Who is this for?
The Inevitability of Butterfly Expeditions is for individuals and
individuals working in community, association or organization, who believe that
societal transformation is not only necessary but also possible!
Why Butterfly?
The everyday garden variety magic of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly holds within its biology a structure for transformation that we can emulate.
Why Expeditions?
We will be exploring unfamiliar territories that have been underfoot all along.
What is it?
It is a sequence of deeply interrelated experiential practices that realign our individual and collective relationships to that of reciprocal membership in a living world
"We do not think ourselves into new ways of living,
we live ourselves into new ways of thinking!"
We learn - Through Play
The everyday art of living truthfully into our (as yet only) imagined new world!
How do we approach this project?
In live theater a director and a group of actors choose to rehearse a particular play. They join together, forming a temporary community who collectively "live into" the play's imagined reality. We can emulate this process as we live truthfully into our (as yet only) imagined new world.
The Inevitability of Butterfly Expeditions approachs the process of societal transformation as a rehearsal process intended on producing a new play for humankind to "play" on the world's stage.
"Where attention goes energy flows!
Where energy flows life grows"
Where Are We Going?
“My experience was very valuable, particularly in a business application. ... I was able to hear so much more of what was going on and be genuinely responsive..."
Dale P. Fallon
Owner/Founder The Communications Gym
“Working with Gary was a powerful and memorable experience for me. I work with communication on a daily basis and I am always looking for the foundational work that has powerful positive impact. I have found Gary and his work to fit well in this category.
About Me
Gary Smith
... Brian Bacon, The Oxford Institute
“Finally, a truly original workshop—a workshop that actually worked! The workshop succeeded brilliantly in achieving an integration of the be-here-now practice of the individual meditating alone, with the unpredictable demands of every-day life, lived largely in relationship with others, and - it was fun!”
Meido Barbara Anderson, Ph.D., director the Center for Sustainability Penn State University, retired. Founding Priest O-An Zendo
He has also designed and assisted in the beginning implementation of a Sociocratic circle structure for the Center for Ecozoic Studies
His articles Triage Or Transformation - Playing Into A Brave New World and Living Biospheres Within Biosphere: The Looping Möbiosity Of Being are being Published by the Center For Ecozoic Studies.
He along with Jeff Dardozzi (Founder of Living Structure) presented Shifting Centers – Changing Worlds: Do We Need Theory to Ride a Bicycle? at the Ninth International Architecture Culture and Spirituality Forum in 2017.
He has served as a Peer Panelist for the PA Council on the Arts evaluating grant proposals from across the state. Gary also created interactive programing for the Lancaster County Council on Drug and Alcohol Abuse and conceived and directed Shakespeare Face-to-Face, a youth oriented in school program that used “Romeo & Juliet” and other Shakespearean plays as a springboard for the students to explore sensitive subjects that affect all aspects of their daily lives and relationships. He has designed programs for the Dowingtown, Wilson, Lewisburg Middle and High School Districts, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Lancaster, Trinity Lutheran Church and the Crispus Attucks African-American Community Center. He created and facilitated "When Worlds Collide" for Susquanita High School.
Since his retirement from Theater of the Seventh Sister he has focused his creative and organizational skills on continuing the development and sharing of The Inevitability Of Butterfly Expeditions: The Everyday At of Living truthfully into an (as yet only) imagined world. It is an experiential journey intended to promote the evolution of an EcoSapien Civilization.
The Inevitability Of Butterfly Expeditions gives committed organizations, working in network with other like minded entities, the skills necessary for propagating authentic, mission focused organizational success that is consonant with a healthful evolving societal transformation process.
He is currently working with Jermey Lent's Deep Tranformation Network
He and his wife Mary (Seventh Sister founding Co-Artistic Director) happily reside in the home they designed and built in Bristol Vermont.
Erin Christie
Shambhala practitioner, Caregiver for Autistic
"Participating the this "acting technique" created an awakening to the play of life. Suddenly, I had vision to see clearly, myself and the world around me. I was brought powerfully into the present without fear."
Testimonials
Patrice Merzanis
Presiden/CEO, PA. Association of Realtors.
“Your Inevitability of Butterfly Expeditions & EmergeSense - brilliant, seriously!"
