No beginning, no end: An ecology of human fourishing

Brendan McCormack and Angie Titchen

Invitation
This paper has been posted on our Critical Creativity Blog
(http://criticalcreativity.org/ ) to stimulate discussion about the nature, and
a new defnition o, human !ourishing as the ultimate outcome o wor"ing
within a critical creativity worldview. #t is an e$tended version o a paper
to be published in the #nternational %ractice &evelopment 'ournal,
e$tended particularly in relation to the creative in(uiry methods we used
in this research. The paper is or anyone interested in understanding their
own and others) !ourishing through transormation. *lthough we are
concerned with transormation o sel, others, wor"places, organisations
and communities towards person+centredness within health and social
care practice, education and research, we hope that what we have written
here will be o interest to people engaged in creating the conditions or
themselves and others to !ourish whatever their conte$t, proession or
feld o practice. By posting this paper and inviting your responses to it,
we will be testing out that hope, as well as fnding out whether people can
recognise their own and others) !ourishing within the elements and
essence o our new defnition.
oint of de!arture
The un"nown o critical creativity as a new worldview or transormational
practice development and action+oriented research has been gently unolding
and unurling over time. ,o it is with our understanding and embodiment o
human !ourishing as ends and means o transormational practice development
and research within this worldview. #n our earliest wor" (-cCormac" . Titchen,
/001, p. /23), we e$plicitly went beyond the moral intent o social 4ustice and
e(uity inherent in the critical social science tradition to sel+consciously
oreground human !ourishing as 5ma$imising the potential or individuals to
achieve his/her potential or growth and development).
The term 5human !ourishing) can be traced bac" to *ristotle who suggested that
human fourishing occurs when a person is concurrently doing what he [sic]
ought to do and doing what he wants to do. 6hat *ristotle suggests here is a
moral perspective on our being as agents in the world and which should resonate
with us as healthcare practitioners. The argument being that we are e7ective as
a person when the actions we actually ta"e are the same as those we ought to
be ta"ing as a moral agent. To do this re(uires an understanding o what is
re(uired o us as practitioners (the evidence that inorms our practice) whilst at
the same time being in a position to want to do what is the right thing and to
en4oy doing it.
6hilst *ristotle)s moral positioning o human !ourishing is seminal in positioning
the essence o practice that is engaged with in a person+centred way, we needed
to understand how human !ourishing connected with transormational practice
development and research. 8 course transormational practice development
and research has the same *ristotelian moral positioning, but we were also
aware that human !ourishing in this conte$t, could be understood and
conceptualised in a variety o ways. ,o the wor" o 9eron . :eason was our
touchstone. They construed in(uiry as action or the purpose o human
!ourishing and they conceptualised it as 5an enabling balance within and
between people o hierarchy, co+operation and autonomy) (9eron . :eason,
3;;<, p. 33). #nspired by 9eron and :eason)s ideas o in(uiry as transormative
and restorative o meaning and mystery to human e$perience and the world as a
sacred place, =incoln . &en>in (/000) re!ected:
We may be entering an age of greater spirituality within research
eforts. The emphasis on inuiry that refects ecological !alues" on inuiry
that respects communal forms of li!ing that are not Western" on inuiry
in!ol!ing intense refe#i!ity regarding how our inuiries are shaped by our
own historical and gendered locations" and on inuiry into $human
fourishing% as &eron and 'eason ()**+, call it" may yet reintegrate the
sacred with the secular in ways that promote freedom and self-
determination ... We may be in a period of e#ploring the ways in which
we can both be and promote others being" as whole human beings
(.incoln / 0en1in" 2333" p. )45,.
*s very little was written at this time about the nature o human !ourishing and
how it can be acilitated, this was our starting point in underta"ing our in(uiry
into human !ourishing within our practice development and research conte$ts.
*s we have continued to establish the theoretical and methodological roots o
critical creativity, we have in(uired more deeply and re!e$ively into new ways o
learning, developing and researching practice in transormational and person+
centred ways. 6e have danced, painted, wal"ed, written poetry and dialogued
with silence, nature and words to articulate and blend e$pressible and
ine$pressible "nowings and wisdom o our body, mind, heart and spirit. #n later
writings, we have added to our original defnition o human !ourishing as the
ends and means o transormational practice development and research. #n our
/00? boo" chapter entitled, 5* methodological wal" in the orest: Critical
creativity and human !ourishing) @based on a real wal" in the Aetherlands within
an international co+operative in(uiryB (Titchen . -cCormac", /00?), we
e$tended our original defnition o human !ourishing by proposing that human
!ourishing involves the human spirit and is ine$tricably connected to the natural
world and to ecology.
9uman !ourishing is points o light on trees
=ight transorms, enables light and death
Coung saplings and ancient canopy must both !ourish
To maintain the balance o the orest D
D 9uman !ourishing is an eco+system o balancing lie+death+lie
Creating conditions or interdependency and the losses and gains o each
position
/
Eragility and strength + ,trength and ragility.
&ynamic balance. 5
(Titchen . -cCormac" /00?, pp.
12+1F)
6e showed in that wor" how s"illed acilitators are:
5co+in(uirers, observing, (uestioning, e$periencing and engaging with the
concept being investigated, all at the same time. They are immersed in
the world, connected to it in all their roles. They are epistemologically and
ontologically authentic, that is, their ways o creating new "nowledge
about human !ourishing are congruent with the way they are as human
beings, connecting with others in the world and ostering conditions or
the human !ourishing o co+in(uirers) (Titchen . -cCormac" /00?, pp. <;+
?0).
Gmerging rom dancing on the Hiants) Causeway in Aorthern #reland, our paper,
5&ancing with stones: Critical creativity as methodology or human !ourishing)
(Titchen . -cCormac" /030) showed how transormational practice
development and research could lead to human !ourishing in creative, spiritual
and ethical senses and that it could be witnessed by others. 6e discussed
human !ourishing being e$perienced when people achieve benefcial, positive
growth that pushes their boundaries in a range o directions, or e$ample,
emotional, social, artistic, metaphysical directions. *nd that it could be
e$perienced in diverse ways, such as, deep ulflmentI radiance, being our real
selves and through deep connection with nature, beauty and people. 6e
ac"nowledged that human !ourishing occurs when we move with !ow rom a
point o inner "nowing to ta"ing right action e7ortlessly.
The ne$t signifcant unurling o our understanding was the result o wor"ing with
our two colleagues *nnette ,olman and Jal 6ilson on retreat in the Hrampian
-ountains in Jictoria, *ustralia. 6e used the dancing with stones
methodological ramewor" to create conditions or human !ourishing through
nature, the body, creative imagination, re!ection and re!e$ivity. #n our
publication arising rom this wor", we e$tended our still underdeveloped
defnition/description o human !ourishing as:
5 Dma$imising individuals) achievement o their potential or growth and
development as they change the circumstances and relations o their lives
at individual, group, community and societal levels. %eople are helped to
!ourish (i.e., grow, develop, thrive) during the change e$perience in
addition to an intended outcome o well+being or the benefciaries o the
wor". Elourishing is supported through contemporary acilitation
strategies, connecting with beauty and nature and blending with ancient,
indigenous and spiritual traditions (c.., ,enge et al, /00F) and &ewing)s
(/00?) active learning) (Titchen et al, /033, p./).
