Business Revolution through Ancestral Wisdom
The Circle Knowledge of the past comes forward
to show us how to create a practical and ethical process for success, sustainability, and true prosperity.
By Tu Moonwalker and JoAnne O’Brien-Levin, Ph.D.
with Lané Saán Moonwalker
TEXT OVERVIEW:
We need a new blueprint for the conduct of business. The evidence is everywhere. As recent events show, too many business organizations operate in ways at odds with our sense of what is ethical, moral, and fair. Many business practices seem to be on a collision course with human welfare and with the precious and fragile ecological environment that sustains us. Furthermore, these behaviors are increasingly costly to the environment, to human well-being, and now—as is becoming evident—to the businesses themselves. Something is terribly wrong. We are desperate for a better way. We need a different foundational structure for business—one that enables us to be effective and, at the same time, supports our humanity. But is such a vision really possible?
In this modern age we have wandered just about as far as we can go from our starting place. We have invented, created, learned, developed, read and written our way to staggering intellectual and technological heights, but have lost something in the process. Our heads are full, but our hearts are broken and bewildered by the choices we make. We have a glimmer of wisdom, now. We are beginning to really see what we are creating, but we don’t know how to stop or what else to do.
Underlying virtually everything we think and do there is a singular pattern: the line. Despite all our complexity and sophistication, we’re primarily a linear-thinking, linear-acting culture. Almost without exception, today’s businesses—and all other organizations and institutions—are based on a linear pattern.
Linear thinking and linear structures have some distinct advantages, but they have some very significant limitations as well. The pain that we are now experiencing is the direct result of those limitations. The line is the pattern to use when we want speed, force, relentless forward motion, narrowness of vision, and continuous consumption. We have only to look around us to see its effects. We also over-identify with our minds, which leads to even more linearity because we don’t/can’t consider more of the whole. If we don’t change soon, we might be done for. But to get there from here, we can’t just do more of the same.
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The Circle is a sacred technology that opens the door to wisdom. It has deep roots in wisdom, in the accumulated experience of all those who sought to understand how human beings should live. Historically, business has ignored or banished the sacred dimension of life. The result has been stressful compartmentalization, moral impoverishment, and ethical confusion. But the sacred and the practical are not mutually exclusive; they are different aspects of the same wholeness. The Circle reminds us that wholeness embraces all dimensions; and that the sacred and the practical are not separate, but two aspects of living with and peacefully co-existing as part of the whole. They uphold, sustain, and reinforce one another. We must bring the sacred dimension back into our work and our businesses. The Circle can show us how to re-weave these two dimensions into a whole cloth. The Circle can reconnect us with this sacred dimension—long banished, and sorely missed.
The linear pattern can exacerbate our human foibles and frailties, whereas the Circle reminds us that human beings can be balanced, strong, and whole. By building our businesses upon the foundation of the Circle—with its innate gifts of harmony, support, mutual benefit, and balance—we can create sustainable businesses, resolve many of our present dilemmas, heal ourselves, and be rewarded in ways that teach us the meaning of true wealth (e.g., well-being, abundance, prosperity and real power). We can live in peaceful co-existence with All that Exists. The possibility is there, and the Circle can support us to fulfill that potential.
The Circle can help us transform business. As the ancients knew, when we walk the path of the Circle, it lifts to a Spiral: the symbol—and very structure—of evolution itself. When we are on a spiral path, transformation is inherent and inevitable. If we walk the path laid out the by the Circle, that path will lead us into a different paradigm for business, one that is both practical and nurturing of the human spirit. Never before has the Circle been written about as a tool for business management.
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How this Book Is Organized:
We begin by examining the linear pattern that currently underlies how we conduct business. Chapter 1, The Shape We’re In, and Why It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way, examines the strengths and limitations of the line as the underlying pattern for business. It also describes how the line interacts with our human nature to bring about effects that are less than optimal.
