Consensus Creation
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Level 6: Mutual Learning
Mutual Learning is about a synchronicity between partners in which what they bring together is always something unexpected and produces something new. It is about re-organizing our Thoughts so they are unified in a comprehensive way. This is why the Common Neutral Ground Space is so important. The CNG process where we centralize our attention on Mutual Learning transforms partners, or the creative group itself. This is because we cannot anticipate what we will need until we need it and, somehow, we then attract it. When we are open to it, the Universe is always great at providing new options that we did not even know existed. This is the result of asking big questions and letting the answer(s) emerge in their own time. It is about a co-creative, mutual discovery.
Mutual Learning encourages us to fully participate, knowing that it is our sense of abundance that is going to attract solutions. In this process, we are not positional or responsible for pieces of the puzzle individually. Instead, it is when everyone embraces the entire process to brainstorm various possibilities that the problem shifts into a new format. Sometimes, the real problem is how we define it. When we find the right question, it makes a solution path more apparent. In the CNG, this direct truth sharing creates a release of tension when we find the perfect response or answer. This process is called Direct Knowing because it is not interpreted through our safety and security system. Instead, it becomes a Transpersonal and integrated Truth for this circumstance and in this moment.
Mutual Learning is where we are not in control, which allows us to be open about what we can learn, how we learn, and what works with partners to maximize our learning together. Most people do not know how to do Mutual Learning because they think that their way of learning has to be imposed on the situation for it to be understood by both themselves and others. What if we could explore paradoxical ways of learning that do not require us to go into our past coping skills associated with learning so that we are actually available in the learning process? This requires a new approach to thinking with others that can bring us together. It is not accomplished by forcing anything to happen in a preset way. For example, if we believe that we have to see an example of something before we can learn how to engage it, maybe we want to explore listening to another and imagining possibilities rather than drawing out a picture of it. Not only are there different patterns of learning, but there are different Beliefs about how we should learn that get in the way of natural learning.
We can see this most easily in younger children and how easily they learn about everything in their environment, such as computers. It is our preconceptions that cause obstacles to our learning process, which can be overcome by having others present with us in the process. As we discussed earlier, it is our Playfulness and Paradox that leads to Mutual Learning. Playfulness allows us to explore roles without becoming attached to a fixed way of operating. It is an exploration and adventure that introduces new possibilities to us. Paradox is the capacity to see different versions of things and how they may actually form a unified Context. When we put these practices together and we are passionate about moving forward in some way, our intention attracts what is needed to make these lessons manifest.
We have a lot of fun when we do not have to be accountable to a particular goal. What if we took the pressure off and said that there was no fixed outcome and that it was up to us to determine what we wanted to do with what we learned? How would we approach a learning process with another person if we did not need to impress them or prove to them how smart we are? What if we could be silly, stupid, ignorant, and still have a satisfactory and fulfilling outcome? Mutual Learning is about making this experience real. It requires no judgment, but instead a steady, open exploration of possibilities and what their usefulness and meaning may mean to us. We do not need more people thinking the same old way. Enough people are covering all the main fears and desires of humanity. It is time to think outside of our previous box of learning.
The power of Attraction empowers us personally and empowers those around us with our reflected abundance when we act in service to the world. Attraction occurs when we are creatively actualized. The more actualized we are, the more likely we are to see ourselves as stewards of the resources to which we have been entrusted. The key issue is to empower the greater good by determining how to best use the available resources to deepen and enrich what we already have. This process requires Wisdom, Aliveness and Awareness. It also encourages us to take responsibility for the power of our creative thinking by not fixating on Thoughts that will not make things better. We need to learn how to practice right thinking so that our actions mirror our intentions. Otherwise, creative distractions like cursing, anger, malice, irritation, entitlement and fear, empower the weeds in our garden.
At this level, we learn how to receive and give Light. On Level 2 we learned to operate in our Truth and express ourselves Autonomously. This is expanded on Level 3, when we learned to take others into account so we could operate with a degree of equality. On Level 4, we learned how to be Co-Creative, so our Light could be shared. This allows us to support others in learning their Truth and build greater capacity to operate in Wisdom. The Truth becomes a creative way to share our selves and to influence creative projects that enhance global possibilities. The more deeply we immerse ourselves in what we know and eliminate what we now see as barriers to knowing, the greater our connection to Universal Truth.
We manifest Attractions by using the CNG to precipitate our mutual intentions. For example, if we want to bring about a peaceful world and we have an abiding interest in diplomacy, politics and mediation, we need to begin to creatively empower a CNG space that opens us up to the highest inspirations or insights that can be brought into to a particular circumstance, creating a rain cloud of possibilities and resources to emerge out of this inquiry. Any topic, any issue, is ripe for determining how it could best be used in service to the planet. As you might have noticed, we are not trying to manifest money because the wealth of who we are is in our ability to be creative and to empower new thoughts. These opportunities can turn into money when it serves our purpose and it fits with the universe’s idea of what would benefit it. As we can see, the power of thought is the power to affect change in the world for the good of all.
Pregnant Duration is the capacity to use time to unpack solutions. When we can shift our perceptions of time, we have all the time in the world. Our fears of not having a solution come from a lack of security, which further pressures us to push forward, making us less effective. We need to turn this process around using Pregnant Duration to validate that everything we need to know, we do know. It helps to recognize that every solution we need will turn up at the right time and place if we let it. The solution may additionally only be available after all the variables become apparent. Some would say this is a Jedi mind trick because we are psyching ourselves out to have greater possibilities. We say it is better to work from a state of abundance rather than a state of scarcity, which our limited Personality prefers. When we are fully empowered by our Creative Expression, Pregnant Duration becomes a natural flow.
Pregnant Duration is experienced by shifts in time where either time is compressed or expanded. The paradox is the more we trust our experience to work out, the greater the distortions we experience in time. This means that when we are locked into minute-by-minute items to do or we have compressed, outer deadlines, we experience time in a linear way. Our mind becomes synchronized with the experience of time with others and we do not have an individual variation. Pregnant Duration allows us to leave the group mind-sync and experiment with different ways of seeing our own experience. When we get used to thinking in a non-linear way, it becomes easier to bring others into our experience of time. Some individuals report that they can see light emanating from their partners when they are in a Pregnant Duration framework. This is because, at this point, they are synchronizing with the truth of their partner and are synthesizing a higher, more unifying way of being. We call this experience creating a Mutual Truth. In relationships, this allows us to know how to deal with problems from our partner’s point of view, helping us anticipate what they need. When we operate in relationships using the Mutual Truth in our CNG space, even if our partner is not available, we can recreate what they would do. When having a Mutual Truth is practiced for a while, our partners are energetically connected to the CNG and we can feel their response to anything we post in it.
Pregnant Duration is the result of taking charge of our own experience of Time. It is a natural outcome of resolving the duality between our Emotions and Thoughts. When these are unified within us, we can discuss things with greater Wisdom and intellectual equanimity. This means we are not attached to what we are saying, as much as we are using Thoughts to move processes forward. It opens a greater depth to consider the power of Thoughts and Emotions as Transpersonal Content to both affirm and enrich others. This means that we do not need to prove what we know or pressure ourselves to convey it in any particular way. People can trust what we are saying because we have actually thought things through. It also means that there are easy ways we can explain our thinking that could help others with similar perspectives. This opens up Mutual Learning opportunities. As our Truth gets shared and their Truth is shared, Transpersonal Content develops. Many times, we need to let things incubate or find a new grounding before more complex and synthesized Wisdom can be introduced. People need to learn to take in information at the appropriate time to facilitate it being anchored appropriately. This is why the Compatibility Factor of Pacing is so connected with Pregnant Duration.
When we are around individuals who are not intellectually stable or clear, they can have a draining impact on us, particularly if they are caught up in Subjectification patterns. Their need to prove themselves places a demand that we conform to their one-dimensional thinking. People with Subjectification also require agreement to simply have a conversation. We can see when people are doing Subjectification patterns when they have little or no ability to process their own emotional and intellectual experience. Instead, they are using pre-constructed frameworks to anchor their personality views at the cost of any growth or development. Pregnant Duration creates more room for these individuals to experience the deeper aspects of their Truth, or lack of it, which can make them agitated. When we do a Common Neutral Ground, we can reduce this agitation by giving them time to unpack their experience by reframing the experience in a way that makes it more accessible to them. This involves taking more time between each concept so it sinks in, which makes another demand on us. We are helping them create their own Pregnant Duration. The key issue is not to force the process or think negative Thoughts about their way of engaging the process; this only amplifies their Subjectification.
When there is mutual Pregnant Duration, conversations flow magically. Synchronistic events occur that bring out possibilities that neither parties imagined. We end up not being able to predict what will occur because it so effectively Transforms our interpretive framework. As a result, we are frequently surprised by the breakthroughs that occur. Decision-making takes on a whole new interesting and playful form. In most of these situations, the humor and ironic elements emerge and we are able to see the picture from many different dimensions simultaneously. The more open we are, the more we are supported in developing Intuitive Discrimination. This is the ability to see the continuum of choices and not be blinded by our own Defense patterns. Intuitive Discrimination allows solutions to emerge that are not anguished or difficult, but rather clear and agreed on by everyone. The only problem that can arise is when individuals become either triggered, fall into Defensive positions, and/or cannot deal with their own fear; these limit their participation. When they realize that this is what is going on, it helps for them to take ownership of it so that they can see how to transcend these fears. What they need to do is to trust their body to relax, concentrate on their Stillness, and imagine flooding their personalities with pure, white light.
The best way to work out thorny problems is to start with acknowledging what you trust and what your vision is. The more we affirm, not just our personal truths, but how these are similar to the other people in the process, the more we can get in alignment where mutual expressions become more useful and powerful. This top-down approach allows us to work from our Motives, to our Attractions, and onto our Skills allowing us to engage whichever of our Personality problems are in the way. It is not useful to talk about Personality Fears and Desires before we talk about the bigger picture of Love, Light and Life energy. Otherwise, our Personality reactions will trigger the Personality reactions of others and we will soon be stalemated and locked in a situation with no way out. It is better by far to work from acknowledgements rather than any form of criticism. The small issues do not matter as long as the larger, centralizing issues are addressed. This all comes back to telling the truth about what makes us whole. When we cannot get to this wholeness, nothing will be solved.