Being attuned to our personal attributes as persons and how we use these to our
advantage is e(ually important. *longside our own wor", -aureen Ha7ney
K
(/033: 1) ocuses on this issue and identifes our essential elements o
!ourishing persons:
6hallenge7 some call or demand to you to do something, to get over an
obstacle, to engage with some lie tas", to ma"e something happen.
6onnecti!ity7 being attuned to what is happening inside you and outside
you. Connectivity orients you to the challenge and gets you ready to deal
with it.
8utonomy7 eeling ree to move and to act in pursuit o the challenge.
This gives you the energy to get going and sets the direction o travel.
9sing your !alued competencies7 the e$perience o using your talents,
especially the strengths you most value in yoursel, to the ull.
These our essential elements provide a deceptively simple ramewor" or
understanding what it means to !ourish as a person. Ha7ney argues that the
best "ind o challenge is one that we 5own). #n the conte$t o practice
development and action+oriented research we have identifed these as 5critical
moments) when we have a choice to grow, develop and transorm or not.
9owever, irrespective o the challenge and where it comes rom, Ha7ney urther
argues that !ourishing re(uires 5connectivity) or 5psychological atunement) (p ?).
Gssentially this element is similar to that o re!e$ivity, i.e. our need to be aware
o what is happening inside ourselves (our eelings, emotions, desires etc) in
order to eel connected, and to interact e7ectively, with others. Ha7ney suggests
that persons need to be able to survive emotionally in order to be able to
!ourish. To do so they need to be in a conte$t that is psychologically sae, where
they are able to eel good about themselves and where there are close
connections between individuals and groups that are important to them. But no
matter how connected we may eel, we also need a sense o 5autonomy).
Ha7ney highlights the importance o individual reedom to 5act), to e$press one)s
creativity, to engage in relationship with others that nurtures our personhood
and that ma"es us eel valued. The ourth element or !ourishing identifed by
Ha7ney (/033) is that o 5using your valued competencies). Luite simply this
means MD doing what you were put into the world to doN (p 33).
*ter seven years o wor", this paper, 5Ao beginnning and no end: *n ecology o
human !ourishing) sets out our current embodied, cognitive and spiritual
understanding. #t was created and written on a seven+day retreat at &>gogchen
Beare, a Buddhist centre in the south west o #reland. 6e present our methods,
then our fndings in the orm o a poem with commentary. 6hilst we brie!y point
out the resonances between our fndings and "ey literature in the feld, the
purpose o this paper is not to engage in a comprehensive review o the
literature and to locate our wor" within it, but rather to e$press simply and
poetically the nature o human !ourishing, as we have come to "now it directly
and e$perientially. 6e o7er an image and defnition o human !ourishing.
8ur writing in this paper is more inspirational than scholarly and challenges
traditional orms o writing that rely on cognition and intellectual argument. 8
course, there is a place or that in increasing our understanding o human
!ourishing and we will be engaging in that elsewhere. But here, by interacting
poetic and symbolic orms with cognitive dialogue, we are trying to evo"e in you
2
your own pea" e$periences when surrounded by beauty and vibrant lie. 6e are
also attempting to provide conditions or you to have something o the
e$perience that we hadI an e$perience that was not altogether logical and
rational. 9ence the leaps and bounds that sometimes occur. By presenting
images and leaving you to do something with them, we are showing rather than
telling. 6e believe that this is a legitimate way o presenting our in(uiry fndings
so ar and o conveying essences that may be lost in the prose o conventional
research reports. *lthough we occasionally show how the elements o our new
defnition o human !ourishing might play out in practice development and
research, that is not our main concern here. *gain that wor" will ollow.
Critical"creative in#uiry methods
6e used methods that enabled us to bring heart, mind, body and soul into our
in(uiry. Through a meditative wal" in nature, creative e$pression through
painting, movement, poetry/poetic writing, re!ective 4ournals, photography and
critical+creative dialogue, we engaged our whole selves in gathering and ma"ing
sense and meaning rom the data. Thus we wor"ed with all our senses,
emotions, di7erent ways o "nowing (pre+cognitive, cognitive, metacognitive and
re!e$ive), di7erent "nowledges and multiple intelligences and the peerless
beauty o the landscape. 6e were also able to tap into the wisdom and loving
"indness we e$perienced together and through ormal periods o guided
meditation at the retreat centre.
#n preparation or our wor", we had immersed ourselves in data that had been
collected by ourselves and a community o practice developers and action+
oriented researchers at a two+day co+operative in(uiry wor"shop in the
Aetherlands in /00?. 6ith *nnette ,olman and Jal 6ilson, we had co+acilitated
a concept analysis o human !ourishing (attributes, enabling actors and
conse(uences). :eturning to this data in /03/, we were struc" with how
cognitively derived it was even though we had acilitated the use o critical+
creative in(uiry methods at the wor"shop. The data were not resonating with us,
with where we were in our e$perience o human !ourishing. Aeither did the
linear beginning, middle and end concept analysis structure capture the essence
o human !ourishing or us. 6e elt that the nature (attributes) o human
!ourishing is not linear, neither does it have a beginning and end, so we decided
to put the old data aside at this point and begin again using meditative, poetic
and holistic approaches.
6e e$perienced our methods in the ollowing ways: arriving, entering,
connecting, struggling, clearings, managing ego, loving "indness, stormy day
and engagement. These ways are presented here poetically 4ust as they were
recorded in a re!ective 4ournal during the wee". 6e start with the frst two
4ournal entries, entitled 5arriving) and 5entering).
Arriving
'ourneying aar
F
*nticipation o being
On"nown and un"nowing
Eacing the yet to "now
Hentle !ags welcoming
-essaging travellers rom aar
Bring gentleness and care
Come inside, be here
8verwhelming beauty
,tillness and (uiet un"nown
#ntense an$iety
Be present, be still, be here
Entering
Hlistening shimmering stillness
Ear away rom normal being
-essaging secrets rom yonder
Gmersing my spirit unseen
:olling ocus o power
Building rom within
9olding historical beauty
,ecrets o lie held still
Gverchanging presence
&istances yet to be revealed
1
Elying, soaring and travelling
:eturning to beauty within
,tay present, stay ocussed
Gmerge into the landscape
,oar li"e birds
Be ree to believe anew
A meditative $alk and critical"creative dialogue $ith self and other
6e wal"ed down towards the sea in meditative silence and emptiness, together
and alone. 8pening all our senses, we noticed what we noticed. ,ome time
later, in the retreat meditation garden we connected, signalling that we were
ready to share.
Connecting
,unshine crispness
Contrasting con!ictual beings
-oving slowly and gently
Connecting dar" and light
<
Thoughts o nothingness
Coming and going
Becoming and transcending
=andscape beauty ta"ing me
8pening up closed boundaries
*n ecology evolving
9olding present the seemingly odd
:ecreating meaning
,hedding light on un"nowns
The beauty un"nown unolds
*s the winds send messages aar
But near and within
The learning begins
Bac" at our cottage with e$pansive views o the sea, we painted the essence o
what was emerging or us.