“It appears now that we are reaching the limits of linear thinking. The world needs systemic solutions. We are constrained in finding solutions by our perceptual conditioning: the only solutions we can attempt are those that are crafted out of—and comprehensible to—our linear worldview. This virtually assures that prospective solutions will have fatal limitations. Linear thinking and linear structures have real value when used appropriately. They also have their limitations. It’s now vitally important that we come to understand that the line is only a pattern, and linear thinking is not the only approach to life. As Albert Einstein famously observed, "Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awareness that created them.” We cannot create holistic solutions to large, systemic problems while using linear thinking and patterns. The fault is not in our stars, but in the insufficiency of our thinking tools.”
“ Linearity makes it difficult to slow down, to take into account other perspectives (or the whole), or to have a wider vision. This is why we can’t use linear thinking to create a more coherent and humanistic business environment. Efforts to re-work the results created by the linear blueprint without understanding the importance of underlying blueprints will not be sustained because the change isn’t deep enough.”
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In Chapter 2, Into the Circle, we explore the long history of our human connection with the Circle, the most essential blueprint in all of nature. We describe its many attributes and how those attributes can bring many gifts into the realm of business.
“The Circle’s significance comes from this simple truth: The Circle is the most important pattern of the cosmos. From our first moments as an embryo enclosed in the roundness of the womb, the Circle exerts its influence. The universe and everything in it begins with the Circle. Just think of how many circles there are in the natural world. They are everywhere in existence. We live on planet Earth, which is a sphere in movement: a multi-dimensional circle. The moon circles the Earth, the Earth circles the Sun. Our entire solar system consists of orbs—planets and moons—circulating in ellipses around other orbs in awesome and majestic synchronization. And beyond our solar system, the Milky Way is made up of fiery spheres, stars, moving in a spiral. Beyond that, there are galaxies upon galaxies replete with shining orbs, all dancing as one to the “music of the spheres.” With amazing and inexplicable order, these multi-dimensional circles breathe movement, energy, life itself, into the universe.”
“ A circular structure is much more able to sustain momentum than a linear structure. The Circle has no beginning and no end. Once an impulse of movement is introduced into a circle, it’s always there, cycling around and around. Energy does not deteriorate as it does in linear structures; it’s self-renewing.By basing your business on the Circle blueprint, you will enhance the flow of energy in the business. This includes the flow of thought and production, the flow of personnel and management, as well as the flow of finances. People’s energy will be invigorated. As a result, the organization is never static. You will have enhanced the likelihood of success.”
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Quantum physics is changing our sense of reality. The universe is not made up of things, but of energy. The ancients actually knew Energy is our most important business resource, so we need to learn how to skillfully work with it and manage it.
In Chapter 3, Working with Energy, we provide an overview of the many types of energy that come into play in business.
“Energy always “wants” to flow; that is its nature. Energies are always in a constant state of movement; e nergy fields interact with each other in dynamic ways, like weather fronts. One supports the other; one leads to the other, and so on. This interaction of energies creates a continuous flow that is always available for us to interact with—and draw support from. In order to work effectively with energy, we need to become more attuned to energy. Sometimes we humans create roadblocks that inhibit the flow of energy. For this reason it’s exceedingly important to become more conscious about energy—so we don’t unconsciously do things that block it, leading to adverse consequences for others and ourselves. Fortunately, we have an innate ability to sense energy. We do so all the time, just not very consciously. The next step is for us to develop our ability to read and interpret flows of energy.”
“The ability to recognize blocked energy is a distinct business advantage. When energy is blocked, it creates a certain kind of pattern on the physical plane. A traffic jam is an obvious example. There are many less obvious examples, and these are important to business. Here’s why: When energy is blocked from flowing it shows up as unmet needs, or unsolved problems and dilemmas.
“Whenever energy is blocked, the blocked energy begins to pool—and as it pools, it builds. It becomes a reservoir of potential, or creative energy. This means that for every instance ofblocked energy, there is an accompanying build-up of energetic support for any endeavor that will unblock that energy and set it flowing again. The bigger the blockage, the greater the energetic support for a solution.”