Group Decision Making Processes
Consensus decision-making requires individuals to go beyond our own way of doing things. We need to be able to see that there can be ways of doing things that would be better than the ways we would naturally be comfortable with. Some of us get caught in the trap of believing that if others do not agree with our way of doing things, then we cannot do it. Can we agree that we can have parallel tracks, or are able to do things in different ways as an experiment to create the best solution? The answer, of course, is our attachment to being right. It indicates that when it comes to groups, we still do not trust the group to come up with its own solutions. It also indicates that we have not completely bonded between our Thoughts and Emotions so we are not sure how to deal with differences in perspective held by others. If we were bonded in our Thoughts and Emotions, we would be able to read the Thoughts and Emotions of others and we would not be threatened at all.
Groups need alignment as much as people. This requires the full expression of Thoughts and Emotions so that multiple choices can be examined. From the larger picture, humanity is at a crossroads. Ecologically, psychologically and financially. Engineering consensus is obviously the next step on the horizon. This requires learning how to work together so that external differences can be transformed into multiple groups of problem solvers that work on the issue from different perspectives. What this takes initially is a desire to do Mutual Learning. This creates a state of entrainment allowing the full possibilities to be seen and diagrammed by each sub-group. Otherwise, our Personality reactions will be our undoing. The result will be greater resistance, less understanding, and any kind of growth will be sabotaged by others’ fears.
Mutual problem solving is one of the primary dilemmas of our age, and what makes it difficult is the continuum between fully Convergent and fully Divergent decision making styles. Convergent styles seek incremental improvements, day to day by organizing the solution so it can be quickly implemented. Divergent styles seek to explore all the options until they feel inspired to take action by doing the project as completely as possible. Convergent individuals organize and plan while Divergent individuals give themselves time and space to implement options. Convergent individuals want to be predictable and productive while being time-oriented. Divergent individuals want to be different, comprehensive and complete without pre-defining how it should be. Additional confusion arises because of the fragmentation that comes from adopting our parental styles and coping mechanisms (Imprinting).
What makes this more challenging is that we can approach different areas with different decision-making processes. For example, at work we can be more Convergent, while in personal relationships we are more Divergent. The third option refers to our personal creative time, which is usually our true decision-making approach. What are you? More Convergent or more Divergent? We can validate our personal decision-making approach by the degree to which we maintain our Passion and energy, so we do not have to please others. When we are operating in our Imprinting, we are always resistant to any decision-making process. It usually becomes a burden when interacting with others. It takes more energy to interact beyond our natural creative patterns. It is easy when we accept our natural approach and operate in it. At the core of these two styles, our decision-making can be differentiated as either orderly or free-spirited.
There are six Approaches to Decision-Making:
- Closed Down — We are heavily Imprinted by our parents and conflicts are not easily resolved. We refuse to make quick choices due to a fear it will be the wrong thing to do. This occurs because we are torn between the desire to please our selves and others in authority. We end up believing we cannot enjoy making decisions because we have no practical experience of how those decisions can make us feel empowered. We would rather defer decisions to others and have them make choices for us so we do not have to be responsible for the outcome.
- Switchable Decision-Making — In this situation, usually one parent is Convergent and the other is Divergent, so we learn to make Convergent choices with the Divergent parent and Divergent choices with the Convergent parent. This natural opposition is meant to help the situation by creating a balanced outcome where neither party is completely compromised. This process works well if we can respond the way we want. Unfortunately, we do not feel great about our Decision-Making process, as none of it is really joyful.
- Convergent Decision-Making — We like being time-focused so we quickly see the most likely options and get into action on them. The initial goal is to break down the Decision-Making process into a series of steps that get us moving in the right direction. Over time, we apply incremental improvements that refine our Decision-Making as new information becomes available. We are joyful about our Decision-Making when we can plan and implement a project or event. This joy is diminished to the degree that we have Divergent Imprinting.
- Divergent Decision-Making — We explore and open up possibilities so everything can be considered. We then investigate, without a timeframe, various options and consider alternative outcomes. When one choice feels appropriate and on the mark it motivates us to jump fully in and attempt to get everything done at once. This flexibility creates joy in us. This joy is diminished to the degree that we have Convergent Imprinting.
- Variable Decision-Making — When we grow up attempting to deal with differences in Decision-Making, we learn to mix and match our responses to fit circumstances. This means we sometimes do Convergent responses with Convergent decision makers and Divergent responses with Divergent decision makers. This ability to align with others is usually based on a fluidity and flexibility within ourselves so we do not feel compromised. The degree of compromise establishes the degree to which we can be flexible. Some creative expressions (Story Tellers, Visionaries and Inventors) naturally operate in this way.
- Open Ended Decision-Making — When we are not locked into any preconceived Decision-Making patterns, we are available to meet others wherever they are. This means we have acknowledged our own style and have gone beyond it by experiencing joy in all styles. This approach is optimal for leading and managing groups, because we can see what is needed and deliver it without problems.
When we accept and understand our Decision-Making approach, it empowers us to work more effectively with others. Any approach done consciously allows us to notice when something works or does not in our interactions. The more conscious we are about Decision-Making, the more we try to bring harmony to the process by discussing differences to create a consensus approach. Problem solving is one of major ways to bring a group into alignment. The challenge is to right-size the discussion group so everyone can participate in a way that forwards the process. When there are too many individuals in a group, the situation can crawl to a halt. When too few, it does not fully represent the larger community. A first action could be to organize a decision-making group by creating sub-groups that are Convergent and Divergent to discuss the issues. When this occurs the two groups can follow their nature and work out the best options/solutions. They could also select individuals who could represent them in a consensus-building working group. If these discussions were videoed or recorded so that they were transparent, this would result in mutual and fair solutions.
The inner issues of solving these kinds of intractable problems require invoking solutions through concentration, meditation and contemplation. This is greatly enhanced by using the CNG to invite support. By holding our mind steady in the light, we maximize the ability of the universe or anyone we admire to bring in relevant insights or perspectives. We can do this by visualizing the person, the topic, or any other question that is important to us in a five to ten minute process. We could either do this every day, or once a week, with the intention of producing a certain result before the end of the process. We could access any historical, scientific or religious person currently alive or passed that contributed their thought to the universal mind. Since all creative thinkers have a sort of immortality based on making contributions in this way, all the insights of the world are always accessible. The more we can focus on the topic on which we want input, while being receptive to universal knowing or Straight Knowledge, the easier we will access it. A genuine evocation for support or help is seldom denied. The more transpersonal the request is, the more suggestions we will receive, not only for ourselves, but also for others in our group.
Presenting Content Without Positions, Projections or Attachments
If we are to manage Content better, so that in time we attract what we need to know when we need to know it, we need to improve how to declare our Intent. When we are with a group of people, it is best to start by making an Intent statement and following it up with a Context statement. For example, we may say, “We have come here today to solve this particular problem because it will benefit us if we can engage the world in this new way.” What this accomplishes is to focus on the energetic possibility that we need to engage. It also establishes the WorldView level of the discussion at hand when we state what we hope to accomplish in the process. All groups process Content based on Communication Process, Decision Making Approach and WorldView. The more inclusive we are to different ways of communicating and different ways of engaging the decision making, the less difficult and more harmonic the process will be. Content is also greatly affected by differences in Pacing and Defense style. These two factors can have polarizing impacts, which minimize the perceptions of others because they typically shut down when others push their own perspective.
Every type of Creative Expression has its own focus or gift where they rely on Intent, Content or Context to effectively convey their truth. This focus is only modified or amplified by the sequence of a person’s Communication Process. For example, An Inventor, Investigator, Implementer, who is Feel, Act, Think would emphasize Context (Inventor and Feel First), then Intent (Mental Body Implementer and Act Second), and Content last (Investigator Secondary and Think last). This means that this type of individual would do best with more Context up front, more discussion about why we are doing what we are doing, and getting to the details at the end of the process. A group of these individuals would be easy to work with. The problem we encounter is when we have mixed groups, which require us to cycle through Intent, Content and Context, systematically in order to provide opportunities for everyone to understand what is going on.
Another application of CNG is to be able to gather energetic connections into the CNG by using Intent and attractions to Content to make insights and information available to us. This is similar to establishing an Intent and releasing a problem into the world so a solution can show up. While people may not be using a CNG to accomplish this, with a CNG it becomes more possible to know the status of a problem on a moment-to-moment basis. The practice of this process also allows us to bring internal resources into the open. Some individuals have imagined books they want to write, so they become a fully developed metaphor and representation of what they are working to create. The more we can evoke answers from the universe directly by attracting exactly what we need, exactly when we need it, the more we experience the universe supporting us. We recommend imagining an indigo book in the CNG to connect to the universal library.
All this takes is being able to set an Intention, Attract the necessary Content, and engage the process by growing our Context. This whole process is how we become conscious of our deeper gifts. While some people would say that this comes from our inner knowing, we prefer to see it as a gift from the universe for contributing to it. We can expand this experience by imagining that we are doing it in the CNG and that because it is an open CNG, others can share and contribute to this space directly, based on their desires and interests. While it is useful to know all of the people who are contributing to these types of situations, it is not necessary if have set the Intent clearly. Personally, I use this technique in classes to make the right resources energetically available so individuals will be able to engage the process on a deeper level.
We manifest Attractions by using the CNG to precipitate our mutual intentions. For example, if we want to bring about a peaceful world and we have an abiding interest in diplomacy, politics and mediation, we need to begin to creatively empower a CNG space that opens us up to the highest inspirations or insights that can be brought into a particular circumstance, creating a rain cloud of possibilities and resources to emerge out of this inquiry. Any topic, any issue, is ripe for determining how it could best be used in service of the planet. As you might have noticed, we are not trying to manifest money because the wealth of who we are is in our ability to be creative and to empower new thoughts. These opportunities can turn into money when it serves our purpose and fits in with the universe’s idea of what would benefit it. As we can see, the power of thought is the power to affect change in the world to create what will be the best for all.
Our primary tool to awaken others to the problems we need to confront is the right use of creative power. Our ability to unify our Thoughts and Emotions empowers us to both see our Truth and clearly perceive the Truth of others. This allows us to quickly determine mutual solutions. The Light in our Being grows and magnifies, as we become an enlightened brain cell in the mind of the planet. We learn the cost of not seeking our highest knowing, and commit ourselves to doing so. Most importantly, we become indifferent to Subjectification and are no longer impacted by it. Some individuals will develop telepathy at this level of embodiment. Others, depending on their connection to their higher creative source, become more able to download insights and explanations for all kinds of problems. When we transform our Truth and reorganize our perception frameworks, we become a resource of unimagined value.
