Unconditional Belonging & Collective Perspectives
Seven Perspectives
The Wheel of WE model emerged after years of exploring the territory and developing the method.
We use it as a map to navigate the various perspectives that the Wider Embraces offers. Each one provides a unique experience and often surprising insights.
The theory evolves the practice, and the practice evolves the theory.
We begin our journey around the Wheel of WE by grounding ourselves in the present moment as separate physical, biological, cultural, emotional and mental beings.
We feel gravity holding us and the planet together, we take a deep breath and sense the aliveness of our mammalian bodies, and we become aware of how each one of us is a unique blend of our surrounding cultures.
This step is about integrity and separation. I’m here, and everything else is out there, separate from me. And this is true, but partial.
At our next step, we recognise that we are part of layers of larger structures.
Looking at the physical, there is the planet, the solar system, the galaxy and the whole universe. Biologically, we are part of the mammal kingdom, the animal kingdom, and all of life on Earth. And for the cultural aspects, we are part of families, communities, civilisations, and our global human culture. And everything in between.
We use the word ‘holon’ to describe something that is both a whole in itself and a part of something larger. Each holon has its unique, emergent properties that can’t be derived from its parts. Some holons are old, such as the galaxy or life on Earth; others are new and temporary, like a group coming together for a meeting.
If we, for example, look at the biological level, we have a series of wider holons from cells, to organs, to human beings, to homo sapiens, to animals, to all life on Earth.
Holons form the foundation for our Wider Embraces.
At the third step, we transition from the realm of knowing to the realm of sensing, from the mental to the subtle.
We focus on a holon, an Embrace, we all belong to, for example, the present group, our organisation or family, or a wider one, such as the biosphere, or planet Earth.
We become aware of all the parts of the Embrace and the Embrace itself. We then shift to sensing the subtle aspect of the Embrace. And we rest in this Embrace, sensing our unconditional belonging.
We share our experiences and the quality of the Embrace. What we sense depends on the Embrace, and it also changes over time. Almost always, we feel the same, though we might use slightly different words.
An Embrace only exists in the timeless now. It has no processing capacity and, therefore, no ideas about the past or future, nor any opinions about right and wrong. An Embrace always holds all its parts unconditionally. To sense this is immensely liberating and healing.
In this fourth step, we lean out into one of our wider Embraces and take it as our first-person perspective, perceiving the world as that Embrace. We move from sensing the field of an Embrace to becoming aware as the Embrace.
Sounds weird? Yes, but it’s natural when you do it. However, you can’t think your way into how it is to be an Embrace; you have to experience it. It’s a momentary and distinct shift of who you are, of who is aware.
It may require some practice before you are comfortable letting go of your individual perspective. But when you do, your personal self is gone; you are an unconditional space in the timeless now. Though you are not in any space, you are the Embrace of a specific holon. There are no parts anymore, you are One.
From this broader perspective, unexpected insights may also emerge.
Each one of us has a unique set of wider Embraces, from the personal ones, like family, circle of friends, organisations, to our local community, and country, to the wider ones like humanity, mammals, living beings, planet, galaxy and universe.
In the previous step, we experienced oneness with one of our wider Embraces. In this step, we widen our perspective to encompass all our wider Embraces, all our onenesses. And they become a space of one and many.
Our whole web of Embraces comes alive in a dynamic and integrated whole. This is a space without words; no need to make sense of the experience.
In the sixth step, we identified as one of our wider Embraces, and we lean inwards, holding all our parts unconditionally. I am them and they are me.
There is no attachment, no past or future, no right or wrong. We let all our parts slide into their optimal place, effortlessly.
This final step is all about living our wider Embraces, allowing the insights from the previous steps to influence our actions in the world, and bringing our skills to sense our Embraces and shift our perspective into our everyday life.
We recognise the impact we have on everything around us; everything we do, and don't do, has an effect.
Recognising that it’s all one reality.
The Wider Embraces method is wide but has boundaries. So, we set up seven criteria to define what the Wider Embraces method is and is not.