Open Space sessions listed by topic

Focusing questions offered by the Salon's organizers:

  • How do we understand, interpret, apply, and communicate the evolutionary worldview offered by mainstream and emerging sciences, and harness the collective intelligence and social creativity of our species, to facilitate a positive impact on the evolution of humanity and the natural world?
  • How do we support a movement toward the conscious evolution of increasingly conscious social systems?
  • What is the worldview and what are the activities and strategies of the emerging movement to BECOME the new society, and how can we make the community of co-evolutionists more visible to itself so that it can be as influential as possible?
  • What existing or visionary forms of social creativity could play significant roles in the evolution of social systems?
  • How can "the Great Story" (the epic of evolution told as a personally and socially meaningful, inclusive, science-based creation myth) be told in ways that inspire millions of people with different belief systems to cooperate along just, sustainable lines? And what would have to happen for such a big picture sacred story to spark people to find their calling or contribution, becoming active agents of social  creativity?
  • What can we learn about the interrelated facets and dynamics of social evolution that can be used as a curriculum to educate agents of conscious evolution of social systems as well as orient people to the role of their work in the larger movement?
  • How can salons and other strategic conversations draw in diverse thought leaders and practitioners, sending them back out with increased individual and collective awareness, coherence, effectiveness and co-evolvability?

 

Artificial Life with Jack Semura


Evolutionary Salons are convened to explore (among other things) how we might effectively harness the collective intelligence and social creativity of our species for the benefit of the entire body of life -- and what a movement would be like that facilitated the conscious evolution of increasingly conscious social systems.

Here are some questions we can ask ourselves and each other to explore our own awakenings as a pathway into understanding some of the larger patterns at work.

 BECOMING A NEW SOCIETY

(1) Recall a time you worked with others on something that felt like it was part of an emerging "new society".  What was happening?  What did it feel like?  What made it meaningful?  What did you learn from it?

 EVOLVING A MOVEMENT

(2) Sometimes a movement not only lights a spark and takes off but also develops a strong staying power.  When have you been part of a movement that was able to sustain itself, responding and evolving as it grew? What supported you in entering, becoming active and ultimately bringing others along? What was it that made the movement as a whole so alert, creative and flexible?

 UNLEASHING SOCIAL CREATIVITY

(3) What kind of social creativity have you been involved with (or that you can imagine) that could play a significant role in the evolution of social systems?  Explore the potential impact you see in that.

 FROM EPIPHANIES TO ACTION

(4) Recall a time you had a profound realization that inspired you to action on behalf of the whole.  What happened?  How did you move from having the realization to taking action?  What were the outcomes?

 FROM INSPIRATION TO CALLING

(5)  Think of a time when you inspired someone else -- or a group of people -- to find their own way of making a difference in the world. What about you or your actions inspired them?  Do you have any ideas about how they identified their meaningful calling?

 MEANING AND IMPACT

(6)  Imagine looking back on an upcoming Evolutionary Salon from a year later, reflecting on its meaning and impact.  What three things would you most like to have happened as a result of your participation in that Salon?