Emergence Foundation arose out of the embers of a global spiritual, educational charity and organisation that sought to create a dynamic cultural template based on universal spiritual principles. However, this 27-year-long utopian experiment ended in 2013 with many lessons to be learned.
In 2015, fourteen of us met in central London to begin the challenging process of not just finding a way to adequately disperse the charity’s residual funds, but also the delicate process of reconciliation.
As an organisation, we had historically operated within a deeply hierarchical structure that ultimately created serious problems. At the same time, we had shared and experienced a revolutionary degree of unity and commitment to a profound cultural shift, as well as enduring personal and collective ordeals of the soul. This was both radically transformative as well as deeply challenging. Sitting together around that table we represented the diverse legacy of our shared history.
From the beginning, we made a conscious decision to work together differently. That means as a non-hierarchical collective. To be willing to learn from past mistakes yet remain true to the deepest knowledge we each held. Ultimately this meant daring to trust to continue the experiment, albeit in new ways.
Under scrutiny as a global organization, we were aware that we were not only the custodians of the fund, but also responsible for whatever legacy Emergence Foundation was going to create. Despite differences at times, we shared a commitment to wanting something deeply positive to emerge, not just from the funds but from our enduring history: the love, sacrifice and commitment given by so many individuals across the world, to something larger than ourselves.
In some ways, it’s been a sobering journey. Change takes commitment, transparency, humility, and a willingness to be open-hearted and clear-sighted with each other and ourselves. At the same time, this process has revived and deepened in all of us the passion for inner and outer transformation, and the living potential and joy of working creatively together for a larger purpose. For all of us at Emergence Foundation this is an ongoing journey…
I would love to see what happens when the same group comes together again in the same format and in a few months, rather than a mostly new group each time annually. Something about our configuration really worked and I can see more good work happening through deepening our relationships with each other.
2026 retreat participant
