The times call for human connection. Maybe all times do, but it seems most important now, especially to meet our differences. I’ve been playing with two threads.
The most active groups are those exploring ways to do research among individuals from different interest domains. We look for our commonalities, themes that bring us together, but also explore our differences. From the differences we learn the most.
In other circumstances I also share this process as a way to pray, an extension of my 2006 book Being Prayer. The most recent activity was promoting the concept of Contemplative Collaboration at the 35th Spiritual Direction Conference 2025, in Niagara Falls. At a previous SDI conference, 2004, I presented concepts that became the book Being Prayer. This year I added my 2019 dissertation, The Moment of Creation and work I’ve been doing with Enactive Research.
The biggest changes between the two publications are the further and increased emphasis on body intelligence and exploring the wisdom of body/mind awareness across scientific domains.
Since the 2019 publication the importance of relational practices has come strongly to the forefront as has my understanding of the most basic form of learning which I have called the Enactive Learning cycle. This cycle assumes the autopoietic and enactive capacity of living systems and recognizes the organic learning that comes from confronting difference.