We must never impose our insights, beliefs or suggestions on others, this action will close down any support. Any Objectification, Subjectification, or Idealization will minimize the flow of support. For those of us who are not comfortable asking for support, perhaps we will be able to accomplish the same thing using our intuitive connection to our Self. Make a request for inner knowing about a topic in order to attract a solution. It is helpful to imagine the way an optimized solution would show up. By focusing on this experience, we can evoke a clear vision of how this can be done. By using the law of attraction, we build bridges, not just between thoughts, but forge connections between people as they engage solutions with us. On an intuitive level, others can greatly stimulate our breakthroughs. It has to do with being able to see and accept the way they think and superimposing it on our own process. In this way, we do not need to wait for the right time for an idea to change the world, because we are changing the world with each connection we make. The way to build consensus is to make sure that each member of the group is aligned as much as possible with the group. Otherwise, non-aligned members will naturally sabotage the process. What we want to do is minimize the dissonance between the people on each level, and then on each new level or area of added activity. Otherwise, a lack of Passion will eventually diminish the growth of our contribution.
When we gather individuals into a group for the purpose of solving problems, it facilitates the process immensely if we establish a CNG. We do not even need to tell everyone that there is a CNG. Instead, just a few people could ground, stabilize, and manage the CNG for the group. What they need to do is to make sure that everyone’s contribution is acknowledged, and to imagine that all the information is available in the CNG and is easily available to all the members. Then perform some energetic hygiene practices, like clearing the space before starting and closing it down at the end of the process. This type of situation is perfect to practice Spacious Presence, Pregnant Duration and Skillful Means. In Higher Alignment, we do these practices in every class. This makes the information more available in the moment and over time, when students want to remember a past experience. Most individuals who become proficient in CNG will tell you that they don’t know how it works, just that it does.
When we focus on our creative differences, we deny creative self-love and acceptance. The result is that we do not trust things to work out. This leads us to plan for the worst and deny the magic of our creative gifts. We are in Idealization when we project on others or expect them to respond in a particular way. Instead, it is Individual Resourcefulness and the ability to envision how what we are doing can fit into the larger solution. It requires us to tune into the Context so that we possess points of reference for shaping our vision. The paradox is that we want to let go of Defensive Personality differences to embrace larger creative differences that can guide our solution thinking. At this level we tend to attract to us exactly what is needed to discover the best course of action.
The most useful attitude at this level is to acknowledge what is not working so we can quickly move forward to what does work. Self-forgiveness is the capacity to recognize when we are caught in a reaction so we can reframe the experience in a more holistic way. Emotional perceptions are just as important as intellectual ones. The best way to heal ourselves is to see the higher ground that includes the challenges we are facing. We cannot get anywhere by moving the problem around. Mutual Learning helps by keeping the conversation fresh so one partner is always uplifting or honoring the larger Context. In any creative group, at least one or more individual has to be able to invoke the new possibility into being. The important thing is to bring all the insights into relationship with one another. This means we do not argue over the details, and that everything is a detail. This suggests that there is no need to argue at all on this level. Here we see the opposite mirror image of Level 2 (Security Reactions), where we argued all the time! With Mutual Learning, we are always coming from a unified state.
Deepening into our greater knowing takes Trust. We are not caught up in the fear that the solution will be unsolvable. Instead, we want to be confident that every time we need to remake our vision, we can easily redefine our part in it to serve both the organization and ourselves. Our biggest obstacle is to believe that change will make us obsolete. The underlying fear is that we may be overwhelmed by its complexity. Greater consciousness is always the answer to greater complexity. When we can accept that we have a creative destiny that is always supporting us to be the best we can be, we no longer need to be fearful about external change. It is normal that some individuals will outgrow the organization by being drawn to another possibility. We need to encourage people to follow their own hearts so our personal fears do not become a limitation that keep us from fully participating in the organization’s growth.
We do not need to personalize our knowing. Many individuals equate information with power because they personalize the decision-making process. When we do comparative thinking, we build our ego and become identified with the Thoughts we have. This limits our ability to move and grow with the organization or Universe. The more we identify with what we know, the more it builds our defensive identity, which makes us appear more stupid. We cannot respond appropriately to circumstances if we are attached to the Positions we hold. This is because any attachment to a position prevents us from seeing the larger picture. Positions limit our thinking and guarantee conflict. The more Transpersonal we become, the less we are attached to any form of personal, egoic identifications. This means we primarily operate in Unity thinking, unless others need to be valued or seen on the Comparative (Level 3), Deductive (Level 2) or Associative Thinking (Level 1) frameworks. We can eliminate a lot of distractions if we acknowledge individuals where they need acknowledgment.
Until now, we have focused on the neutral aspect of a CNG. In Level 6, we let go of the dualities of our truth so we can operate completely from Wisdom. This means we are no longer doing any form of Objectification, Subjectification or Idealization. This empowers us channel resources into the Common Ground without creating reactions with others. Others, are, of course, invited to place resources in the Common Ground with us. This levels the playing field so that conscious Co-Creation can manifest with greater possibilities. The resources we place in the Common Ground reflect the nature of what we are discussing.
Anytime we wish to have a more balanced conversation with others, and they are sensitive to the energetics of the Common Ground, they will feel empowered if we imagine placing our insights into the Common Ground space. This greatly reduces the imposition of our thoughts upon others (known as Subjectification). Sometimes, we just want to add certain qualities that could benefit the group we are with, such as trustworthiness, curiosity, harmony, or a desire for conscious striving for new perspectives.
It is helpful that we place the complete experiences we have had in the Common Ground and not just intellectual principles or particular Content. The more embodied our experience of a particular area, the more flexibility it will give us to respond to others in deep ways, so that the examples and the discussion can be a fully embodied exchange. In order to prevent Objectification, we need to have examples of individuals addressing and doing particular things to solve the problem. In order to address Subjectification, we need to have a diversity of approaches or possibilities so there is no ‘one right way’. Some individuals see the modalities (Thoughts, Emotions, Feelings, and Sensations) as either energetic particles, waves or both. From observing there effects and impacts HA tends to see these transfers as both. Whatever our observation these experiences are not just things but a transition of one possibility to another. More research is needed to discover a way to talk about our experiences beyond Intent, Content and Context.
One example of this is the difference between Ideals and Idealization. In ideals, the possibility is whole and complete. In Idealization, the need to be good is overwhelmed by our capacity to implement, which causes the experience to be incomplete. This means our Emotions and Feelings are unbalanced or incomplete. In order to address Idealization, we need to accept the passion and emotional progress that occurs when we find the best solution. We also need to make sure that the individuals involved are not repressing their experience or it will diminish the power of others to manifest their intentions. Fortunately, our facilitators are trained to invite others into an alignment process, so the solution can be used to anchor the discussion. Having these solutions available in a CNG can be as simple as recalling and recreating these experiences from the last discussion we had about the topic we are engaging. For us, in Higher Alignment, we teach facilitators to use all their own resources and incorporate all of the other class experiences, so there is a rich, internal environment for the mutual discovery of new possibilities.
Dealing with Group Impacts
We can see the impact of using past solution frameworks when we teach classes in different cycles and see how each class can deepen in ways the previous classes could not. The full manifestation of this technique can only occur when we have a significant group size. Otherwise the morphogenic field created is not rich enough to contain the full discussion. This means that in smaller groups, under 12 individuals, it will take the facilitators more energy and they will have to use more of their own resourcefulness to direct the CNG so that people can take away a complete and fulfilling experience. We also recommend, that in smaller groups, there is more emphasis in inviting people to share their own experiences so that individuals can go directly to the areas in themselves where there are challenges and make the adjustments they need to function more effectively.
With larger groups, it will take less of the facilitator’s energy to direct the flow of the energy in the CNG. The big issue is where to put energetic attention in the room to facilitate what needs to come out in the process. For example, we might experience various parts of the room lighting up or generating movement, which means that we need to call on the people in that area to bring them into the center of the process. Wherever there is a dead or fixed energetic space is where we need to improve the circulation, which usually is best accomplished by placing our energy in that area and circulating it to the other areas of the room. The maxim is that thought follows energy. The reverse can also be true. Sometimes there are places in the group that are stuck or feel difficult. Our goal is to uplift and this by naming the obstacle that it relates to so these areas can be released from their existing confines. Sometimes there may be individuals breaking down or crying, which is a natural response to the shifts they are experiencing. Our goal is to be inclusive and yet not patronize them in any way. We can be empathetic but not sympathetic, which is a form of judgment.
Ultimately, we want to be able to find and have individuals embody whatever solution they settle upon. This means bringing the process into their bodies before the group discussion ends, and making sure that it is alignment with their own intentions. We accomplish this by having people speak about what they have learned and what they will do moving forward. On the content level we want others to be aware of the options and the investment required for each choice. The most important level is context, where others take responsibility for their own choices so their actions, thoughts and passion can be completely in alignment.
Learning to share our Content is what provides opportunities for leadership in creative projects. We need to be able to conceive how to make a difference on an individual level so that we can invite others to make a difference. We also have to use our innate skills to bring out the best in others by seeing who they are and what they may substantially contribute. When we do this, a greater clarity of purpose emerges and others follow our lead. The more we accept our Creative Nature, the more we can differentiate between the illusion and Creative Promise. We learn to do more with less and to only do what is necessary to bring about the least destructive outcome. Meditation can help develop the intuitive discrimination necessary for surgically precise choices. We need to remove our attention from illusion to affirm what is real. What is left is the best possible set of choices.
The benefit of this process is that unexpected possibilities will emerge that will have a chance of magnetically attracting the best outcomes. Commonplace assumptions and predictions will be overturned in the process. While it is easy to fall into the trap of believing we know the answers, this experience really is an indication of Subjectification. As long as we operate from fixed Beliefs, we are unconsciously sabotaging our own creative future. This is because it limits our Growth and recognition of what is possible. Some people feel comfortable when they have Beliefs because they do not have to exercise their sense of inquiry and on a higher level (their own Creative Nature). Since we are by nature, thinking beings, why not use this ability to bring about the changes we want. Sharing our thinking becomes the real shortcut to co-creative vibrancy and the discovery of mutual Truths. When the time is right, change will emerge and manifest.
The power of Attraction empowers us personally and empowers those around us with our reflected abundance when we act in service to the world. Attraction occurs when we are creatively actualized. The more actualized we are, the more likely we are to see ourselves as stewards of the resources to which we have been entrusted. The key issue is to empower the greater good by determining how to best use the available resources to deepen and enrich what we already have. This process requires Wisdom, Aliveness and Awareness. It also encourages us to take responsibility for the power of our creative thinking by not fixating on thoughts that will not improve matters. We need to learn how to practice right thinking so that our actions mirror our intentions. Otherwise, creative distractions like cursing, anger, malice, irritation, entitlement and fear, empower the weeds in our garden.
