Salon: Reinventing Europe, integral reflections in a rapidly changing world
Feedback from IEC Integral European Conference 2016, May 4-8 / 9-11 in Siόfok, Lake Balaton Hungary
Participants of the CHE Salon (May 2016th) experienced how rich, pragmatic and hopeful the Integral European Conference 30 was and what role CHEs and Spiral Dynamics Integral play in “Reinventing Europe”. The energetic and systemic (constellations) work at IEC received a lot of attention in the research question about the meaning for everyone and the world in transition.
Together with 416 participants from more than 30 countries, Anne-Marie Voorhoeve (The Hague Center for Global Governance, Innovation and Emergence and CHE) and Leida Schuringa (Synnervate and CHE), also on behalf of CHE and Marianne de Jager (Innervention) participated in this special conference, with the central question of whether we are reinventing Europe through an embodied integral perspective, with all the different value systems in synchronization. To integrate Spiral Dynamics Integral into the program and to mobilize CHE leaders and spiral wizards to participate, Anne-Marie built on her previous strategic connecting activities and worked closely with IEC director Bence Ganti. And so Integral and Spiral came closer together.
SDi was regularly 'on the plenary stage' every day with presentations by Don Beck, Said Dawlabani, expert in second tier economy, Elza Maalouf, author of the book Emerge! who provides a sharp analysis of the Middle East, and Leida as a participant in the plenary panel on the refugee crisis. In addition, prior to the conference, Don Beck gave a three-day SDi level 1 training in Budapest with 80 participants.
Dutch contributions to IEC2016: Anne-Marie Voorhoeve with Diana Claire Douglas on power and SDi Finding a home for the victim and the tyrant; Peter Merry and Hans Andeweg with ECOintention – Large-Scale Energetics, Anouck Brack and Miriam van Groen (Embodied Leadership), Leida Schuringa in various roles around the refugee issue, and keynote speaker Jos de Blok (Buurtzorg NL).
The 2nd Integral European Conference (IEC) is well documented – IEC Blog. The continuous photo presentation and the graphic work of Mathias Weitbrecht gave extra content to the Salon, as well as the presentation of the CHE – SDi ritual that Anne-Marie led with the input of Synnervate: a English SDi website. On stage a visual image of three generations of spiral wizards: a picture of Graves on the screen, in front of it Don Beck and an empty chair with a scarf for Chris Cowan, and before that the different CHE leaders in the world. They briefly told what SDi means to them and the audience honored the lineage and Don's contribution to it.
Other featured topics: the presentation by Ken Wilber, who, among other things, emphasized the importance of working with and making the value systems visible, the keynote by Don Beck, who presented on SDi in action, Meshworking and bringing the Wheel of Co-Creation and the Sustainable Development Goals together in the Vital Signs Monitor; and the energetic design of the conference with the input of Anne-Marie, who also drew on her many years of CHE & THC experience. The Europa Constellation and Trauma Processing; the meaningful influence of the Second Tier Witness in Anne-Marie's workshop with Diana Claire Douglas on power and SDi (Finding a home for the victim and the tyrant); the Teal Track following the book Reinventing Organizations by Frederique Laloux; the prize Leida received for her paper “Refugees in the Netherlands, as seen from Spiral Dynamics Integral and a choice from a 'Salon menu card' with a choice of experiences of Anne-Marie, Leida and Marianne from the workshops and community activities, the Integral Magical Mystery Tour.
In the second part of the salon, the following insights were shared based on various questions:
What does integral international cooperation mean to me?
– Hungary has worked hard on the energetic architecture of one Europe, which touches and moves me, and also that we are part of it.
– Awareness of connection and my place in that energetic structure; its effect on my work.
– I feel more hopeful and optimistic. The experiences gained with the Second Tier witness (in the arrangement of Anne-Marie and Diana in Hungary) and the Soul of Europe (in the large Europe Constellation there) contain beautiful messages for me.