*s we shared and audio+recorded insights and e$citement, we began to struggle.
9ow could we ma"e sense o what was emergingP 9ow could we describe the
nature o human !ourishing when it will be so di7erent or each person and
conte$tP 6hen there wasn)t a way to describe human !ourishing discursivelyP
?
Struggling
Thoughts hold frm momentary
Eleeting li"e the soaring gull
Aothingness dominates
=oneliness through separation
The noise o silence so loud
#nner turmoil at large
,tay ocussed stay strong
Be present don)t fght it
The messages rom the !ags grow
Be
Gmbody the contrasts o lie
Be still and let it come
*nd what came was that we should create a moving poem.
Moving !oem
Gyes sometimes open and ga>ing at the sea and sometimes closed, we wal"ed
around the large room, spea"ing out spontaneously.
6hen no more words came, we stopped. 6e were ecstatic. 6e 4umped up and
down. 6e "new we had it in our grasp and that the poem would be the rame
upon which the description o human !ourishing would rest. 6e were engaged
with the whole o ourselves. 6e "new at the core o our being that we were on
the right path, so we !owed e7ortlessly into editing the poem, revealing deeper
insights o understanding.
%eturning to the data and the !arts and the $hole
6e decided at this point that we would loo" at the data gathered on that day
with the previous concept analysis wor" (see let photo below).
;

*gain we elt the incongruence o lists o 5too many words) within the concept
analysis and what was being revealed that day. 6e had defnitely moved on
since /00?. ,o we too" away the wor" that no longer served our purpose,
leaving only our retreat data and the newly discovered title or this chapter.
Eeeling a new spaciousness/clearing, we decided to move onto the balcony
overloo"ing the steep cli7 and the sea. There we would create a mandala o the
parts and the whole o human !ourishing.


30
Creating the mandala enabled us to consolidate the emerging insights rom the
meditative wal" and re!ective dialogue. #t brought those insights together in an
embodied image o our individual and collective e$perience.
#nitially, beore editing the poem, we had instinctively elt that each verse o the
poem would symbolise a part o the whole ecology o human !ourishing. But we
had intentionally put that instinct on one side because we wanted the
parts/verses to emerge naturally, rather than orcing them. *ter ma"ing the
mandala, we shared, dialogued and audio+recorded the meanings embodied
within each part o it and in the whole. :eturning then to the poem, reading and
re+reading in silence and out loud to each other, the verses began to all into
place. Aow, through this deeper engagement with the data, we were able to
name the parts and their relationships to the whole. The poem itsel became our
articulation o the 5whole) o human !ourishing.
Making meaning through $riting and reading out loud
,itting at each end o the "itchen table, we began to write our responses to the
poem and the mandala. The writing !owed that day. ,haring what we each
were writing as commentary to each verse, there was a remar"able consistency
and coherence.
The ne$t day was very di7erent, as the ne$t two 4ournal entries show.
Managing ego
Onocussed tal"
Circular competing spaces
Aeeding to escape rom it
&esiring and returning to the new
6anting out
Eeeling trapped
#n never+ending cycles o tal"
Ggo wins
6hy was it so di7erent, 4ust as the blue s"y+sea o yesterday gave way to a
raging storm todayP
&tormy 'ay
6eather changing blac"ness
6inds whistling and stirring
Gnergies in turmoil
&eep og bloc"ing out ocus
33
-editative presencing
Eighting with disconnections
-ind hopping 5mon"ey mind)
Aot present ocussed or strong
#rritations rustrations resentment
Clouding the !ow o the pen
6ords !itting and !eeting
-on"ey mind at it again
Hive in give up give sel
8 permissions to let go
Change space changed place
=etting go
Communicating shared connections
*c"nowledging and naming givens
6or"ing with words that matter
=etting come
Gmbodied "nowing or real
&isconnected rom cognitive
-ind body divided
Aew learning o sel or sel
,tay present
6ith a dawning recognition that what was happening outside us (the storm) was
in!uencing us inside (the body, mind, heart and soul), we came to see that we
were not e$tending loving "indness to our own selves, despite our "nowing that
3/
such "indness is essential to human !ourishing. #ncongruence between our
espoused theory and theory in useQ The impact o this recognition is captured in
the fnal 4ournal entry.
(oving kindness
Eeelings stirred by unshapeliness
8 words that don)t ft
8 ego driven desire to own
=etting go to let come
Hiving o sel as one
,eeing new potentials shared
,haring o ood as riends
G$ploring spaces to be
Creating and re+creating space
6ords !ow more reely
*s images and metaphor weave
&ancing images emerge
Gntering a space o love
Being conscious o sel
Bodily "nowing so strong
Breathing through con!icts
,weeping !eeting thoughts
&ancing brains home see"ing
Gmbodiment o breath
-ind and bod as one
3K
Hiving and receiving love
-elta @loving "indnessB in awe
*s other and sel are one
Eloating through breathable space
6ords !ow easily reely
-etaphor dancing as one
*uthentic writing emerges
The ecology of human fourishing
*tunement to the connections between the whole o the planet and the parts o
everything e$isting in and on it, including ourselves, is central in a critical
creativity worldview. *s is the signifcance o the lie+death+lie cycle. 9owever,
it was through this in(uiry that our ecology o human !ourishing was uncovered.
6e start by presenting the whole o human !ourishing in the orm o the moving
poem. Then we dialogue with each verse, each o which symbolises an element
or one o the parts o human !ourishing. 6e end by o7ering a defnition and
symbol o human !ourishing.
The $hole
The ecology of human fourishing
:oc", tall harsh and strong
Bounding raming tunnelling ocus
Hentle new growth
&elicate e$istence in the roc"y landscape
:especting the vastness o the total ecology
Elooding with 4oy + su7using every cell in my body
9oneycombed cells connecting permeable membranes
#nner world echoes outer
Tangled roots o lie and love bursting energy ragrance
=ily pond holding energies
Coe$istence o beauty strength lie and living
32
Clarity wind spea"ing loving "indness
6ind music grasses uscias dancing
Eerns bright green holding sun energy
,acred earth rooted
9idden gems around each corner
Beauty unolding with each new step
Candles burning in protected space
6elcoming strangers into the "nown
,cented white smo"e o beauty loving "indness
Hrowing into light reaching ull potential
:iding the winds o prayers, singing lie
The une$pected re(uest rom aar
:esponding generously, appreciating its meaning
:e+entering the space, connecting and reconnecting
-anaging eelings o being overwhelmed
,taying ocused on the particular, the present, the here, the now
:e+entering the calm place or reconnecting
9olding strong, seeing meaning
:especting stillness, the (uiet, the peace
The beauty o nature and what it creates
,piralling vorte$ o shell sculpture
#mbuing meaning o the sacred, its connections with earth
9uman !ourishing bringing new meaning
6hite daisies dancing against blue s"y.