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Chapter 4, The Circle and Universal Energy, introduces the concept of Universal Energy. It describes why the Circle is the best tool we have for working effectively with energy, because we can use it to help us align our businesses with the flow of Universal Energy.
“When we set about to build or manage a business, we have an important choice to make. We can choose to operate on the basis of Universal Flow, or we can choose to operate solely on the basis of personal energy. It’s a very important choice. It is one that we make all the time, generally without our full awareness.
“This Universal Blueprint describes an energy pattern that permeates All, in terms humans can understand. The Circle is a map of a process that is repeated over and over again in the cycles of nature. The Circle process begins with an idea, vision, or inspiration (East). It guides us to gather the necessary resources (Southeast), and bring our idea into physical manifestation (South). Then, we listen to immediate feedback (Southwest), and adjust accordingly. Moving on, we enter a period of reflection and assessment (West), and seek to make changes in order to achieve greater balance (Northwest). We make decisions, and release what doesn’t work in order to achieve equilibrium (North). Then we complete; we create closure on the old cycle by sharing abundance received with those who collaborated in our success (Northeast). Before starting anew we go to the Center, which connects us to the larger perspective. There we take full measure of our course, and re-commit to the future. A new cycle then begins, building upon the knowledge obtained in the previous cycle.
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Recently we have seen a breakdown in business ethics. Many business practices seem to be on a collision course with human welfare and with the precious and fragile ecological environment that sustains us. The next two chapters describe how the Circle can help us re-establish an ethical foundation for our businesses.
Chapter 5, The Guidelines: Universal Laws & Principles, introduces a set of guidelines based in universal, indigenous wisdom.
“After the Right to Be, the Law of Altruism is the most important. It says that Universal Energy always flows in such a way as to create the greatest benefit for all, including itself. It asks each being to dothat which works best for all concerned, including oneself. When we do so, we align with Universal Flow. This creates a state of well-being, balance, and harmony that benefits us all.
“One of the biggest challenges to practicing the Law of Altruism is to really understand it. Presently, it’s quite misunderstood. Some people mistakenly believe that altruism means we should put the welfare of others first, to the exclusion of our own well-being. This is an extremist view, and is not what altruism actually means. When we don’t include ourself in the equation, it becomes martyrdom. This often leads to undesirable by-products, like hidden anger or self-righteousness. It’s important to distinguish altruism from self-sacrifice. For many, learning to consider oneself in the equation will be the biggest challenge.
“There are many examples of altruism in the natural world, and we can use them for guidance. We can see this at work in a wolf pack. We see it in the migration of birds. Geese, heron, and cranes all migrate in the “V” formation where the wiser, stronger, and more experienced birds take turns being in the lead position of the point bird. The leaders are responsible for cutting through the wind and air pressure, while the others in the flock get the benefit of drafting behind. If you observe birds re-aligning, you will see them rotating responsibility. When the bird in the point position has done its stint, it will move around to the end, which is the best position for catching the draft from the others. Another bird will take its turn as the lead. This teamwork benefits the entire flock.”
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In the following chapter, The Sacred Circle as a Way of Life: A Blueprint for Peaceful Coexistence, we discuss how the Sacred Circle can serve as a reminder of the rights that we must honor in order to live in harmony with each other and the world. These laws, principles, and rights represent generations of accumulated wisdom about how human beings need to act in order to align with the flow of the universe and the natural order—and thus, survive. The Circle encompasses these laws, principles, and rights, and so can support us in learning and living them.
“ Everyone and everything involved with your business has the right to equitable exchange. This means that mutually beneficial equitable exchange should be the goal of all business transactions. It means we need to be accountable for our actions: We need to look at both the short- and long-term effect on other beings and the earth. Businesses must ask:
What is the business’s responsibility to its people and community?
What is the business’s responsibility in terms of an equitable exchange with the earth for resources used or consumed?