The best way to work out thorny problems is to start with acknowledging what you trust and what your vision is. The more we affirm, not only our personal truths, but how these are similar to the other people in the process, the more we can get into alignment where mutual expressions become more useful and powerful. This top-down approach allows us to work from our Motives to our Attractions to our Skills and then allows us to engage whichever of our Personality problems are in the way. It is not useful to talk about Personality Fears and Desires before we talk about the bigger picture of Love, Light and Life energy. Otherwise, our Personality reactions will trigger the Personality reactions of others and we will soon be stalemated and locked in a no way out situation. It is better by far to work from acknowledgements rather than any form of criticism. The small issues do not matter as long as the larger, centralizing issues are attended to. This all comes back to telling the truth about what makes us whole. When we cannot achieve this wholeness, nothing can be solved.
Our Truth-telling needs to be personally integrated before we can effectively represent our Truth to a group. Being present with our Truth means having no Positions or Attachments to a predetermined outcome. When this occurs we can facilitate a larger conversation with others so they can autonomously respond and make conscious choices. This is where Personality Integration (which serves our Creative Nature) is required. Common Neutral Ground is a critical resource for sensing when there are incongruities within our self and others. We need to learn how to resolve our contradictions internally before we deal with the contradictions of others in the group. Intuitive Discrimination is a necessary skill to navigate between where we are and also where others are operating. This Skill teaches us how to acknowledge all possibilities so we do not react and fall into pre-defined judgments. These judgments are just old thought habits, where we falsely assume things have not changed. It is not so much that we need to push others to awaken to our view of the situation, but that we want to support others in examining how they may be blindsided by certain circumstances and old thought patterns. This takes an ability to recognize where we have group alignment and where we do not.
The sixth level of embodying a CNG is where we come to understand the transpersonal nature of Knowing by unifying our Content. In this situation, we discover there is no limit to how we can use Thoughts and Emotions to create new possibilities. We start to experience how powerful our Thoughts and Emotions are and become able to read the Thoughts and Emotions of others. Sometimes this even emerges as a form of Telepathy. For most individuals, it is first experienced as alignment of purpose that allows us to think together and in lock step with each other. The real importance of this process is that it takes us beyond our personal concerns and we become more committed to universal types of discoveries. When we reach this level of Knowing, many people outside of our CNG consider us geniuses. This is because they cannot understand that Thoughts are not linear or sequential, but form-and pattern-based. This means the more we meditate on certain symbols, the more we get in touch with our ability to modify or re-create cosmic principles.
One way to build our sense of connection to the universe is to explore energetic connections with other people over large distances. For example, we can meditate and ground our energy so that we can make ourselves available to higher Thoughts, perhaps of Goodwill, connection or abundance between individuals at a set time. We might be amazed at the degree to which, in a CNG, we can tune in and experience other people’s Thoughts. What we are learning to do is to use the CNG as a space where we can hold our minds steady allowing us to be receptive to any energy we wish. It is also a great way to experience how everyone is interconnected on many levels. In the Alice Bailey work, found at www.lucistrust.org, one of the service projects is called Triangles. This is a great way to be connected to others at a fixed time of day, every day across the globe.
The irony of group interactions is that many individuals attempt to use personal principles to impose their standards on a group. This has unexpected and negative consequences. Until groups become familiar with the defensive distortions of Objectification, Subjectification and Idealization, there is little capacity to make sustained progress. The result is that we have ebbs and flows, forward and backward, in society in terms of cultural development. This results in fears being stimulated by change, desires getting high-jacked by principled advocates and everyone getting lost in Idealization patterns. It is a wonder we agree on anything. The real issue is that without conscious growth and development, this is unlikely to change soon. Everyone has to become more embodied in their own experiential Modalities to grasp differences in perspective in order to accurately understand what they mean.
Solving these problems in a group requires clear communication and an understanding of why certain issues are not being resolved. Without an appreciation of each individual’s Communication Process, we have no way of integrating their contribution. The sequence of our Communication Process reflects our priorities for how we communicate. A Think, Feel, Act individual prioritizes the Content or detail first, then the Context or big picture second, then the Intent or what needs to get done. This is entirely different from a Feel, Act, Think, who first seeks the Context or big picture, then focuses on the Intent (testing different actions) before thinking about the details and reviewing what worked. This means we need to be flexible in harvesting the various ways of knowing so that they can be unified into a more simultaneous expression. What we need to realize is that each individual will be doing their process and exploring their own results before they are able to present it to their partner or a larger group. The only way we avoid this is by having a group with the same Communication Process sequence.
Pregnant Duration releases us from defensive distortions so we can examine what Beauty, Truth and Goodness can manifest in any circumstance. Pregnant Duration is the ability to become so engrossed in a problem or resolution process that we do not realize how much time has lapsed. We can either experience time as expanding when we take a few minutes and feel we have focused on our problem for an hour, or where we focus for three hours, thinking it was only a matter of minutes. The key issue is that we have shifted into an alternate timeframe, where the problem can be addressed outside of its current time limitations. Meaning that the way we think of the problem shifts in significant ways when we are in this process. This way we can access it fully and figure out what we are going to do before we shift back into our normal operating reality.
Resolving conflict requires seeing different ways to bring others into alignment. The more conscious an individual is, the more interested they will be in seeing their self-limiting beliefs. Taking ownership of our issues allows our partners and communities to move forward and make progress. We want to affirm the kinds of alignments we share with our partners and communities so this progress can be enhanced. The way to accomplish this is to hear everyone so we can appropriately place their contributions in relationship to the larger picture. While it is useful not to seek credit for what we do, it is nice to be part of a group that honors its members by recognizing how their differences and similarities make our contributions possible. The best way to make decisions is by allowing everyone to engage a process and understand it to the degree needed to feel aligned with it. This is what we call Process Option Alignment. This is the indication that we are operating on Level 6. Opening up to conscious interactions and group-empowered decision-making can best occur with Common Neutral Ground principles and practices.
Greater sharing is the result of more unified thinking. When we see ourselves in others, it makes us more compassionate and willing to make sure they have what they need. Humanity itself is at a choice point regarding its future. Are we willing to be more inclusive, and find common ground with others, or will we become extinct, arguing over the possession of resources? What we need is a larger context, such as seeing the earth from space, where we acknowledge ourselves as one world. This requires being willing to talk about how we can work together to solve problems, allowing us to learn to work within the world to preserve the balance necessary to sustain us. What we are struggling with is how to come into a natural alignment with each other and the planet. To deny these possibilities is to guarantee our extinction. Cooperative sharing is our way out of this dilemma.
When we are creating a CNG to facilitate group decision-making, we need to use the Spacious Presence that we learned in the previous level to provide room for people to get their own answers. Most importantly, we should not be afraid that those having different answers could derail us. No. What is most likely to happen at this level is that we will come up with blended solutions that will redefine the problem in a new way, allowing everyone to be seen. What we are really dealing with here is that we need to be able to accept the differences and uncomfortable similarities with others and still produce a result. It is also crystal clear that we do not want to have a compromised solution. This means that we have to be Co-Creative and bring out new ways of seeing the process so no one feels that we are just creating a less viable, middle-ground solution.
Case Study 6: Co-Creative Romantic And Business Partnerships
April and Eric met in a college theater department play. They both enjoy theater and initially saw themselves as friends. While they noticed that they had a variety of similar interests they never imagined it would amount to much. When they graduated from college, they went their separate ways. Twenty-five years later they met at a de-forestation summit and found out they were both working part-time with eco-advocacy groups. April had become a spokesperson for various ecology education organizations after discovering that the film industry was hard to break into. Eric had completed his Masters and Doctorate in Environmental Science. As a university professor, he enjoyed doing both research and working with his grad students.
When they came together they found themselves both single after many years of being in long-term relationships. This made them cautious about getting involved in any co-dependent way. Fortunately, they matured and understood how projecting their issues on their partners did not work. They had a mutual desire for a partner with whom they would be able to share their Authentic Life Expression. The more they talked about their histories and what they had learned, the more recognition they had about how certain patterns, desires and goals were similar. As a way to contribute to her community, April was a Board member of a foundation feeding those who were homeless or did not have access to food. She invited Eric to join her Saturday process of sorting food contributions and then delivering them to the individuals in need. Eric found himself quickly enrolled in driving the truck and figuring out the best routes to get things done quickly. They found spending time together this way to be an easy way to relieve their stress.
April was also involved in attending psychology courses in order to learn how to best customize the messages they were developing for their eco-advocacy programs. As a writer, she started editing some of Eric’s papers to add more Context and to make the writing more accessible. He was surprised at her ability to take technical papers and make them more understandable. While they did some recreational activities together, more of their time was focused on supporting each other, which became a weekly process. Eventually, they started to ask the question, “What is the optimum expression of this relationship?” While they could easily identify being mentors for each other and co-collaborators on a number of activities, they soon realized that it was the mixture of all the activities which was creating balance in their relationship. They recognized they could have any kind of relationship they wanted and they had the confidence to explore both the romantic and creative opportunities that presented themselves.
Eric realized that April was an instigator and provocateur. Her intention and desire to serve larger outcomes was always surprising him. She saw the big picture, which complemented his ability to get things done. They both had a desire to make a difference in the world and were doing whatever they could to expand acceptance of others who were less fortunate, along with trying to mobilize those more fortunate to give. They saw themselves as facilitators for Right Action and Guardians of the Planet. Most importantly, their friends loved their partnership and all enjoyed being with each other. Their friends felt like an extended family. They soon developed an unbreakable heart connection and realized that, despite their past issues with marriage, they both wanted to get married as soon as possible. Their wedding event occurred 18 months to the day after their unforgettable reunion.
They quickly found and moved into a new home, which reflected their new sense of spaciousness and abundance. The creativity between them only increased the more they worked together. Opportunities kept showing up for them to work together, until most of the things they did were done as a team. Even the advocacy groups acknowledged that having these partners as part of the process was extremely productive. They took over and ran the Food Bank as a way to give back to the community. This allowed them to enroll all their friends in activities that made everybody feel better about their contributions to the community. The Mayor of the City soon acknowledged them for their contributions and strength of purpose. What they represented was a team that was many times more powerful together than alone. This is because they were immensely productive learning what was needed and how to best provide it. Knowing what we know in Higher Alignment, we recognize they had the same Primary, Secondary and Mental Body Expressions: Visionary/ Investigator/ Compassionate with the same Defense Styles (Dynamic Pioneering), same fast Pacing (65), and Communication Process (Think Feel Act). While they had some differences with their Decision-Making Style (she convergent, he divergent), they were able to neutralize these issues because of the preponderance of aligned factors.
