Attention, Intention, Agency! A joyful reunion of Cousins seeking Coherence and Connection

Kirk Hinkleman
Nov 15
12 min read

Updated: Nov 18

Pictured above is a moment captured on our final day of the Presencing Institute Foundation Program, co-hosted and co-facilitated by the incredible teachers & guides of the Presencing Institute and Change Agents of Insyte Partners. What may even be felt in this image is the energy. In my experience, getting a group photo of this size can be an ordeal, wrought with rolling eyes and a sentiment of 'just take the damn picture.' Not this group of Cousins, the label which organically emerged on the first night of introductions and conversation. No...we ate this moment up! Literally! My friend Nicole Taylor was heard saying as much, "I'm eating all of this energy up. Did you get some, it is everywhere right now." On the surface, what might be construed, is that these humans pictured are just happy to have made it and want to get home. Perhaps for many of us, the latter sentiment was true...we did want to get home. Home to our families, friends, work, communities, etc. For some, relief may have been present, and, for me, having traversed the journey all week, I felt Hope. Collective Hope. The facilitation team cultivated space(s) for connection and healing. Held by each other. Held by love. Guided by stories, illuminating a path of revival, joy and the emergence of our highest future potential.

The HeartWeavers Collective

Embedded within the larger social field of the Presencing Institute, were a group calling ourselves the HeartWeavers Collective. Sometime in April of 2025, we received an invitation from our dear friend/mentor/colleague Beth Mount, with an invitation to register and participate in the event. "I'm corralling all my Inclusion Activists to come together in Philly!" What happened next? When Beth asks, it ends typically with a resounding "YES!!" This speaks to the magnetic energy Beth holds...and to the stoking of the invisible smoldering embers within each of our hearts and souls. Embers burning with a desire to step into the future with our highest future potential in mind. So, who are we?

We are comprised of artists, facilitators, service providers, teachers, coaches, writers and parents. We are connected by a shared commitment, regardless of role, to partner with humans experiencing disability and marginalization, to realize and experience Belonging and Inclusion.

We span the country coming together from Seattle, San Diego, New York, New Jersey, Atlanta, Lexington and many more places around the world. In these places, We cultivate space(s) for connection and healing. Held by each other. Held by love. Guided by stories, illuminating a path of revival, joy and the emergence of our highest future potential. Does this last sentence sound familiar? It should. It's used above to describe the container we gathered, connected and worked within while participating in the PFP Program. And so the weaving of discipline, practice and energy across sectors begins...

Attention

I've been 'bending the beam of observation' on myself for the last 4-5 years. Having recently emerged from a 2-year rabbit hole of becoming a Certified Mindfulness Meditation Teacher in the Vipassana tradition, I feel a softening around my edges of understanding and perception. With the deepening of my own practice, and opening of my heart, as yes, 'an organ of perception', I'm connected and resonate with wisdom from many teachers from a vast array of sectors and fields. Near the end of my studies, and her life, I had the fortune of coming across Dr. Joanna Macy. Her life is a beacon of what is possible when we align our heart-mind-purpose within ourselves; vertical alignment. The broad reach horizontally to the Eco-System, or greater Social Field, deriving from this vertical alignment, provides an alignment, a pathway, for what the manifestation of purpose looks and feels like via Joanna's life and work. She emerged as a prominent figure in my mindfulness journey.

In the graphic I created above, I weave Dr. Macy's framework, "Work that Reconnects" into the Presencing Institute's Theory U. Here is a brief look at Macy's 4 Movements of work supporting our ongoing participation in the healing of the world:

Coming From Gratitude
Honoring our Pain for the World
Seeing with New Eyes
Going Forth

When I overlay Scharmer's Theory U framework, I see Macy's work weaving into the left side of the image, wrapping below, sort of cradling the Theory U image. While Macy's movement begins from a different place, a moment of touching into our gratitude, the framing begins to weave well into Theory U especially at the bottom of the U, where we move from Station 2 into Station 3 as we See with New Eyes (Crystallize) and Station 4 as we Go Forth with Action Confidence (Prototype).

I love the idea of starting from a place of gratitude, softening our edges around the welcoming of the world's pain. My Attention here is at the intersection, in this instance, between the first element of the U process, which invites me to Observe, Observe, Observe and Macy's offering of Coming from Gratitude. Why does this resonate? Weaving the act of Observation with a quality of gratitude, for me, acts as a strengthening of the connection from our Minds to our Hearts. In my cultivating this quality and practice of gratitude, I find Equanimity in my capacity to hold that which I Observe during this first movement of Attention from Theory U as well as within the Honoring of the World's pain from the Work That Reconnects.

