Me, We, Us — A Journey in Conscious Evolution
Reflections on the 10th Transformational Presence Global Gathering
It was an extraordinary three and a half days—73 open-hearted people from nine countries across Europe and the Americas coming together for the 10th Transformational Presence Global Gathering. We had come to re-connect as a global community and to bask in the incredible restorative spirit of the magical island of Utö in the Stockholm archipelago—in its beautiful, wild, rocky, rustic nature, and the midnight sun. We were there in the days just before the solstice, or midsummer as they call it in Scandinavia.
Our three days were built on the thematic structure Me, We, Us—three dimensions of presence that can serve as anchors as we navigate today’s fragmented world. Although we were only together for a few days, the journey from Me to We to Us was powerful, illuminating, uplifting, and for many, healing. It was all those things for me. I found deeper clarity about my place now in the Transformational Presence community as well as in the world, and a richer understanding of the distinction between We and Us.
Looking back, I can also see how Me, We, Us also describes the evolution of Transformational Presence into what it has become today. It began as an expression of my own personal journey (Me). As it developed through my writing and teaching, the work attracted others (We). Soon a community began to gather around this way of living and leading, and within a few years, the Transformational Presence community began to take on its own identity (Us).
In the days after the Gathering, one of its leaders, Jo Boniszewski from The Netherlands, reflected on LinkedIn:
We came together in a space of deep listening, connection, exploration, and co-creation. We reflected and we took steps. We danced and we were still. We laughed and we cried. We celebrated and we sat in silence. We created spaces where courage and compassion could meet, where clarity could emerge, and where healing found its way through conversations, sea swims, and shared stories.
Jo’s co-leader, Katarina Cars from Sweden, wrote separately:
Our guiding invitation was embracing Transformational Presence through the elements of nature, and nature truly became a powerful co-creative partner through our time together…. There is such profound strength in “together”—together with a few, together with many.
Many Gathering participants have since shared similar reflections.
While there was a linear arc to the Gathering program—coming together, going deep into our work, and then returning to the world—the shape of our time together was actually more circular built on three points of reference: Me, We, and Us. As we embarked on our journey, the circle soon began spiraling into beautiful connections, dissolutions, re-inventions, and re-configurations. Each return to Me was somehow more conscious, each movement towards We became more integrated, and each experience of Us became more expansive and inclusive. And at each next step, we were guided by core Transformational Presence questions:
What is life showing me/us now?
And what is it asking of me/us?
The journey of Me, We, Us, is available to all of us if we choose to take it. Given all that is happening at this time in human history, that journey feels particularly potent right now. It begins deep inside us and ripples out in ever-widening circles. It’s not a straight line. It spirals and unfolds and calls us to listen, to shift, to transform, to become. It’s a journey from individual awareness into embodied collective consciousness. It’s an evolutionary journey—it doesn’t leave any part of us or our awareness behind as we evolve, but rather ever expands our awareness outward towards a greater whole—towards a more expansive consciousness. As I share my own experience here, perhaps it will invite you into your own.
Me—Awakening Deeper to Who I Am
The more I pay attention to how I meet life every day, the more I discover about who I am and why I’m here. It’s an ongoing practice; I admit that I’m not always as aware and evolved as I would like to think I am. Yet I am much more aware of the presence I bring to the moment than I used to be. And I keep learning. I recognize that, like you, I have something to bring to this world—something that no one else will bring in the same way that I will. And fundamentally, I believe it’s my job to live into the gifts I’m here to bring.
Lately, I’ve been reflecting again on these questions:
Who am I down underneath the roles I have played?
What is mine to bring to the world now?
Who am I becoming as I strive to live into what, to me, matters most now? And how does that feel?
Awareness of my own presence has always been the starting point for my own personal transformation. And I believe that my personal transformation then ripples out into the world around me and ultimately into the mass consciousness. The more I continue to expand my awareness of who I am within a greater whole, the more clearly I recognize what is mine to do next.
Transformation is an inside job—it happens from the inside out. Transformational Presence begins deep inside the heart of our being as we learn to listen, sense, and feel our way into living in alignment with a greater Wisdom.
Personal presence is the starting point of all transformational work.
Before I can show up for others, I must show up fully for myself.
We—Recognizing We Live in a Shared World
Stepping into the dimension of We does not mean leaving Me behind; it means living in the fullness of Me and carrying that presence into the dimension of We. The more I sense into that expanded awareness of a greater whole, the more I recognize I’m not alone. And the more I realize I’m not alone, the more I feel called to serve that greater whole in some way. I expand beyond individual presence into relational presence.
Co-creation of the larger world we share begins in We. Big things and big ideas can only come to reality through partnership—partnership with other people as well as partnership with ideas and possibilities. As I listen with others—to Life, to possibilities, and to what wants to happen and may, in fact, already be waiting just beneath the surface—doors open and new paths begin to reveal themselves. In the dimension of We, we can lift one another up as together we build conscious partnerships in service of something larger than ourselves.
