Appreciative Inquiry for Life: Working with nature in a time of ecological crisis
Guest Editor: Joeri Kabalt
‘The more clearly we focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.’ – Rachel Carson
Life has always been at the heart of Appreciative Inquiry. What gives life? What helps this group or that system to thrive? Our current ecological crisis calls us to critically reflect upon our responsibility and potential contribution as AI practitioners in this turbulent time. What if we chose even more radically to place all of life, including the more-than-human world (Abram, 1996), at the centre of everything we do? What could that look like? What would we do differently?
Even in their original article on AI, Cooperrider and Srivastva (1987) stressed the importance of ‘reverence for life’: the wonder and awe that come from recognising we are part of a world that is alive. This enchanted and participative worldview (Berman, 1981; Bennett, 2001) that focuses on kinship and interconnectedness seems even more important now to strengthen our sense of belonging and affection for the world around us and to serve as a call to step up for our planet.
Questions we would like to explore in this special issue are:
If we take participation seriously and aim to ‘get the whole system in the room’, how do we include and invite the voices of the more-than-human world? How do we give places, rivers, mountains and animals a say?
How can we invite leaders in organisations and beyond to reconnect to their sense of wonder and felt experience of interconnectedness with nature? How do we balance the tension of urgency and grief in climate crisis with care and creativity with nature?
How might we help to create new possibilities and generative images for the future that invite and mobilise people to act? What practices do we have to invite long-term and intergenerational thinking and action?
How can we work, inspired by and in partnership with nature, to create new cultures in organisations? How might we help to shape new narratives of purpose and progress that are characterised by care for all life on our planet?
What could (or even should) be our unique contributions as AI practitioners in response to the climate emergency? What skills or practices do we have that can make a difference at this time of crisis and collapse?
Contributions from your research, practices and experiences
We are looking for articles that explore one or more of the questions above, in a wide variety of contexts: teams, leadership, organisations, communities. Alongside research and practices from within the international AI community, we also explicitly welcome contributions from people who work with Action Research, ecology, nature connection or indigenous wisdom. We are particularly interested in case studies and practices that put the questions above to work: experiments, methods or cases in which you have tried to work with nature, as well as your insights and lessons.
For the final written submissions, we will be making a distinction between longer in-depth articles that combine theory and practice (around 2000 words) and ‘glimpses’: short stories of moments when you worked with nature (about 500 words). Art and graphics should be in high resolution and ready for publication. Poetry should be formatted for publication. Video links are also encouraged.
Share your reflections, comments, inspirations and energy on this page. We will be adding contributions to the AI Practitioner website blog page daily to help you keep track of all the great things that are happening in our virtual shared space. Have a great Jam, see you there!
Call for Articles for November 2022 issue of AI Practitioner
Learning and Leveraging Generative Approaches to Intercultural, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion*
Co-editors: Ilene Wasserman, Marlene Ogawa and Tanya Cruz Teller
Taking an organizational development and change approach to intercultural, diversity, equity and inclusion (ICDEI) has paralleled the path of Appreciative Inquiry as a community of practice. Leading practitioners who helped shape the field of ICDEI took a systems approach to change, often beginning with diagnosis, findings, recommendations and implementation. In the past two decades, some have adapted their approaches with the influence of dialogic and social constructionist approaches informed by Positive Organizational Scholarship, Appreciative Inquiry, Coordinated Management of Meaning and other related theoretical frameworks.
In the past couple of years, the interest in ICDEI in organizations has grown exponentially, in large part due to the awareness raised and call to action from the George Floyd murder. Processes for intervening and training programs have been greatly sought after. As an Appreciative Inquiry Practitioner whether you are new to ICDEI practice or have worked in this space for a long time, we invite you to consider sharing lessons learned from your work.
What are you discovering and learning from this work? How has this work transformed individuals and collectives in the system? What has been your biggest lesson and discovery about yourself? We are inviting you to contribute to a special issue focusing on using Appreciative Inquiry processes, principles and tools to address ICDEI with clients and within your organisations and institutions.
