Just Blocked: Allowing the Fractal
God as a Fractal
Mind the Gap
Field Study
Fractal Flow Learning
Life Path Curriculum
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Life Path Curriculum
I. Life Path Intro Course
Week 1: Big Picture for Semester
Describe the topic for each of the 15 sessions. Explain that while there is, in a sense, as purpose, objective and mission for semester, that each session is ultimately about learning about how to be more human and that the requires being a clearing or a space for whatever comes up when we are being together.
Discuss how the method of lLife Path is different than anything they have had before. We will be looking at learning from a different perspective than the perspective in most schools.
We will set the context for boundaries related to safety and healthy relating that honor the dignity of being human.
In every session there are some practices that we will always do in the beginning. We will have some kind of Ice-breakers that facilitate communication, relationship, trust and wholeness. Examples are "complete the sentence" activities, warm/hot seat games, and other fun games oriented around relating. These will occur all throughout the semester.
When we learn about "circling" we will also incorporate that in each session.
Week 2 : A Different Perspective on "Mistakes"
When we were children we were cared for and helped to walk even when we fell over and over again. Our parents probably did not criticize us for falling down, for losing balance because the had compassion to understand that more self awareness was needed before we could gain mastery.
But we will also from time to time, now that we are older, "fall" in various ways since life is about gaining more balance and understanding. We sometimes "fall" emotionally and then try to get on our feet.
Let us be just as patient as our parents and guardians were with us when we physically fell. Let us honor this this process and not feel awful or guilty or wrong when we fall. We will look at many quotes about having a deeper understanding and different persective on what it means or does not mean to make a "mistake." [SHOW FILM SEGMENT BY FRED ASTAIRE AND GINGER ROGERS IN SWING TIME CALLED 'PICK YOURSELF UP']
Week 3: Connecting to Nature/Source
This session takes place, as you can imagine, outdoors! Activities include trust-walks, mini-ropes course, being in and communing with nature, feeling the connecti on and spirituality of nature, and developing affinity, connection and love for animals and all life.
In a sense our culture is experiencing NDD (Nature Deficit Disorder). Nature is disappearing from our experience and as youth and teens many of you are not getting exposed to the beauty and power of nature. We need nature desparately to really be connected and whole human beings.
Many research studies show that nature has a healing effect on humans. Nature also increases our ability to focus.
In a sense an "electronic nature" has taken over and we are interracting with robots, even human robots! When psychologists ask many contemporary teens where they enjoy playing, a high percentage of them reported that they only enjoyed playing in their rooms because that is where the outlets are!
We must remember the power of nature itself to invite you to love nature. When we are in love with someone the last thing we want to do is hurt them. When will we love nature enough to not hurt it?
What makes the human being most human? One of most important answers is warmth and love. We are able to access warmth and love more easily through nature.
When we can have a love of the earth, we then have more access being interested in and hopefully loving the culture and people on that earth and then to be interested in and love the people in our own lives and families. This process can, of course, also go in the other direction.
Where and in what way can cultivate a better relationship to nature?
Week 4: Media and Socity/Understanding our Filters and Biases
We think of ourselves as open-minded and objective, but in fact our approach to ourselves, our circumstances, and others is often filtered and even obscured by pre-existing notions and ideas - by our upbringing, our values, our past experiences. We will discuss ways to identify these filters and biases so that we have greater access to our authentic experience of life.
We are often tempted by media, Ipod, movies, cell phones, email, My Space, commercials. They will want to be what they think as "of this world."
Media and many other sources protray those who are older people in a certain way and we develop a story or narrative about them. We often experience our parents, teacher and other adults with the thought-filter "Here they go again!"
Sometimes our attitude toward adults and teachers is some variations of "Don't try to persuade me of something once again." We will look at where this attitude comes from and explore the possibility of distinguishing it so that we have a fresh attitude toward adults.
Week 5 : Self Esteem, Cliques, Group Pressure and Fitting In
We will discuss how adolescence can be a difficult time for a teen, and an individual's self-esteem or self image plays a large part in how positive, confident and fulfille d he or she is. Someone with low self-esteem may be lonely and depressed and tend to have difficulty dealing with anxiety and peer pressure or bullying.
Physical, emotional and social development help to shape our identity through puberty. Facing the stress of many new pressures and challenges in their everyday lives, teens' reactions often depend on how they feel about themselves.
Youth and teens deal all the time with the pressure to act, think or say things a certain way. They wish to fit in often adapt to the pressure of the group conversation. Cliques form that can be very attractive but very damaging for youth and teens. We will examine some of these pressures and do role playing to get a sense for how we can have greater freedom around it.
Week 6: Loneliness and Emotional Balance
One of the issues that is of most concern to many youth and teens is fitting in and being accepted. We all experience loneliness in some form or another.