Gratitude for my life. For my existence. For my human form right now as a small and important blip along the unfolding of what we're experiencing together on the Starship Planet Earth. This honoring of our interdependence and interconnection creates space within to absorb more of the pain and perhaps fuel our capacity to be present to the pain, attend to it differently and honor the relationship as a way to clear our field of vision to see a path of healing emerge. I am grateful for the wisdom absorbed from the stories I've heard and the teachers I've learned from. As I turn toward to greater Social Field in this station of Attention and Honoring, I realize I've found the stability I need to access the stillness required to touch into my Source, my inner knowing, sensing into what wants to be born. In the context of HeartWeavers Collective, I find myself sitting with 10 other humans, with all of our encounters, growths, shames, celebrations and stories. On the precipice of a new initiative. New learning. New healing. New energy.

Intention

I feel and sense a powerful connection in the Bottom of the U, Presencing, with my Mindfulness Meditation practice. Weave in Macy's Seeing With New Eyes and the tapestry of discipline, theory and practice strengthens. Co-Founder of the Presencing Institute, along with Otto Scharmer and Katrin Kaufer, Arawana Hayashi offered a Mindfulness talk and practice each morning, as well as leading the group in various forms and dances of Social Presencing Theater.

Arawana called into our consciousness the Japanese concept of Ma. As I understand it, Ma brings our awareness to empty space, or as I see it, open space & energy we can access when we set our intentions to do so. It requires, as in Mindfulness Meditation, dropping below the surface of the water, below our neck-lines, and into the body; Into our hearts. In accessing my breath, as a portal to the body, I find the stillness and presence enough to be with what Ma has to teach. A pause between two movements. In the context of Theory U, Presencing offers the pause we need to transition to the third movement.

Leading up to our time in Philly, I spent some time in the space of Intention setting. As an independent, sentient being, my only intention was to stay wide open. To carry with me no expectations all while weaving myself in and out of solitude and community throughout the week. Follow my heart, aligned with my mind and body. As it pertains to my intention as a member of the HeartWeavers Collective, I feel called to show up as my authentic self; open to the possibility of working together. Strengthening my capacity to continue showing up in this way and doing so by making meaning in ways that ignite my heart such that it reaches the hearts of others.

Enter the cousins. From all over the country to places around the world. With this set intention of Open Mind, Open Heart and Open Will, I found myself in casual and deeper conversations with not just good humans, but with those who I aligned with in purpose. From the moment the question was posed on the opening night around sharing an important element of our identity, Writer came forth with crystal clarity. So of course, all week, I found myself 'accidentally' in deep conversations with my writing tribe. You know who you are and I feel seen and held by you all. Oh the power of intention!

Staying with this thread of being seen, a grounding hopeful Intention of our collective within the HeartWeavers, is to Be Seen. Seen as the vibrant and integral thread of the larger social fabric of which we live in and contribute to. We Inclusion Activists living and working in the disability field, live in the space of grief for human lives being lost and mired in states of isolation and disillusion. Physically. Emotionally. Spiritually. The structural violence is real. It is heavy. A huge part of our effort here is to bring Awareness to our existence. I find myself sharing what I do with my friends and family and receiving perplexed looks, often followed by glib pats and mentions of patience. While I admit, I believe those of us in this chosen field have patience, we are also ready to trade that patience in exchange for Visibility. What we work with and teach in our day to day work on the ground in our communities, is the idea that the first step to Belonging is to be Seen. With Visibility comes Credibility. Credibility lends itself to bridging the Social Divide we feel between our field and the larger social field. Within the container of PFP Philly, the HeartWeavers in many ways represented our field of Inclusion and Advocacy being seen by the larger field. Marie and Liz announcing our presence on night 1, having us stand or wave to the group, was a first glimpse of Awareness. Curiosity, a quality cultivated beautifully all week and embedded in Theory U, lended it's branches from HeartWeavers to the Cousins. "Where do you all work? How long have you worked together? What do you do?" One conversation at a time, our cousins from far and wide began to understand that we are a group of practitioners living and working in our own local communities and organizations. Our existence at the Presencing Institute was and continues to be a Prototype. Before and during the Institute, we put our heart-minds together to come up with these early iterations of Vision and Intention statements:

Vision: We weave authentic human connections into resilient communities where every story matters, healing emerges through joyful collaboration, and love transforms imagination into collective action.

Intention: To cultivate spaces of belonging, creativity, and regeneration where people can connect deeply, imagine boldly, and co-create a thriving future for all life.

Intention: To weave islands of coherence into a living network-restoring our connection to one another, the Earth, and the larger story of humanity through love, imagination, and collaborative action.

Where we will go? We simply don't know. I appreciate the chart from the slides and the book, "Presencing: 7 Practices for Transforming Self, Society and Business," bringing to our Attention the opposing Underrated and Overrated qualities and elements of process. As much as I can, I will lean into the Underrated qualities of "Not-Knowing, Discomfort and Non-Action."

In Non-Action (Mindfulness, Dancing with Ma, Presencing), I feel the space to access my True Nature, activating Agency from within that place. From within my heart. From Attention to Intention, I find the bolstering needed to Step with Courage into the Field of the Future...with Action Confidence!

