Year One - 2012-2013: Transforming Stories for Wholeness

CONTENT FOCUS FOR YEAR ONE:

• Evolutionary Stories of our origin: Looking at our own personal stories within the context of the great Universe Story
• Evolutionary Spirituality: Awakening consciousness
• Mindful Living: Engaged Presence and Sacred Activism
• Transformative Relationships: Building Authentic Communities

PROCESS OVEVIEW FOR THE PROGRAM

Each weekend we will gather in circle. We make space and time for personal check-in, spiritual practice, staff in-put, audio-visual material from experts in the field, group process and reflection, silent reflective time, opportunities for creative artistic expression and ritual. Also in addition to assigned readings for the month, we will also have a group phone conference in the intervening months between the prescribed class days.

CONTENT OVERVIEW FOR YEAR ONE

Week 1 September 7 – 9: Evolutionary Stories of our Origin

• We talk about the big picture story – stories of the origin of the universe from some of the major religious and spiritual traditions, and especially the New Universe Story.
• We share personal stories: telling my own spiritual journey
• We notice the community story we are beginning to co-create
• We invite ourselves to notice the interconnection of these three stories as the foundational ground work for Inner Transformation for Global Change

Practices:

• Centering and meditation
• Reflection Circle
• Sharing of personal stories
• Journaling
• Personal spiritual autobiography

Week 2 November 2 – 4:  Evolutionary Spirituality: Awakening Consciousness

• Evolution of some of the spiritual traditions down through the ages, e.g. Earth based, Goddess, Indigenous, Confucianism, Hinduism, Buddhism,  Judeo-Christian and Sufi mysticism
• Evolutionary spirituality and awakened consciousness
• The New Brain Science: science in relationship to  spirituality
• Embodied Consciousness
• Divine Feminine

Practices:

• Chakra system – nurturing the sacred energies within our bodies
• Cosmic Walk

Week 3 January 4 – 6: Mindful Living: Engaged Presence and Sacred Activism

• The art of living in the “Now” mindfully
• Forms of meditation
• Being Mystic and Prophet

Practices:

• Meditation
• Mindfulness Exercises
• Centering Prayer
• Drum-making

Week 4 March 1 – 3: Transformative Relationships: Building Authentic Communities

• The three characteristics of the universe operating in our lives; diversity, interiority and interconnectedness and how they are foundational and models for building relationships and community
• Communication – styles and tools
• Dealing with emotions and conflicts in communications
• The values and principles of “leading together”

Practices:

• Dialogue and Active Listening
• Clearness Committees
• Fourfold Way Rules of Angeles Arrien

Week 5 May 3 – 5: Spirited Leadership: Compassionate Empowerment

• Leadership as “creating an environment where people can empower themselves
• Leadership as facilitator and guide
• “Spirited” Leadership as focusing from inside-out

Practices:

• Vision Board
• Soul Collage