&aisy aces uplited towards the sun
%urity
6hiteness
Temple or honouring the space within
Eor giving, receiving, than"ing and respecting
3F
Elowers adorning
*c"nowledging the beauty o place
Connections rom aar
The spirits that hold us, the place that is
Ao beginning no end
-ovement and stillness
#n harmony, grace and !ourishing
31
Gach verse in our moving poem e$presses the meaning o one o eight elements
o human !ourishing. The title o each verse captures the essence (see Eigure
3).
)igure *: The eight elements of human fourishing
Bounding and framing
:oc", tall harsh and strong
Bounding raming tunnelling ocus
Hentle new growth
&elicate e$istence in the roc"y landscape
:especting the vastness o the total ecology
Elooding with 4oy + su7using every cell in my body
9oneycombed cells connecting permeable membranes
#nner world echoes outer
3<
The desire as a person to be and be seen to be strong in our lives is both an
essential attribute o persons, but also a challenge that we ace in our everyday
lives. Being strong is a characteristic o our humanness that enables us to meet
the challenges and opportunities o each day and draw on our inner strengths to
achieve what we want to and need to. 9owever, being strong and having
strength also place signifcant responsibilities on us as persons as we strive to
meet what may at times seem li"e unrealistic or unachievable e$pectations o
sel and others. 8n the meditative wal" it seemed that at frst sight the roc" o
the landscape dominated and ramed the environment. #t gave messages o 5#
am in control), 5# am the powerbase o the landscape), 5it is all about me)Q *t frst
the harshness o the roc" landscape appeared to create a boundaried ocus and
prevented us rom seeing the bigger picture o the landscape R it overwhelmed
the oreground o our consciousness.
The theme o 5bac"ground and oreground) emerged early in our meditative
wal", not unsurprisingly given the vastness o the landscape and the need or
raming o particular elements in order or them to be noticed. 9ow we privilege
bac"ground or oreground is an important issue when thin"ing about our
potential to !ourish as persons. #n the vastness o the macrocosm, that is, the
ecology o our world and universe, we can become overwhelmed by its wisdom
when we are trying to learn rom it in terms o the microcosm or our human
!ourishing. By bounding or raming our ocus thereore and placing it in the
oreground o our consciousness, we can ma"e sense o the macrocosm by
ocussing on or tunnelling into a part o it. This is possible because the same
messages are contained in the vast and the small R the bac"ground and the
oreground. The roc" dominated landscape created a tunnel through which one
3?
needed to travel in order to engage with the total landscape R the macrocosm.
&i7erent aspects o the tunnel emerged with each step and turn R around each
corner e$isted a di7erent perspective on the tunnel e7ect o the roc", with some
providing a ocused vista to the ocean and others clear directions and a path to
ollow. ,o the roc" in this conte$t no longer seemed li"e a barrier and a
dominating orce in the landscape, but instead it shaped perspectives and
recreated meaning and way+fnding. #t urther created lin"ages between the
bac"ground and oreground o the landscape and at times created a reordering
o bac"ground and oreground. This movement between bac"ground and
oreground can help us rom eeling overwhelmed and provide a space or
!ourishing. Eor e$ample in healthcare practice or in practice development, the
sense o being overwhelmed by the vastness o what needs to be done/changed
is very real. Thereore oregrounding particular aspects o the total landscape o
practice provides us with an opportunity to ocus, to build energy to see what is
possible/achievable and ultimately to !ourish.
:econfguring the roc" as a 5rame) o reerence or both how we see the
landscape and the direction o travel we adopt enabled the subtleties o the
landscape to be observed, engaged with and lived. &eep in the crevices o the
roc" live delicate and ragrant !ora that add a beauty and a gentleness to the
harshness o the roc" ace:
Becoming and transcending
=andscape beauty ta"ing me
8pening up closed boundaries
This connection between the dominant and powerul roc" aces and the
gentleness o the connected !ora, illustrates the dynamic nature o human
!ourishing and the 4u$taposition o strength and gentleness in co+e$istence.
Gach nourishes the other and each is necessary or the other to have meaning R
a meaning that 4u$taposes harshness with gentleness, strength with railty,
boundaries with infnity and dar"ness with light. ,uch is the connection in the
universeI the same patterns in simplicity and comple$ity. ,o being attuned to
the !ourishing o the universe, we can tend our own !ourishing in ways that
mirror the successul ways o nature and lie. Eor e$ample, the 4u$taposition
here o harshness and gentleness enabling delicate growth could mean that we
too can !ourish and grow when our conte$ts appear barren and unsupportive o
lie. 6e need to loo" or the noo"s and crannies and micro+climates where our
roots can sin" into the nourishing earth.
Gmbody the contrasts o lie
Be still and let it come
Gach o these contrasts create a tunnel or our embodied "nowing to embrace
the un"nown, to ta"e ris"s in new (ad)ventures and to develop new
understandings about what matters in terms o being, growth and development.
6ithout these contrasts our minds have the potential to remain unocused, li"e
butter!ies !itting through potentials, appreciating the beauty but not engaging
in the ull e$citement o the possibilities beore us. *ppreciating the importance
o raming and bounding enables an appreciation o wanting to still the mind and
3;
>one out the many distractions that get in the way o us !ourishing in lie and
wor". Einding moments o stillness and intentionally ocussing only on the issues
at hand enables growth and movement.
Co"e+istence
Tangled roots o lie and love bursting energy ragrance
=ily pond holding energies
Coe$istence o beauty strength lie and living
Clarity wind spea"ing loving "indness
6ind music grasses uscias dancing
Eerns bright green holding sun energy
#n our previous wor" (Titchen . -cCormac" /001) we have argued that in order
to engage in critical and creative practices there is a need to appreciate the
embedded creativity in the particular in order or new insights and
understandings to emerge that may be transormative.
/0
$(the, lily pond is for me [:rendan] a holder of the whole space in that one thing
because it holds all the elements and that is what ; was refecting on in the
meditati!e garden < the diferent elements that are throughout this space" that
there are so many conficting elements that are held in a really healthy" li!ing
harmonious peaceful space and it is all manifested in the lily pond.%
#t is the case that in everyday lie/practice the tangled roots o our particular
conte$t can at times appear impenetrable and resistive o change, growth and
development. 9owever, li"e the tangled roots o the lily pond, their beauty is in
their connections as indeed is their strength. Ha7ney (/033) identifes
5connectivity) as one o the our elements o !ourishing persons. Connectivity
implies being attuned to what is happening inside and outside o us. Being
attuned to these connections enables us to recognise when disconnections are
happening and or us to be able to rise to the challenges associated with such
disconnections. #n the same way the entangled roots o the lily pond create
connections that support the lie o the pond above and below the surace. The
roots provide the nourishment or the lilies to e$ist, whilst simultaneously
creating a mysterious undergrowth below which one needs to enter in order to
truly understand and appreciate it. Elowing, lyrical, staccato, chaos and stillness
(:oth 3;;0) energies or rhythms are necessary or our vitality and !ourishing.
