A Note to Our Community
Dear friends,
It is with heavy hearts that we share news of the passing of our dear friend and colleague Joao Noronha. Joao was meant to be a core faculty member for our upcoming Embracing Wholeness in Diversity program. His unexpected loss leaves a hole in our hearts and our plans.
Given this sad turn of events, we have made the difficult decision to postpone the October program while we take time to grieve, recalibrate, and reimagine our approach without Joao’s physical presence but with his spirit informing our work.
We will provide more information soon about rescheduled dates. Joao touched many lives across and we are trying to find comfort in gathering together in community during this time.
Much Love,
Sushant, Abigail, and All of us at Pacific Integral
“Everything you touch is changed by you. You change everything. We are changing one another as we speak. And not only that, we are changing one another, even if we don’t have contact. We are in a field of interconnection that we probably won’t understand for decades or centuries to come.”
10-week Virtual Learning Experience
Embracing Wholeness In Diversity: Towards Thriving Human Futures explores a future that embraces diversity in a way that can heal, liberate, and awaken our collective potential. In these challenging times, we often live with a confusing view that our differences are both insignificant and at the same time overpowering and unbridgeable. It is crucial to cultivate a deeper awareness and profound sense of our wholeness in and through our diversity. In this intimate 10-week learning experience, we will develop the capacities and skills to understand, engage with, and collaboratively shape a future that can both embrace and transcend the diversities of our experience as humans and as part of the living universe.
Gain an expanded and generative vision of a more inclusive future.
Cultivate greater understanding, empathy, and humility for realities and perspectives that extend beyond your own lived experiences.
Explore the relationship between trauma, shadow, and self-awareness with your own inner diversity and wholeness.
Engage in embodied inquiry and integrative practices to explore topics such as othering, prejudice, systemic injustice, collective trauma, and collective healing.
Develop discernment and appreciation for the gifts and limitations of today’s social and cultural movements and frameworks.
Explore theoretical and practical frameworks for understanding and actively engaging difference, diversity, inclusion, and integration.
Experience greater acceptance, appreciation, and reverence for the human condition.
“What if how we think about crisis is part of the crisis?”
Program Dates & Times
90-minute calls every Tuesday from Oct 10, 2023 through Dec 12, 2023
9am PT, 5pm London, 6pm Harare, 9:30pm India
Program Structure
Embracing Wholeness In Diversity takes place over 10 weeks, online. The core of the program consists of weekly 90-minute calls, during which we will engage with learning, practice, and reflection together, supported by a core faculty group and a series of guest contributors. In addition to the practice calls, you will receive weekly course materials that include informational videos, dialogs, and practices, presenting the ideas and distinctions we will work with that week. In addition, during the program you will be supported by an online community space where you are invited to connect with other participants and faculty.
KEY ELEMENTS
We will come together weekly via Zoom for a 90 minute practice session including teaching, dialogue, and embodied practice.
Learning content - We will share videos and/or readings covering key concepts and perspectives that inform the week’s topic and practice.
Practice groups - We will group you with other participants for smaller group practice during the weekly sessions. These groups will remain consistent for the duration of the program to allow for deepening trust and intimacy.
Post-program integration - We will host a follow up call after the program has completed to support your integration and application in daily life.
OPTIONAL ELEMENTS
Online community space - We will join each other in an online community where we can continue discussion, sharing, and reflection on the learning. Meet and stay connected with faculty and participants in the program.
Additional readings and other learning resources - We will suggest additional resources for those who wish to dive deeper into a particular aspect of the program.
“Rarely, if ever, does healing happen in isolation. Healing is an act of communion.”
Program Details
By deepening our capacities, we have the opportunity to reclaim and rewrite our collective human story. We aim to forge a future that harnesses the power, inherent importance, and creative potential of human diversity. To support this vision, we seek to actively address social injustices and inequities, while avoiding some of the pitfalls inherent in the work.
We recognize the human tendency to create divisions and "other" individuals, perpetuating ethnocentrism, prejudice, and power imbalances on personal and systemic levels. Recognizing the ways in which we have been shaped by oppressive systems, we seek to liberate our potential for justice, equity, inclusion, and healing. At the same time, some of the narratives and strategies used to address these issues can deepen divides and get in the way of the very solutions that are sought – a deeper inclusivity, equity, and justice. They can also lead to alienation, polarization, and a new set of power imbalances and injustices.
These issues are personal and systemic, historic and current. They involve our minds, hearts, bodies, and souls, including personal and collective trauma and the potential for collective justice and healing. Engaging together around these issues, turning towards them and each other, with humility, courage, honesty, and wholeheartedness can help us deepen our capacities to engage with differences, address power dynamics, and transcend divides. Together we can find new emergent futures that are more just, whole, and flourishing.
