Mutual Awakening

Last weekend I participated in a weekend workshop led by Patricia Albere of the Evolutionary Collective. It was powerful. And it was deeply resonant with my approach to facilitation. Patricia Albere is a leading teacher and practitioner in a socio-spiritual movement that has been taking shape and picking up steam over the last few decades.

Here is the BIG takeaway - there is indeed a collective awakening going on, but it's not so much about a bunch of individuals waking up. It is a mutuality, a being-with, that is awakening to itself. It is manifested in a new sort of collective, a collective that enhances - rather than subsume - our particular uniqueness.

This work is an antidote to the sort of individualistic narcissism that defines postmodern culture. Here I’m not only talking about the rugged individualism that tends to define the right, but also the self-centered navel gazing that seems to define many liberal types. 

When we turn our attention to this emerging shift in consciousness we begin to de-emphasize the indulgent individualism that often keeps us from true collaboration and generative co-creation. We turn our attention to the space between us and among us. We acknowledge the “field of connection” as real, as alive, as “an ontological equal” to each one of us as individuals. Once we acknowledge how real this we-space is, we begin to tune-in to what it is telling us. We begin to listen more deeply to the vibrantly dynamic field that is always present where two or more are gathered. We reorient our lives in service of this mutuality.

The workshop did not just expose us to an emergent spiritual philosophy. It also introduced us to a series of practices that allow us to bring our attention to the space between us and to the power that is revealed there. Anchored by the primary practice of “mutual awakening” these practices allow for a very powerful and very mature intimacy among those who are willing to engage it and one another. They make the space in the room more palpable, and they tend to facilitate a more collective intelligence among those present.

I will certainly be applying a lot of these lessons to my work. I am convinced that this evolutionary approach will go a long way to take us where we need to go. The workshop is an introduction and an invitation to those who are interested in being part of the highly intentional evolutionary collective. I decided not to join this year as I feel I am already doing this work in my community. But I encourage you to check them out and learn more about what they are up to. I am also glad to talk to you more about it. Just ask.

Patricia and Jeff Carreira co-authored a phenomenal book that is a great primer on this work. It is titled Mutual Awakening and can be downloaded free on their site.