At the World Unity Week conference, June 23, 2020, Diana Claire Douglas systemically constellated (SCW) a question that has been growing in the Integral City Community of Practice since the beginning of the year.

As Climate Change has both threatened cities and called them onto the world stage as key players in setting policy to change human behaviours at large scale. As the Coronavirus has circulated across the globe, invading cities who have been locked down by national governments for 3-4 months at a time, restricting movement of individuals and groups. As racial violence has erupted in cities in the USA and spread to other cities in Europe and around the world. As Humanity is Rising to respond to the first major traumatic event collectively experienced at the same time and way. As the World Unity Week prepares us to celebrate the UN Charter’s 75th Anniversary.

As cities everywhere are struggling with colonial style governance systems that neither Smart City Technology nor Resilient City Environmental approaches can appropriately address…

We are curious, how cities can reframe their paradigms as living systems, operating systems for effective governance and interconnections around the globe. We are asking, “What is needed to make visible a global network of Integral Cities and ecoregions?”

In this SCW, we sought that insight as an extension of the questions we ask every time we are invited to offer  an Integral City approach to design responses to the many VUCA challenges that the world’s cities now face.

In preparation, for this date set to convene an SCW online at the World Unity Conference, Integral City Practitioners responded to Diana Claire’s call for the Elements that should be present to answer this question. (For background on SCW see Diana Claire’s explanation of her work at her website www.knowingfielddesigns.com  and in the recently published free book Urban Hub 20: Accelerating City Change in a VUCA World.)

A long list (24+/-) Elements emerged that we wrote out and became the (VUCA) container for the SCW in all 3 of the rounds of constellating (for details in the positions of the elements in each Round see Note 1 below). Then Diana Claire invited the 14 people at the online SCW to make cards for the Key Elements who would explore the question: What is needed to make visible a global network of Integral Cities and ecoregions?

These Elements stepped forward to be represented as noted below in the 3 Constellation Patterns:

  1. Spirit of Cities
  2. Spirit of Integral Cities
  3. City Guide
  4. Global Network
  5. Spirit of the Land
  6. Spirit of Rivers
  7. Humanity
  8. Nature
  9. Gaia     
  10. Ecoregions
  11. Mycelium
  12. Unified Field
  13. VUCA Life Conditions as Container (see Note 2 below)
  14. Master Code of Care

Here is how our exploration revealed a powerful answer to our inquiry.

In Round 1 the Elements were somewhat static and subdued. They had little relationship with one another. A palpable fragmentation existed. Humanity was hiding as it looked down into the land – perhaps denying the circle of Life Conditions holding the whole constellation in tension.

Spirit of Cities Spirit of Integral Cities City Guide Global Network Spirit of the Land Spirit of Rivers Humanity Nature Gaia Ecoregions Mycelium Unified Field VUCA Life Conditions as Container (see Note 2 below) Master Code of Care

In Round 2 the Ecoregions emerged as a new Element. Land spoke of its hard crust and molten core reminding us of its potential and possibility to explode.

When the Element Mycelium paid its surprise visit then connections and repatterning started to rapidly occur. Spirit of Cities (and Nature) noticed the Master Code of Care on the edge of the circle.

This opened the door to Round 3 when the Constellator expanded the Field we were playing in to include the Unified Field. This was represented by placing placeholding cards on the outside of the circle. and became an enlivening energy that prompted further motion

Global Network shifted from an objective/data network into a living mycelial web of connections that attracted the City Guide to wake up and move with Global Network to just above 6 on the 6-12 axis. Land spoke of its feminine/masculine energies. And Nature was attracted inside the circle just below 12 – with considerable enthusiasm on its part.

This movement of Life in Global Network and Nature and Land’s relaxation gave the Spirit of Cities courage to come down from its tower and nestle safely between Rivers and Ecoregion.

In a parallel move Spirit of Integral City moved closer to the container at 12 and 6 (still outside).

Humanity raised its head and spoke of its attraction to Rivers moving closer to her.

Witnesses commented on the Unity Energy as Love – paralleling Spirit of Cities and Nature attraction to the Master Code of Care.