Contributions from your research, practices and experiences
We are looking for articles that connect your work in ICDEI to Appreciative Inquiry in a variety of organizational contexts and generational perspectives. We encourage people of all ages and positions to contribute stories about situations, times or groups (e.g. age cohorts) where Appreciative Inquiry and/or strengths-based disciplines have been applied to ICDEI, what the results, short- or long-term have been, and what factors made the intervention successful. Creative contributions and formats are welcome.
The final written submissions will range from 500 to 2000 words. Art and graphics should be in high resolution and ready for publication. Poetry should be formatted for publication. Video links are also encouraged.
We welcome the opportunity to highlight a variety of work happening around the world where AI increases diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace with the hope of showcasing or advancing the theory and practice of Appreciative Inquiry. This is especially timely given the global events that interconnect us.
*Intercultural competence is a range of cognitive, affective, and behavioural skills that lead to effective and appropriate communication between people of two or more cultures. Intercultural work can take place in multicultural or cross-cultural context, within national borders or around the world. Diversity is across a broad range of markers such as but not limited to: race, sexual orientation, ethnicity, age, gender identity, neuro and physical abilities, socioeconomic class, spiritual, nationality, citizenship, language and so many more. (For a list of 39 diversity markers in the workplace see: https://builtin.com/diversity-inclusion/types-of-diversity-in-the-workplace)
Making a Proposal / Draft:
Are you enthused by the thought of contributing to this issue? Is your brain already generating ideas and contributions?
Important Deadlines:
April 4, 2022: Proposal or Overview/Outline of contribution Due
June 25, 2022: First Draft Due
August 26, 2022: Final Article Due: Please submit the following:
The article
An abstract/synopsis (no more than 60 words)
Any graphics/photos to accompany it, with captions, permissions agreed and also attribution where relevant
For the author(s): bio (40 words or less); photo; email address to accompany the article
Thriving Women Thriving World:
An Invitation to Dialogue, Healing, and Inspired Actions
Diana Whitney, Jessica Cocciolone, Caroline Adams Miller, Haesun Moon, Kathryn Britton, Alejandra León De La Barra, Angela Koh, Tanya Cruz Teller and Marlene Ogawa
TAOS Institute Publications, 2019
ISBN (e-book) 978-1-938552-72-4
ISBN (paperback) 978-1-938552-68-8
Thriving Women Thriving World is less a book for reading than it is a book for doing. The text is designed guide us through the challenges of the #MeToo movement and the variety of struggles gender bias and discrimination have created more broadly, applying the approaches of Appreciative Inquiry to co-create a future where all women can thrive.
A mix of stories, poetry – and questions
The content is a mixture of personal stories, poetry – and most importantly questions to guide constructive dialogue, focussing on what works in supporting women to thrive, improving difficult situations, and creating a better future more systemically.
The authors offer ways to use the text in a range of applications, from personal reflection and journaling through women’s retreats to corporate organizations. Working in a large global organization myself, I can easily see that using the discussion guides could facilitate workshops as part of our diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, or within business resource/affinity groups.
I’ve seen many “listening sessions” where women share stories of bias and discrimination they’ve experienced in the workplace, including sexual harassment and microaggressions. While it’s essential to be aware of what people are experiencing, these sessions can be very draining when not coupled with a path towards solutions, to what has worked in addressing these issues successfully. The topics “women supporting women” and “men supporting women” would be excellent additions to these sorts of listening sessions.
In taking on discussions of “allies we know and love,” “supporting and celebrating women,” or “allies calling out injustice,” imagine the power of not only calling out existing injustices but also calling out when an ally has stood up against them or when changes have been made in policies to address them.
