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The Wheel of Co-Creation

Jan 26, 2016 ● By Nina Patrick

The Wheel of Co-Creation is a whole system worldview created by renowned thought leader Barbara Marx Hubbard. It identifies 12 sectors of endeavor in an active society, including the arts, economics, education, environment, government, health, infrastructure, justice, media, relations, science and spirituality.

When they identify what’s new and beneficial in any of these sectors, individuals and communities begin to feel more confident and form a positive worldview. By looking at what truly is working in our communities, instead of absorbing the bad news constantly showcased in traditional media, we are inspired with a renewed sense of hope for the planet and collective future.

The Relationship Sector

New paradigms are arising everywhere out of the breakdown of the current systems. In the relations sector, one of the most profound experiences we can have in our lives is the connection we have with other human beings. The Internet and many forms of technology have opened the door to a new era of relational intimacy across all scales, from individual to global. We are encouraged to develop myriad relationships for enjoyment, learning, mutual growth and healing, and in the process, we may discover that we are awakened to our greater capacity for love, compassion and service for all of life.

Our greater capacity for a new paradigm in relations can be as simple as being present with one another in a space where our fears, separation and isolation are transcended. By doing this, we feel connection with others and are able to relax and disarm vulnerabilities. Healthy relations also depend on a relationship with ourselves; a willingness to look at areas that need healing and then accept those parts of ourselves and others that we regard as “not good”. We set and respect healthy boundaries and relate to each other with a measure of humility and devotion as an indicator of our personal maturity and spiritual ideals.

By creating win-win exchanges, we create synergy that joins us together as a whole greater than the sum of its parts. Here are principles that can guide this shift into new paradigm relations:

 

Give people some time: In a world where time is of the essence, we don’t always have time, so make time.

Listen deeply: This makes people feel supported and valued. We are genuinely interested in what the other persons thinks, feels and want, not worrying about the past or the future, and we are not distracted by mobile technology.

Speak from the heart: Speak from the place of our essential self.

Lead with kindness and respect: There is very little that is off limits in conversation as long as we address it with kindness and respect.

Accept and celebrate differences: How ordinary life would be without our differences. Let us celebrate them.

 

Here’s what happens when we begin to seek this new way of being.

 

  • We feel supported
  • Our community becomes extended family
  • We discover deep connection with others
  • We discover a newfound joy
  • We know that our life is contributing to a greater whole

 

Once we have identified a desire for better relations, reach out to others with an open heart and be fully present. Through these actions, we will be connected to the vast movement for positive change.

Founded in 1888 in Chicago, one organization that fosters community and good relations is Heartland Alliance, the leading anti-poverty organization in the Midwest. They respond to the human needs of endangered populations; particularly the poor, the isolated and the displaced, through the provision of services and solutions. Each year, Heartland Alliance reaches nearly 1 million people around the world.

 

Nina Patrick is co-president with Barbara Marx Hubbard of the Foundation for Conscious Evolution. For more information about the Wheel of Co-Creation, visit Evolve.org or CEChicagoland.org. For more information on relations in action in Chicagoland, visit HeartlandAlliance.org.