Beyond “Work Smart” to “Work Light” — Part 2: Work with Fields
This article is the second installment of three, sharing the three hypotheses and associated practices that most guide me for unleashing more of our collective potential:
1. Make inner shifts in where we are sourcing from: Groundwork (see Part 1)
2. Work with fields, including the loving intelligence of Life: Conscious Co-creation (this article)
3. Trust the wisdom of not knowing and invite the “unknowing knowledge” that is beyond the (conditioned) mind: Unpacking Flirts (forthcoming)
2. Work with fields, including the loving intelligence of Life: Conscious Co-creation.
Many wonderful ways of working become available when we open up to the idea that we influence and are influenced by different kinds of fields: the fields of our family of origin, our relationships, particular thought forms (e.g. fear), the organizations we work with, the places we live or work in, and more.
To work with fields acknowledges that there is more going on than what we can see and touch. Fields are invisible but can be seen indirectly by their impact. For example, how a magnet’s field acts at a distance to cause iron filings to line up in patterned ways.
Field effects are the mechanism behind the powerful transformational impact of Family and Systemic Constellations: People representing different elements of a family or system are informed by the field of that system, and so are able to make visible the previously invisible dynamics causing blocks and intractable problems. These same constellation processes, when worked through, are profoundly transformational, opening channels for insight, energy and love to flow. More on this in a later blog.
Still, perhaps because I learned about it earlier, Conscious Co-Creation remains my top practice for leveraging the potential of fields. It is rooted in the understanding that Life is a loving intelligent field, omnipresent and infinitely aware of every thought and intention we have.
I invite you to try on the idea that Life, or Nature, wants to co-create with us and I hope you’ll explore nurturing an intentional partnership with the intelligence of Life. A great starting point is to experiment with the idea that there is an energetic essence overlighting a project or organization you care about.
Conscious Co-creation means collaborating with this non-visible dimension, however you sense it, by acknowledging its presence, asking it for help, and then being open to how Life responds.
The partnership is like walking — a seamless integration of two sides, moving us forward. As humans, we bring our hands, heads, and hearts — including all our skills, knowledge, and benefits of past experience. Life brings insights and guidance ranging from big picture thinking to very specific instructions.
Working co-creatively is like having an “X Factor” backing you up. You can create the human systems equivalent of 40-pound cabbages: outstanding results achieved with grace, ease, and joy. The right people show up at the right time. Different elements click. Actions, results, and possibilities shift up to the next level.
How to work co-creatively
To be able to work in partnership with Life, start by doing Groundwork as described in Part 1, or your own version of shifting from self to Self. Such initial preparation is essential, since it brings you into alignment with your essence, and therefore into harmony with Life.
Once we have prepared our inner “ground,” working co-creatively involves these three steps.
1. Ask for help.
2. Find ways to listen.
3. Honour the insights, perspectives, and suggestions received.
You can do these steps on your own, or as a group. For example, you can work on your own to connect with the energetic essence of a group or organization you are part of. In addition, groups of people can adapt an individual-based process to a group context.
1. Ask for help.
Asking for help requires openness to the possibility of non-visible support for your work. You do not need to be convinced that there is an overlighting essence for your project. It is enough to be open to the possibility. Asking for help can be as simple as saying or thinking something like: “To the essence of, for example, the Literacy Project, please help me know good ways forward.”
Inviting help in this way is profound. Most of us are almost addicted to struggle. Westerners, in particular, have a strong independence streak. It takes humility and openness to slow down enough to welcome assistance.
2. Find ways to listen.
Having asked for help, we need to find ways of listening for how Life responds. The odds are excellent that you already have had your own experiences of intuitive knowing — perhaps a gut instinct about a person, a penchant for noticing synchronicities when you have an urgent question, or an intuitive flash about an opportunity. Reflecting on these experiences will help you know the way(s) messages come to you, and whether you typically listen to or dismiss their wisdom.
Some people pay attention to their body sensations or to their dreams. Others do an inner work practice, such as automatic writing or guided visualization. Many of us listen to “flirts” — a sign or signal that catches our attention such as something said by a friend, or words on a billboard (more on this in Part 3, to come).
3. Honour the insights, perspectives, and suggestions received.
The third and final step is to honour the contributions of the overlighting essence. Treat the input with respect.
Respond to it authentically. If you have reservations, articulate them, and be open to continuing the dialogue, as the energetic essence may have other insights and options. If the recommendations ring true, put them into effect. If you are not ready to take such a leap, articulate why. No matter what, give thanks for the contributions. In this way, you will cultivate a stronger and deeper relationship with the essence for your project/organization/etc.
It is truly as simple as this. It is as if you are asking for help from the wisest person you know. Approaching them involves opening yourself to seeing things differently. You listen with an open heart, and an open mind, and an open will. You value the input and consider it carefully and respectfully. You let it touch you and affect how you act. And you give thanks! Over time, you develop a relationship, which like any relationship becomes more intimate and rich the more we open our hearts and bring our authentic selves to the table.
What is Possible
In 1992 I had an experience of Conscious Co-creation decision-making that has inspired me ever since. I include this story here as an invitation to keep exploring ways of seeing and being in groups that are win-win-win for individuals, communities, and the planet. We are just steps into whole new worlds of possibility!
