The Power of Systems Thinking and Spiritual Practices in Creating a Harmonious New Age

Reality is made up of circles but we see straight lines. —Peter Senge

As I think about the importance of Systems Thinking, I realize that it is not just a cognitive process but also one that encompasses intuitive processes such as feeling, intuition, divination, memory, passion, and dreaming. Our attempts to improve the world are often limited by our negative, habitual thought patterns and egotistic aspirations, which lead us astray from the path of our highest callings. Through spiritual practices, we change our energy and our connection with the web of life surrounding us, including our ancestors and our future descendants; we live not just from a perspective of the now and what our needs are; we look to the past for wisdom and to the future with a heart of service. And we can better sense into the circular realities of it all.

I wasted a lot of time being ambitious about the wrong things — Lily Tomlin.

In my worldview, establishing a connection with divinity in Systems Thinking is essential to gain a comprehensive perspective and approach the process from a place both of and beyond our selves. But in most of our schools and workplaces, we've been told to conceal our spiritual identities. The world needs more awakened folks willing to bring their full Spirit into everything they do. Doing this from a place of humility, knowing we each touch parts of the Divine Elephant with different religious and spiritual backgrounds, perspectives, experiences, and connection(s) (or lack thereof) with the Spiritual realms.

This holiday season, we will be bombarded with messages on what to consume, and this kind of materialism blinds us from the magical mystery tour that exists within and beyond the human experience. Incorporating our principles, values and the everyday magic in the world around us into our daily lives is a challenge for many people and groups. Living a life of reverence requires embodying universal principles such as expressing gratitude, practicing forgiveness, offering prayers, attentive listening, and marking important life moments with joyful celebrations. Unfortunately, those of us in the hyper-technological Western world often fall short of embodying these practices daily. However, by embracing these rituals and redesigning our families and communities around them, we can embody our personal, family, and community values, making us better conduits for divine inspiration and helping us attract solutions from a greater source of collective wisdom. It's important to remember that we're not alone in facing life's challenges, as the Divine Mystery is always by our side, known by different names such as God, Allah, or Grandmother in plant medicine traditions.

As I look towards how do we rebuild our society, I've come to realize that we need to go beyond our current system and look to the cosmos, the Spirit, and the wisdom of Nature for guidance. I see ourselves as bridges between these worlds, and I believe this is the perfect, ripened moment for a new era of leadership. We need to dream of a new reality where we protect the innocence of children and our own innate goodness, put our values into practice, and create communities and rituals that allow us to embody and live those values. By doing so, we can transform our world into a more harmonious place for all of creation.

It can be daunting to imagine how to make a difference in the face of the global conflicts we witness. The immense sadness can make it hard to see how we, as outsiders, could play a role in something so immoral. However, we can all start by examining the spaces in our personal lives where we hold onto resentment, withdraw our love and affection, and become fixated on portraying ourselves as martyrs. We can see the parallels between the personal and the global, and the issues out there can become very real in our daily lives.

During this holiday season, I wish for peace on earth and for it to start with me. I hope that you and your loved ones have a blessed season. Let's continue to learn, love, and grow toward the things in life that bring us joy because the world needs our joyful contributions. Blessed be!