Reflections is basically my Blog space, and randomly displays most of my posts. Some of these posts will also appear organizationally under other menu headings.
The drop down menu below are categories for the primary themes of A CoCreative Path. The posts contain reflections, agreements, and practices related to the values of Authenticity, Purpose, Connection, and CoCreation, in support of personal, relational, and cultural transformation.
The Circle has been the essential structure of most indigenous cultures. The circle council has been the structure for a governance that listens to the collective voice, and is foundational for personal growth and community building. They are where the rubber meets the road, providing a mirror and sounding board as we share our journey. Circles provide the container for A CoCreative Path to support ongoing transformation in authenticity, connection, purpose, and co-creation.
There are many structures for Circles, with specific focus designed to support the being, learning, and doing of our lives, focused to meet the needs and interests of participants.
I like the Heart Circle described in Waking Up by Tej Steiner as a primary structure for any focus of Circle Work. Additional resources for circle structure and agreement are The Circle Way by Christina Baldwin and Ann Linnea, A Hidden Wholeness by Parker Palmer, Wisdom Circles by Charles Garfield and Cindy Spring, and The CoCreators Handbook by Carolyn Anderson and Katharine Roske
The Heart Circle provides a foundation for nurturing a heart culture through small groups gathered for mutual support for awakening and empowerment, embracing the values of Authenticity, Purpose, Connection, and CoCreation.
The “Heart Circle”, as described by Tej Steiners in his book Waking Up with everyone around us., resinates with my experience with circles over the past 35 years . The circle provides the environment for mutual support as we explore a deeper connection with ourselves and others through the five Ways of Being Tej articulates.
The Five Ways of Being provide a framework and agreements to explore the values and reflections of A CoCreative Path.
The Heart Circle encourages and supports personal Inquiry around the following questions:
The structure of a Heart Circle is flexible, and includes the following elements:
For a bit more of an intro to Heart Circles, check out this excerpt from Tej’s book Waking Up. Contact me if you are interested in joining, or would like support in forming, a virtual or in-person Heart Circle
A CoCreative Path begins with Awareness – the path of Authenticity.
Through Awareness we grow in our connection and alignment with our most authentic sense of self. As in most contemplative paths of spirituality, Awareness practices are the first step to the unfolding of the true self, dropping an ego driven identity to embrace the essence of our heart centered Authenticity. Awareness is the path of Authenticity, and the foundation for connecting authentically with others, the earth, and with All that is beyond.
We often struggle with life direction and relationships, wondering if we should follow the intuition from our heart or the logic and practicality of our head. We know intuitively that our heart offers answers that are not always compatible with what logically seems to be in our best interests. We are often afraid of letting our heart lead.
There are many misconceptions about the heart, and we certainly aren’t taught to cultivate the empowerment that comes from alignment of our head and heart. Many people connect the heart to unstable emotion, and tend to give predominance to the logic of our brain. Most of us understand little about the function of the heart / brain connection, or how to cultivate and harness its energy.
In western culture, we are taught to make decisions based on fear, competition, scarcity, and other socially induced factors. We are taught to measure success by our position and wealth. We are not given the education or tools to understand the functions of our brain, and certainly not the connection with our heart. We are not taught the balance of intuition and reason.
We live mostly in an illusion, the story in our head shaped by the perceptions, judgments, and beliefs formed through family and cultural conditioning. Neuroscience has now provided much insight to how the various parts of our brain interact, and how neural pathways become well worn ruts from our experiences and conditioned reactions to life. It has also provided insight on how mindful awareness practices help to shift our thoughts, emotions, and behavioral patterns.
In addition, the study of heart intelligence has brought insight into the neural pathways of the heart, and the potential of personal and collective coherence. Studies have shown that a focus on slow breathing along with values like gratitude and compassion creates measurable coherence between the brain and heart, a harmony capable of personal and collective shifts in consciousness. It has qualified what contemplative spirituality has taught through the ages, connecting us to a path of personal, relational, and social transformation.
We need practices that increase our Awareness of the present moment, cultivate gratitude, and help us to see the filters that shape our perspective and limiting beliefs. We need a commitment to practices that shape a new story and clear intention for the life and world we wish to create.
Awareness practices of mindfulness and heartfulness are the path to the ongoing awakening and unfolding of our most authentic self. They are the path to growth in emotional and social intelligence. They are the empowerment to pursue the authentic Connection and Belonging that we long for.
A CoCreative Path is my approach to the integration of personal, relational, and social transformation. It reflects the culmination and repackaging of my life’s work in service to our universal spiritual, emotional, and social needs. My intention is to provide an environment and resources to support your ever emerging journey toward heart centered authenticity, connection, purpose, and co-creation.
I began to imagine A CoCreative Path about 15 years ago, as I was moving toward my sixtieth birthday. Over the years I have learned to look at life as a Journey of the Heart, an exploration of authenticity and purpose. I have appreciated the many transitions of life as opportunities to reflect on where I am, where I have been, and where I hope to go. As I have done before, I was looking at the new decade as a major threshold. I was on my way to entering my third thirties and had no interest in conventional retirement. I wanted to pursue the next chapter of life as an opportunity to refine and redefine my life direction.