AI in difficult spaces
Appreciative dialogues are powerful in these difficult spaces. I have known many men who want to be allies to women or women who want to better support other women, but who don’t always know how or what that looks like in action. By gathering and sharing stories of what allyship looks like in every day and what we’ve seen work well in other parts of our lives or organizations, we can rally around solutions and actions while spending less time focusing on what isn’t working.
Some topics covered are more comfortable than others, such as “leveraging financial savvy” or “living life as a work of art.” For uncomfortable topics such as “claiming ownership of our bodies” and “healing from relational abuse” some might feel that, due to their gravely serious nature, the tone of Appreciative Inquiry feels less natural. However, while I found these sections of the book made me uneasy, I also found them rewarding. My initial concerns were the discussion of what thriving women do when faced with situations like physical or sexual abuse. Would there be too much onus on the individual women and how they handled the situation versus the systemic factors that contribute to such abuses in the first place?
A balance of focus
But there was a balance in focusing on actions within an individual woman’s control, how women (and men) can support each other to be safe or to heal from abuses and, critically, an exploration of sustainable solutions to change behavior among men, the law, governments, and culture to support women and keep them from harm.
These sections of the book, while difficult, are essential. And while it can feel almost dismissive at first glance to approach, the authors do a nice job at balancing the delicate conversation around such painful topics in a constructive light, with a focus on solutions for both healing past harms and preventing harms in the future.
As mentioned in the beginning, this is not a book for reading but for doing. Full benefits will only be achieved by taking time to pick sections that resonate with you and sit with them, writing, reflecting and taking action to do more of what works in our lives and in our communities. To spread those benefits even further, engaging with others in dialogue, storytelling and workshops around such important topics will help enable us to start moving towards more of what we need in the world to foster an environment where all women and girls can thrive with ease.
Hosting a webinar or virtual event, or creating a podcast is easier than ever. At the same time, there is also a great need for human connection, wholeness, and the ability to bring diverse and broad groups of people together for positive change. This environment is the perfect accelerator for Appreciative Inquiry (AI) practitioners to intentionally evolve using new online technologies and virtual tools. Technology is defined as the sum of tools, platforms, techniques, skills, methods, and processes used in the production of goods or services or in the accomplishment of objectives, such as an appreciative inquiry. Our focus for this 2021 edition is specifically online, virtual technologies.
We are interested in exploring how the capacity to integrate technology into AI has evolved since the 2008 issue of AI Practitioner which focused on the digital shift, and how you are using technology today to enhance and improve your ability to engage the “whole system.”
The emergent Appreciative Inquiry (AI) Wholeness Principle will be fundamental to this issue: “Wholeness brings out the best in people and organizations. Bringing all stakeholders together in large group forums stimulates creativity and builds collective capacity.”
We want to know how you are considering race, global inclusion, class, generational differences, and access when choosing your technology partners and tools, and what has worked the best in your work.
The articles and submissions will focus on the process of incorporating the emergent Wholeness Principle into your work and the results you have achieved through technology, rich content, virtual connection, and amplifying generative change online. We would also like to create a reference tool to showcase the technology that is working well in today’s climate.
Ideas for Contributions (from your research, practices, and experiences):
Have you used technology to deliver AI practices, processes, tools, or principles such as a Summit, SOAR, AI communications (e.g., news, research), etc.?
Are you an expert in technologies who can articulate how to evaluate designs, products, and platforms for ease of use and accessibility in applying AI?
How has technology enabled or amplified more diversity, equity, and inclusion in your AI work?
Do you have a story about how technology has amplified your ability to evolve in your AI work?
Do you feel technology is necessary for today’s AI facilitators?
Are you familiar with an AI practitioner, or are you one, who has flourished in the virtual space and want to highlight this work?
How is technology relevant to the Wholeness Principle?
What have you learned in using technology to bridge global or intergenerational gaps in your AI practice?
What is your dream for the future of technology and AI practitioners?
The digital divide is real. Technology has and can amplify systemic exclusion. How have you been able to change this reality, bridge the divide, address systemic equity with technology and AI?
