Uploaded: June 2020

Keywords:
Imelda McCarthy, Gregory Bateson, Gianfranco Cecchin, spirituality, Fifth Province Metaphor, personal finance, global finance, Left, Right politics, Liberalism, Conservatism, woman abuse, child abuse, protection, Pandemic, new movements.

Imelda McCarthy

I was a member of the three-person Fifth Province Associates Group in Dublin, Ireland from 1981 until 1996. Here I had many magical experiences as we travelled the world and also introduced a novel systemic approach (Fifth Province Approach) in cases of poverty, physical and sexual abuse during the 1980s.

1999 brought a spiritual teacher, Sri Vasudeva, into my life along with the growth of a meditative community. Now, it seems that I am ‘classified’ as an elder in the systemic practice community, having had the privilege of working and presenting alongside some of the systemic greats. I have also had the pleasure of being able to teach and write on the practice, semantics and politics of systemic practice alongside spirituality and am still passionate about the intra-relationships between individual experience, community wellbeing, spirituality and the contextual influences of global movements on local life and social ecologies.

Throughout the Corona Lockdown, I delighted in the exploration of Zoom meetings, teaching, supervision and mentorship. Also, under the rubric of my Fifth Province Sangha, I had the privilege of inviting a national and international Zoom inter-spiritual meditation gathering to meet twice weekly.

imeldamccarthy46@gmail.com

https://imeldamccarthy.net

Abstract

In this video, Imelda rambles and muses about various systemic paradoxes, contrasts, connections and balances, which may be at work in our world pre-COVID and during the Pandemic. Some Micro issues are juxtaposed with Macro issues (protesters/dictators; personal finance/global finance; Left/Right politics; Liberalism/Conservatism; woman and child abuse/protection during Pandemic; Hope/Despair towards new movements and the passion and drive of young people).

While she did not invoke her usual Fifth Province Metaphor* it is implied in the holding and juxtapositioning of opposites and contrasts in the conversation. (*Writings on the Fifth Province Metaphor can be found on her website: imeldamccarthy.net).