The Will-Series
Co-Will: The Ecology of Intention
Tree of Sanity | When Volition Grows Between Us.
A tree never truly stands alone. Beneath the soil, its roots connect to others through a vast web of fungi, exchanging nutrients, warnings, and signals.
What appears to be a solitary organism is, in fact, a living network. The health of one depends on the health of all.
Our will is no different. What moves through us is not only personal choice, but shared intentional current.
Every intention carries traces of the systems, relationships, and stories we are part of. Will is not an isolated force. It is ecological.
The Myth of Separate Will
We are raised to celebrate the self-made person: The leader who succeeds through sheer determination. The innovator who single-handedly shapes the future. The athlete who triumphs by personal grit.
But no act of will ever happens in isolation. Behind every hero or heroine are the infrastructures that sustain them, the mentors who shaped them, and the cultural stories that made their achievement recognizable.
When we cling to the myth of separate will, we not only exhaust ourselves, but we also cut ourselves off from the currents that could carry us farther.
The Ecology of Intention
Co-will is the recognition that will is always relational. Just as nutrients flow through the mycelial web, intention flows through the connections between us. It is not owned, but shared; not fixed, but emergent.
Think of a choir. No single voice makes the song; the harmony arises between them, making the experience coherent.
Think of a movement for change. No single protest, petition, or speech tips the scale, but the resonance of thousands creates transformation.
Think of a forest. The growth of each tree depends on the unseen support of countless others.
Co-will is what happens when intention resonates across a field.
Resonance and Coherence
In the Tree of Sanity, coherence is born out of resonance. Co-will is when many intentions sync into a flow larger than any one individual.
You can feel it when a team suddenly clicks; energy amplifies, decisions become fluid, and creativity multiplies. This is co-will at work: the shared intention that multiplies impact.
No willpower can match the force that arises when we move together.
Practices of Co-Will
How do you cultivate this ecology of intention in practice?
- In yourself. Notice the inner parts that pull in different directions. When body, brain, mind, and spirit find resonance, action feels lighter and more sustainable.
- In relationships. Listen for the deeper intention beneath conflict. Often, both sides seek the same thing — respect, safety, love — and naming that restores coherence.
- In teams. Create spaces where attention is shared and voices are heard. Leaders invite co-will by framing questions that call forth collective intelligence and shared intention.
- In communities. Practice rituals that strengthen belonging. Each act of recycling, voting, or volunteering may seem small, but together they shift the current of culture.
These practices are about tending the field in which shared will can take root.
The Shadow of Co-Will
Shared will is powerful — and dangerous. The same currents that sustain healthy movements can also sustain mob mentality, groupthink, or destructive ideologies.
That is why cultural awareness matters. Participating in co-will means choosing carefully which resonance you amplify. Which futures are your actions feeding? Which stories are you helping to circulate?
Your freedom depends on how your choices ripple through the wider web.
A Larger Agency
When seen this way, will is no longer a private resource but a relational force. I act, but I am also acted upon. My choices matter, but they unfold through the intentions of others and the field we share. Agency expands.
Instead of focusing solely on what I want personally, I ask: What do we want? What is the field already trending toward, and how can I participate?
Will becomes less about control and more about coherence, less about domination and more about resonance.
Agency expands from an egoistic effort to an ecological resonance.
Co-will shows that our will is not diminished when shared; it is multiplied.
The forest thrives due to its underground network. The choir sings in harmony with many. The future is shaped by the currents we create together.
Co-will is ecological sanity. It is not about losing yourself, but about discovering the larger song you were always meant to sing.
Follow the Tree of Sanity for regenerative insights — and join us at Heart & Scale and the House of Transperience to practice coherence in complexity.