The lily pond holds these energies and so they are all around us. There are other
energies, o course, the energies o emotion, lie orce, positive, negative, low,
high, directed, non+directed and so on. To wor" with them in ruitul ways or our
own and others) !ourishing, we need to ac"nowledge the beauty o each energy
and see its potential or human growth and or loving "indness. ,o with chaos,
or e$ample, which we can associate with Eay)s Crisis, we can be intentional in
wor"ing with the negative emotions or low energy and rhythms that may be
occurring and loo" or the beauty in this situation that will strengthen our
resilience and ability to begin the transormation o chaos/crisis into Eay)s (3;?1)
transormative action. Aourishment with accompanying growth emerges rom
une$pected places when we really pay attention. #n the midst o what may seem
dead or mur"y and tangled with no space to move or breathe, the energies
re(uired or growth and !ourishing springs orth. 6e 4ust have to see and "now
it and !ow with it.
6hat appears to be a mur"y pool is indeed a place o infnite lie and death, o
connections and reconnections, o movement and stillness, o strength and o
wea"ness. #t is these interconnected (ualities o persons that enable lie, living,
letting go and !ourishing. *s %ierre Teilhard de Chardin (/00?) suggests MD the
more one sees, the better one "nows where to loo" DN The mur"y lily pond li"e
each person, holds the beauty o lie, strength and living. The challenge is to
appreciate their interconnectivity in maniesting the elements o !ourishing and
beauty that e$ists within each o us. =i"e 'ohn HriSn (/033), we see the beauty
in nature as the same as the beauty within our innermost hearts and, i we open
to natural beauty, we will be able to connect to our own and others) beauty. ,o
when we fnd ourselves in con!ict with others or with people who we do not
warm to or li"e (all necessary parts o the mur"y poolQ), we can loo" careully or
the beauty within them and we can imagine that we li"e them and act towards
/3
them as i we do. *lternatively, we can send them on a metaphorical 5prayer !ag)
(see below) a silent wish or happiness, wellness and saety as a orm o loving
"indness meditation (,altsberg /00/).
=oving "indness lies at the heart o !ourishingI loving "indness towards onesel
and others in the conte$ts and situations we fnd ourselves in our wor".
,pea"ing loving "indness is li"e eeling bree>e on our aces, hearing the rustle
and brushing o grasses and leaves as the wind gusts and lulls. #t is something
that is sensed more than actually spo"en although it can be heard in the tone o
voice, in the sotness o the eyes and in compassionate acts. =oving "indness
warms our hearts as the sun warms the earth and all living things. 6e can
become more attuned to loving "indness when we open all our senses as well as
our hearts. 6hen we can love ourselves then we can begin to unold a loving,
"ind intention towards those we eel neutral about or do not li"e.
There are many ways o moving towards !ourishing in this way within a critical
creativity worldviewI we can go on contemplative wal"s li"e the one in this poem
when we are luc"y enough to be in beautiul places, but we can also ta"e
intentional re!ective or meditative wal"s in our wor" environments loo"ing and
sensing the things and people o beauty. 'ust as *ngie)s e$perience o being
5empty and thus able to hear the wind music and ta"e 4oy in it), so we can notice
intentional acts o "indness and compassion in our connections with those we are
wor"ing with to create the conditions or human !ourishing R stillness in the
landscape, embodying critical creativity and nurturing, !owing and connecting
(Titchen . -cCormac" /030).
//
The 5prayer !ag) in the Buddhist tradition e$presses a generosity o spirit and a
commitment to unconditional sharing through love. *s the wind catches the
prayer !ag and blows it, the message o the prayer is shared with all whom the
wind touches and so a global condition o "indness is created. The idea o love in
caring practices is not new and indeed the wor" o Campbell (3;?2) and his
concept o 5moderated love) have been articulated in nursing, education and
social wor" practices since the 3;?0)s. 9owever, unli"e the idea o love that is
moderated through proessional boundaries, loving "indness transcends all alse
divides between persons, and instead is a genuine and authentic attempt to
appreciate humanity in all its 5rawness). The clarity that is brought through the
wind messages o loving "indness connects with the humanity o persons. The
innate (uality o persons to do good is only mediated (not moderated) through
particular conte$ts and circumstances. =i"e the grasses and uchsias that dance
with the wind, persons can !ourish when the right conditions are created and
when the right energies are in place. 6e (-cCormac", Titchen and -anley, in
press) have articulated the necessary conditions in care environments or human
!ourishing, including:
T :espect or all persons
T Cultures that value eedbac", challenge and support
T Commitment to transormational learning
T =eaders who possess the s"ills o enabling acilitation
T 8rganisations with a person+centred vision
T ,trategic plans that support person+centred and evidence+inormed cultures
o practice
T Continuous evaluation o e7ectiveness
T G(ual valuing o all "nowledge and wisdom
The conditions o course can only be activated when the right energies are
instilled in the climate o the setting, energies that we believe are maniested
through a commitment to loving "indness and respect or the
interconnectedness o humanity.
,mbracing the kno$n and yet to be kno$n
,acred earth rooted
9idden gems around each corner
Beauty unolding with each new step
Candles burning in protected space
6elcoming strangers into the "nown
,cented white smo"e o beauty loving "indness
Hrowing into light reaching ull potential
:iding the winds o prayers, singing lie
/K
#n ancient traditions, the sacredness o the land and earth are paramount.
9aving respect or the earth as provider o nourishment, growth and
sustainability is a critical element o being human. #t is also the case that or
persons to be present in the moment, there is a need or us to be rooted in the
here and now. 5Being present) is an important element o authentic and
compassionate caring and the practitioner who is 5present) has the potential to
engage with the other in what -artin Buber has described as an #: Thou
relationship. 6ithin such a relationship, the 5hidden gems) o the each person in
relation are maniested, not as ego driven characteristics, but instead as
elements o hidden comple$ity o persons that are yet to be revealed and
shared. #n her wor" on 5loving "indness), ,al>berg (/00/) highlights the
destructive nature o viewing persons as 5other). ,he argues that otherness
creates disconnections between di7erent aspects o sel, disconnections between
mind and body, and loss o connectedness between persons. ,imilarly, Boy"in
and ,choenhoer (3;;K) reerred to the 5dance o caring persons) as a metaphor
or the way in which the personhood o connected persons becomes as one, with
each giving and receiving rom the other. The concept o personhood is a
comple$ one and one that is multi+layered and multileveled. %ersonhood reers
to our deepest layers o humanity. Those aspects o sel that shape us as
persons R our belies, values, needs, wants, desires, hopes and dreams. -any o
these elements o our personhood are "nown to us whilst others remain hidden
(to us). Through a meaningul engagement with 5other) the hidden gems o our
personhood can be revealed and made "nown to us. Through the development
o connected relationships, the hidden beauty o each person can be revealed
and unolded. This unolding can create moments o crisis (Eay 3;?<) that can
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either create growth and development (!ourishing) or a distancing rom the
"nown as the conditions or embracing the challenge o the "nown may not be
conducive. 9uman !ourishing is e$perienced when people achieve benefcial,
positive growth that pushes their boundaries in a range o directions (Titchen .
