RED BEAR HOUSE
Durham, NC
The Red Bear House is a private home and sometime-workplace, and an
occasional refuge for people who need a place to go when they are
'regrouping'. The permanent occupants are Russ, the Red Bear, and
Merlin, a rescued Husky-mix, who MUST get involved in everything here.
The mission of Red Bear House is to build community, through arts,
entertainment, social and learning activities, and help people to
discover and to develop processes to grow spirituality, through their
imaginations, and in organizations. We also try to bootstrap actions
that lead to the growth of a positive culture of integral activity,
spirituality, and knowledge, and commitments to to others, locally
and in the larger world. We do this 'in the small', at a personal,
small group, and grassroots level, and through Russ' personal research
and writing. We are interested in helping people with good ideas to
move those ideas into passionate and committed efforts to make positive
changes locally, and in the greater world. We focus on people,
individually and in small groups.
Red Bear house is named for Russ' usual 'working name' as a shamanic
practitioner/voyager. Russ does not make his living as a shaman, though
he is always glad to share what he has learned in his own journeys. In
his chosen tradition, one makes oneself available for shamanic works,
helping others to find their resources to help themselves and others.
His paid work is a combination of high technology and business
consulting, communication services, and writing.
Merlin, the Husky, is without income, and his vocation involves
running his toys around the house. He's a rescue dog, and barks at
newcomers. I encourage you to engage him in a bit of play with his
toys, to get him comfortable with you. Once that happens, he's a
playful and sometimes engaging participant in events at the House. We
offer other large dog owners the opportunity to bring their dogs to
our yard, unfenced and rather private, with lots of open space for
dog play. Just knock at my door (hard, I work in the basement) after
mid-morning, and we're both willing to come out to play for a bit,
any time. For directions, call 919-765-5434. or send Russ an email
at vanneman@mindspring.com
The House is willing to accept donations of money, some specific
furnishing and equipment, and personal labor, used to improve the
facilities, to support community beginning in the house and extending
outward, and to support various artists and performers who come here
to learn, to practice, to try out new teachings, and to perform for
others. It may sponsor courses, the fees to go to the instructors, and
encourages these sponsored instructors to themselves make donations.
We are NOT a registered non-profit organization at this time, but are
entertaining the idea, for the future.
Russ, through the still-developing business organization, the
Astracivitas Institute, does teach at the House, and does charge fees
for SOME work groups and classes he teaches. This effort is separate
from the Red Bear House activities. He teaches classes in diverse areas
including coaching for writers, systems theory, systems and business
analysis, and various thinking and innovation techniques. He is always
seeking possible partners with their own ideas of how to synthesize
with the things he teaches, for more exciting ways to serve others.
Physically, the House is located on the verge of the Duke Park
neighborhood in Durham, North Carolina, very near to downtown and
with a setting nearly surrounded by a nature. In most seasons, one
can spot a lot of varieties of birds, squirrels, rabbits, a fox, what
could be a muskrat (s/he's shy), and the rare deer. Occasional other
large wildlife wander into town through here.
Most activities of the Red Bear House are conducted in the walkout
basement, where we have a large all-purpose room which supports gathers
of up to 40 people, a conference-teaching-office area for up to 10-12,
and a separate office/guest-room, and a full bath. A few other spaces
can be used for small amounts of storage, set-up, and even laundry, by
arrangement. Generally, group attendees are asked to help set up, tear
down, and clean up for events. Russ has some mild mobility problems,
so such efforts are especially appreciated.
While offers of donations are accepted, none are required. We may
occasionally ask for potluck contributions, or to bring something to
drink to share with others. The only fees that may be levied are for
groups or individuals who charge others fees for their services
conducted at Red Bear House. We may ask you to contribute to House
Concert performers or others who volunteer their time here.
Planned and current events of the Red Bear House are:
- Red Bear House Concert Series, under auspices of Sunny Side Down
Records, a homegrown music production and promotion outfit (Started Spring
of 2008, with five House Concerts performed as of June 2009)
- "Bardic and Drumming Circle, a spiritual and drumming jam fest
free for all (potluck possible; 1st Circle will be announced in September)
- Fiction Writers Meeting, where up to 10 writers can meet to
discuss issues of writing, and share drafts and ideas from their work,
for review and possible collaboration. We may offer space to other
writers' groups for this activity.
- Thinkers Forum. for development of community and individual
development of thinkers 'inside and outside' the normal boxes of mind.
- Integral Society, Community, Technology, and Spirituality,
various study and action teams dedicated to building a better
world
- Integral Movements, a place for exploring movement, physical
wellbeing, and personal development
We are also considering developing a Resident Internship, where free
housing and house resources will be provided to somebody who is willing
to devote 10 hours per week to Red Bear House activities, who presents a
plan of efforts we consider worthy of support, and who is willing to work
on Red Bears' initiatives.
JOURNEY: RUSSELL THE RED BEAR
Russ was born near the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, and grew up among
farmers in an area that was once called Little Italy, and later, East
Vineland, New Jersey. His family was musically talented, and his
father was a master craftsman and tradesman – in more crafts and
trades than most people can easily name! Russ did not inherit any of
the family talents, but became a keen observer, with a penchant for
exploration and asking 'why' questions. He's often searched for knowledge
and developed skills in unusual ways. As a teen, he trained with a shaman
who traveled with itinerant laborers, whom he met while picking tomatoes.
Later, he would explore a variety of interest work types, and in college
managed to experience 84 types of work, from monkey tech to leader of the
campus informations services desk. As a professional he has worked in
almost every capacity in information systems and sciences, in a half
dozen areas of biomedical research and held several term faculty
appointments, in Social Work, followed by Telecommunications. Driven
by a desire to work with new ideas and cutting edge systems, he was
eventually to discover that the best technology comes from spirited
and wise human activity, and best efforts to communicate and to build
resourceful communities.
About ten year ago, Russ suffered a life-threatening illness, that
made him re-think some of his goals, and that required him to stay a
BIT more focused than in the past. The result of that focus was an
exploration of how mind development, community organization, and
spiritual development affect people in widely varying circumstances.
It also led him to the family 'vocation', of dog rescue.
Over a lot of years, that exploration led to some pretty innovative
practices, beginning with a 10 person around the world trip, raising
consciousness of global issues in human development and 'wellness'
through spiritual groups' rituals taking place from Durham, NC to
Durham, NC, a Westward global loop, over a two day period, with
several dozen very active 'ground teams' hundreds of individuals
raising their prayers, meditations, and rituals as ten people flew
overhead, one at a time, from twelve point to point flights, to mark
the passage around the globe, and the beginning of a new year. It
was an unorthodox thing to do, put together in just a matter of
weeks, and positively refocused a lot of lives on community and on
innovative thinking and 'doing'.
Russ occasionally teaches a variety of courses at his home, is writing
both fiction and non-fiction works, and earns his basic income by
contracting as a programmer or as a business and systems analyst,
one project at a time. He occasionally gets involved in organizational
development and work process re-development efforts.
He is presently developing his home as Read Bear House, a place
and a series of activities that explore small group collaborations
and community building/sharing through entertainment and self-
entertainment, and learning as a means to develop ideas and actions
toward a global perspective in learning and community action.
Astracivitas is the overall articulation of his work, with long term
goals inclusive of developing educational programs and media for
self-development, systems theory and learning models supporting best
practices for both self-guided and community 'action' learning, and
models for developing a modern integral informatics and communication
approach to information, communication, and business design.
Red Bear House