Agency

The HeartWeavers convened multiple times in the running up to the PFP Philly. After a few sessions, the storytelling of fellow HeartWeaver, Baturu Mboge, about the Baobab Tree and his upbringing in the Gambia where this tree is prevalent came forth as an image to rally around. A tree to sit under. A place for us to rest in it's wisdom, while accessing the Agency needed to step into the future with courage. When finally together we were welcomed into Beth Mount's space to the image of the Baobab Tree pasted all over her room, her front door and on the cover of our gift of connected journals for our time together.

Tim Corey, Colibri Facilitation & HeartWeaver

The grace and support of the tree and what it can offer not only us, but the larger social field, along with vision and energy from another fellow HeartWeaver, Tim Corey, set us on a path of engaging our collective agency to co-create an interactive art installation. Utilizing the structure of the space, as well as engaging in our dance with Ma, our Baobab Tree began to take shape. Actually it began weeks before the gathering with back and forth of ordering supplies and shipments to hotel rooms, along with more brought in vehicles from those of our group coming from driving distances. Tim's energy infected us all with his Vertical Alignment. Tim's Horizontal Reach extended within our group, catapulting us into action with hearts wide open and Agency coursing through our veins! Did doubt creep in? Yes. "What will the facilitators think? Will the Fitler Club staff frown upon the use of Ma and the structure of water pipes?" Alas, we parked that doubt and left it at the station. We stepped into the future of the gathering with collaborative spirit.

Dave Hasbury, Thinker, Writer, Artist, Photographer, Graphic Facilitator, General Good Human and Fellow HeartWeaver

We made the choice to embody the Intention: Cultivate space(s) for connection and healing. Held by each other. Held by love. Guided by stories, illuminating a path of revival, joy and the emergence of our highest future potential.

HeartWoven Baobab Tree and most of the HeartWeavers!

What transpired over the course of the evening, with the gift of this interactive installation, was the offering of instruments, voices and light from collaborative cousins...a moment in time for us to remember to hold the question: What More is Possible? What can we create when we dive into practices of stillness, in such a way, as I believe Tommie framed one day in the large room, "Our inner constellations talk to one another?"

I/we were not able to talk to each and every cousin. Yet, I felt the connection. The love. We HeartWeavers have debriefed in groups, as well as one on one, and the shared sentiment, linked to an element of our Intention, was that of being Seen. We arrived together as a somewhat significant segment of the larger social field. We leave the Institute with a sense of hope that our field, the Inclusion Activists, those partnering with individuals experiencing disability, with the weight of the System on us all, Can. Be. Seen. We are Visible. We are Credible. We are Human. We are love. We are the System. We are the Prototype.

For My 'S'elf

As part of my practices of cultivating and tending to my inner condition, I have felt drawn to and encouraged by the intersections of disciplines, theories and practice. Drawn to more wisdom. Encouraged by the connective tissue emerging as Love enacted. Connection to Source. Operating from our Authentic or True Nature. Highest Future Potential. Emerging Future of Possibility. Sensing. Stillness. All of these variations of the same ilk. The same energy. From different humans and communities, operating from different sectors and places, connected by the realization we are interconnected as a social body. To call in the wisdom of Ubuntu, shared by Martin Kalungu-Banda via his teaching and storytelling, "I am, because you are."

I see myself in so many others. I feel and sense hope in weaving my heartbeat, often isolated in my niched-out field of disability, with the heartbeat of others who share the same desire to be part of something greater than oneself. My Attention to these intersections and the opening my heart as an organ of perception leads me to understand this step is an Arrival. An arrival into the space of my heart, which becomes vital to my resilience in times of chaos. I seek coherence first within, vertical alignment, then outwardly connecting and weaving with others horizontally. From stillness I understand I can no longer avoid the presence of Awareness. So I lean in. I find my center. I find myself. I find myself in you, dear cousins. If you're reading this having not been present at this gathering, know you've found this for a reason, I believe, and we are in fact, just cousins who haven't met yet. When we do meet, know that I will see you. Value you. Hear you.

These feeling states were present for me all week in Philly at the Presencing Institute Foundation Program. Some cousins grew closer than others. My teams in Social Precensing Theater and Case Clinics, unlocked in me my Highest Future Potential. One I've been grappling with, living a narrative I believed about, misaligned with who I truly am. PFP in Philly was a Thunder Clap for my soul! I embodied my Agency when I chose to stand up and walk to the center of our closing circle and share my thoughts of Love, Joy, and Revival. And Courage! Courage to not only be who I am, vertically aligned, but share who I am. Smack dab in the middle of that circle, vulnerable and held by the love of our community of change makers and wisdom seekers. I shared a poem that will serve as a reminder to me about letting go and letting come. I love you all so much. Keep going. Keep going. Keep going.