The Magic and Science of Emergence
Experiencing is believing.
In these rapid-fire dispatches from the Resonant Man,
and I write in general terms about the themes we’re exploring each week — rather than delving into the experiences of participants — to preserve confidentiality.With that caveat, I’m noticing that the conceptual frameworks we’re using to guide our sessions are already starting to unlock realisations for men present that have imbued the space with a new quality of depth and transformative power.
That quality was palpable on Sunday, when we concluded our month of practicing the core principles of Resonant Dialogue — including deep listening; sensing into the Field; and finding flow.
We wove these three strands together via an inquiry into ‘emergence’ — the mysterious process by which entirely new properties can spontaneously arise in systems as they cross successive thresholds of complexity. Think of water molecules crystalising into uniquely patterned snowflakes, or the evolutionary leaps made by single celled organisms self-assembling into ever more complex forms of life. (A personal favourite, and digestibly short, book on this theme is Notes on Complexity by Niel Theise).
As Jacob pointed out, emergence is also another name for our capacity to “be present for something that is not yet here,” and thereby allow that fundamentally new something “to begin to emerge between us, and out of us.”
This might sound a little abstract. But in our circle on Sunday we experienced emergence in action. Building on the coherence we’ve established via our summer dialogues, and ongoing weekly gatherings, we’re finding that increasingly valuable realisations are starting to “pop” into the consciousness of the group via individual sharings — the emergent process evoked by transformative dialogue.
In other words, we weren’t talking about emergence, we were speaking from it. And the results touched on deeply personal themes that spoke directly to our shared quest for greater authenticity, integrity, relational capacity and wisdom.
Sunday’s session also marked something of a breakthrough in my own process, in that I gleaned a new appreciation of the role of emergence in collective healing — a relationship that seems obvious in retrospect, but hadn’t been clear to me until the closing minutes of the session. I was left wondering whether ‘graceful emergence’ could be the phenomenon that can support us to reconcile those aspects of our experience that we wouldn’t otherwise know how to repair.
As Jacob pointed out, in this era of metacrisis, when there are no clear linear paths out, the principles and practice of emergence may be our best — perhaps only — hope of turning this apparent global breakdown into a breakthrough. And the place that process starts lies in our own hearts.
Working consciously with emergence can help us call forth something entirely new and unexpected from within ourselves — and each other.
—Matthew
Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year!
The Resonant Man
Learn more from The Resonant Man and hear about open events for men and women:
How To Take Part
Jacob and I convene a 90-minute Resonant Man men’s circle every Sunday at 1900 GMT (2000 CEST / 1400 EST / 1100 PST). A nucleus of men have been meeting since November, and we are open to new joiners.
The cost of participation is £125 per month, including four 90-minute live online sessions per month, and continued discussion and support via a WhatsApp group.
The circles will run at least until November 2025, which will mark the completion of the initial one-year commitment we have both made to this initiative — which we anticipate will then continue.
We recognise some men may wish to join on an open-ended basis, while others may find it valuable to attend for a month or two — with the possibility open to return. Either way, the space is open for new men to take part.
If you feel like you might be interested, drop us a reply to this post via email, or post in the comments below, and we can organise a call. Thank you!
Very inspiring post! I can really feel what you are talking about! I think you are doing something that is vital.
Emergence is core to many of the transformative processes in which I am participant, systemic constellations, Pause for Peace, Deep Transformation Network, Beloved Community and all the collective trauma healing work you and I value. The aspect of emergence that seems most challenging, particularly for men, is the uncertainty.. you are leaning into not knowing, into being curious about what will emerge when you participate with what you have described so beautifully in one of your podcasts as "an open heart".