Ways to Contribute:
We are looking for articles that connect your work with technology incorporating the Wholeness Principle, how you have been successful, advice and dreams for how we can continually evolve AI work through the use of online tools and platforms.
The final written submissions will range from 500-2000 words. Art and graphics should be in high resolution and ready for publication. Poetry should be formatted for publication. Video links are also encouraged.
Making a Proposal / Draft:
Are you as excited as we are to share this information and dive into how technology will embrace and lift up our work in the future of this virtual / blended space? We look forward to hearing how you intentionally enact the Wholeness Principle in how you choose and apply virtual technology. We are so excited to hear what you are already doing!
Submit Proposal via our online form: https://forms.gle/eyUT2yAMUvjGZz6x7
Important Deadlines:
02 April 2021: Proposal or Overview/Outline of Contribution
18 June 2021: First Draft Due
31 August 2021: Final Draft Due
October 2021: AIP Editor will provide you a press proof copy before article goes to print
Ankur is a highly qualified finance professional (CA, CS, MBA, DBF) with two decades of banking and entrepreneurial experience. He is passionate about entrepreneurship and people development, a keen mentor, an author, trainer and a key note speaker.
Design for Strengths: Applying Design Thinking to Individual and Team Strengths
By John K. Coyle
The Art of Really Living LLC, 2018
ISBN – 9781732094215
The book’s interesting title led me to pick it up. In the past two decades, two disparate themes have emerged and caught the attention of the readers and learners, i.e. design thinking and strengths-based philosophy.
Design thinking is a creative problem-solving tool, while strengths-based philosophy starts with the premise that each person has their own strengths which they can leverage for breakthrough results. Design thinking has its roots in work done at Stanford University in California and David Kelley, whereas the strengths-based philosophy is inspired by the works of Marcus Buckingham and David Clifton.
In Design for Strengths, John Coyle takes the field forward by combining these two powerful concepts. Readers can learn the basics and use them for growth and development. Coyle also throws light on how teams and organizations can apply design thinking to team and individual strengths.
The author is well grounded in concepts and has explored related literature as well. Readers who love to see citations and sources would not be disappointed while reading this book. Coyle has leveraged his personal journey by sharing his experiences. He also highlights insights from other authors. He connects with well-known concepts, like deliberate practice (10,000 hour rule), flow and more. He uses examples from the field of sport, which is both engaging and holds the reader’s attention. Overall, there is coherence to the way this book has been written.
The Designer’s Mindset
A few of the ideas that stood out for me were:
When quitting is good: We often tend to drag on with what we started, unable to quit. John shares a personal story abouthow quitting served him well and how he moved to his strength area.
The Designer’s Mindset: I found two phrases intriguing in relation to this: the role of “dispassionate designer” and the advice “don’t get stuck on the first idea”. One can build actions on these thoughts.
The weakness–strength connection is well articulated in this book. The author states this as four rules, found within the text of the book rather than the Table of Contents, and a good structure on which to build insights. Of these four, I found the third one very interesting: “Strengths and weaknesses are often mirrors of each other”. He elaborates beautifully by using a table comparing weaknesses and strengths, showing that they are two sides of the same coin. This representation has the potential to bring in insights and uncover some of the readers’ hidden strengths.
The narration of design thinking in six steps and weaving of the strengths-based approach is supported by insights from a number of highly relevant authors.
The book is a good read for those in a quest to solve the problem of designing their life by leveraging their strengths, or who are looking at building teams based on strengths. I wish the author had included more scientific data at certain points, rather than simply sharing examples. What could have been a great addition to this book would be a few templates, where readers can identify their own strengths using the steps he outlines for designing thinking. It would have made navigating this book more engaging, and would have generated more actionable insights.
