Spirit of Democracy
Network of Circles

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"People on the right are furious. People on the left are livid. And the center isn't holding. There is only one thing on which almost everyone agrees. There is something very wrong in Washington. The country is being run by pollsters. Few politicians are able to win the voters trust. Blame abounds and personal responsibility is nowhere to be found. There is a cynicism that appalls those in every state, red or blue.

The question is: Why? The more urgent question is: What can be done about it?"
- Joe Klein, Time Magazine, "Politics Lost", 2006


American diversity is a source of creativity and power. We are learning to release that power.

By drawing on our collective strengths, and incorporating what we know, the American national dialogue can be vitalized and accelerated, in ways that have never before been possible.

This site brings together an array of insights and methods, and proposes to enfuse the heart of our national conversation with the collective genius of an emerging new civilization.

Build a New Spirit in American Democracy

  • Many Voices - One People
  • Empower and support courageous leadership
  • Overcome the spirit of blame and accusation
  • Bring all factors to the table
  • Clarify common ground
  • Bring out the best in everyone
  • Liberate the collective genius of community

    Out of Many: One

  • NETWORK OF CIRCLES

    Network of Circles is emerging out of a global movement -- a movement of millions of people that crosses and transcends borders, that is dissolving misunderstanding, that is working to build trust and common bonds among "diverse" groups and individuals.

    People everywhere are tired of misunderstanding and anger. They are tired of the injury that emerges from not understanding, and they are inspired by the vital creativity that emerges from experience with the unfamiliar. These people are building bonds of friendship that span the differences in cultures. They are building bonds of trust.

    A new global community is forming, coming together for a million individual reasons, through thousands of organizations, in endlessly diverse ways. There is no single common vision or dream that holds this process together -- or is there?

    Could it be that the magic of circles is the key to bringing the vast and incredible diversity of the world into a common framework -- into one unbroken circle?

    The Network of Circles project explores these possibilities -- creating connections that link leading groups from spirituality, peace, interfaith, and the women's movement. Our vision is -- we CAN work together.

    THEMES
    Introduction
    Dimensions of an Integral Politics
    The Great Voices of Democracy - King, Lincoln . . .
    Cocreativity and Collective Intelligence
    Integration in an Era of Fragmentation
    The Murk of Rhetoric - cleaning up our language
    Empowering Leadership - what is crippling it?
    American Identity - a nation in transition
    ACTION
    Network of Circles - A Proposal
    Organize Local Values Through Dialog
    Work with Leadership
    PRINCIPLES
    Diversity in Relationship Drives Creativity
    The Personal Ethics of Democracy
    METHODS
    Group Process Facilitation and Dialogue
    Network Technology and Mapping
    VISIONS
    The Cybernetic Steering Wheel
    Googlespace and the Integral Ontology
    Resonance and Collective Intelligence