-cCormac" /030). 9owever the need to be ready or boundaries to be pushed is
a "ey actor in enabling human !ourishing to happen. M# would love to live li"e a
river !ows, carried by the surprise o its own unoldingN (8)&onohue, 3;;<). 8n
the other hand, we have to be alert to the act that the river !oods when its
ban"s are breached and so we must also respect our limits i we are to !ourish in
times o crisis.
8n tal"ing about her painting o the wal", *ngie re!ects:
5-y mind was empty when # started wal"ing (# was listening to the wind
and my own breath). # 4ust ollowed my body. ,o in my painting my body
wanted to !ow. ,o # created the wave energy blue line. Then ater, it
came into my mind that this is !ow, water energy. The wave !owed into
the spiral R symbolising the growth and the !owers, the glorious colours
and points and !ows o light o uchsias and hydrangea. # elt a 4olt o
surprise at each corner. =i"e loo"ing up 4ust now and seeing the rainbow
alling into the sea. This symbolises human !ourishing and the awe,
wonderment and 4oy that it creates in me when # least e$pect it. *s # was
wal"ing, # saw nature as symbols o the way o being open, receptive and
empty in a Cin sort o way. 'ust being and receiving. ,eeing and accepting
the call o all these wonderul paths ta"ing us e7ortlessly to these
wonderul revelations and uncoverings. *nd surprises. =i"e wal"ing up the
trac" and fnding the chimney pots arising rom the tussoc"y earth and the
solar panelsQ Garth houses in harmony with nature.)
This place is about human living in harmony with nature R ta"ing it urther
R that step urther. =i"e the prayer !ags sending their messages o love
and "indness to whoever the wind should touch.)
6hen we move around our wor"places with our eyes, ears, sense o smell, touch
and taste wide open, 5hidden gems) emerge. *s we rush around at wor", our
senses are oten hal shut down. *re we really awa"e and living each moment as
i it were our lastP # we do not pay attention we can miss the gems and the
beauty around us. %erhaps we need symbols or signifers o something on
beyond the bustle o the everyday to remind us o the importance o human
!ourishing and to celebrate it, 5candles burning in protected space). 6e have a
vision o small re!ective pools with one or two or three !oating !owers on a busy
corner. ,uch reminders o the connectedness o human !ourishing with the
beauty o nature that 4ust is, can welcome us bac" into ways o "nowing and
being that are integral to being human but which we have hal orgotten. 6e are
born with these ways that enable us to "now our own !ourishing. They are not
roc"et scienceQ *nd we can come to "now or re+member these "nowings and
deep contentment in our wor"places.
(iving $ith conficting energies
/F
The une$pected re(uest rom aar
:esponding generously, appreciating its meaning
:e+entering the space, connecting and reconnecting
-anaging eelings o being overwhelmed
,taying ocused on the particular, the present, the here, the now
:e+entering the calm place or reconnecting
9olding strong, seeing meaning
* critical ontological position re(uires us to be sensitive and attentive to
5moments o crisis) as it is through these moments that we identiy a need or
change and have the potential to change. Crises aren)t ma4or events in a
person)s lie, but instead are 54olts) that may alter a particular perspective or
cause us to pause or re!ection and reconsideration o the direction we are
ta"ing. =i"e the 4olt we e$pressed in the frst verse o the 5stormy day) poem in
our in(uiry methods section.
6eather changing blac"ness
6inds whistling and stirring
Gnergies in turmoil
&eep og bloc"ing out ocus
This little verse brings into sharp ocus the challenges associated with living with
con!icting energies. *ter two days o glorious sunshine set against a millpond+
li"e seascape, we e$perienced a turbulent and rapid change in the weather. *
/1
storm raged, bringing in a thic" soup+li"e sea mist that not 4ust clouded the awe+
inspiring seascape but seemed to cloud our energies and thought processes. 6e
each arose rom our beds conscious o our bodies being in turbulence and the
energy o the space eeling very di7erent rom previous days. On"nown to the
other, each o us engaged in separate meditations to try to bring us into the here
and now and prepare or the wor"ing day. 8ur writing didn)t !ow, li"e :oth)s
(3;;0) staccato movement each word elt heavy on the page and sentences
didn)t appear to ma"e much sense. *n energy o irritation hung between us.
=ater during a guided loving "indness meditation the idea o 5mon"ey thin"ing)
resonated so strongly with us R thin"ing that leaps about and is never still. This
naming enabled a stillness to emerge and a letting go o our fght with the day.
=ater we ac"nowledged that we had been in con!ict with the day, trying in vain
to emerge rom the og and ailing to ac"nowledge the deep connection between
the universe and our bodies. That stillness and letting go enabled the letting
come o a new energy (,enge et al, /00F), one that sat within the og and storm
but one that accepted that as a way o being, at that moment in time. This new
energy enabled a letting come o a 5!ow) that brought energy to our dialogue
and subse(uent writing, ending the day in a !ourishing space:
Hive in give up give sel
%ermission to let go
Changed space changed place
=etting go
Communicating shared connections
*c"nowledging and naming givens
6or"ing with words that matter
=etting come
Ha7ney (/033) argues that 5challenge) is a "ey element o !ourishing and that
without challenge we would languish in the saety o established habits and
norms. Challenges aren)t always o our own ma"ing, but instead can arise rom
une$pected and unanticipated avenues and directions. =i"e the une$pected
storm, during Brendan)s meditative wal", the 5une$pected re(uest rom aar) (a
re(uest to ta"e a group photograph) 4olted him out o his meditative space and
caused a sense o disturbance in his mind and body. *s the moving poem shows,
holding strong in his embodied space enabled him to respond generously to the
re(uest, without anger or upset and pic" up rom where he had ended prior to
the re(uest. This management o emotion enabled a reconnection to happen
and the possibilities o staying ocused to emerge. ,al>berg (/00/) suggests
that to develop ocus re(uires a letting go o negative emotion towards others
and to hold strong our sense o being grounded in the space. This is similar to
one o the conditions or human !ourishing previously articulated by Titchen et al
(/033), that o 5becoming the landscape (embodying critical creativity). This
embodiment re(uires o persons a deep connection with the setting in which
they e$ist. 6hilst it is recognised that creating connection with the natural
landscape has strong meditative potential or growth and development,
connecting with the space we are in through shared values, respect or others,
appreciation o the setting and the people within, all help with staying ocused
and wor"ing with the 5here and now)
/<
Gntering a space o love
Being conscious o sel
Bodily "nowing so strong
Being able to move in and out o di7erent spaces and maintain our sense o
human !ourishing is vital when une$pected re(uests are made on us (as there
are constantly in our everyday wor"ing) or when we e$perience changes in the
conte$t o our wor". 6e may intentionally be see"ing the gems o this person we
are helping when our attention is called or elsewhere. 6e may eel irritated at
the interruption and need to re+rame the re(uest as an opportunity or loving
"indness and connection with the other. This movement and management o
eelings draws on our emotional intelligence. -oreover, it also needs us to
dance with our spiritual intelligence so that we can give graceul care and
ocussed attention to the person or situation ma"ing the re(uest. Being really
present or that particular person, persons or situation, can also help us to re+
rame the re(uest as an opportunity or holding strong to our values and our
response to its challenges as a means o enabling our own and others) human
!ourishing. This is not easy, but it is something we can strive or. #t is an
e$ample o the distinction between human !ourishing and the !ourishing we see
in the beauty o lie and death in nature.