The dimension of We invites us into a new emerging paradigm in conscious leadership. This new paradigm is not about “being in charge” or telling others what to do. It’s about recognizing that the true leader is the inherent Intelligence and Wisdom in “what wants to happen.” And then, helping others expand their capacities for tapping into that Intelligence and Wisdom, and exploring it together.
We calls us to shared intention and mutual empowerment. Transformation out in the world never happens solely from the dimension of Me—it’s a collective emergence. Each person’s Me presence matters, each voice is essential as a pathway to conscious collaboration. Yet it is the collective presence of We that moves everything forward in creating a world that works.
The new emerging paradigm of leadership is not about telling others what to do. It’s about standing side by side with one another rather than standing above or below, honoring the unique wisdom each one of us brings, and serving something larger—together.
Us: A Living, Breathing Energy System
As our sense of We deepens, something even more profound begins to happen—the emergence of Us. There’s a new identity—a movement towards wholeness. We’re not just individuals together or collaborators working on a project—we become a living system. Us becomes an energy field, a presence, a dynamic, breathing, interconnected system. And it’s up to us to become still enough, aware enough, and courageous enough to meet it. This is what I experienced during the Global Gathering in a way I rarely have before.
Transformational Presence as a way of living and leading is the next level of evolution from Me to We to Us. We become stewards of something bigger—a greater potential waiting to unfold. Being stewards is not about making something happen. It’s about “tending the garden”—creating the best possible culture and environment for transformation to unfold. It’s about being the presence, together, that becomes a vehicle for manifestation.
That’s what happened in our three days together in the Global Gathering. Without talking much about it yet holding a space that allowed what wanted to happen to unfold, we moved from Me to We to Us. And together we became a space of connection, a space of healing into wholeness, and a space of transformation of who we are together.
Us is where the old paradigms of leadership as power and control and “making things happen” fully dissolves. In this understanding of Us, power no longer belongs to a select few; it is the current running through us all. It’s not about making things happen or “pushing” the energy or favoring our individual agendas; it’s about partnering with the calling towards something bigger.
In Transformational Presence, we’re always in dialogue with what wants to happen—in our individual lives (Me), in our relationships (We), and ultimately through who we become together (Us) as we live into this expanded awareness. Out of that dialogue emerges a sense of what’s next—how it’s asking us to show up, what roles it’s asking us to play, and what it’s asking us to do.
The journey from Me to We to Us is not just about relationships or even community—it’s about conscious evolution. It’s about stepping fully into our collective power as co-creators of a world that works for all. It’s about becoming a presence through which transformation can happen—not just for ourselves, but for the whole.
The potential of the moment is always there, waiting for us to become still enough, aware enough, and courageous enough to meet it. And then to embody it and live it within our collective being.
Me, We, Us—Intention and Trust
In the Transformational Presence Global Gathering, we set the intention of Me to We to Us during the opening ceremony. That intention was then mentioned again at the beginning of each day before diving into that day’s program of discovery and exploration. We didn’t really talk about it much more than that. We trusted that we would be guided, and we were. Organically and even somewhat mystically, the journey from Me to We to Us unfolded.
For me, the closing ceremony at the end of our three days felt more like a jumping-off point than an endpoint. I sensed new beginnings, new and renewed connections, and new possibilities as I left the beautiful company of my Gathering companions. I felt tender sweetness in farewells, yet also excitement and new momentum for the road ahead. And I recognized the need for gatherings like this for people everywhere in these unsettled times.
On his last night on the island, Sander van Eekelen from The Netherlands, one of the Transformational Presence Global Leaders, posted this message to the Gathering participants.
The sun sets over Utö one last time for us, for now. Thank you, Utö, for having us. You made us feel at home the moment we stepped onto your land. You embraced us with your calm and benevolent presence. Our sense of what it means to just “be” deepened; no rush, no hurry, only the whispers of your trees caressed our ears and made us feel welcome and at ease. Your hospitable grace created the optimal atmosphere for three wonderful, insightful days filled with joyous, heart-centered connections. We thoroughly enjoyed your diverse nature. Your rocky shores and sandy beaches gave us the opportunity to have a tranquil place to ponder and reflect and enjoy incredible sunsets. And last but not least, what an amazing group of people did you attract to inhabit your land!
So, Utö, thank you, thank you, thank you! Until we’ll meet again…
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Thank you Alan! And a huge thank you to everyone in the Transformational Presence community for coming together, in body and/ or spirit, to make this such a special gathering!
This is such a beautiful template for community and finding purpose, Alan. I'd never thought of it this way, although it reminds me of Quaker meeting. Hard-boiled Americans like me are so steeped in a a culture of individualism, productivity, and making things happen that this feels like a radical shift. And a much needed one. I've sensed rumblings of Me, We, Us arising on a larger scale for awhile. Your essay offers the model for it.