Level 6: Mutual Learning
Mutual Learning is about a synchronicity between partners in which what they bring together is always something unexpected and produces something new. It is about re-organizing our Thoughts so they are unified in a comprehensive way. This is why the Common Neutral Ground Space is so important. The CNG process where we centralize our attention on Mutual Learning transforms partners, or the creative group itself. This is because we cannot anticipate what we will need until we need it and, somehow, we then attract it. When we are open to it, the Universe is always great at providing new options that we did not even know existed. This is the result of asking big questions and letting the answer(s) emerge in their own time. It is about a co-creative, mutual discovery.
Mutual Learning encourages us to fully participate, knowing that it is our sense of abundance that is going to attract solutions. In this process, we are not positional or responsible for pieces of the puzzle individually. Instead, it is when everyone embraces the entire process to brainstorm various possibilities that the problem shifts into a new format. Sometimes, the real problem is how we define it. When we find the right question, it makes a solution path more apparent. In the CNG, this direct truth sharing creates a release of tension when we find the perfect response or answer. This process is called Direct Knowing because it is not interpreted through our safety and security system. Instead, it becomes a Transpersonal and integrated Truth for this circumstance and in this moment.
Mutual Learning is where we are not in control, which allows us to be open about what we can learn, how we learn, and what works with partners to maximize our learning together. Most people do not know how to do Mutual Learning because they think that their way of learning has to be imposed on the situation for it to be understood by both themselves and others. What if we could explore paradoxical ways of learning that do not require us to go into our past coping skills associated with learning so that we are actually available in the learning process? This requires a new approach to thinking with others that can bring us together. It is not accomplished by forcing anything to happen in a preset way. For example, if we believe that we have to see an example of something before we can learn how to engage it, maybe we want to explore listening to another and imagining possibilities rather than drawing out a picture of it. Not only are there different patterns of learning, but there are different Beliefs about how we should learn that get in the way of natural learning.
We can see this most easily in younger children and how easily they learn about everything in their environment, such as computers. It is our preconceptions that cause obstacles to our learning process, which can be overcome by having others present with us in the process. As we discussed earlier, it is our Playfulness and Paradox that leads to Mutual Learning. Playfulness allows us to explore roles without becoming attached to a fixed way of operating. It is an exploration and adventure that introduces new possibilities to us. Paradox is the capacity to see different versions of things and how they may actually form a unified Context. When we put these practices together and we are passionate about moving forward in some way, our intention attracts what is needed to make these lessons manifest.
We have a lot of fun when we do not have to be accountable to a particular goal. What if we took the pressure off and said that there was no fixed outcome and that it was up to us to determine what we wanted to do with what we learned? How would we approach a learning process with another person if we did not need to impress them or prove to them how smart we are? What if we could be silly, stupid, ignorant, and still have a satisfactory and fulfilling outcome? Mutual Learning is about making this experience real. It requires no judgment, but instead a steady, open exploration of possibilities and what their usefulness and meaning may mean to us. We do not need more people thinking the same old way. Enough people are covering all the main fears and desires of humanity. It is time to think outside of our previous box of learning.
The power of Attraction empowers us personally and empowers those around us with our reflected abundance when we act in service to the world. Attraction occurs when we are creatively actualized. The more actualized we are, the more likely we are to see ourselves as stewards of the resources to which we have been entrusted. The key issue is to empower the greater good by determining how to best use the available resources to deepen and enrich what we already have. This process requires Wisdom, Aliveness and Awareness. It also encourages us to take responsibility for the power of our creative thinking by not fixating on Thoughts that will not make things better. We need to learn how to practice right thinking so that our actions mirror our intentions. Otherwise, creative distractions like cursing, anger, malice, irritation, entitlement and fear, empower the weeds in our garden.
At this level, we learn how to receive and give Light. On Level 2 we learned to operate in our Truth and express ourselves Autonomously. This is expanded on Level 3, when we learned to take others into account so we could operate with a degree of equality. On Level 4, we learned how to be Co-Creative, so our Light could be shared. This allows us to support others in learning their Truth and build greater capacity to operate in Wisdom. The Truth becomes a creative way to share our selves and to influence creative projects that enhance global possibilities. The more deeply we immerse ourselves in what we know and eliminate what we now see as barriers to knowing, the greater our connection to Universal Truth.
We manifest Attractions by using the CNG to precipitate our mutual intentions. For example, if we want to bring about a peaceful world and we have an abiding interest in diplomacy, politics and mediation, we need to begin to creatively empower a CNG space that opens us up to the highest inspirations or insights that can be brought into to a particular circumstance, creating a rain cloud of possibilities and resources to emerge out of this inquiry. Any topic, any issue, is ripe for determining how it could best be used in service to the planet. As you might have noticed, we are not trying to manifest money because the wealth of who we are is in our ability to be creative and to empower new thoughts. These opportunities can turn into money when it serves our purpose and it fits with the universe’s idea of what would benefit it. As we can see, the power of thought is the power to affect change in the world for the good of all.
Pregnant Duration is the capacity to use time to unpack solutions. When we can shift our perceptions of time, we have all the time in the world. Our fears of not having a solution come from a lack of security, which further pressures us to push forward, making us less effective. We need to turn this process around using Pregnant Duration to validate that everything we need to know, we do know. It helps to recognize that every solution we need will turn up at the right time and place if we let it. The solution may additionally only be available after all the variables become apparent. Some would say this is a Jedi mind trick because we are psyching ourselves out to have greater possibilities. We say it is better to work from a state of abundance rather than a state of scarcity, which our limited Personality prefers. When we are fully empowered by our Creative Expression, Pregnant Duration becomes a natural flow.
Pregnant Duration is experienced by shifts in time where either time is compressed or expanded. The paradox is the more we trust our experience to work out, the greater the distortions we experience in time. This means that when we are locked into minute-by-minute items to do or we have compressed, outer deadlines, we experience time in a linear way. Our mind becomes synchronized with the experience of time with others and we do not have an individual variation. Pregnant Duration allows us to leave the group mind-sync and experiment with different ways of seeing our own experience. When we get used to thinking in a non-linear way, it becomes easier to bring others into our experience of time. Some individuals report that they can see light emanating from their partners when they are in a Pregnant Duration framework. This is because, at this point, they are synchronizing with the truth of their partner and are synthesizing a higher, more unifying way of being. We call this experience creating a Mutual Truth. In relationships, this allows us to know how to deal with problems from our partner’s point of view, helping us anticipate what they need. When we operate in relationships using the Mutual Truth in our CNG space, even if our partner is not available, we can recreate what they would do. When having a Mutual Truth is practiced for a while, our partners are energetically connected to the CNG and we can feel their response to anything we post in it.
Pregnant Duration is the result of taking charge of our own experience of Time. It is a natural outcome of resolving the duality between our Emotions and Thoughts. When these are unified within us, we can discuss things with greater Wisdom and intellectual equanimity. This means we are not attached to what we are saying, as much as we are using Thoughts to move processes forward. It opens a greater depth to consider the power of Thoughts and Emotions as Transpersonal Content to both affirm and enrich others. This means that we do not need to prove what we know or pressure ourselves to convey it in any particular way. People can trust what we are saying because we have actually thought things through. It also means that there are easy ways we can explain our thinking that could help others with similar perspectives. This opens up Mutual Learning opportunities. As our Truth gets shared and their Truth is shared, Transpersonal Content develops. Many times, we need to let things incubate or find a new grounding before more complex and synthesized Wisdom can be introduced. People need to learn to take in information at the appropriate time to facilitate it being anchored appropriately. This is why the Compatibility Factor of Pacing is so connected with Pregnant Duration.
When we are around individuals who are not intellectually stable or clear, they can have a draining impact on us, particularly if they are caught up in Subjectification patterns. Their need to prove themselves places a demand that we conform to their one-dimensional thinking. People with Subjectification also require agreement to simply have a conversation. We can see when people are doing Subjectification patterns when they have little or no ability to process their own emotional and intellectual experience. Instead, they are using pre-constructed frameworks to anchor their personality views at the cost of any growth or development. Pregnant Duration creates more room for these individuals to experience the deeper aspects of their Truth, or lack of it, which can make them agitated. When we do a Common Neutral Ground, we can reduce this agitation by giving them time to unpack their experience by reframing the experience in a way that makes it more accessible to them. This involves taking more time between each concept so it sinks in, which makes another demand on us. We are helping them create their own Pregnant Duration. The key issue is not to force the process or think negative Thoughts about their way of engaging the process; this only amplifies their Subjectification.
When there is mutual Pregnant Duration, conversations flow magically. Synchronistic events occur that bring out possibilities that neither parties imagined. We end up not being able to predict what will occur because it so effectively Transforms our interpretive framework. As a result, we are frequently surprised by the breakthroughs that occur. Decision-making takes on a whole new interesting and playful form. In most of these situations, the humor and ironic elements emerge and we are able to see the picture from many different dimensions simultaneously. The more open we are, the more we are supported in developing Intuitive Discrimination. This is the ability to see the continuum of choices and not be blinded by our own Defense patterns. Intuitive Discrimination allows solutions to emerge that are not anguished or difficult, but rather clear and agreed on by everyone. The only problem that can arise is when individuals become either triggered, fall into Defensive positions, and/or cannot deal with their own fear; these limit their participation. When they realize that this is what is going on, it helps for them to take ownership of it so that they can see how to transcend these fears. What they need to do is to trust their body to relax, concentrate on their Stillness, and imagine flooding their personalities with pure, white light.
The best way to work out thorny problems is to start with acknowledging what you trust and what your vision is. The more we affirm, not just our personal truths, but how these are similar to the other people in the process, the more we can get in alignment where mutual expressions become more useful and powerful. This top-down approach allows us to work from our Motives, to our Attractions, and onto our Skills allowing us to engage whichever of our Personality problems are in the way. It is not useful to talk about Personality Fears and Desires before we talk about the bigger picture of Love, Light and Life energy. Otherwise, our Personality reactions will trigger the Personality reactions of others and we will soon be stalemated and locked in a situation with no way out. It is better by far to work from acknowledgements rather than any form of criticism. The small issues do not matter as long as the larger, centralizing issues are addressed. This all comes back to telling the truth about what makes us whole. When we cannot get to this wholeness, nothing will be solved.
