community Agreements
Attendees of Soft Power gatherings consent to the following agreements:
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We acknowledge no space can be guaranteed completely safe. A Brave Space supports courage, openness, and our best effort in all group gatherings. We accept responsibility for our own time and energy and listen to the needs of our bodies and spirits. Verbal interaction and/or camera visibility are always optional.
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This is a sacred space and we commit to protecting one another's privacy. We do not share personal details, stories, or images of other community members without their explicit consent. We may share the lessons and wisdom gained, but private details and identities remain confidential within our community.
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We share and respect pronouns and refrain from generalized language that is gendered and/or hierarchical (ie: ladies, queens, goddesses, etc). We consent to being called in to revisit language for the purpose of enhancing language expansion and/or community safety.
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We commit to practicing active listening by not talking over, interrupting, and/or giving unsolicited advice. We share speaking time and step back to make room for others. We will not share explicit stories of violence or trauma. We speak in "I" statements so as to not speak for others.
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We are committed to developing personal practices that are authentic to our unique frequencies and experiences. We do our due diligence to be informed about the roots of our practices and consent to conversation should cultural appropriateness come into question. We are committed to examining our identities and how they may afford us power and privilege. We refrain from digital blackface and utilize emojis and gifs that are accurate to our skin colors and identities.
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We accept accountability for our actions in Soft Power spaces, including the Discord server, Zoom calls, and comment sections of YouTube, Substack, Instagram & Threads. This includes the potential of being approached for conversations regarding harm and repair, initiated by and facilitated in collaboration with the Soft Power leadership team. Soft Power reserves the right to remove anyone from the community for violating the Community Agreements and we commit to approaching violations with openness and care.