The Ten Principles of WineSpirit

1. Remembering Where You Come From: Everyone comes from "somewhere" and has a story to tell of how they arrived at the world of "wine".  What is your "story"? What can you share, and what can we learn from each other?
2. Appreciating What You Have Come to: Wine is like no other agricultural product in the world. Its emergence from the soil involves imaginative partnership between human and nature, between human and God. It is a unique and historically rooted fruit whose very existence depends on a healthy relationship with the Earth and a commitment to sustaining healthy balance in all of life. What reward have you discovered in connecting yourself to the fruit of the vine?
3. Prioritizing Health, Wellness, and Balance in Your Life: A fine wine achieves "balance". Whether through enjoyment of a glass of wine, or the study and celebration of means by which to stop and notice blessings, you can transform an ordinary moment, just another meal, into something very "special". So much is good in life; so much goes well. Savoring a glass of wine and sharing the moment with others is a wonderful way to let the good moments flow through you and the blessings abound.
4. Increase Awareness of Your Religious & Spiritual Paths that Sanctify with Wine: Many religious and spiritual traditions, particularly Judaism, utilize wine to see and experience the preciousness of many special and significant moments. WineSpirit provides you with a context for learning more of how these paths sanctify moments with wine while inviting you to share experiences from your own particular tradition’s perspective.
5. Highlighting Secular and Cultural Milieus that Celebrate with Wine: Societies and cultures around the world use wine to pause and celebrate friendships, relationships, and the enjoyment of fine food. WineSpirit programs and activities support and celebrate all avenues that enable you to remember to stop now and again to treasure such moments and experiences.
6. Providing an Oasis from the Rush & Fragmentation of the Day: No one is immune to the rush and crush of life that keeps you from finding the time and context to sort out all the blessings you have in the path and way that you have chosen. WineSpirit provides an oasis from the "crush". You can breathe and regain balance in the "vineyard of life".
7. Dedication to Building Strong & Healthy Relationships: The context for integrating the study of wine and spirituality is in promoting healthy Attitudes, effective usage of Time, growth in Power through sharing resources, infusing your Routine with meaningful ritual, and harnessing the most underutilized of resources, People.
8. Commitment to Ongoing Learning & Teaching: You can connect with a variety of teachers from around the world who will share their truths and their passion about the relationship of wine and spirituality. You can learn from teachers of the great religious and spiritual traditions and from teachers of the art of grape growing, wine production, the relationship to "Mother Nature", and wine appreciation.
9. Opportunities to Connect to Four "Grape Clusters": Every one of us is different. We each learn differently and resonate to different contexts for learning and sharing and developing relationships with those who share core values and want to integrate the spiritual dimension into the balance of their lives. You will have the opportunity to choose whatever outlets you enjoy in partaking of WineSpirit.
   • Sharing Stories
   • Learning from Teachers
   • Communicating by Internet
   • Learning through Books & Media
10. An Expression of Complementarities: You are invited to join in a focus on building "shalom", bringing "wholeness" into our world, with all parts fitting together in a transcendent mutually supportive relationship. Wine comes into existence through multi-faceted cooperative efforts, between human and human as well as between human and the Creative Force of Life. WineSpirit supports and encourages all cooperative efforts whether in the wine community or in our various religious and spiritual paths. We are committed to fruitful enterprises that support this vision locally, regionally and throughout the world.