Last July 9th, a new living pole about peacebuilding started up near the historical basque town of Gernika. 18 of us, long-term agents in conflict resolution, holistic communication and non-violent context design, were summoned up by Yago Abeledo. He asked us to test his Butterfly Model. It was a living lab to deepen into the many connections enabled by the Model, among others: Lederach's "Framework for peacebuilding" proposals, Tolle's practice of "The power of Now", Mindell's "Process Work" methodologies, Ghandi's Non-violent actions, Wheatley's New Leadership science, Sheldrake's "Morphic Resonance" theory, Early's narrative of emotions, Weaver's self-perception skills, and perennial wisdom, both eastern and western. "BOTH, AND": this could sum up the complex, integrative, creative and transforming exploration we shared; it was no mind game, we dealt with that kind of pain that roots in one's own identity, and takes courage to let go.
Yago maps several parallel processes in his Butterfly Model. Structural, Historical (past), Strategic (future) and Intrapersonal processes, associated to any conflict or trauma, mirror in one another. In other words, present pain, felt by a person, is a reflection not only of past events, but also of a wounding structure or institution, and of a painful (narrow-minded) future strategy too.
These four "wings" of the butterfly, when mirrored upon one another, help removing the layers of pain that block personal and cultural awareness and conflict transformation. Getting rid of the old skin, the maggot turns into a butterfly. Narrowness and shallowness evolves. Time and space constraints dissolve at a deeper level where apparent dilemmas are expressed in a non-dualistic mood. A more essential experience of reality refocuses conflict, not anymore as something apart, but as a living part of oneself. It is from the living "Now" where healing, peace and dignity is regained, light shines on the hidden self, and the mortified and trapped ego comes out of its conflict.
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| Processual and Systemic Design of the Butterfly Model, Alex Carrascosa 2014 |
These four "wings" of the butterfly, when mirrored upon one another, help removing the layers of pain that block personal and cultural awareness and conflict transformation. Getting rid of the old skin, the maggot turns into a butterfly. Narrowness and shallowness evolves. Time and space constraints dissolve at a deeper level where apparent dilemmas are expressed in a non-dualistic mood. A more essential experience of reality refocuses conflict, not anymore as something apart, but as a living part of oneself. It is from the living "Now" where healing, peace and dignity is regained, light shines on the hidden self, and the mortified and trapped ego comes out of its conflict.
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| Clara Valverde's book "Unearthing Words" |
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| Participants during the exercise "unearthing words" |
This exercise and many others, rooted down the practice of the Butterfly Model in our spontaneous turn up of persons, stories, knowledge and experience. Thus, whatever identity is under check, the chance for integral conflict transformation is at hand. Peace is at hand. We can let pain go and pay attention to life now. We are invited to live beyond dualism and fear, exploring and naming the echo of a tough event, as present in a wounded current structure, or designed in a blind strategy or somatized in the body. When the body heals, the eyes open to visualize a better future, and the hands, to build a fair structure to enable it. We change our present to dignify that tough event and resignify it in peace. That's what we did.
It was a present. Thanks.
Borja Izaola
Architect, Anthropologist and Systemic Coach