– Special that lightness in the role of the Netherlands (in the Europe Constellation). I experience that I have the same role in European cooperation.
– I am very proud of the invisible work Anne-Marie has done in the preparation, I call it 'worm work'; it feels like building; there is no award for that yet.
What does integral international cooperation mean for the CHE?
– There is more coherence, I see a kind of blessing because of the many healing that has taken place.
– A question arises: is there sufficient diversity within the CHE and are we able to see our own shadow side?
– We have developed the capacity of space holding in recent years. Now there is a second capacity to be developed: the capacity of second tier witnessing. That requires research: what is that? And practice this consciously.
– It is now about more embodiment: how are we going to put this into practice in NL?
– Including Beige, with that nice lightness.
– These evenings (and their regularity) are important. Whatever the subject, we practice speaking like that. It's like a lab.
What does integral international cooperation mean for the world in transition?
– SDi is a good tool to take with you when you go abroad. Sometimes it goes well, sometimes it doesn't. There must be a certain openness. The conditions can be very harsh. Start simple.
– There is more and more space in everything you say, a new energetic space, the beginning of a new development towards more unity.
– It opens up the possibility to embrace more diversity and work together.
– I feel touched by the bridging ritual (healing and bringing rifts together) and the Europa Constellation.
– It is very meaningful what is going on and what remains to be done.
– I feel great appreciation for everyone wherever you are in the Spiral, for the whole human experiment on this planet.
Leida Schuringa
The 2nd Integral European Conference (IEC) was organized in Hungary at the beginning of May 2016, exactly two years after the first. The title of this second conference was: Reinventing Europe, integral reflections in a rapidly changing world. In 2014 we were in Budapest, now at Lake Balaton. Then we slept and ate in different locations, now we all sat together. More than 400 participants for the conference, more than 60 people on the bus for 3 days with the Magical Mystery Tour. You can imagine that we did a good job on Purple! A community has really been built in the plenary meetings, while working in the (sub)groups and in between. We talked, laughed and cried, we danced and participated in various rituals. And of course we learned endlessly and shared experiences! Take a look for the program and the first photos www.integraleuropeanconference.com. There is also a facebook group Integral Europe, a closed group where you can register as a member. In 2018 it will come again, the next IEC!
Marianne de Jager
Some facts about the IEC2016
Pre-conference, Main Conference and Community Tour – 7,5 days. I took the full 7,5 days
30+ countries, 400+ participants, 130 workshops, 9 keynote speakers, 18 themes. Hard choice. Knowing I cannot have it all. Apart from the main stage speakers, I attended 14 workshops of the 130.
I found it stimulating, intensive, inspiring
The experience of connection. Overwhelming, a lot to take in, a lot to experience. A lot of new friends, beautiful encounters, insights that matter, experiences that last. Smiling faces. Wonderful speakers, workshops, partying, inner and outer work, shadow work and enlightenment. Individual and collective work. And much fun with many like-minded individuals in flow in conversations with a common language. I greatly appreciated the IEC 2016 Opening Address by Dennis Wittrock
Enjoy the core visuals of the conference, created by Mathias Weitbrecht. The visuals give a good impression of some of the topics and its content.
What speaks to me?
A message that speaks for me throughout the conference is to take responsibility to deeply understand the integral perspective and consciousness and to embody this and act this out into the world, whatever your talent or focus. Awareness that individual and collective shadow work are key to creating more flow. Oftentimes our “past” is not actually in the past. Instead, it continues to impact and inform our future (either consciously or subconsciously) – thus is still very much our 'present'.
This was particularly experienced during the European Constellation Process, where all different developmental stages, pain, shadow and chaos became visible. A process that went on for more than 4 hours. Where individual and collective healing were also beautifully offered. Next to country representatives, energies were positioned such as: refugees, peace, anger, shame, war, and many more. The story of the process is unfolding as participants' experiences are being collected right now to be shared.
For me the IEC 2016 was a fantastic dive into allowing myself to step more fully into my open expression of soul being!
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