Being still
:especting stillness, the (uiet, the peace
The beauty o nature and what it creates
,piralling vorte$ o shell sculpture
#mbuing meaning o the sacred, its connections with earth
/?
9uman !ourishing bringing new meaning
*s we entered the 5meditation garden) with its natural beauty and stillness, an
overwhelming sense o connectedness with the space ensued. 6e were aware o
the vastness o the macro landscape, the hugeness o the ocean that ormed the
bac"drop to the garden and the dominance o silence. This sense o peace and
(uiet enabled us to be still, to be grounded and to appreciate the beauty o the
setting.
*s shown in our chapter, 5&ancing with stones), acilitators o practice
development and action+oriented research within a critical creativity worldview,
are cognisant o the importance o being still in the wor"place i they and others
are to !ourish.
*ngie: 56hen # was sharing my painting with you, it blew away and you
said, # thin" you can get it and # immediately moved to get it in a saving
way. *nd when # got here # thought, no, this is where it belongs. 6here the
wind too" it. *nd yes, it is about recognising when something 4ust is and
when it doesn)t need any more. Gnabling human !ourishing is about
"nowing when something is good and right and doesn)t need any more. #
am (uite good at that when # am in this "ind o still space, but when # am
in the busy space, # "now # do too much. # have to transer this "nowing to
the busy space.
Brendan: # thin" it is a struggle or us all R busy space, busy body. The
thing or us is creating the space o nothingness or others that allows or
that "ind o "nowing to emerge or it stays hidden. # we don)t ta"e the
meditative wal"s @imaginary or realB then we miss it.)
Creating di7erent and complementary spaces or di7erent purposes is an
important consideration in enabling human !ourishing. This chapter is imbued
with the e$periences o wor"ing in nature as a rame o reerence and a ground
or re!ection on living human !ourishing through the mind and body. 9owever,
as we have argued elsewhere (Titchen et al /033), being in sacred, natural
spaces is not always an option or busy practitioners, nor indeed a necessary
condition or !ourishing. 9owever, what it does highlight is the importance o
respecting the signifcance and importance o di7erent spaces or di7erent yet
complementary purposes o being busy and being still.
:especting stillness in today)s busy world is a challenge, but without it we are
li"ely not to reach our ull potential. *tunement to possibilities or stillness and
or responding to the beauty o nature and artistic e$pression is "ey. This
happened or *ngie who gained urther insights into the ecology o human
!ourishing when ga>ing in awe at the beautiul shell sculpture arising rom a
prousion o dancing !owers. #n the stillness o this beautiul space, the ocus o
her attention was constantly drawn bac" to this sculpture. ,he was struc" by
how the sculpture is in complete harmony with nature and yet adds to it
because, unli"e nature, in and o itsel, it is a container o meanings. *nd that
/;
meaning ma"ing (both in the artistic creation and in others) responses to it) is
the basis o all philosophical thought. #t is what ma"es us human.
*ngie: *s # loo"ed at the shell sculpture in the meditation garden # saw
that the contribution that human beings ma"e to ecology o the universe is
"nowing what is good and in e$pressing loving "indness and generosity.
6e are ine$tricably connected to the ecology o the earth and the solar
system and we have the capacity and "nowledge to wor" with that
connection so that we and all creatures on earth can !ourish. Connecting
with nature in stillness, enhances this enormous potential. *nd this
potential lies in its simplicity ... *nd so with the painting # wanted it to be
simple. # loo"ed at it and said, yes, it is enough and as # said that the wind
lited it up and it !oated down into the brac"en here and it is cradled and
protected with the creation uppermost. # thought, it is a prayer !agQ
Brendan: # thin" your painting is an essence about the dynamism that was
present on that wal". The colours and contrasts that create a (uality and
lie that we don)t see normally see. There is a lot o energy and strength
in it and emptiness. This is re!ective o need or emptiness in order to
!ourish. 6e don)t create emptiness in our wor". 6e constantly fll space
with doing. #t struc" me today is that # need more emptiness in my lie.
Ceah and how do we create that or others to !ourishP Cour creation
captures that really well R the energy and the empty space. 6ith simplicity
as an essence pulling it all together. 9olding in perect harmony the
di7erent energies, colours, contrasts and lots o movement.
Creating spaces or (uiet re!ection and stillness is a real challenge in busy
healthcare environments and there is a need or us to pay more attention to the
wor"ings o healthcare environments and how they unction. 9owever, the
5spiralling vorte$ o the shell sculpture) reminds us that we need to ocus on the
movement contained in the whole rather than the busyness o isolated parts.
The spiralling shell sculpture appears li"e a dense solid ob4ect resonating beauty
by its shape, orm and presence in the garden. 9owever, the emptiness o the
spiralled sculpture creates a space that enables the entering o the emptiness o
the shape and a connection with its inner meanings. Eocusing on the empty
space reminds us o the need to clear our minds o the busyness o practice and
ocus instead on the meanings o our practice and the way these meanings
shape our everyday reality. Creating spaces or (uiet re!ection, critical
engagement and meaningul connection with others are essential elements o an
environment that enables all persons to !ourish.
,mbodying contrasts
6hite daisies dancing against blue s"y.
&aisy aces uplited towards the sun
%urity
K0
6hiteness
Temple or honouring the space within
Eor giving, receiving, than"ing and respecting
Elowers adorning
*c"nowledging the beauty o place
Connections rom aar
This verse returns us to the sacred aspect o human !ourishing. *s shown with
our writings about critical creativity, we bring all aspects o ourselves as we
develop our potential. =etting go into and being attuned to all that is good,
beautiul and harmonious, brings us closer to recognising the sanctity o person+
centred human relationships. #t helps us to e$perience our greater selves, the
more transcendent sel that Ha7ney describes as the person we are when we are
at our best (as opposed to languishing when we are at our worst). Eor us,
e$periencing and connecting with the sacred is not the same as having a
religious aith or belie or living a lie shaped by doctrines. 6hilst some o us
may have such a aith, what we are concerned with here is more related to a
sense o awe and wonderment at goodness, beauty, harmony, compassion and
loving "indness R and with honouring them.
*ppreciating the purity and delicacy o the white daisies set against the vastness
and magnifcence o the clear blue s"y reminds us o the need to stay ocused on
the subtleties o practice. The white daisies provide a ocus or re!ection in a
(uiet space that otherwise could be overwhelming. These delicate parts o the
landscape act as a ocus or the signifcance o the whole, whilst seeing only a
small part. The daisies bring a 4oy and lie to the total landscape that, in the
daises) absence, would be less obvious. ,imilarly, when we thin" about what we
need to do to create the conditions or !ourishing in our own practice landscape,
we need to pay attention to the 5daisies) that may e$ist in our setting but that
perhaps are not being seen or are yet to be seen. The delicate and seemingly
insignifcant parts o the wor"place may indeed be the vital elements or
K3
!ourishing R the vase o !owers, the choice o wall hangings and the mood
created by light and sound may all be as important as the daisies dancing
against the blue s"y.