Group Decision Making Processes
Consensus decision-making requires individuals to go beyond our own way of doing things. We need to be able to see that there can be ways of doing things that would be better than the ways we would naturally be comfortable with. Some of us get caught in the trap of believing that if others do not agree with our way of doing things, then we cannot do it. Can we agree that we can have parallel tracks, or are able to do things in different ways as an experiment to create the best solution? The answer, of course, is our attachment to being right. It indicates that when it comes to groups, we still do not trust the group to come up with its own solutions. It also indicates that we have not completely bonded between our Thoughts and Emotions so we are not sure how to deal with differences in perspective held by others. If we were bonded in our Thoughts and Emotions, we would be able to read the Thoughts and Emotions of others and we would not be threatened at all.
Groups need alignment as much as people. This requires the full expression of Thoughts and Emotions so that multiple choices can be examined. From the larger picture, humanity is at a crossroads. Ecologically, psychologically and financially. Engineering consensus is obviously the next step on the horizon. This requires learning how to work together so that external differences can be transformed into multiple groups of problem solvers that work on the issue from different perspectives. What this takes initially is a desire to do Mutual Learning. This creates a state of entrainment allowing the full possibilities to be seen and diagrammed by each sub-group. Otherwise, our Personality reactions will be our undoing. The result will be greater resistance, less understanding, and any kind of growth will be sabotaged by others’ fears.
Mutual problem solving is one of the primary dilemmas of our age, and what makes it difficult is the continuum between fully Convergent and fully Divergent decision making styles. Convergent styles seek incremental improvements, day to day by organizing the solution so it can be quickly implemented. Divergent styles seek to explore all the options until they feel inspired to take action by doing the project as completely as possible. Convergent individuals organize and plan while Divergent individuals give themselves time and space to implement options. Convergent individuals want to be predictable and productive while being time-oriented. Divergent individuals want to be different, comprehensive and complete without pre-defining how it should be. Additional confusion arises because of the fragmentation that comes from adopting our parental styles and coping mechanisms (Imprinting).
What makes this more challenging is that we can approach different areas with different decision-making processes. For example, at work we can be more Convergent, while in personal relationships we are more Divergent. The third option refers to our personal creative time, which is usually our true decision-making approach. What are you? More Convergent or more Divergent? We can validate our personal decision-making approach by the degree to which we maintain our Passion and energy, so we do not have to please others. When we are operating in our Imprinting, we are always resistant to any decision-making process. It usually becomes a burden when interacting with others. It takes more energy to interact beyond our natural creative patterns. It is easy when we accept our natural approach and operate in it. At the core of these two styles, our decision-making can be differentiated as either orderly or free-spirited.
There are six Approaches to Decision-Making:
- Closed Down — We are heavily Imprinted by our parents and conflicts are not easily resolved. We refuse to make quick choices due to a fear it will be the wrong thing to do. This occurs because we are torn between the desire to please our selves and others in authority. We end up believing we cannot enjoy making decisions because we have no practical experience of how those decisions can make us feel empowered. We would rather defer decisions to others and have them make choices for us so we do not have to be responsible for the outcome.
- Switchable Decision-Making — In this situation, usually one parent is Convergent and the other is Divergent, so we learn to make Convergent choices with the Divergent parent and Divergent choices with the Convergent parent. This natural opposition is meant to help the situation by creating a balanced outcome where neither party is completely compromised. This process works well if we can respond the way we want. Unfortunately, we do not feel great about our Decision-Making process, as none of it is really joyful.
- Convergent Decision-Making — We like being time-focused so we quickly see the most likely options and get into action on them. The initial goal is to break down the Decision-Making process into a series of steps that get us moving in the right direction. Over time, we apply incremental improvements that refine our Decision-Making as new information becomes available. We are joyful about our Decision-Making when we can plan and implement a project or event. This joy is diminished to the degree that we have Divergent Imprinting.
- Divergent Decision-Making — We explore and open up possibilities so everything can be considered. We then investigate, without a timeframe, various options and consider alternative outcomes. When one choice feels appropriate and on the mark it motivates us to jump fully in and attempt to get everything done at once. This flexibility creates joy in us. This joy is diminished to the degree that we have Convergent Imprinting.
- Variable Decision-Making — When we grow up attempting to deal with differences in Decision-Making, we learn to mix and match our responses to fit circumstances. This means we sometimes do Convergent responses with Convergent decision makers and Divergent responses with Divergent decision makers. This ability to align with others is usually based on a fluidity and flexibility within ourselves so we do not feel compromised. The degree of compromise establishes the degree to which we can be flexible. Some creative expressions (Story Tellers, Visionaries and Inventors) naturally operate in this way.
- Open Ended Decision-Making — When we are not locked into any preconceived Decision-Making patterns, we are available to meet others wherever they are. This means we have acknowledged our own style and have gone beyond it by experiencing joy in all styles. This approach is optimal for leading and managing groups, because we can see what is needed and deliver it without problems.
When we accept and understand our Decision-Making approach, it empowers us to work more effectively with others. Any approach done consciously allows us to notice when something works or does not in our interactions. The more conscious we are about Decision-Making, the more we try to bring harmony to the process by discussing differences to create a consensus approach. Problem solving is one of major ways to bring a group into alignment. The challenge is to right-size the discussion group so everyone can participate in a way that forwards the process. When there are too many individuals in a group, the situation can crawl to a halt. When too few, it does not fully represent the larger community. A first action could be to organize a decision-making group by creating sub-groups that are Convergent and Divergent to discuss the issues. When this occurs the two groups can follow their nature and work out the best options/solutions. They could also select individuals who could represent them in a consensus-building working group. If these discussions were videoed or recorded so that they were transparent, this would result in mutual and fair solutions.
The inner issues of solving these kinds of intractable problems require invoking solutions through concentration, meditation and contemplation. This is greatly enhanced by using the CNG to invite support. By holding our mind steady in the light, we maximize the ability of the universe or anyone we admire to bring in relevant insights or perspectives. We can do this by visualizing the person, the topic, or any other question that is important to us in a five to ten minute process. We could either do this every day, or once a week, with the intention of producing a certain result before the end of the process. We could access any historical, scientific or religious person currently alive or passed that contributed their thought to the universal mind. Since all creative thinkers have a sort of immortality based on making contributions in this way, all the insights of the world are always accessible. The more we can focus on the topic on which we want input, while being receptive to universal knowing or Straight Knowledge, the easier we will access it. A genuine evocation for support or help is seldom denied. The more transpersonal the request is, the more suggestions we will receive, not only for ourselves, but also for others in our group.
Presenting Content Without Positions, Projections or Attachments
If we are to manage Content better, so that in time we attract what we need to know when we need to know it, we need to improve how to declare our Intent. When we are with a group of people, it is best to start by making an Intent statement and following it up with a Context statement. For example, we may say, “We have come here today to solve this particular problem because it will benefit us if we can engage the world in this new way.” What this accomplishes is to focus on the energetic possibility that we need to engage. It also establishes the WorldView level of the discussion at hand when we state what we hope to accomplish in the process. All groups process Content based on Communication Process, Decision Making Approach and WorldView. The more inclusive we are to different ways of communicating and different ways of engaging the decision making, the less difficult and more harmonic the process will be. Content is also greatly affected by differences in Pacing and Defense style. These two factors can have polarizing impacts, which minimize the perceptions of others because they typically shut down when others push their own perspective.
Every type of Creative Expression has its own focus or gift where they rely on Intent, Content or Context to effectively convey their truth. This focus is only modified or amplified by the sequence of a person’s Communication Process. For example, An Inventor, Investigator, Implementer, who is Feel, Act, Think would emphasize Context (Inventor and Feel First), then Intent (Mental Body Implementer and Act Second), and Content last (Investigator Secondary and Think last). This means that this type of individual would do best with more Context up front, more discussion about why we are doing what we are doing, and getting to the details at the end of the process. A group of these individuals would be easy to work with. The problem we encounter is when we have mixed groups, which require us to cycle through Intent, Content and Context, systematically in order to provide opportunities for everyone to understand what is going on.
Another application of CNG is to be able to gather energetic connections into the CNG by using Intent and attractions to Content to make insights and information available to us. This is similar to establishing an Intent and releasing a problem into the world so a solution can show up. While people may not be using a CNG to accomplish this, with a CNG it becomes more possible to know the status of a problem on a moment-to-moment basis. The practice of this process also allows us to bring internal resources into the open. Some individuals have imagined books they want to write, so they become a fully developed metaphor and representation of what they are working to create. The more we can evoke answers from the universe directly by attracting exactly what we need, exactly when we need it, the more we experience the universe supporting us. We recommend imagining an indigo book in the CNG to connect to the universal library.
All this takes is being able to set an Intention, Attract the necessary Content, and engage the process by growing our Context. This whole process is how we become conscious of our deeper gifts. While some people would say that this comes from our inner knowing, we prefer to see it as a gift from the universe for contributing to it. We can expand this experience by imagining that we are doing it in the CNG and that because it is an open CNG, others can share and contribute to this space directly, based on their desires and interests. While it is useful to know all of the people who are contributing to these types of situations, it is not necessary if have set the Intent clearly. Personally, I use this technique in classes to make the right resources energetically available so individuals will be able to engage the process on a deeper level.
We manifest Attractions by using the CNG to precipitate our mutual intentions. For example, if we want to bring about a peaceful world and we have an abiding interest in diplomacy, politics and mediation, we need to begin to creatively empower a CNG space that opens us up to the highest inspirations or insights that can be brought into a particular circumstance, creating a rain cloud of possibilities and resources to emerge out of this inquiry. Any topic, any issue, is ripe for determining how it could best be used in service of the planet. As you might have noticed, we are not trying to manifest money because the wealth of who we are is in our ability to be creative and to empower new thoughts. These opportunities can turn into money when it serves our purpose and fits in with the universe’s idea of what would benefit it. As we can see, the power of thought is the power to affect change in the world to create what will be the best for all.
Our primary tool to awaken others to the problems we need to confront is the right use of creative power. Our ability to unify our Thoughts and Emotions empowers us to both see our Truth and clearly perceive the Truth of others. This allows us to quickly determine mutual solutions. The Light in our Being grows and magnifies, as we become an enlightened brain cell in the mind of the planet. We learn the cost of not seeking our highest knowing, and commit ourselves to doing so. Most importantly, we become indifferent to Subjectification and are no longer impacted by it. Some individuals will develop telepathy at this level of embodiment. Others, depending on their connection to their higher creative source, become more able to download insights and explanations for all kinds of problems. When we transform our Truth and reorganize our perception frameworks, we become a resource of unimagined value.
