SEED PAPER: Theory and Practice for the Generation of Group Wisdom

What is wisdom and how is it cultivated in groups? David La Chapelle considers wisdom to be an expression of the intrinsic connectivity of existence. Wisdom arises out of a correct recognition of this matrix of existence. Functionally this entails the “capacity to recognize the fields out of which life arises.” This necessarily means a refinement of the subtle sensing capacity of the body and mind. To maximize “the appearance of whole field wisdom” in groups, certain inner attitudes are necessary. The deepest states of wisdom are generated when the self transcends “the limited identification of the personality”, and require the correct “bhava,” (Sanskrit for a deep feeling state) - the “heart sense, that opens our individual practices into a universal field of experience.” David offers a rich array of exercises to release unconscious body memories, emotional processes, and shadow material, all of which interfere with our innate sense of connectivity. He includes basic meditation exercises to help ground and fine-tune the group. And, finally, he explores the power of sound “for quieting the surface mind and creating patterns of intrinsic connection.”

SEED PAPER: Engaging the Imaginal Realm: Doorway to Collective Wisdom

Both Carol Frenier and Lois Sekerak Hogan have been fascinated by Jungian and other ideas related to imaging for as long as either can remember. While living in different areas, their lives have periodically crossed paths to their mutual pleasure. When Carol became excited about the convergence of ideas about fields, Jungian theory, and collective wisdom that surfaced for her as she simultaneously read LeLoup’s The Magdalene Gospel and Conforti’s Field, Form and Fate, she called Lois with the idea of beginning a dialogue. In the course of that conversation the idea emerged for a written dialogue in which Lois would respond to what Carol had already begun to write. Very quickly it became a two way dialogue as Carol’s writing began to be altered by what Lois wrote. Many of the original ideas were left intact, however, so the reader could see how their thinking evolved and informed each other.