We have a fear that if we are not accepted into the group that we will feel sad and lonely. We often give up our truth and authenticity in order to say and do what we feel will fit in or lead to our acceptance. We often do not realize th e long term cost of giving up our authenticity.
We are often either avoiding, uncomfortable, uneasy, embarassed of blocked from talking about and relating about loneliness and related topics.
Studies show an increase in reports by Americans of loneliness, with only 50% reporting that they have one friend (down from 74% in 1985).
We will discuss how loneliness occurs, a variety of interpretations, and possibilities for dealing with it, relating to it and/or "being with it."
We will discuss and do activities related to how we can see loneliness as an opportunity.
There are intense movement and processes going on inside of us about which we are often unaware. When we are not connected to our inner movement and narrative we often feel lonely and then go outside of ourselves for the movement (rumors, drama, fast cars, drugs).
We will discuss Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and discuss what it means to "orchestrate your inner engagement?"
We each have an "inner space" where no one else has access. Each of us needs to be able to be the one who open that space and only if the conditions are just right for them and they are ready.
Week 7: Exploring Personality Theories/Types
Some of us may be aware of Howard Gardner's theory of "Multiple Intelligences" and/or Mel Levine's theories on "different ways of knowing."
In the same sense there are theories on a variety of personality types.
Myers-Briggs Personality Inventory and the 16 personality types.
Enneagram's ancient method and it's 9 personality "fixations."
We will recall some of the archetypes from Greek history.
Activities include taking some of these tests, discussing some of the models for personality types, doing activities based on understanding these assessments, sharing about our perceived personality traits with others, and exploring personality "strengths" and areas where we think we could use some improvement or guidance.
We will discuss Waldorf (and other philosophies) viewpoints on the Four Temperaments (Choleric, Sanguine, Phlegmatic, Melancholic).
We have a little of each of these in us. One perspective is that we move toward taking on all of them as we attain a sense of "wholeness" and well-roundedness in ourselves. We will explore in a humorous way how some temperaments become more pronounced in certain situations or circumstances.
See if you can avoid being grabbed or oriented around any one termperament too much. Each of them can be out of control in our behaviour and habits, and yet each can also be the container for transformation and fun!
Week 8 : Intuiting, Sensing, Relating to and and Knowing People
We often can feel where someone is at simply from their "Hi" or a comment as simple as "What is the hole puncher?"
We can feel the well-being of others though a hand-shake, observing a gaze, listening attentively to a person, feeling the other. We will discuss how to check in with our perceptions so that we develop more accuracy over our life span.
We will intuit about what others are wanting and feeling by paying attention to them. We will do "paying attention" excercises.
There is a question at any one moment on the lips of all of us. What do those questions tend to be? Can we hear it right now in ourselves and share it with someone else? What do we want to know next? We often don't allow that voice to take form and the more we become aware of it the higher our quality of relationships and life.
Week 9 : Speech/Non-Violent Communication
There was a time all communication between humans happened through speech and spoken word.
Some kinds of speech deepens our connections with each other and our understanding of the human being. Some speech brings us to thinking and abstraction. Some speech results in separation.
Some speech opens us to what is around us. Through speech we can access and work with different parts of ourselves.
There is a very powerful technique called Non-violent Communication (NVC).
It involved how to speak using the language "I feel" and "I need" to communicate effectively.
We will discuss and do activities on how to actively listen rather than engaging in "already-always" listening. We will engage and inquite into ow to determine when
violent communication" is taking place without our even noticing and understanding the cost to our relationships of such communication.
Week 10: Presence, Calm Mind, Meditation and Equanimity
Emotional Intelligence (feeling, identifying, naming and managing emotions) is related to presence and a meditative awareness. Understanding the power of intention, focus, ritual and types of prayer.
What if we just stopped and looked and noticed and took it all in. One of the many things we might feel is the "soul space" between each of us.
There is an aliveness and an underlying drive in each of us to fully wake up and be present and notice nature and our fellow humans. This might to feeling love for each other.
We will discuss meditation and do some meditation. We will learn what it means to cultivate our inner meditative life.
We will discuss health, excercise and rest. We will have some experts in those fields visit with us.
We will discuss stopping and thinking about what you need, meditating on that, and choosing actions which aid our essential inner growth.
Consider that our higher self and th e higher self of the students is on a quest. It is on a quest and so it asks questions, such as what do I need to know? Ask yourself what it is you need to know next!
Week 11: The Art of Circling and Seeing Blind Spots.
Through others we trust we can see parts of ourself that are difficult to see. If these peopel are not only our friends but learn how to fairly and accurately "mirror" back something about you, the process of "circling" can be very powerful.
We will discuss and practice how to mirror back or give reflection on what we feel and see in another person? We will practice this process, or "circling" together.