We must never impose our insights, beliefs or suggestions on others, this action will close down any support. Any Objectification, Subjectification, or Idealization will minimize the flow of support. For those of us who are not comfortable asking for support, perhaps we will be able to accomplish the same thing using our intuitive connection to our Self. Make a request for inner knowing about a topic in order to attract a solution. It is helpful to imagine the way an optimized solution would show up. By focusing on this experience, we can evoke a clear vision of how this can be done. By using the law of attraction, we build bridges, not just between thoughts, but forge connections between people as they engage solutions with us. On an intuitive level, others can greatly stimulate our breakthroughs. It has to do with being able to see and accept the way they think and superimposing it on our own process. In this way, we do not need to wait for the right time for an idea to change the world, because we are changing the world with each connection we make. The way to build consensus is to make sure that each member of the group is aligned as much as possible with the group. Otherwise, non-aligned members will naturally sabotage the process. What we want to do is minimize the dissonance between the people on each level, and then on each new level or area of added activity. Otherwise, a lack of Passion will eventually diminish the growth of our contribution.
When we gather individuals into a group for the purpose of solving problems, it facilitates the process immensely if we establish a CNG. We do not even need to tell everyone that there is a CNG. Instead, just a few people could ground, stabilize, and manage the CNG for the group. What they need to do is to make sure that everyone’s contribution is acknowledged, and to imagine that all the information is available in the CNG and is easily available to all the members. Then perform some energetic hygiene practices, like clearing the space before starting and closing it down at the end of the process. This type of situation is perfect to practice Spacious Presence, Pregnant Duration and Skillful Means. In Higher Alignment, we do these practices in every class. This makes the information more available in the moment and over time, when students want to remember a past experience. Most individuals who become proficient in CNG will tell you that they don’t know how it works, just that it does.
When we focus on our creative differences, we deny creative self-love and acceptance. The result is that we do not trust things to work out. This leads us to plan for the worst and deny the magic of our creative gifts. We are in Idealization when we project on others or expect them to respond in a particular way. Instead, it is Individual Resourcefulness and the ability to envision how what we are doing can fit into the larger solution. It requires us to tune into the Context so that we possess points of reference for shaping our vision. The paradox is that we want to let go of Defensive Personality differences to embrace larger creative differences that can guide our solution thinking. At this level we tend to attract to us exactly what is needed to discover the best course of action.
The most useful attitude at this level is to acknowledge what is not working so we can quickly move forward to what does work. Self-forgiveness is the capacity to recognize when we are caught in a reaction so we can reframe the experience in a more holistic way. Emotional perceptions are just as important as intellectual ones. The best way to heal ourselves is to see the higher ground that includes the challenges we are facing. We cannot get anywhere by moving the problem around. Mutual Learning helps by keeping the conversation fresh so one partner is always uplifting or honoring the larger Context. In any creative group, at least one or more individual has to be able to invoke the new possibility into being. The important thing is to bring all the insights into relationship with one another. This means we do not argue over the details, and that everything is a detail. This suggests that there is no need to argue at all on this level. Here we see the opposite mirror image of Level 2 (Security Reactions), where we argued all the time! With Mutual Learning, we are always coming from a unified state.
Deepening into our greater knowing takes Trust. We are not caught up in the fear that the solution will be unsolvable. Instead, we want to be confident that every time we need to remake our vision, we can easily redefine our part in it to serve both the organization and ourselves. Our biggest obstacle is to believe that change will make us obsolete. The underlying fear is that we may be overwhelmed by its complexity. Greater consciousness is always the answer to greater complexity. When we can accept that we have a creative destiny that is always supporting us to be the best we can be, we no longer need to be fearful about external change. It is normal that some individuals will outgrow the organization by being drawn to another possibility. We need to encourage people to follow their own hearts so our personal fears do not become a limitation that keep us from fully participating in the organization’s growth.
We do not need to personalize our knowing. Many individuals equate information with power because they personalize the decision-making process. When we do comparative thinking, we build our ego and become identified with the Thoughts we have. This limits our ability to move and grow with the organization or Universe. The more we identify with what we know, the more it builds our defensive identity, which makes us appear more stupid. We cannot respond appropriately to circumstances if we are attached to the Positions we hold. This is because any attachment to a position prevents us from seeing the larger picture. Positions limit our thinking and guarantee conflict. The more Transpersonal we become, the less we are attached to any form of personal, egoic identifications. This means we primarily operate in Unity thinking, unless others need to be valued or seen on the Comparative (Level 3), Deductive (Level 2) or Associative Thinking (Level 1) frameworks. We can eliminate a lot of distractions if we acknowledge individuals where they need acknowledgment.
Until now, we have focused on the neutral aspect of a CNG. In Level 6, we let go of the dualities of our truth so we can operate completely from Wisdom. This means we are no longer doing any form of Objectification, Subjectification or Idealization. This empowers us channel resources into the Common Ground without creating reactions with others. Others, are, of course, invited to place resources in the Common Ground with us. This levels the playing field so that conscious Co-Creation can manifest with greater possibilities. The resources we place in the Common Ground reflect the nature of what we are discussing.
Anytime we wish to have a more balanced conversation with others, and they are sensitive to the energetics of the Common Ground, they will feel empowered if we imagine placing our insights into the Common Ground space. This greatly reduces the imposition of our thoughts upon others (known as Subjectification). Sometimes, we just want to add certain qualities that could benefit the group we are with, such as trustworthiness, curiosity, harmony, or a desire for conscious striving for new perspectives.
It is helpful that we place the complete experiences we have had in the Common Ground and not just intellectual principles or particular Content. The more embodied our experience of a particular area, the more flexibility it will give us to respond to others in deep ways, so that the examples and the discussion can be a fully embodied exchange. In order to prevent Objectification, we need to have examples of individuals addressing and doing particular things to solve the problem. In order to address Subjectification, we need to have a diversity of approaches or possibilities so there is no ‘one right way’. Some individuals see the modalities (Thoughts, Emotions, Feelings, and Sensations) as either energetic particles, waves or both. From observing there effects and impacts HA tends to see these transfers as both. Whatever our observation these experiences are not just things but a transition of one possibility to another. More research is needed to discover a way to talk about our experiences beyond Intent, Content and Context.
One example of this is the difference between Ideals and Idealization. In ideals, the possibility is whole and complete. In Idealization, the need to be good is overwhelmed by our capacity to implement, which causes the experience to be incomplete. This means our Emotions and Feelings are unbalanced or incomplete. In order to address Idealization, we need to accept the passion and emotional progress that occurs when we find the best solution. We also need to make sure that the individuals involved are not repressing their experience or it will diminish the power of others to manifest their intentions. Fortunately, our facilitators are trained to invite others into an alignment process, so the solution can be used to anchor the discussion. Having these solutions available in a CNG can be as simple as recalling and recreating these experiences from the last discussion we had about the topic we are engaging. For us, in Higher Alignment, we teach facilitators to use all their own resources and incorporate all of the other class experiences, so there is a rich, internal environment for the mutual discovery of new possibilities.
Dealing with Group Impacts
We can see the impact of using past solution frameworks when we teach classes in different cycles and see how each class can deepen in ways the previous classes could not. The full manifestation of this technique can only occur when we have a significant group size. Otherwise the morphogenic field created is not rich enough to contain the full discussion. This means that in smaller groups, under 12 individuals, it will take the facilitators more energy and they will have to use more of their own resourcefulness to direct the CNG so that people can take away a complete and fulfilling experience. We also recommend, that in smaller groups, there is more emphasis in inviting people to share their own experiences so that individuals can go directly to the areas in themselves where there are challenges and make the adjustments they need to function more effectively.
With larger groups, it will take less of the facilitator’s energy to direct the flow of the energy in the CNG. The big issue is where to put energetic attention in the room to facilitate what needs to come out in the process. For example, we might experience various parts of the room lighting up or generating movement, which means that we need to call on the people in that area to bring them into the center of the process. Wherever there is a dead or fixed energetic space is where we need to improve the circulation, which usually is best accomplished by placing our energy in that area and circulating it to the other areas of the room. The maxim is that thought follows energy. The reverse can also be true. Sometimes there are places in the group that are stuck or feel difficult. Our goal is to uplift and this by naming the obstacle that it relates to so these areas can be released from their existing confines. Sometimes there may be individuals breaking down or crying, which is a natural response to the shifts they are experiencing. Our goal is to be inclusive and yet not patronize them in any way. We can be empathetic but not sympathetic, which is a form of judgment.
Ultimately, we want to be able to find and have individuals embody whatever solution they settle upon. This means bringing the process into their bodies before the group discussion ends, and making sure that it is alignment with their own intentions. We accomplish this by having people speak about what they have learned and what they will do moving forward. On the content level we want others to be aware of the options and the investment required for each choice. The most important level is context, where others take responsibility for their own choices so their actions, thoughts and passion can be completely in alignment.
Learning to share our Content is what provides opportunities for leadership in creative projects. We need to be able to conceive how to make a difference on an individual level so that we can invite others to make a difference. We also have to use our innate skills to bring out the best in others by seeing who they are and what they may substantially contribute. When we do this, a greater clarity of purpose emerges and others follow our lead. The more we accept our Creative Nature, the more we can differentiate between the illusion and Creative Promise. We learn to do more with less and to only do what is necessary to bring about the least destructive outcome. Meditation can help develop the intuitive discrimination necessary for surgically precise choices. We need to remove our attention from illusion to affirm what is real. What is left is the best possible set of choices.
The benefit of this process is that unexpected possibilities will emerge that will have a chance of magnetically attracting the best outcomes. Commonplace assumptions and predictions will be overturned in the process. While it is easy to fall into the trap of believing we know the answers, this experience really is an indication of Subjectification. As long as we operate from fixed Beliefs, we are unconsciously sabotaging our own creative future. This is because it limits our Growth and recognition of what is possible. Some people feel comfortable when they have Beliefs because they do not have to exercise their sense of inquiry and on a higher level (their own Creative Nature). Since we are by nature, thinking beings, why not use this ability to bring about the changes we want. Sharing our thinking becomes the real shortcut to co-creative vibrancy and the discovery of mutual Truths. When the time is right, change will emerge and manifest.
The power of Attraction empowers us personally and empowers those around us with our reflected abundance when we act in service to the world. Attraction occurs when we are creatively actualized. The more actualized we are, the more likely we are to see ourselves as stewards of the resources to which we have been entrusted. The key issue is to empower the greater good by determining how to best use the available resources to deepen and enrich what we already have. This process requires Wisdom, Aliveness and Awareness. It also encourages us to take responsibility for the power of our creative thinking by not fixating on thoughts that will not improve matters. We need to learn how to practice right thinking so that our actions mirror our intentions. Otherwise, creative distractions like cursing, anger, malice, irritation, entitlement and fear, empower the weeds in our garden.