Overall, I would say this is a good pick, and recommend this book particularly to those seeking to explore the intersection of design thinking and strengths-based approaches
John K. Coyle
John Coyle is a leading experts in Design Thinking,Olympic silver medalist, graduate Stanford University with an MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, an NBC sports analyst and award-winning author. He weaves facts, examples and intellectual principles into engaging stories which bring topics to life, and leave you with actionable ideas.
Better to illuminate than merely to shine, to deliver to others contemplated truths than merely to contemplate. Saint Thomas Aquinas
Ask any Appreciative Inquiry practitioner what AI is, and the words of St. Thomas Aquinas resound throughout their explanation: you will hear them talk about it as a process of active engagement that considers organisational change in the context of “what works” with a clear focus on strengths, not weaknesses. You will also hear about the way it highlights and elevates the core aspects that “give life” to the organisation. Most emphatically you’ll hear how AI illuminates the positive core within the organisation and delivers this in a way that results in positive change for individuals, teams, groups and communities. It does all this by creating an environment that supports and encourages individuals to be and to share their best through collective learning, especially in times of change. The transformational elements of narrative directed towards positive change are a key aspect of AI, especially as it elicits how we feel, how we comprehend our world, and the meaning we attribute to what is happening around us and within us. Every effort is made to create a discourse that inspires people to recognise and live their best.
The quote from Saint Thomas Aquinas is one that I have admired since my teenage years and have used as a mantra all my adult life. In many ways, my connection to Appreciative Inquiry stems from all that Aquinas’s quote elicits, emphasising the importance of discernment and contribution. This quote came to mind on New Year’s Eve 2020 while riding my bicycle around my neighbourhood and reflecting on the year that was. As I began to make my way home, I came across a huge mural painted on an old silo by a local artist, Loretta Lizzio. It is a copy of the iconic photo taken by Hagen Hopkins in March 2019 depicting the moment New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern embraced a Muslim woman several days after more than 50 people lost their lives in a terrorist attack in Christchurch, New Zealand.
I looked for a good hour at the mural, trying to fathom the impact of what had happened, the lives lost, and the grief experienced by many. The image, along with Aquinas’s quote, stayed with me for the rest of the day and late into the evening. There has been so much grief around the world, especially in 2020 where we experienced numerous catastrophic incidents, including the Covid-19 pandemic that has affected almost everyone , and is expected to do so for years to come. As with any crisis, change is inevitable. One of the challenges is to try and comprehend what has happened in order to make sense of it while exploring ways to understand it that give hope for the future.
The true, the good, the better, the possible
The mural provides a glimpse of a way forward ,reflecting the kind of leadership that takes the time to embrace grief while understanding and planning for the challenges that lie ahead. This is where I see AI as an invaluable approach in times of crisis. As David Cooperrider puts it, appreciative leadership is:
…the capacity to see the best in the world around us… the capacity to see with an appreciative eye the true and the good, the better and the possible. (Creelman, 2001)
This is what I see in the mural: truth, empathy, hope and deep acknowledgement of what has occurred, yet a will and commitment to move forward with compassion. One of the defining points of wisdom of AI is that the question sets the direction; in his early research, David Cooperrider identified that: “…the more we started asking questions about the true, the good, the better, and the possible, the more we were able to participate in the creation of positive change” (Creelman, 2001).
Amplifying hope where hope has been diminished
Appreciative Inquiry is as much a world view as it is a strengths-based approach geared towards positive change, and therefore well positioned to amplify hope in times where hope has diminished. The effectiveness of AI stems from its consideration around what has been working well; that reality is created in the moment; and that people have more confidence moving towards the unknown (future) when elements of the known (past) are carried forward with them. This powerful experience of the connection between past, present and future along with questions designed to explore the true, the good, the better and the possible is instrumental in bringing about positive change.
Over the past five years I have had the privilege of engaging with AI practitioners located across the globe who have contributed articles to the AI Practitioner journal based on how they have approached challenges with an appreciative mindset, an appreciative lens and an appreciative voice. These practitioners have worked across many sectors, including the community, health, education and business. They have, indeed, illuminated more than merely shone, and delivered contemplated truths rather than merely contemplating!
