Shifting the Money Paradigm: Embodying a Culture of Sufficiency

with Victoria Castle & Bernard Lietaer - CANCELLED

Our money systems, while seeming neutral, are value laden, perpetuating societal norms, values, and archetypes. The dominant economic system of today perpetuates an imbalance in our collective psyche and is therefore a potent lever for systemic change. While we usually equate money with wealth, we will explore anew how our society's deeply engrained attitudes toward money create the opposite effect—a prevailing sense of scarcity and unfulfilled needs. Our current planetary imbalance is an expression of our own imbalance at the personal, community, and organizational levels.

In this experiential module, we will address elements of both individual and systemic change through

• recognizing the impact of the repression of the "Great Mother" archetype that manifests as materialism;
• engaging in practices that build collaboration, mutuality, and resilience necessary for leaders and change agents;
• exploring pragmatic complementary currency systems (media of exchange other than conventional money) that provide a new set of tools for civil society and corporations that encourage long-term thinking, learning networks, community building, etc.;
• combining theoretical insights with embodiment practices for timely and effective action; and
• reclaiming a culture of sufficiency for ourselves, our organizations, our communities, and our world.

This module is for individual practitioners, and corporate and social leaders interested in:

• systemic change (as opposed to corrections of symptoms);
• large scale change in specific communities, corporations or other systems, or in the world at large; and
• increased individual effectiveness (as opposed to conceptual understanding).

Printable (PDF) module description

Victoria Castle is the author of The Trance of Scarcity (Berrett-Koehler 2007) which addresses our cultural pre-disposition to "not enough-ness" and offers practices that replace struggle with greater efficacy and fulfillment. For over 20 years, social leaders and Fortune 500 organizations have sought her guidance for how to be purposeful, effective, creative, and fulfilled in the midst of chaos and pressure. Known as a pragmatist with a well-earned sense of humor, Victoria teaches internationally at post-graduate and professional institutes. The element of embodiment is a signature of her work: moving beyond conceptual understanding to effective action. Victoria is co-founder of Hot Women For A Cool Planet, a grassroots initiative to sustain a healthy world at peace. To learn more about Victoria and her work, visit www.tranceofscarcity.com and www.castleenterprising.com.

Bernard Lietaer is an economist and author who was one of the designers of the Euro. He studies monetary systems and promotes the idea that communities can benefit from creating their own local or complementary currency, which circulate parallel with national currencies. He is the author of The Future of Money: Beyond Greed and Scarcity (London: Random House, 2001) and Of Human Wealth. He has been active in the realm of money systems for over 25 years in a wide variety of functions. While at the Central Bank in Belgium (National Bank of Belgium) he co-designed and implemented the convergence mechanism (ECU) to the single European currency system. During that period, he also served as President of Belgium's Electronic Payment System. His consultant experience in monetary aspects on four continents ranges from multinational corporations to developing countries. He co-founded one of the largest and most successful currency funds, becoming its General Manager and Currency Trader.

Summer Institute Modules

Action Inquiry with Bill Torbert
The Art of Hosting and Harvesting with Chris Corrigan, Toke Møller & Monica Nissén
Creating Dynamic Network Organizations with Tom Hurley
Embodied Leadership with Wendy Palmer
Integral Development with Sarita Chawla & James Flaherty
Leader as Artist with Barbara Bash, Lanny Harrison, & Arawana Hayashi
Organizational Trust with Ruben Perczek & Susan Skjei
Practicing Fearlessness in Times of Fear with Jerry Granelli, Chris Grant, & Margaret Wheatley
Shifting the Money Paradigm with Victoria Castle & Bernard Lietaer
Solving Tough Problems in Practice with LeAnne Grillo, Adam Kahane & Bob Wing