Our world is alight with apostles of upward motion—champions of conscious evolution, passionate teachers, visionary thinkers and artists, social activists and philanthropists, spiritual seekers and warriors of humanitarian efforts. All the time, more of us wake to the state of things, ablaze with mission and purpose and called to take action from a unique point of origin.

So when diverse groups come together in the co-creation of a movement, who does the movement belong to? What do we call it? How is it guided? And what is necessary for a movement to gain social traction?

THE ULTIMATE UMBRELLA

In ongoing efforts to build momentum for the Global Purpose Movement, concern has been raised about laying claim to the collective social movement that continues to emerge. After our recent Sedona Summit, Barbara Marx Hubbard and I were discussing the “Ever-Larger Umbrella Syndrome.” This syndrome is the result of groups saying that they should act as the umbrella organization, and other groups responding in turn that in fact they are more qualified to do so, and on and on.

In this pattern, we are running a circuit that keeps us from flowing forward. In connecting our collective efforts– not in seeking ownership –we join the energy to put ourselves in motion.

If we lay claim to this movement, we do it only together as a collective. I see the “umbrella” itself as the coherence of all the people under the shelter of that fabric; a field that informs an inclusive, protective gathering. My vision for this Global Purpose Movement is not to be the umbrella, but as a movement within the emerging movement, one of the many invisible hands that is holding the umbrella base to make sure it stays upright.

MYSTERY IN MOTION

There is mystery in a nameless collective effort, and mystery can be difficult to navigate. While to some it may seem that naming our efforts can create limits or assert ownership, an argument to the contrary can be made as well. The societal implications of a nameless entity can halt its motion and create a clandestine air, making it difficult for the likeminded to connect, and leading well-intentioned groups to find themselves turning in circles.

A name can give us a channel through which to communicate clearly with the world and a way to be called upon to higher work. A name, in fact, may be the very gateway through which seekers find their paths.

While in Sedona, we found ourselves wanting to articulate our work so that we may call on it easily. At the core of what we are doing is purpose—undeniable, immeasurable, and infinite. This purpose, of course, is one that summons a universal inclusiveness—a global welcome to all. To speak to our growth and our motion, we gather in movement. As things do in this magnificent universe, our name came into being: Global Purpose Movement.

TRANSFORMATION

Our world—and we, with it—is stirring with possibility of a rise to infinite potential. In this awareness, we join in collaboration to support and guide each other. We connect to kindle the embers within one another that, when we come together, burn bright enough to light the way for all along this journey. In doing so, we find our voices reach farther and our momentum gains.