Nurturing Relational Forms of Presencing Mastery

Abstract

Drawing on a body of collaborative work in communities of practice and research exploring holistic approaches to social transformation, in this article I discuss how a triune of community, deep participation, and embodied play may aid the cultivation of presencing mastery. For the purposes of this article, I explore presencing as a relational practice, the mastery of which requires us to come into fuller, more conscious engagement with ourselves, one another, and the world at large. To enable the deepening of each of these relationships, I make the case for integrative inner work, cultivating participatory ways of knowing that go beyond cognitive intelligence and that tap somatic, emotional, social, ecological, and spiritual insights. I posit that such integrative whole-person development is central for presencing mastery to be realised.  I also discuss how communities of practice provide essential scaffolding on this journey, helping us to address our blind spots and automaticities in perception, thought and action. Creative practices and embodied play can be greatly beneficial here, loosening perceptual filters and enabling between us more open, receptive, and fluid states of consciousness that provide a kaleidoscopic appreciation of our inner and outer worlds and their complexities.