Conclusions: Here is what we noticed as we thought about the experience in the SCW and the inquiry:

  • Prior interactions at the WUW affirmed the Integral City as an Evolutionary Impulse in the Field.
  • The revelation that the Global Network already existed as a natural mycelium network gave hope and optimism.
  • We have done many constellations on behalf of the Spirit of Cities. This is the first time City Guide has appeared. We will need to explore further who/what City Guide is. Perhaps City Guide is a role for Integral City Meshworks to play – with all cities as a witness who can give pointing out directions to what is emerging. City Guide is perhaps an acupuncturist who can amplify and/or dampen energies to balance flows within and between cities.
  • Nature can Play.
  • Spirit of Cities can feel safe and not threatened when connected to the Rivers.
  • Land can sense the acupuncture points of the cities (from the inside out).
  • I note that the final pattern is predominantly right-sided – indicating that manifesting a global network is emerging from the field.
  • Master Code of Care naturally attracts Spirit of City and Global Network, perhaps indicating that it is DNA for a natural global network?
  • The connection of Cities to Rivers was important. It would be a good message to the Lifemaps Play in the Caravan of Unity. And Lifemaps may become one of Global Network’s mycelium connectors.
  • Integral City is a pattern existing in the Knowing Field, so it is a potential like an implicate order.
  • With the recognition of the Unity Field as Love we created a map of Involution/Evolution – like Integral City Map 5.
  • City Guide could be witness to emergence of Evolutionary Impulse – revealing Master Code of Care; 5 Maps.
  • When you reveal Master Code of Care you reveal Humanity.
  • Intricate relationships exist historically, geographically, and integrally between Humanity, Rivers, Ecoregions and Spirit of Cities.

Notes:

Note 1: Details of the 3 Constellation Patterns

Round 1: The Representatives (located around the world in front of their computer screens with the clock diagram/VUCA container on their floor at home) sensed their locations  outside and within the container – locating their positions by the numbers on an analog clock. As Diana Claire called us to report in – each of us made an analog replica of the Elements on our individual diagrams.

  • Gaia at 6 outside
  • Nature at 12 outside
  • Global Network at 9 inside
  • City Guide at 9, inside Global Network
  • Rivers flowing around whole circle inside but locating at 3 inside
  • Spirit of Land – in the centre inside – but filling the whole container
  • Humanity – in the centre looking down into the earth/land
  • Spirit of Integral City – at 6 and 12 way outside the circle
  • Spirit of Cities – above the whole container on a tower above Humanity/land
  • As the Representatives reported in, we learned that Spirit of Cities felt very unsafe.
  • Humanity was contracted and sad/withdrawn.
  • City Guide was okay to start with but not able to converse with/about any changes.

Round 2

After some discussion between the Representatives that indicated little ability to shift or transform, 2 new Elements demanded to be recognized – the first was Ecoregions – who located themselves near Rivers and connected to Nature and Land.

The second was much more mischievous – and identifying itself as an invasive renegade – Mycelium. Mycelium informed us that the Networks already exist – they are natural and connect up all life in the soil – and that Nature as we know it couldn’t exist without Mycelium natural/subterranean connects – always, bridging, densifying, dynamically growing.

Round 3

With this Mycelium invader in our container, energy shifted – the rest of us Representative/Elements woke up.

And then Diana Claire initiated the final movement — introducing the Unified Field. The Unified Field  was located as a meta-energy/field that held the whole container of Elements.

  • Unified Field  was perceived as Love. It shifted all the Elements.
  • Nature came inside the circle at 12.
  • Land turned over on its back, with chest to the heavens, and expanded to fully relax and fill the container.
  • Rivers Flowed.
  • Global Network moved to 6 inside and became full of dynamic life, mimicking the Mycelium who was pervasive everywhere.
  • City Guide moved above Global Network along 6-12 axis.
  • Spirit of Cities felt safe by coming down from tower and locating about 1 pm between Eco-Regions and Nature.
  • Spirit of Integral City moved closer to the container – still outside – at 6 and 12.
  • Spirit of Cities and Nature both noticed the Master Code of Care on rim of Circle.

___

Note 2: Life Condition Elements Around Circle

  • Inequality
  • Infrastructure crumbling
  • Violence
  • Yin, yang and dark $
  • Complex systemic challenges
  • Sustainable
  • Unsustainable
  • Rich – poor gap
  • 4 voices
  • Traditional cities
  • Resilient cities
  • Smart cities
  • Master code
  • History of lands – stolen
  • Governance
  • City Sprawl
  • Pollution