Threefold Driftless is a non-partisan group that works to foster healthy expressions of culture, government and business in the Driftless bioregion of Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois. Our projects and priorities at this time are focused in Viroqua, Wisconsin and include:

  • Organizing public forums that bring together cultural, governmental and economic actors to problem-solve, form shared visions, build community

  • Fostering constructive dialogue and debate on sensitive issues using models for depolarizing discourse developed by groups such as Braver Angels

  • Supporting emerging leaders and incubating innovative projects, businesses and organizations that can help strengthen the health of our community

The Threefold Driftless Core Circle is comprised of community volunteers:
Kyle Glenn, Robert Karp, Monica Matos, Jan Palmer and Aaron Parker.To see past events, check out our Substack, connect with us, or sign up to get notified of future events:

Threefold Driftless is pioneering a new approach to community revitalization inspired by a philosophy called Social Threefolding.

SOCIAL THREEFOLDING...

  • creates communities that welcome and support the creative expression of every person

  • recognizies and balances the three “force-fields” of our lives: the economic, the political and the cultural

  • offers practical steps to heal polarization and social imbalances of all kinds

  • teaches us how to take initiative effectively and collaboratively

Social threefolding brings the economic, governmental, and cultural aspects of society into right relationship with each other to create healthy, vibrant communities. Today, we are in crisis because culture, government and economics are in competition with one another. Without an understanding of their rightful roles, they seek to rule over one another and, in doing so, create social illness.

Social threefolding sees human beings as having an inherent capacity for altruism, cooperation and empathy, which can allow us to understand and work together with people with completely different backgrounds and perspectives.Social Threefolding thus works to build up healthy social structures and practices that support each person to realize their highest gifts and collaborate with others to benefit the greater good of society.

Social threefolding is based on the threefold nature of the human being – body, soul and spirit. "Threefoldness" is thus present in every person, family, organization, community, and society. At the societal level, threefolding is expressed in the cultural, economic, and rights realms. To bring these realms into right relationship, we need to understand that each has a unique role to play and its own inherent guiding principles.

cultural LIFE

Education, religion, medicine, social services, the arts, etc. are aspects of our cultural lives. These flourish in an atmosphere of freedom where a diversity of beliefs, lifestyles, approaches, and worldviews can come to expression with as little political and economic constraint as possible.

political LIFE

Government flourishes when imbued with a spirit of equality, empathic interest in differing points of view, and active participation by every adult member of society. Political life also needs to be free of undue influence from the economic realm.

economic life

Economies flourish when rooted in a sense of place and a spirit of entrepreneurialism, transparency, fairness, and generosity. Cooperation between producers, distributors, and consumers make possible a balanced economic life that does not require undue governmental interference.

Social threefolding is based on the work of Rudolf Steiner, a 20th century social innovator who developed Waldorf education, biodynamic farming, and many holistic approaches to life and social evolution.

curious to know more?

What does social organizing look like when informed by Social Threefolding? Our Substack will give you an overview of some of the community initatives we've taken -- and perhaps spark some ideas for how your gifts can serve to elevate your community.

Connect with us

“A healing social life can be found when,
in the mirror of each soul,
the whole community finds its reflection,
and when, in the whole community,
the virtue of each one is living.”~ Rudolf Steiner

Thank you

Charles Angell, Drew Shonka, and Melissa Reese for so skillfully
capturing the unique beauty of the Driftless region.

© Threefold Driftless. All rights reserved.