*s we continued our meditative wal" we noticed a shrine to Buddha and the
various o7erings rom nature (!owers, seeds, ruits) that had been donated in
honour o gits received. The shrine coe$isted among a natural wilderness o
woods that had been untouched. The large careully sculpted shrine with its
sharp edges and layered elements contrasted with the naturalness o the
surrounding environment. Gach beautiul in their own way, but each re!ecting a
di7erent appreciation o the landscape. 6e "now that or persons to !ourish,
eeling respected and showing resect are "ey ingredients. Being respected as a
person enables growth whilst simultaneously creating the conditions or the
demonstration o respect or others. Throughout the meditative wal", we were
struc" by the e$tent o the respect shown or the environment, the setting and
the people therein. The natural spaces 4u$taposed with the buildings, car par"s
and other elements o the created spaces:
*ngie: D the gardeners "now about 4u$tapositions in that they "now how
to 54ust enough) manage the landscape and see the art o the landscape.
Brendan: the importance o 54ust enough) comes through. The garden is a
mi$ o 4ust natural environment with moments o structure/organised
garden. *gain it re!ects the gentleness o that approach and "nowing
when it is 54ust enough). Eacilitators need to pay attention to that and
"now when it is 54ust enough).
*ngie: Ces, because i we do do too much, we "ill it.
8bserving and appreciating these 4u$tapositions created a new appreciation o
the need or 5contrast) as an element o !ourishing. =i"e the importance o
5crisis), paying attention to elements o the environment that at frst sight don)t
seem to 5ft) is important or our 5ta"en or granted) ways o "nowing:
Gmbody the contrasts o lie
Be still and let it come
#n the development o a critically creative methodology or human !ourishing we
have identifed the need or the blending o cognitive and creative approaches to
criti(ue. The use and appreciation o art in all its orms, enables connections to
be made between the 4u$tapositions o cognition and creativity. =i"e the
4u$taposition o the natural and humanmade landscape, the embodiment o 5the
contrasts o lie) creates opening or new understandings, re!ections, "nowledge
and being to emerge. 'u$tapositions are important or !ourishing because i you
stay in the sae >one, the comort >one you don)t !ourish, you e$ist. =i"e 5*lice)s
rabbit hole), the conte$t created by these di7ering and contrasting elements may
eel 5dangerous) at frst, but embracing them enables new learnings to emerge
and the potential or transormation to be realised.
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-armony
The spirits that hold us, the place that is
Ao beginning no end
-ovement and stillness
#n harmony, grace and !ourishing
6e have presented our perspectives on human !ourishing set in the conte$t o a
critically creative world+view and with a ocus on the development o helping
relationships in health care practices, transormational practice development and
action orientated research. 8ne o the "ey learnings that emerged or us at the
beginning o our writing retreat was that there is no beginning and no end to
!ourishing and so there was no natural starting point to writing about human
!ourishing R thence the use o a mandala to shape the orm and !ow o our
writing. This realisation and ac"nowledgement o a continuous 4ourney o
!ourishing rather than a prescribed structure resonates with the need to respond
to the wisdom o our bodies in decision+ma"ing. Ao matter how much control we
may eel over our lives, many internal and e$ternal in!uences shape us and the
conditions that enable us to !ourish as persons (or not). This is not to suggest a
atalistic perspective o persons, but is instead an understanding and position
that recognises the interconnectedness o persons, the environment and the
universe. 6ithout an appreciation o these deep connections and an
understanding o the need to actively shape our being in the world, then our
KK
potential or !ourishing may not be realised. There are lessons here too or
practice developers and action orientated researchers. #t is all too easy to see"
out prescribed structures, processes and tools in acilitation practices, as i there
is a starting point. Eor e$ample in practice development wor", it is all too
common to observe acilitators ollowing a pre+ormulated programme o values
clarifcationI claims, concerns and issuesI observations o practice and others in
order to develop a plan o action. ,imilarly, action orientated researchers can
blindly ollow te$tboo" methods in a stepwise non+embodied and non+re!ective
ashion. *c"nowledging that there is no beginning and no end brings dynamism
to the practice, a dynamism that is responding to the conte$t and the persons
who shape that conte$t and that creates a dance between the specifcs o the
practice and the vision or transormation.
The spirits that hold us as persons are many, and in this chapter we have wor"ed
with the beauty o nature and a landscape shaped and reshaped by millions o
years o natural weathering and environmental change. =i"e this macro+
landscape, the place that is within us is the place that holds the potential or
!ourishing R our own capacity to be human and to grow and develop. ,uch
potential has no beginning or ending, but is a constant state o becoming. 8ur
unolding and unurling o the meaning o human !ourishing has necessitated
the achievement o a balance between movement (through meditative wal"ing,
dance, e$ercise and writing) and stillness (re!ecting, silence, painting and
meditation). Gach o these modes o being have created new insights, raised
new challenges and brought clarity at times o conusion. Being deliberate and
intentional in wor"ing with each o these ways o being when the need arose has
been a signifcant learning and one that can be easily transerred into
proessional practice, proessional learning, practice development and
transormational research. The 5orcing) o a method out o conte$t and the
application o processes that don)t match the aim o the activity are detrimental
to e7ectiveness. =i"e the cabinetma"er needs to use the correct tools or
di7erent parts o the construction o the cabinet, so too do we need to choose
our tools or transormation deliberately, intentionally and with clarity o
purpose.
6e believe that the e$perience o writing this chapter has been achieved through
living in harmony with natural surroundings, actively striving or graceulness in
times o con!ict and being intentional and deliberate with each stage o the wor"
as it progressed. Through these types o engagement we have reached a point
o clarity regarding the meaning o human !ourishing or us and thus defne and
symbolise it as:
.-uman fourishing occurs $hen $e bound and frame naturally co"
e+isting energies, $hen $e embrace the kno$n and yet to be kno$n,
$hen $e embody contrasts and $hen $e achieve stillness and harmony/
0hen $e fourish $e give and receive loving kindness/1
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'o you $ant to res!ond to our invitation2
*s we ac"nowledged at the beginning o this paper, each o us will e$perience
our own human !ourishing in a multitude o di7erent ways. 6hat we have tried
to do in this in(uiry is symbolise the elements o human !ourishing and distil
those elements into an essence (our new defnition). 6hat we want to do now is
fnd out whether others) e$periences resonate with this essence. # you want to,
please respond either in the public domain by responding here or by emailing us
at B-cCormac"U(mu.ac.u" and a.titchenUulster.ac.u"
Cour corresponence directly with us would be treated with utmost confdentiality
and we would see" your permission to use it in our in(uiry.
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