I have included below a brief overview of inspirational work achieved by three Appreciative Inquiry practitioners. Their full articles as well as articles written by other inspirational AI practitioners are available at www.aipractitioner.com
PETRA VAN LEEUWEN | THE NETHERLANDS
AI and Strengths-based Social Work: Perfect Partners AI Practitioner | Volume 18, Number 2 – May 2016
Homelessness
Equipped with questions that explored the true, the good, the better,and the possible, Petra Van Leeuwen and her colleagues in the Netherlands developed a strengths-based approach designed to support homeless women experiencing mental health and addiction problems. Entitled the “Eight Steps Model” (ESM), the women were assisted through individually tailored support plans that addressed their overall wellbeing. The model was so successful that 75% of homeless shelters across the Netherlands incorporated it into their care strategies. ESM was designed to see the person, not the problem. It was several years after developing the ESM that Petra learned about Appreciative Inquiry and adopted it into her practice. She commented that the ESM shares similar principles and processes to AI and they work perfectly together. A key aspect of the ESM is to consider a person’s strengths and the challenges that they face across significant areas of their life. The questions used are strength-based in nature, incorporating hopes, dreams and meaningfulness.
NELLY NDUTA NDIRANGU | KENYA
Cultivating Appreciative Communities AI Practitioner | Volume 19, Number 3 – August 2017
Segregation
A fundamental aspect attributed to Appreciative Inquiry working toward positive change is its unwavering focus on the positive core. Nelly Nduta Ndirangu’s commitment to generate collaborative communities by identifying the positive aspects within each community, bringing them together and creating common ground through their differences is a heartening example of successful appreciative practice in times of segregation. Despite the history of ethnic divide, Nelly and her team used the AI process to identify and support the potential within each individual and in whole communities. Apart from working through the disparities across communities, the peace-building programs she has developed and implemented with her teams in Kenya have also extended to working with victims of post-election violence and resettlement programs for internally displaced families. Working closely with a team of counsellors through the Kimo Wellness Foundation, Nelly and James Karanja, a Taos associate member, lead the development of a tailor-made comprehensive AI trauma-based healing program for people traumatised by terrorism, landslides, road accidents and school fires.
GUDRÚN SNORRADÓTTIR | ICELAND
The Gift of the Human Spirit: Resilient greetings from your friends in Iceland
AI Practitioner | Volume 22, Number 2 – May 2020
Pandemic
In this time of the Covid-19 pandemic, good leadership is crucial for a hopeful future. Gudrún Snorradóttir highlights the importance of a solution-based mindset and harnessing the strength of community. The pandemic is a testament to the fact that we cannot always control what comes. However, when we come together with compassion and planning – and the right set of questions – we embolden each other to the point of positive action and a co-created environment of possibilities replete with shared meaning. Gudrún places great emphasis on human connection, the choice to be resilient, and keeping a clear focus on what we can control in the face of the pandemic. It is clear that the impact of Covid-19 will continue for some time to come, and it is here that Gudrún underlines the importance of good leadership that encourages and supports an environment that ensures collective wellbeing.
Keith is a registered psychologist with the Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA) and associate fellow with the Australasian College of Health Service Management (ACHSM). He has designed and implemented health and wellbeing frameworks across the community, health and education sectors. Keith’s current focus is on developing his work in Appreciative Dialogue (ApDi) to assist individuals in moving from self-doubt to inspired positive action.
Keith is a registered psychologist with the Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA) and associate fellow with the Australasian College of Health Service Management (ACHSM). He has designed and implemented health and wellbeing frameworks across the community, health and education sectors. Keith’s current focus is on developing his work in Appreciative Dialogue (ApDi) to assist individuals in moving from self-doubt to inspired positive action.
a mother’s cry … a mother’s celebration is a grief memoir; the unfolding of a young man’s wisdom, whose revelation “The only way to know is to go in not-knowing”, echoes from page to page as the author, his mother, takes the reader on her pilgrimage “…from grief to grace”.
