From Living the New Story – Series 2

INTENTION
During the guided intention-setting exercise in my mind’s eye I saw this group becoming a collective unity more than the sum of the individuals, able to speak with one voice. My fantasy was that everybody had the same glimmer and my intention popped up to midwife that super-organism into birth. I recently re-read Theodore Sturgeon’s “More than Human” for the first time in more than 50 years. The climax, the final missing piece that completes the entity is a sixth human who embodies an ethos of care for all humanity. What kind of entity could emerge from a group of more than 100  people who ALL embody an ethos of care for all of life? I intend to do my best to find out.

The second part of my intention emerged after watching “A New Story and the Illusion of Separation” in Section 4 of the Pachamama course “Awakening the Dreamer”. The pivotal role of the stories of Separation and Connection (or Interbeing)  highlighted the obvious bridge between my environmental interests and my lifelong study of Buddhism. I realized that the strongest bridge between Buddhism and the New Story is the concept of interdependence, which I believe is central to Huayan Buddhism more than any other school.  I want to finally dive into Huayan, Avatamsaka, and Samabtabadra. I intend to uncover the mutual strands of nourishment (if any) between the current environmental movement and Chinese Huayan Buddhism.

Questions for ongoing reflection and dialogue

1. What thread of the new story are you carrying?

2. How can we honour the best of the old story and integrate it into the new?

3. How can we awaken to ourselves as powerful evolutionary leaders who have come to the planet at this time with a specific and significant role to play?

4. What are some small, yet tangible steps you can take to begin to accelerate a new story for humanity?

5. What are some of the local new story initiatives in your own community?

6. What are some recent new story movement milestones you’re witnessing in the world around you?

   Reflection Exercise

   • Find a quiet space where you won’t be disturbed.
   • Have a journal handy to record your responses to the exercise.
   • You may want close your eyes or just soften your gaze.
   • Take a deep breath and allow a sense of quiet spaciousness to enter your field of awareness.
   • Relax into your body and feel yourself rooted, grounded, held in loving support.
   • Let go of any busyness and begin to quieten the mind.
   • Bring into your awareness the regenerative impulse that is the New Story – the journey that we have just embarked on together and the intention you have set for the next 8 months. Allow your intention to consciously inform your reflection.
   • Hold lightly in your awareness the first ‘Question for ongoing reflection and dialogue: What thread of the new story are you carrying?’
   • Be curious and open to your own inner wisdom and guidance, beyond the intellect.
   • When you feel complete with this question, write down any insights that came to you.
   • Do this with each question, in turn. You may find that one or two questions hold a particular resonance for you at this time. Trust that this, in itself, is guidance about where your attention and energy is best placed in this moment.
   • When you feel complete with the reflection exercise, gently bring yourself back to the room.
   • Tune in to what needs to be shared with your fellow journeyers and post your reflections to our Facebook Group.