The moral and social gyroscope of any commons is its shared purpose and values, which it must constantly enact and evolve by being creatively adaptive. A commons must therefore develop ethical norms, social practices, rituals, traditions, celebrations and other collective acts that are widely used within by participants, strengthening their social solidarity and mutual commitments.
The specific ways in which shared purpose and values are reaffirmed varies greatly from one commons to another. If beating the bounds -- an annual celebration and community monitoring of its boundaries -- was a familiar practice to English commoners, digital commons may host hackathons to tackle coding challenges, and community gardens may host springtime plantings or late-summer harvests.
# From former notes
DB: ... discuss what exactly the phrase should be. I have evolved into "Develop Shared Purpose and Values." (avoid the words identity, aspirations, goals.) SH: IS THERE A VERB THAT COMBINES; "develop and iterate", i.e. develop constantly, do it time and again, you cannot rest on the laurels you've won at the beginning of the process.
# See also Constituting Tools, Charter, Cultivating Shared Purpose & Values