Sharing a Sacred Space: The 2018 Pachamama Alliance Global Gathering

 Attendees of the 2018 Pachamama Alliance Global Gathering 

Over 130 people from the Pachamama Alliance international community came together from May 25 to 28, 2018, for the Pachamama Alliance Global Gathering to share a space of learning, inspiration, ceremony, and connection in the beautiful hills of Northern California. 

The purpose of the Gathering was:

“To create a space where allies of Pachamama (Alliance) come together to experience their deep connection to one another, to the Earth, to themselves and this transformational work, and from there, are inspired and empowered to move into effective action with a shared commitment to a thriving, just and sustainable world for all.”

A Truly Global Gathering

2018 Pachamama Alliance Global Gathering attendees hailed from nearly a dozen countries, including Malaysia, New Zealand, Romania, Japan, Mexico, South Africa, the United States, and Argentina. It was deeply inspiring to share in discourse that necessitated multiple translators, and the sacrifices that every person made to be there nourished a deeply shared commitment to making this gathering a truly transformational experience.

Acknowledging the Taproots of Transformation

Lynne Twist addressing the "Taproots of Transformation" 

A great benefit of having so many Pachamama Alliance partners in one space was being able to give thanks and recognition in-person, so it was fitting that the Gathering began with acknowledgment and gratitude. 

There were Facilitators present who had led over 50 Awakening the Dreamer Symposiums; Pachamama Alliance Communities members who had contributed to the total of 166 Community events, attended by over 9,000 people, between January 2017 and the Gathering; and many others who have dedicated themselves to creating a thriving, just, and sustainable world.

Lynne Twist, Co-founder of Pachamama Alliance, articulated it well in her opening remarks when she thanked attendees for being the “taproots of transformation” who create and nourish the global networks of people dedicated to truly transformative change.

Speakers Explore Separation

Paul Hawken discussing Project Drawdown and 'otherizing' Global Warming 

The list of speakers included Paul Hawken, Charles Eisenstein, Rev. D Johnson, Drew Dellinger, Will Grant, and Brian Swimme, as well as Pachamama Alliance staff and partners. Each was invited to speak on the topic of their choice, so it was striking that they all—in one way or another—spoke about the impact of creating false separations between that which is the same.

Paul Hawken spoke of how society has falsely made climate the “other,” resulting in counterproductive language like “fighting” or “curbing” global warming that makes climate an adversary rather than a part of our living system. Similarly, Charles Eisenstein offered the “key to everything on this planet right now: the practice of asking, ‘What’s it like to be you?’” He views asking this question as the opposite of creating an enemy and destroying it, which is how society often portrays issues like global warming.

Poet Drew Dellinger reminded the audience that even though there is no “us” and “them” in our fundamentally interconnected universe, that doesn’t mean that there is no accountability, no work to be done. A particularly powerful moment in the presentation by Rev. D was when she asked that everyone “take a stand,” and explained that being “pushed” by fear will never achieve change like the “pull” of a vision. Will Grant, too, spoke of how fearing the ‘other’ can lead to panic, saying that he viewed the current U.S. political climate as a “symptom of a nation in panic," and went on to articulate how to take accountability and be in action, together.

Brian Swimme, one of the final speakers, focused on how we can expand our modern consciousness by considering ourselves as part of a larger galactic intelligence. Seeking a lighter note, he cited the average lifespan of a mammalian species of 2.6 million years, giving us plenty of time to complete the work ahead of us...

An excerpt of Charles Eisenstein's talk at the Global Gathering.

Taking the Gathering Home

The accomplishments of the attendees, the words of the speakers, the beautiful surroundings...all of it was inspiring. But what was truly empowering was leaving the gathering knowing that 130 people would be returning to their neighborhoods and doing the exact same thing: working toward a better world in any small way they could. Charles Eisenstein put it beautifully when he said:

So I'm offering you a story that can assuage that concern of the mind. Maybe to invoke the principle of morphic resonance which is, in the current state of things, profoundly unscientific. It says that any change that happens in one place creates a field of change that allows the same change to happen more easily everywhere else. Any act of kindness creates a field of kindness. Any act of compassion, any act of healing. You don't know how that field propagates, but you know as you do those things that you are a part of larger happening.

To connect with the (still resonating) vibrations of the Global Gathering, we encourage you to engage with the 2018 Global Gathering live group on the Pachamama Alliance Global Commons. And we hope that you, too, can feel inspired by the taproots of transformation, the network of conscious, committed people, working all over the world in service of Pachamama.