The best way to work out thorny problems is to start with acknowledging what you trust and what your vision is. The more we affirm, not only our personal truths, but how these are similar to the other people in the process, the more we can get into alignment where mutual expressions become more useful and powerful. This top-down approach allows us to work from our Motives to our Attractions to our Skills and then allows us to engage whichever of our Personality problems are in the way. It is not useful to talk about Personality Fears and Desires before we talk about the bigger picture of Love, Light and Life energy. Otherwise, our Personality reactions will trigger the Personality reactions of others and we will soon be stalemated and locked in a no way out situation. It is better by far to work from acknowledgements rather than any form of criticism. The small issues do not matter as long as the larger, centralizing issues are attended to. This all comes back to telling the truth about what makes us whole. When we cannot achieve this wholeness, nothing can be solved.
Our Truth-telling needs to be personally integrated before we can effectively represent our Truth to a group. Being present with our Truth means having no Positions or Attachments to a predetermined outcome. When this occurs we can facilitate a larger conversation with others so they can autonomously respond and make conscious choices. This is where Personality Integration (which serves our Creative Nature) is required. Common Neutral Ground is a critical resource for sensing when there are incongruities within our self and others. We need to learn how to resolve our contradictions internally before we deal with the contradictions of others in the group. Intuitive Discrimination is a necessary skill to navigate between where we are and also where others are operating. This Skill teaches us how to acknowledge all possibilities so we do not react and fall into pre-defined judgments. These judgments are just old thought habits, where we falsely assume things have not changed. It is not so much that we need to push others to awaken to our view of the situation, but that we want to support others in examining how they may be blindsided by certain circumstances and old thought patterns. This takes an ability to recognize where we have group alignment and where we do not.
The sixth level of embodying a CNG is where we come to understand the transpersonal nature of Knowing by unifying our Content. In this situation, we discover there is no limit to how we can use Thoughts and Emotions to create new possibilities. We start to experience how powerful our Thoughts and Emotions are and become able to read the Thoughts and Emotions of others. Sometimes this even emerges as a form of Telepathy. For most individuals, it is first experienced as alignment of purpose that allows us to think together and in lock step with each other. The real importance of this process is that it takes us beyond our personal concerns and we become more committed to universal types of discoveries. When we reach this level of Knowing, many people outside of our CNG consider us geniuses. This is because they cannot understand that Thoughts are not linear or sequential, but form-and pattern-based. This means the more we meditate on certain symbols, the more we get in touch with our ability to modify or re-create cosmic principles.
One way to build our sense of connection to the universe is to explore energetic connections with other people over large distances. For example, we can meditate and ground our energy so that we can make ourselves available to higher Thoughts, perhaps of Goodwill, connection or abundance between individuals at a set time. We might be amazed at the degree to which, in a CNG, we can tune in and experience other people’s Thoughts. What we are learning to do is to use the CNG as a space where we can hold our minds steady allowing us to be receptive to any energy we wish. It is also a great way to experience how everyone is interconnected on many levels. In the Alice Bailey work, found at www.lucistrust.org, one of the service projects is called Triangles. This is a great way to be connected to others at a fixed time of day, every day across the globe.
The irony of group interactions is that many individuals attempt to use personal principles to impose their standards on a group. This has unexpected and negative consequences. Until groups become familiar with the defensive distortions of Objectification, Subjectification and Idealization, there is little capacity to make sustained progress. The result is that we have ebbs and flows, forward and backward, in society in terms of cultural development. This results in fears being stimulated by change, desires getting high-jacked by principled advocates and everyone getting lost in Idealization patterns. It is a wonder we agree on anything. The real issue is that without conscious growth and development, this is unlikely to change soon. Everyone has to become more embodied in their own experiential Modalities to grasp differences in perspective in order to accurately understand what they mean.
Solving these problems in a group requires clear communication and an understanding of why certain issues are not being resolved. Without an appreciation of each individual’s Communication Process, we have no way of integrating their contribution. The sequence of our Communication Process reflects our priorities for how we communicate. A Think, Feel, Act individual prioritizes the Content or detail first, then the Context or big picture second, then the Intent or what needs to get done. This is entirely different from a Feel, Act, Think, who first seeks the Context or big picture, then focuses on the Intent (testing different actions) before thinking about the details and reviewing what worked. This means we need to be flexible in harvesting the various ways of knowing so that they can be unified into a more simultaneous expression. What we need to realize is that each individual will be doing their process and exploring their own results before they are able to present it to their partner or a larger group. The only way we avoid this is by having a group with the same Communication Process sequence.
Pregnant Duration releases us from defensive distortions so we can examine what Beauty, Truth and Goodness can manifest in any circumstance. Pregnant Duration is the ability to become so engrossed in a problem or resolution process that we do not realize how much time has lapsed. We can either experience time as expanding when we take a few minutes and feel we have focused on our problem for an hour, or where we focus for three hours, thinking it was only a matter of minutes. The key issue is that we have shifted into an alternate timeframe, where the problem can be addressed outside of its current time limitations. Meaning that the way we think of the problem shifts in significant ways when we are in this process. This way we can access it fully and figure out what we are going to do before we shift back into our normal operating reality.
Resolving conflict requires seeing different ways to bring others into alignment. The more conscious an individual is, the more interested they will be in seeing their self-limiting beliefs. Taking ownership of our issues allows our partners and communities to move forward and make progress. We want to affirm the kinds of alignments we share with our partners and communities so this progress can be enhanced. The way to accomplish this is to hear everyone so we can appropriately place their contributions in relationship to the larger picture. While it is useful not to seek credit for what we do, it is nice to be part of a group that honors its members by recognizing how their differences and similarities make our contributions possible. The best way to make decisions is by allowing everyone to engage a process and understand it to the degree needed to feel aligned with it. This is what we call Process Option Alignment. This is the indication that we are operating on Level 6. Opening up to conscious interactions and group-empowered decision-making can best occur with Common Neutral Ground principles and practices.
Greater sharing is the result of more unified thinking. When we see ourselves in others, it makes us more compassionate and willing to make sure they have what they need. Humanity itself is at a choice point regarding its future. Are we willing to be more inclusive, and find common ground with others, or will we become extinct, arguing over the possession of resources? What we need is a larger context, such as seeing the earth from space, where we acknowledge ourselves as one world. This requires being willing to talk about how we can work together to solve problems, allowing us to learn to work within the world to preserve the balance necessary to sustain us. What we are struggling with is how to come into a natural alignment with each other and the planet. To deny these possibilities is to guarantee our extinction. Cooperative sharing is our way out of this dilemma.
When we are creating a CNG to facilitate group decision-making, we need to use the Spacious Presence that we learned in the previous level to provide room for people to get their own answers. Most importantly, we should not be afraid that those having different answers could derail us. No. What is most likely to happen at this level is that we will come up with blended solutions that will redefine the problem in a new way, allowing everyone to be seen. What we are really dealing with here is that we need to be able to accept the differences and uncomfortable similarities with others and still produce a result. It is also crystal clear that we do not want to have a compromised solution. This means that we have to be Co-Creative and bring out new ways of seeing the process so no one feels that we are just creating a less viable, middle-ground solution.
Case Study 6: Co-Creative Romantic And Business Partnerships
April and Eric met in a college theater department play. They both enjoy theater and initially saw themselves as friends. While they noticed that they had a variety of similar interests they never imagined it would amount to much. When they graduated from college, they went their separate ways. Twenty-five years later they met at a de-forestation summit and found out they were both working part-time with eco-advocacy groups. April had become a spokesperson for various ecology education organizations after discovering that the film industry was hard to break into. Eric had completed his Masters and Doctorate in Environmental Science. As a university professor, he enjoyed doing both research and working with his grad students.
When they came together they found themselves both single after many years of being in long-term relationships. This made them cautious about getting involved in any co-dependent way. Fortunately, they matured and understood how projecting their issues on their partners did not work. They had a mutual desire for a partner with whom they would be able to share their Authentic Life Expression. The more they talked about their histories and what they had learned, the more recognition they had about how certain patterns, desires and goals were similar. As a way to contribute to her community, April was a Board member of a foundation feeding those who were homeless or did not have access to food. She invited Eric to join her Saturday process of sorting food contributions and then delivering them to the individuals in need. Eric found himself quickly enrolled in driving the truck and figuring out the best routes to get things done quickly. They found spending time together this way to be an easy way to relieve their stress.
April was also involved in attending psychology courses in order to learn how to best customize the messages they were developing for their eco-advocacy programs. As a writer, she started editing some of Eric’s papers to add more Context and to make the writing more accessible. He was surprised at her ability to take technical papers and make them more understandable. While they did some recreational activities together, more of their time was focused on supporting each other, which became a weekly process. Eventually, they started to ask the question, “What is the optimum expression of this relationship?” While they could easily identify being mentors for each other and co-collaborators on a number of activities, they soon realized that it was the mixture of all the activities which was creating balance in their relationship. They recognized they could have any kind of relationship they wanted and they had the confidence to explore both the romantic and creative opportunities that presented themselves.
Eric realized that April was an instigator and provocateur. Her intention and desire to serve larger outcomes was always surprising him. She saw the big picture, which complemented his ability to get things done. They both had a desire to make a difference in the world and were doing whatever they could to expand acceptance of others who were less fortunate, along with trying to mobilize those more fortunate to give. They saw themselves as facilitators for Right Action and Guardians of the Planet. Most importantly, their friends loved their partnership and all enjoyed being with each other. Their friends felt like an extended family. They soon developed an unbreakable heart connection and realized that, despite their past issues with marriage, they both wanted to get married as soon as possible. Their wedding event occurred 18 months to the day after their unforgettable reunion.
They quickly found and moved into a new home, which reflected their new sense of spaciousness and abundance. The creativity between them only increased the more they worked together. Opportunities kept showing up for them to work together, until most of the things they did were done as a team. Even the advocacy groups acknowledged that having these partners as part of the process was extremely productive. They took over and ran the Food Bank as a way to give back to the community. This allowed them to enroll all their friends in activities that made everybody feel better about their contributions to the community. The Mayor of the City soon acknowledged them for their contributions and strength of purpose. What they represented was a team that was many times more powerful together than alone. This is because they were immensely productive learning what was needed and how to best provide it. Knowing what we know in Higher Alignment, we recognize they had the same Primary, Secondary and Mental Body Expressions: Visionary/ Investigator/ Compassionate with the same Defense Styles (Dynamic Pioneering), same fast Pacing (65), and Communication Process (Think Feel Act). While they had some differences with their Decision-Making Style (she convergent, he divergent), they were able to neutralize these issues because of the preponderance of aligned factors.
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