October 13th Meeting Planned - Focus on "My Aging" from an Integral Perspective

Yesterday's Madison Integrals meeting was a great success, with solid attendence (17 members) and excellent ideas generated... thanks to Tom C for framing the issues and provoking the conversation! Tom has also reported (through the list-serv) that the group agreed to a focus for next month's meeting. That communication is reproduced below:

End of session discussion, yesterday, left us with a project, for the OCT meeting, to ground Integal Theory in application to our own lives. We looked for a topic all had experience with and ended up with “aging”. No one protested that they were being left out. I will offer a format to prepare for the next session. Feel free, its early, to recommend modifications to my draft below.

When I use this technique, I call it generating a “tetraglyph”. Imagine there is a circle at the center of the AQAL axis. This is the focus of inquiry. Put the words “my aging” in the circle. Then review each Q in an inquiry re what exists in this Q that elucidates what “my aging” is to me. Make a short list of distinctions that emerge with some sense of significance, maybe even a sense of insight. To get a larger picture of this topic, do this exercise two more times: What was “my aging” about 10 years ago? What will my aging be about 10 years from now? Make separate distinction lists for all three time periods, now, past, future. Three distinctions in each Q could be sufficient here.

We have a month, so let’s make this a little bit bigger project. Look at your distinction lists. Do the items, concerns, for the 3 time periods collectively suggest what Memetic level you have generated this list out of? Make at least a tentative decision on what Memetic level this list of distinctions probably came from. Now, imagine you are one Memetic level earlier. Fill your imagination with distinctions that can generate their own links in your neural nets, e.g.
What is your sense of time?
What is your attitude towards death?
Why do you bother to stay alive?
What upsets you?
Where are you living?
What conditions do you live in?
What are your three strongest desires? I really want….
What do you eat?
Where do you eat?
Who are your friends?
What are your friends up to?
Once you have imagined, in some detail, what this prior Memetic level is like, and are centered in this imagination as best you can, from this center, do the tetraglyph again, three times, past, present, future.

(For those attending yesterday’s session, what we are doing above is generating/conjuring a State of Consciousness, and indwelling it, for the purpose of discovering what this SOC generates in our mentation.)

Now go thru this exercise again, but pretend (suspend disbelief J ), imagine, you are one Memetic level higher than your original tetraglyph was generated from. Generate the neural net that you imagine would be present if you were one level higher. Once ensconsed securely in this imagined future, this newly generated neural net, do the final tetraglyph, again 3 times, past, present, future.

Now you have 9 lists of distinctions: Past, present, future, for current, past, and future Memetic levels. Its likely we will all have more to offer at the next meeting if we do this complete exercise this week, and then have the rest of the intervening time to assess the impact and usefulness, or not, of the exercise. I suggest that each person send a note to this list serve when they have their 9 lists completed. The design here is to generate some group momentum, motivate those who might otherwise put this off, and perhaps with comments that might be added prime the conversation pump for next meeting.

I suggest we start the OCT meeting with a round robin, each person giving a short report on any discoveries, or insights, that this self inquiry has generated. I trust the group conversation will unfold from here affirming, or not, that the models are useful for self guidance….and by extension useful in guiding others.

Again, feel free to modify this suggestion. We have a place to start from here.

Be well – Tom C.

Madison Integrals Set Fall Schedule

Madison Integrals will now meet on the "2nd Tuesday" of the month, starting on September 8th, with our gatherings at the Union from 3:00 -- 4:30pm on each occasion. So mark your calendars!

Tom C. has offered to lead the first discussion, "Quadrant Analysis," as described on the Integrals Blog earlier this week. It is based upon an article by Thomas McFarlane on Integral World. I encourage you to review the article, join the discussion, and come to our meetings!

Harry

Midwest Slow Money Institute - an Integral Approach?

I want to encourage readers of this Integrals blog to take a look at today's posting on the UW-MANIAC blog by Erin Schneider: http://uwmaniac.blogspot.com/

Perhaps, within this space, we can discuss some of the integral aspects of this great idea?

Harry

Integral Ecology Case Studies to be Focus of April 20th Discussion

The following is posted by Alberto...

Hello everybody,

Below are the links to the case studies that Marian proposed for our discussion next Monday, April 20 at 2:30 pm. Check TITU for the room.

