Murmurating for Democracy
Adjacent Seven
Adjacent Seven is a simple practice.
Seven friends. Gather in person.
Small groups of people choosing to be together.
Without agenda. Without performance. Without fixing one another.
You do you. Together, we do us.
Alexander Rodchenko, Construction no. 127 (Two Circles) (Konstruktsiia n. 127 [Dva kruga]). 1920
Starlings murmurate—without a leader.
They keep eyes on their adjacent seven.
No script.
Just presence.
Sit together.
Hold one another.
Breathe.
Bring your ordinary life with you.
The green beans need to be prepped,
The laundry needs to be folded.
And despair, too.
It all counts.
In groups of seven, we can name what frightens us.
We can care for one another without needing to agree.
Together, we can notice what’s needed now.
Attention changes what’s possible.
This is where noticing begins.