The book reveals the story of the author’s life since the moment she lost her son Utkarsh at the age of twenty-two years and three months, having “…completed his mortal journey and transcended to the world beyond the worlds”. She emphasises she has not written a book but rather a poem. Indeed, the book is a poem which includes within it several smaller poems written by the author. From her pain and joy, and with thoughtful measure, these smaller poems carry and emphasise the inextricable link between suffering the loss of her child and his undeniable presence that increasingly resonates throughout the book as her suffering gives way to the pain and joy of truth. There is an overarching feeling to the book best expressed by Earl A. Grollman: “Grief is love not wanting to let go.”
The suffering experienced by the author’s immediate family, including her husband and younger son, along with the support of her mother and interactions with relatives and friends, are truthfully laid bare. Apart from the expression of deep gratitude, past silent wounds come to the fore. This is confusing and frustrating for the author, whose rumination: “I wondered at the complex mosaic of grief. It is painfully intriguing” draws the reader in all the more to the emerging complexity of grief and loss as experienced individually and collectively.
The recognised key stages of grief developed by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross including denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance are all evident in this grief memoir. As Kübler-Ross emphasised, these stages are not necessarily linear or predictable – this is clear throughout the author’s experience.
The hero’s journey
a mother’s cry … a mother’s celebration is replete with all the hallmarks of the hero’s journey, a phrase coined by Joseph Campbell who wrote prolifically about stories and rituals associated with grief, joy, fear and love across cultures. The author’s experience since the loss of her son includes the three main phases of the hero’s journey: Separation – leaving the ordinary world; Initiation – venturing into the unknown and faced with trials and challenges; and Return – transformed, resurrected and evolved
Living through unsuspected and unforeseen ordeals, the entire experience challenges and strengthens the author in previously unimagined ways to the extent that she comes to appreciate and master both the ordinary known world that she has become numb to and the unknown world she has unwillingly been thrust into. It’s as if the muttering of the wise, saintly woman who appears toward the end of the book was a deliberate and well-timed message for the author as she began to comprehend that her journey is not about moving on from her grief but moving forward with it: “Go on, it is a pilgrimage like never before, never after”. The wise woman’s words also ring true for the reader who can only ever be completely immersed in this poem as if to join the author in her anguish and eventual catharsis.
The experience of grief is as unique as the individual experiencing it. a mother’s cry … a mother’s celebration highlights how grief can lead to the kind of individual growth only possible through that experience.
Grief, an awakening
Emphatically clear is the author’s understanding that grief has its own timeline that cannot be tampered with if there is to be an eventual emergence of self; a deep realisation and appreciation that one’s own story is part of a greater narrative. This grief awakening is beautifully expressed by the author:
This interplay also opened me to the essential truths of nature and of life. That interstellar change is certain. That this change is actually a prelude to growth. That spiritual awakening does not come before deep innocent sleep.
a mother’s cry … a mother’s celebration is available globally in e-book and paperback through online bookstores and retailers.
Neena Verma
Neena Verma, Ph.D., is an Appreciative Inquiry thought leader, ICF-PCC coach, NTL professional member, TAOS Associate, and Managing Trustee for the UTKARSH Foundation. She has authored one book and several articles and serves on the AIP Editorial Board where she has contributed to several book appreciations. Neena manages a library movement for underprivileged children as well as volunteering for various social causes.
John Coyle is a leading experts in Design Thinking,
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Keith is a registered psychologist with the Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA) and associate fellow with the Australasian College of Health Service Management (ACHSM). He has designed and implemented health and wellbeing frameworks across the community, health and education sectors. Keith’s current focus is on developing his work in Appreciative Dialogue (ApDi) to assist individuals in moving from self-doubt to inspired positive action.