How can we take what people reflect back and use it to our benefit in gaining access to our "blind spots?" How can we serve each other by reflecting back our "constructive criticism?"
Week 12: Singing, Music, Chanting and the Power of Voice
How affinity and community is enhanced through the power of sound and rhythm. How speaking and singing both are connected to the power of voice and language. Using story telling and personal experience to connect with people and community.
We will explore the power of music, singing and chanting in building bridges of connection and also in eliciting a clear and meditative space between individuals, groups and/or a community.
We will discuss how singing and voice can aid us in attaining a sense of "flow" in our lives which leads to optimal success in many areas.
Week 13: Relating to Parents
Parents can be see not as "the other" but rather as a peer working together to help each other understand life and to grow. Your parents need to be heard just as much as you need to be heard.
Try on seeing it as you and your parents are a set of eyes and together you can get focus and see something that otherwise you would not be able to see!
Remember to have heart-to-heart moments with your siblings, parents, friends and even teachers. This will help in tapping into your highest self and life purpose!
We may be visited this week by Dr. Beth who specializes in building stong bonds with parents and kids by building bridges over the gaps in their communication.
Week 14: Love and Happiness
Imagine these key four qualities on an axis.
1) INTEREST such as knowing what is going on in the world, knowing current events and trends in education, cultivating an interest in the world that will lead you where you need to go.
2) INITIATIVE such as taking care of details, organization, getting details handled in your home life, school life and personal life.
3) ENTHUSIASM. Keep complaining and rumors away and be direct and authentic in your communications.
4) TRUTH. Do not compromise on truth or it makes consensus difficult. Stand by truth in your life and work. Compromising truth leads to the growth and eventually a colony of compromises and then it is a slippery slope!
Cultivating all of these qualities can lead to LOVE! Be steadfast in your commitment to truth and love!
Find that area in your personality and character that needs growth and give loving attention to it. Look at it honestly and it will ripple out and help the bring transformation to other areas. Bring this new awareness back to the world!
II. Life Path Advanced Course
Week 14: What Happened VS The Story About What Happened
Knowing the difference between "what happened" and
the story about what happened. How do we "collapse" the two without even realizing it? How a persistent story eventually becomes
the way it is
and how to notice that trap. How teens can be more empowered with parents, friends and teachers by knowing the difference. How to transform situations that may have been challenging or difficult into ones that are fluid and open to change.
Week 15: Rackets/Persistent Complaints and Winning Formula
A "racket" as an unproductive way of being or acting that includes a complaint that something shouldn't be the way it is. By recognizing this pattern, its costs, and how we have been keeping the pattern in place, we have the choice to interrupt the vicious cycle and discover new ways of interacting that lead to new levels of happiness, satisfaction, and fulfillment in areas that are most important to us.
We will also explore the idea of a "winning formula" or that strength or "strong suit" that allowed us to be effective in life. We often develop a winning formula in response to the shame involved in a perceived failure when we were younger.
Week 16: Pure Possibility for Youth and Teens
Exploring the notion of
possibility.
Rather than speaking about something remote or something that may happen out in the future, we can look at the notion of possibility in a whole new light that allows us to create what we want and to improve the quality of life.
For better or for worse, when we were born we got involved with a family. Families look a variety of ways. Our families are intricately involved in the shaping of our lives. What could family life be like if we spoke and acted authentically?
What would happen if we treasured the members of our families - not as characters in an already determined story, but as irreplaceable individuals who bring unique qualities to our lives. We will discover entirely new possibilities for who you are for your family and who your family is for you.
Week 17: Understanding the Influence of the Past/ The Nature of Choice
In our perception, often what makes up today and even tomorrow is an extension or variation of what has come before. What we see as possible - what we are working toward - is essentially a more, better, or different version of the past. But it is possible to put the past where it belongs - in the past. When we put it in the past we are free in the present to create something new from authenticity, fun, well-being and love. We are then more able to enjoy a newfound sense of connection and intimacy friends, parents, teachers and others in life.
The power to choose is uniquely human. We all have a high interest in shaping the course of our lives - making the right choices and pursuing what is important to us. One commonly held view regards choice as merely reacting to, or selecting among, the existing options. Here we take another view. In this section, we explore choice as a profoundly human ability to create. When choice is understood and known in this way, what had previously seemed simply part of "the way things are" - inevitable or impervious to change - appears in a new light. We find ourselves able to choose - to have a say - about who we are and who we will be, as the author of our lives in any and all situations.
Week 18: Dealing with Breakdowns and Getting Stopped
We often have the experience that something went wrong and that there is a breakdown. Sometimes this is only our perception, and other times there is real validity. We must learn how to handle such breakdowns effectively and eloquently. By breakdowns, we mean something that we say shouldn‚t be or something that stops us from achieving what we want to achieve.
