10 August 2010
by Gill Emslie
Following the Tao, or the subtlest of flirts, as a path making or design process for our lives? Shifting our assemblage point – or way we perceive the world as a key to a shared sustainable future, and would researching these questions form the basis of a PhD in applied Processwork and Worldwork, informed by Deep Ecology and illustrated through various case studies in SE Asia and other parts of the world?
These are the questions I have been pondering over the last couple of years and have since embarked on the journey. What flirted with me and led me to explore these questions more deeply were the following:
My passion for Processwork, and its sociological sister Worldwork. The fact that all the way through the Diploma programme I felt that I was in a shamanic training to shift my assemblage point – or way of seeing. From studying I realise that the shift of perspective required is towards what Mindell calls eldership, a feeling skill, which is multi-levelled, part of, and thinks of the whole world as its child. It is very similar to the Buddhist teachings and many other ancient traditions, which speak of the compassion that comes when we realise our deep relatedness, interconnection and interdependence.
As I understand it now this shift is also informed by the premise of a self-organising principle, which is teleological in nature and can organise all of our individual and collective experience. Raising awareness is at the heart of this practice and the consequent deepening of our ability to self reflect and connect with a sense of intention and deeper meaning then informs all our decisions, individual and collective. I also realize that this is a life long journey and that the diploma is just the beginning, or at least a stage on the way.
A dream that I had just before I started the project - I was in the desert - It was really still –like a living snap shot ‘sparkling with lucidness’. Standing on the Australian red earth, a local friend was ‘smoking me in’ and a profound sense of the timeless nature of dreamtime and vibrant presence of life filled me. It felt like a clear sign to continue with this project focused on eldership, indigenous wisdom and the importance of connection with the earth.
Deep Ecology – I lived for several years in the rainforest and remote regions of South America and this is primarily where my own love of nature and connection with the earth and indigenous peoples became a central focus. Joanna Macy taught me about the principles of Deep Ecology, whose core belief is that, like humanity, the living environment as a whole has the same right to live and flourish.
The Global South - Since one of my life long loves is working in what is often termed the global south, and thinking about the self organising principle and our life myth that unfolds through out our lives, I have chosen to focus the research on a few projects in SE Asia, drawing from previous work in Bolivia. These projects range from indigenous grassroots organisations to local and national leadership groups, working with the training of trainers in the areas ofeldershipp and leadership, relationship building, diversity, self-determination, dignity, intentionality, rights and vision. My dream is also to engage the multi stakeholder groups that are active in these areas, nationally and internationally to facilitate collaborative networks that are informed by the principles ofeldership and a realisation of our deep inter relatedness and inter-dependence.
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