Dear <subscriber>,
This issue of CI News includes:
- ideas for how to respond to these times
- ways that Context Institute can help you do so
Our Time Is Now
How are you feeling as 2016 comes to a close? I’ve heard the full gamut of emotions, all of them understandable. There’s much that seems discouraging, or at least daunting, yet in spite of all of that, I’m actually feeling quite encouraged and energized. I see all the signs of breakdown and breakthrough as evidence that the transition into the Planetary Era is speeding up. What might have taken generations may now take only decades, what might have taken decades may now take only years – if we rise to this opportunity for humanity and the Earth.
To use a birth analogy, the long gestation of the Planetary Era, which started at least 500 years ago, is coming to term. The labor process, which started in the 20th century, is now quickening. The birth is coming. Will you help? Do you feel the call to midwife this profound cultural transformation?
I know I do.
How shall we respond to this call? Simple approaches with sound-bite appeal beckon but these only send us around in circles – or make matters worse. We need something more whole and deeper. Here’s my distillation, based on four decades of working with cultural change, of what the world needs all of us to do as Planetary Era cultural midwives:
- Stay connected to the historical big picture
- Deepen our compassion
- Transcend categorical thinking
- Heal the traumas of the Empire Era
- Perceive and skillfully intervene in cultural systems
- Collaborate more effectively
- Turn visions of a bright future into realities
Does this sound like a lot? It is, but woven together it turns out to be easier than you might imagine. What I’ve just described is what we do in the six weeks of our online interactive Bright Future Now course. The participants that have taken the course so far agree: it works.
If you feel you aren’t ready to take the course, you can still make useful progress by focusing on any of these areas. Or, if you want something more whole, an easy next step is to watch the videos from the three Foundation Stones presentations and put that material to use:
What Time Is It?
Human Operating-System Literacy
Systems Literacy
But if you want to go deeper – and join a network with others – you want ….
Bright Future Now
Bright Future Now is our 6-week online learning program that provides practical tools and transformative experiences for Planetary Era cultural midwives. It addresses core human issues (see the list above) to help you and the Earth thrive in these times.
The next course begins January 14 and ends February 25. Registration closes December 31 and each cohort is limited to 21 people. We’re already close to half full. I encourage you to register soon to guarantee your place.
- If you’d like to learn more, please go to Journey Deeper into the Planetary Era where you’ll find the complete course description
- If you’re ready to register, please go to Course Registration.
The $400 registration fee provides you with both the course and a lifetime membership in the Bright Future Network. There’s a money-back guarantee – you can get a full refund through the third week of the course – so your risk is minimal. There are limited scholarship funds available for youth and people from the Global South. Email me if you think you might qualify.
If you have any questions about the course, just reply to this email and I’ll be happy to respond.
However you are doing it, I hope this finds you stepping into your own bright future.
With appreciation,
Robert Gilman
December 7, 2016