At the same time, we are faced with the choice between fear and trust more than ever before. Systems and structures are on the brink of collapse in every sector, and the longer we delay, the more issues cascade into other issues triggering ever more complex crises.
The pressure is mounting. Almost everyone can feel it. Old ways of being have to fall away. We must shift from being lone wolves to co-creating with others, from accumulation to contribution, from control to dancing with the unknown.
I know in my bones that it is possible for groups at every level of society to work together in ways that seem miraculous by today’s standards, the way Star Trek’s wireless handheld communication devices, once so blue sky are now everywhere.
May the story below confirm that same knowing in you!
Conscious Co-creation in Action
The Findhorn Foundation staff group had gathered in the pale peach living room of Cullerne House, a grand and gracious mansion built from huge blocks of highland granite. Fifty plus of us sat in a ring of chairs interspersed with pillows on the floor.
Our purpose was to make the best possible decision about a highly contentious issue: should associate members of the wider community be represented on “Core Group” — the precious inner sanctum of the community?
The group was split. About half felt strongly that the Foundation had become inclusive enough, that associate members had not invested sufficient time or money the way members had, and that the meaning and privilege of membership should not be diluted further.
The other half believed that it was time to open up: some associates were more dedicated and committed than many members; not everyone had the financial and lifestyle freedom to be members (e.g. people with families); the Foundation was evolving and Core Group needed to reflect the new realities.
People felt strongly on both sides. We took time so that everyone who wanted to speak had a chance to be heard. Faces were often red with emotion.
After two hours it was clear that we had gone as far as we could at the personality level, and a respected elder staff member, trusted to be neutral, led us in a brief visualization.
We sat in silence together, with a very few words guiding us to connect to the overlighting energy of the community and invite insight about what served the highest for all concerned.
After the meditation, the elder suggested we share the bottom line — simply saying “Yes” or “No” to including associate members on Core Group.
I will never forget the energy in the room as we spoke, one after the other, all around the circle.
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
“Yes …”
With each “Yes” the atmosphere of the room got soupier, and in the end our decision was completely unanimous.
The unity was beautiful, profound, clean, unequivocal, and resonate. It was momentous and miraculous. We had stepped into a new way to be together, and everyone knew there was no going back.
Finer points
- For your experiment pick one context, such as a group or project, and invite a connection with its energetic essence. You might visualize the essence as a column of light, or a ball of light. (If you are not visual, you may sense the essence without visualizing it.) Learn for yourself what happens when you connect with an essence and ask for insights and support.
- Often Conscious Co-Creation calls us to hold space for and to welcome what wants to emerge through our group or organization. This “holding space” requires us to be as open as possible to acting on opportunities and signals as they arise. Normally we are busy with what is already underway and how things have been done in the past. Holding space means being present to what is called for now, moment by moment. It generally calls us to be comfortable with uncertainty. It invites us to say “Yes” to possibilities that feel intuitively right even when we do not know how they will work out. Such “Yes’s” open space for emergence, which in turn supports innovation and transformation. Paradoxically, when leaders are good at holding space (for co-creation), their organizations thrive and yet those same leaders often have the feeling that they “aren’t doing anything.” Value the act of holding space. It is like the goose that lays the golden eggs.
- It is helpful to keep your awareness as clear and open as possible. Imagine that you are a funnel and your project is the bottle. To be able to channel energy and possibility from other levels into the project, you need to provide a clear channel, free of blockages and obstructions. This means we need to deal with conflict and feelings of overwhelm, inadequacy, and insecurity. It does not have to take long, and it offers great benefits to your group — and of course to you!
You might note what happens when individuals do not do the personal work of being clear and open: being in a group tends to amplify their personal issues, and these issues bog the group down.
Intriguingly, stepping into a leadership position often brings latent issues to the surface. If we want to create positive change on the outer, we must address the interior dimension. The best is to have a daily practice, such as Groundwork, meditation, yoga, a martial art, or journaling that helps you “come home” to your Self and cultivate awareness that is clear and open.
Possible pitfalls
- Even people with years of experience acknowledge that sometimes they are not clear enough to attune properly. This can be when they have a strong personal stake in the issue, or some personal baggage that keeps them stuck in the personality level. Then the responsible thing to do is to withdraw from being part of the decision, analogous to abstaining where there is a conflict of interest.
- There can be a temptation to go straight to attunement, bypassing the gathering and sharing of information, perspectives, and insights. Conscious Co-Creation requires that people show up and bring the benefit of their knowledge, experience, and wisdom. Conscious Co-Creation is not about blindly following guidance alone, but bringing together the best of both worlds — the inner and the outer.
- Another pitfall is imposing your guidance on others. This can happen when two or more people get different results in the same meditation. It can also happen when one person (or more) practices inner listening while others do not. In either case, it is important not to let the guidance you receive from an attunement have the final word. Guidance is often unanimous, and so simplifies many group deliberative processes. Where it is not unanimous, it may mean that the timing isn’t right, or that the question is not well framed, or that there isn’t acceptance for this way of working.
Working co-creatively will often take us out of what is familiar and known, which takes us to the next hypothesis and practice: Trust the wisdom of not knowing and invite the “unknowing knowledge” that is beyond the (conditioned) mind: Unpacking Flirts. We’ll dive into this in Part 3, coming soon.