Integral Ecology Applied to Small Scale Community Woodlands by Chris Preist http://www.coventry.ac.uk/researchnet/external/content/1/c4/32/44/v1193045750/user/Integral%20Ecology.pdf


Evolving Approaches to Conservation: Integral Ecology and Canada's Great Bear Rainforest by Darcy Riddell http://www.ohrd.wisc.edu/home/Portals/0/DarcyRiddell.pdf


Integral Ecology: A Perspectival, Developmental, and Coordinating Approach to Environmental Problems by Michael Zimmerman http://www.colorado.edu/ArtsSciences/CHA/profiles/zimmpdf/world_fut.pdf


Also, please note that I am pasting here a message that Sean Esbjorn- Hargens sent regarding the launching of the integral ecology web site:

Dear Colleagues,

I'm pleased to inform you about the new Integral Ecology Center I and Michael Zimmerman recently launched:

www.integralecology.org

Be sure to roll over the 4Quadrant frog on the landing page! And to watch the cool slide show on the Open page. We are still in the process of adding content, tracking down references for various documents etc, but you can get a good feel for the direction we are going and the kinds of activities and information that will be showcased here.

This center is part of the Integral Institute and will be the Institute's primary vehicle for supporting integral applications to planetary issues (sustainability, ecology, environmental). It will do this through supporting the development of the field of integral ecology. We define integral ecology as the mixed methods (i.e., qualitative and quantitative) study of the /subjective/ and /objective/ aspects of organisms in relationship to their /intersubjective/ and /interobjective/ environments at multiple levels of depth and complexity.

Thus, the Integral Ecology Center...

Is OPEN to all perspectives on the natural world and builds a VISION out of the integration of those multiple viewpoints.

Is supporting the ACTION being taken by integral practitioners around the globe through community networking.

Is providing these practitioners access to the SOURCE of integral ecological thought so they can EXPLORE in detail its many possibilities.

Is a place to CONNECT with us about your own ecological passions and commitments.


So come check out the site and contribute to its unfolding. We'd love to
hear your recommendations and have you help us fill in the details...

Warmly,

Sean



-Alberto

Madison Integrals Focus on Integral Ecology and Engagement this Spring

Hi Madison Integrals:

After a dormant few months, the Integrals group is gearing up for an exciting spring! We now have two meetings planned, the previously announced gathering on March 23rd, coupled with a second session on April 27th. Each meeting is scheduled to run 2:30 – 4:30 PM at Memorial Union (check TITU for exact room).

The focus on March 23rd will be “A Brighter Shade of Green,” facilitated by Doug Reinemann. Here’s a statement for Doug to help us frame the discussion:

“I'm interested in the practice of Integral Engagement. I would like to use the tools that I have learned at Integral Leadership in Action seminars and Andrew Cohen's EnlightenNext Retreat to attempt a process of integral engagement on environmental issues using the "Bright Green" article as a focal piece. My perspective is also informed by my professional interest in energy and environmental issues and my study of Christian, Native American and other esoteric traditions, thought and philosophy. If this process is successful, it will easily consume the entire two hours. (If not, we can go home early.)

I've been thinking of developing a graduate seminar series on this topic and this would give me an opportunity to try this.” - Doug Reinemann

Links to the “Bright Green” article have been previously sent out, but here it is for your convenience:
http://www.enlightennext.org/magazine/j38/bright-green.asp

This discussion will flow well into the April 27th meeting, at which Marian Farriar will help us focus on Integral Ecology through a couple of case studies she will bring to us.

We originally had hoped to accomplish BOTH discussions this month, but it became clear that there is too much here for one meeting!
-Harry

Integral Thinkers Meeting to Focus on Integral Ecology - March 23rd

Hi Madison Integrals:

Our next meeting will be on Monday afternoon, March 23rd, 2:30 - 4:30 PM at Memorial Union. The focus will be "Integral Ecology," led by Marian Farrior (with inspired contributions from Kathryn Gonzalez). Marian will present a couple of case studies from this area. We are also hoping that either Mary Kay or Alberto can also lead a discussion regarding "A Brighter Shade of Green" as an important element of this meeting.

Stay tuned for more details...

Journey of Facilitation and Collaboration - Jan 2009

We are currently participating in another Journey course this week, as 25 participants have joined Darin Harris, Steve Davis and me in the 3rd incarnation of the course. JOFC attempts to apply Integral principles and frameworks to the practice of facilitation, both as formal role and as a leadership presence within groups. We use a set of 20 archetypes to depict facilitator competencies that are addressed to varying degrees through the five days.

Members of the JOFC are invited to share tools and processes that they have found helpful, and to also identify ways these may be viewed through an Integral lens.

Thanks!
Harry