Instead of seeing breakdowns in that familiar way, we begin to view breakdowns as a pathway - an actual access - to fulfilling what's possible. As a result, we are better able to welcome some breakdowns and to find new solutions.
Week 19: Access to Being Extraordinary
Each of us would like to be extraordinary: to have our lives matter, to excel in the areas that are important to us. Every day we are presented with the opportunity to create something beyond what we thought could be possible. In this session, we come to grips with what allows for real power, integrity, effectiveness in all the areas that are important to us, including school. We explore the opportunity we have to express ourselves individually and fully, to question firmly held assumptions, to be graceful no matter what the circumstance, and to break and reinvent the mold.
Week 20: Rite of Passage/Ritual into the Next Stage
At the end of this semester you have the option to have some onclusion in the form of a ceremony or rite of passage. We could invite in the parents, other teachers and community members who each say something about the higher self and nobility of this particular student as they call out their highest self!
Who would you want to be present at your initiation and rite of passage into the next stage of your life?
Week 21: Integrated Self Requires Integrated and Interdisciplinary Curriculum
What is at the core or essence of a subjects or disciplines? What is meant by an "integrated curriculum?" What is the difference between multi-disciplinary studies and inter-disciplinary studies? What does this imply about what is more essential for being effective in life and for being happy and fulfilled? What are some of the ways we feel unfulfilled and thus reach out for things that are not health for our bodies and minds? How can we change our orientation around this fixation? What does it mean to be truly happy? What does it mean to be spiritual?
III. Life Path Academic Success
1. Self-Science: A New Kind of Science.
How can we bridge the inner science with outer science? What is "scientific thinking?" How can we use principles of Science to learn about ourselves? What is the connection to the way nature views "mistakes" and how we might learn to view "mistakes?" What hints can we get from Science about how we can related better, connect with others, elicit the best in others, and lead more successful and fulfilling lives?
2. Exploration and inquiry of the main world's religions.
Use of passages from Huston Smith's World Religions and scenes from documentary like The Power of Myth about Joseph Campbell's ideas. Readings by Ticht Nhat Hahn and Dalai Lama. Discussion about the main tenets and the underlying themes. Looking closely and establishing what is common to all religions and spiritual beliefs. Discussion on how we can incorporate the essence of these truths into our lives as youth and teens in our school, family and society.
3. Understanding the Masculine and Feminine.
Learning how some of the more successful of these religious and spiritual traditions honored the depth of beauty and nobility of the masculine and feminine essence. Reading passages from stories that specifically illustrate in a few cultures the divinity and respect of each gender. Discussion of how to relate to fellow students from that place of honor and respect. Discussion about teen myths about relating, flirting and romantic relationships within the school and city communities.
4. The Emotions and Art of Test Taking
Bringing emotional intelligence and clear thinking to the domain of standardized tests and the politics of standards. How to function effectively within a school that has demands of standards. Understanding the essence of the LSAT, SAT and Achievement tests. Preparing the mindset for these tests. Trick for lowing anxiety and making the process fun and enlightening. Tricks for getting better scores by reframing certain problems and seeing them from a new light and perspective.
5. Wonder at the World of Mathematics.
Why mathematicians in ancient times were considered "philosophers." The importance of logic in every subject and in life. Understanding why it is important that Math is the most abstract subject. Why other life forms in the universe have probably developed Math and not other languages of Earth. Seeing the magic, wonder and awe of mathematics. Raising grades in Mathematics. "Circling Math." Setting goals for the next week.
6. Awe at the World of Science.
Understanding why Science is not just a subject but a way of thinking (Scientific Method). Why Science is so important in understanding other subjects. Fun Science that elicits excitement, wonder and awe. Fun and entertaining scientific facts, principles and stories. Enjoying nature more. Appreciating animals and treating them with more respect and love. "Circling Science." Setting goals for the next week.
7. Social Studies as Self Science.
The role of History in Social Studies. How Social Science is connected to "being social." How social intelligence is just as important as academic intelligence. Bias and interpretation in the Social Sciences. The joy of using Film in the Social Sciences. How to use fun games and activities to enhance understanding of Social Sciences. How to raise grades in Social Science classes. How to use hints i n the Social Sciences and History to improve your relationships with friends and family. How we can not only study history but even change history by looking at our own being and understanding how we are connected to history.
THE WHOLE CHILD/ADOLESCENT PHILOSOPHY
If parents do not have the ability or knowledge to help their children/adolescent acquire and/or learn such important skills, they need to find other sources of acquiring these necessary kinds of knowledge, so important for optimal functioning in this society. Some teachers are beginning to understand the necessity of helping children with these skills, but as yet, few schools have developed the necessary curricula.
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