Sessions
Oct 10 - Session 1 - Embracing Wholeness In Diversity - Introduction
Oct 17 - Session 2 - Embracing Paradoxes: Oneness and Differentiation (with Vernice Solimar)
Oct 24 - Session 3 - Embodied Practice - Embracing Beyondness (with Joao Noronha and Abigail Lynam)
Oct 31 - Session 4 - Developmental Meaning Making: Culture and Language (with Susanne Cook-Greuter & Akasha Saunders)
Nov 7 - Session 5 - Moving Into Empowerment By Taking Responsibility (with Nomali Perera)
Nov 14 - Session 6 - Embodied Practice - Shadow work (with Abigail Lynam and Joao Noronha)
Nov 21 - Session 7 - Navigating Cultural Identities (with Karen Evanoff and Sushant Shrestha)
Nov 28 - Session 8 - Beloved Community (with Gabriel Wilson)
Dec 5 - Session 9 - Embodied Practice - Relational tending (with Joao Noronha and Abigail Lynam)
Dec 12 - Session 10 - Envisioning Thriving Human Futures
Schedule
90-minute calls every Tuesday from Oct 10, 2023 through Dec 12, 2023
9am PT, 5pm London, 6pm Harare, 9:30pm India
Register for Embracing Wholeness In Diversity
We understand that we all live in differing economic circumstances and don’t want cost to be an obstacle for your participation. We provide different price levels to suit different needs. We encourage you to register at the highest level you can afford. Sustaining level supports the production of the program. Supporting levels include a contribution to the scholarship fund, which allows those needing support to attend Pacific Integral programs. Those needing support can register for the Supporting level or contact us to discuss additional accommodations.
“Humanity needs a kind of spirituality that we can all practice together. Dogmatism and fanaticism have been the cause of great separation and war. In the twenty-first century … it will be possible to establish a cosmic religion based not on myth, belief, or dogma, but on evidence and the insight of interbeing.”
Core Faculty
Guest Contributors
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is the main focus of the course?
The course focuses on embracing diversity in a way that can heal, liberate, and awaken our collective potential. It aims to cultivate a deeper awareness and profound sense of our wholeness through our diversity, exploring topics such as othering, prejudice, injustice, trauma, and healing.
Who is this course suitable for?
This course is suitable for anyone interested in gaining a more inclusive vision of the future, cultivating understanding and empathy for diverse realities and perspectives, and engaging in self-inquiry about othering, prejudice, and collective healing. The course will also be of interest to those who care about these issues but find the current discourse to be insufficient, polarizing, or limiting.
How long is the course, and how will it be conducted?
The course spans 10 weeks and will be conducted online. Participants will engage in 90-minute weekly Zoom calls, complemented by course materials such as videos, dialogs, and practices. There will also be an online community space for participants to connect with each other and faculty.
Who will be leading the sessions, and what are some of the topics covered?
The sessions will be led by a core faculty group and guest contributors. Some of the topics covered include embracing paradoxes, culture and language, empowerment, shadow work, navigating cultural identities, and envisioning an inclusive future.
How will the course address the challenges of social injustices and power imbalances?
The course aims to actively address social injustices and power imbalances by engaging with topics like systemic injustice, collective trauma, and collective justice. Participants will explore strategies to transcend divides and promote deeper inclusivity, equity, and justice.
Can you explain the concepts of "embracing paradoxes" and "oneness and differentiation"?
"Embracing paradoxes" refers to recognizing and accepting the coexistence of seemingly contradictory elements, allowing for a deeper understanding of complex issues. "Oneness and differentiation" explore the balance between recognizing our interconnectedness as humans while also respecting and celebrating our unique differences.
How will the course support integration and application in daily life after completion?
After the program, there will be a follow-up call to support participants in integrating the learnings and practices into their daily lives, fostering lasting change and growth.
Can I join the course if I have no prior experience in the field of diversity and inclusion?
Yes, the course is open to individuals from various backgrounds and experiences. It is designed to be accessible and beneficial to both those with prior knowledge in the field and those new to the subject.
Will the course provide practical frameworks for applying the learnings in real-world situations?
Yes, the course will offer both theoretical and practical frameworks for understanding and actively engaging with difference, diversity, inclusion, and integration in real-life contexts.
Can I contact the course faculty if I have questions during the program?
Yes, participants will have opportunities to engage with the course faculty during the weekly calls and in the online community space for any questions or clarifications they may have.
Questions?
If you have questions, don’t hesitate to email us at support@pacificintegral.com. We are happy to hear from you.