Transcendentalists
• began in George Ripley's drawing room, they met in homes
• no formal organization
• they self-published a magazine, The Dial
• many had religious training
• no leader, but strongly influenced by Emerson's ideas
• young, radical, emotionally starved, spiritually undernourished
• no creed or dogma; they were loosely mystical, pantheistic
• influenced by neo-platonism and eastern religions
Watershedians
• born in Paul and Bev Patterson's living room, continues to meet in homes
• loose organization
• self-published the Watershed Journal, now Watershed Online
• share a past experience of belonging to Mennonite Brethren Conference of Manitoba
• came to understand we are not a church or religious community but a group of seekers for meaningful relationship to our world and spirituality
• are influenced by literary and spiritual classics, and in our life together as seekers
• we are youngish, moving towards middle-age
• are not as radical, tempered by family life
• no creed or dogma, but loosely united around a vision of personal formation, as expressed by Paul Patterson
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