I started to look at the threads of continuity in my life. I looked at my sense of self and worldview, the healing of life’s hurts and the areas I still struggled with, what was important to me and what was left to let go of. I considered my accomplishments, setbacks, and ongoing ambitions.
I never considered a career but, rather, was committed early to following my evolving interests and passion. I had started my adult life with an interest in working with my hands as well as a strong interest in spirituality and the human condition. I was a hippie drawn to the movement of social change, became a builder influenced by the “back to the land movement of the 70’s and the beginnings of green building, and explored spirituality with eastern and western influences.
By mid life, my growing focus on spirituality, emotional healing, and cultural change took me to studies at a Mennonite seminary. With no background in that tradition, I was interested in their view of the bible centered on Jesus’ teachings, as well as their commitment to community, simplicity, and nonviolence. I spent the time in seminary focused on Christian history (I really wanted to understand how we got from the teachings of Jesus to the current chaos called Christianity), counseling, spiritual direction, and conflict resolution. From there, I spent about 15 years in related stipend based work and pursued my interest in intentional community.
I returned to building in my mid 50’s, ready to consider a new chapter. I wanted to bring the threads together to develop a green built and community oriented neighborhood. I also wanted to bring my thoughts and experience with spirituality and personal growth, interpersonal relationships, and community building into focus with a plan for sharing. Developing the physical aspects of the neighborhood took the bulk of my energy and effort, with only enough energy for that part of the plan.
The nearing completion of the neighborhood, along with continued growth in my personal inner work and understanding of the human condition, is providing the opportunity to refocus and prioritize my passion for a heart centered approach to personal, relational, and social transformation. A CoCreative Path is my attempt to focus and share my journey.
I am available to support you on your evolving journey:
A CoCreative Path moves on to the cultivation of Connection – the path of Belonging
Connection and Belonging is a basic human need like food and shelter – and it is also one of the biggest deficits in out culture. We have been cut off from authentic connection to the earth and its inhabitants, from a sense of belonging to a place and a people. Western civilization has taught us a commodified version of existence, an individualistic perspective that everything and everyone is for our use and benefit. Our worldview has been inherited from colonizers and slavers, from a twisted view of depravity and superiority that has deeply infected our culture. We have been left with only a longing for connection and an imagination of community
There are many ways to pursue Connection but in essence it is holding space, sacred space where respect and honor is held with mutual intention and commitment. The path forward starts with self and cultural awareness, an understanding of our personal and collective trauma. It continues in cultivating mutuality, acceptance, and love. It is reconnecting with nature and relating with empathy to the feelings, needs, and values of others. It is where we give and receive authentic support and encouragement.
Our longing for Connection drives our relationships, consciously or subconsciously. The authenticity and depth of our connection and intimacy with others is correlated to the authenticity and depth of our connection with ourselves. From an authentic place of Be-ing, we are able to relate to the Be-ing of another – and in relationship with others we find Belonging.
Connection requires communication, both silent and verbal – and communication requires presence. Be-ing authentically with another requires noticing and listening with understanding and empathy. The practice of listening then empowers us to speak our truth with compassion.
As a starting place to pursue deeper Connection, ask yourself the following questions.
Are you approachable? Do you express vulnerability? Do you invite authenticity?
How do you listen? Do you hear with the intention of understanding what is said and meant, or are you quick to interpret and make up your own story? Do you hear beyond the words to the feelings, needs, and values that are being expressed? Do you listen from the heart?
How do you speak? Do you say what you mean or couch your words in socially acceptable terms? Do you speak with care and compassion or are you harsh and judgemental? Do you speak from the heart?
In authentic and empathic relationships, we are then empowered to further deepen our connection with ourselves, to experience a deeper sense of Belonging, and to deepwn our Intention and Purpose in life.
Next on the path is Intention – the path of Purpose
Through the cultivation of Awareness and Connection, we are best able to clarify the Intention needed for a life directed by a sense of heart-felt Purpose rather than the conditioning of our family and culture.
As our identity and sense of security is greatly influenced by family values and social pressure, we too often make choices related to our life direction based on ego satisfaction and social acceptance. Financial pressure adds another dimension, leaving passion and creativity often ignored or a secondary consideration at best.
As a young man, I decided I could choose to live for weekends and retirement or follow the direction of my heart. With little understanding of what that meant or where that might lead, I pursued evolving interests in creative and healthy home building, holistic sustainability, spirituality, emotional healing, conscious relationships and community building.
I have looked at major life events and new decades as a crossroads, and an opportunity to evaluate where I have been and where I want to head. Through life’s transitions, I have struggled to live from the direction of my heart, motivated by the “calling” that comes out or the pain and joy of life.
The satisfaction of being directed from the heart involves risk and uncertainty, a willingness to find and go with the flow of life. It involves pursuing the wisdom of intuition and the making of meaning. It requires growing awareness of our cultural conditioning, and the filters and blocks that hold us back. It also requires evolving awareness of our strengths, gifts, needs, and longings.
Our Purpose solidifies and expands as we deepen our “why”, pursuing opportunities that comes from an evolving sense of vision and mission. It continues to evolve as we embrace our gifts in service to the need of others and the planet. Purpose is then brought to fruition as we focus our Intention moving forward.