A business can physically demonstrate mutually beneficial exchanges by:
Having appropriate salaries. The relationship between CEO salaries and the wages of workers need to be more balanced. CEO’s should expect to put in more hours and be more responsible. They should not have runaway salaries. Workers need to be able to make a living, without needing another job.
Salary raises—no matter how small--should be shared at all levels of the business. This includes the CEO as well as all workers, if they have earned it.
You begin to repay everyone that helped you get started, including all your alliances and supporters/suppliers, and the community in which you are embedded.
You begin to work with the community in more depth by sharing wealth and/or gifts of wisdom through workshops, a bequeathing process, etc.”
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Then, in Chapter 7, The Circle Process, we explain how the Circle is the blueprint for a holistic process that enables us to work with more of the wholeness of any situation or issue. Whereas the linear blueprint narrows our focus and our vision, the Circle opens us to nine different energies. We can apply this circular process to virtually anything.
“ We begin in the East. Everything that exists in the physical realm begins with a vision, an illumination, an idea, or an inspiration that comes into our minds from the Source (i.e., the unknown influence, or flow of energy from other than ourselves). The East direction represents that energy, where those ideas begin to take shape and form.
“In business, each activity starts in the East direction. We engage with this energy as a source of inspiration, calling forth new ideas and visions, and setting the stage for new beginnings. It is here we create structural outlines and define goals. It is here that we lay the foundation that sets the manifestation process in motion. Typical questions we address in the East direction include:
What is my vision for my business?
What new ideas or concepts am I inspired to develop?”
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In the chapter entitled The Circle as a Tool for Business we discuss how we can apply our newly acquired knowledge of the Circle in business. We also describe the many benefits the Circle can bring to us.
“ All businesses are made up of multiple inter-relationships. That means you need a tool that can help you deal with complex input. The Circle’s continuous movement enables it to be in touch with everything. Its innate holistic nature can help us take many different kinds of people and perspectives into consideration. This includes helping us to address the whole range of human issues, from ideological perspectives and logistical tasks, to human resource and productivity issues.
“Dealing with complex issues requires us to hold focus, and stay in neutrality until the best solution is found. We need to come to clarity, find direction, create appropriate structure, and set appropriate boundaries. As we’ve discussed, the Circle has all those abilities as part of its nature—and more. The Universal Laws and Principles and the Rights of Beingness are innate to the Circle, and they expand our capacity to find our way through complex situations. In particular, our ability to give all of the stakeholders (and their ideas), the Right to Be will assist us in maintaining neutrality.”
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In Chapter 9, the final chapter, we describe how the Circle can be a bridge for transformation. We are in a period of significant change; the world is becoming more unified through the process we call globalization.
Business is the agent of that change. Because business is such a powerful connector, it has the potential to be an instrument of human well-being. At root, business is meant to be a positive, supportive, and integral part of our lives, as well as an outlet for our natural creativity. However, it’s not realizing its potential because the linear blueprint underlying the way we conduct business is too limited. As a consequence, the globalization process is producing effects that are more traumatic and detrimental than need be.
“In our current, linear-based format, the purpose of business is singular: to make money. There is room for little else in the domain of purpose. Today’s businesses are pressured to focus narrowly on generating wealth for a few stakeholders, as quickly as possible. Outside of that narrow focus, there is resistance to being answerable for the consequences. As a general rule, business lobbies against laws that attempt to hold it accountable, and takes little responsibility for deleterious effects on the environment, communities, employees, or even customers (unless external pressure is applied).
“From the perspective of Universal Flow, however, the true purpose of business is to change life conditions for the better, and to conduct itself in a way that benefits all concerned, including the business itself. It follows, then, that the goal of any specific business is twofold:
To fulfill people’s needs and, secondarily, their wants
To effectively and efficiently do this within the larger context of the Universal Rights of Beingness and the Universal Laws and Principles.
“This sets a new standard. It broadens the focus of business. It allows business to reclaim its true value, which is creating a comfortable co-existence for all, while maintaining standards of behavior that take into consideration humans, nature, all other species, and the Earth itself. ”
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