Susan Meeker-Lowry
Author, Earth lover, Founder Gaia's Voices
How Do We Get There? Practice the Process!
This process draws inspiration from four different sources.
• Nature - the nuts and bolts transformational process of a caterpillar evolving into a butterfly
• Theater -organic theatrical rehearsal processes, the art of living truthfully into a play's imagined reality.
• Mindful moment to moment awareness - the skills of receiving and responding with non-reactive clarity
• Effective democratic collaborative governance - Sociocratic organizational practices propagate deeply
Rehearsing living into our desired new world!
Practices that bring our constructed world into realignment with the natural world!
Samuel C. Slaymaker
Executive Director, Historic Rock Ford Plantation
"Gary's ability to strike just the right balance between fostering a relaxed, participatory environment while also maintaining order and focus makes him uniquely well qualified to serve as an effective facilitator. Gary is able to set a tone that fosters creative thought and active participation while also maintaining focus and direction."
Creator/Founder The Inevitability Of Butterfly Expeditions
Organizational Consultant, Enlivenment Practitioner
Founding Co-Artistic Producing Director
Theater of the Seventh Sister (retired)
Gary's career was as a professional director, actor and producer of live theater (emphasis on live) working in New York and Regional Theaters, with OBIE, TONY and Oscar award winning actors and directors. He has performed “Incident at Vichy” for Arthur Miller. He received a standing ovation from August Wilson for his co-direction of “The Piano Lesson.” A founding member of Pennsylvania’s acclaimed Theater of the Seventh Sister, Gary served as Co-Artistic Producing Director for 30 years. His guiding vision has been to use theater as a vehicle to create dialogue, awareness, and positive social evolution.
During his tenure he was instrumental in producing not only more familiar classic and contemporary Main Stage plays, but also committing to producing theater that continually provides a voice for the multiple underserved communities of the region through The African Grove Project, and Portales: Gateways to Latino Drama, Shakespeare Camp for Teens and the People First project producing work generated and performed by people with disabilities.
A long time meditator, his interest in integrating the contemplative arts with effective organizational evolution coupled with his desire to proactively promote positive social evolution led him to attend The Shambhala Institute For Authentic Leadership where he worked with luminaries, Peter Senge, Margaret Wheatley, Barry Oshry, Brian Bacon and others. The Institute’s focus was integrating the contemplative arts with cutting edge organization practice as a means for promoting cultural shifting. His work at the institute transformed his approach to organizational and societal evolution.
He has served as an organizational consultant for Bristol Cohousing facilitating community wide organizational restructuring retreat, has introduced the Middlebury Acting Company to the Sociocratic governance process and has Consulted with Historic Rock Ford Foundation.
"Gary was a wonderful guide through his Butterfly Project, which encourages you on a journey of self-discovery and growth, leaving you ready to embrace the world with open wings. This transformative process not only changes how you see the world but also how the world sees you, celebrating your unique, vibrant colors and the flight of your dreams."
Sharon MacKinnon worker-owner EASE/Integral Learning Co-op
"I was fortunate to experience Gary Smith's Inevitability of Butterfly Expeditions process .... For any individual or team seeking to make sense of where they fit as a conscious co-creator, I highly recommend this experiential practice."
Kathy Sipple
Senior Resilience Coordinator
Earth Charter Indiana
"This is the kind of leadership we need, that will help humans evolve to the next stage and transform society. It calmed me, and put me in touch with Earth, something greater than myself, a reminder of what is sacred and important. ... It was a beautiful and enriching experience."
Carolina De Oliveira
Governance Alive Module #2
"The chrysalis is where it all starts .... The reflective process and the realisations, adaptations and adoptions are very spiritual and life changing. And to add more beauty to it is to realize and understand that "you are held"... You can walk into change, you can run into change, you can crawl or fly into change because you are held."
Srijana Pradhan
Sikkim, India
A caterpillar is unaware that she will become a butterfly
yet there is an inevitability to her transformation!
Nature will inform our evolution into an EcoSapein civilization.
... Richard Rohr
democratic and authentically collaborative group decision making organizational practices and structure.
The Brass Tacks and
The Nitty Gritty
Why Butterfly?
Why Rehearsal?
It is a sequential series of transformational practices that Integrates cutting edge, deeply democratic,
authentically collaborative governance
with
highly effective organic theatrical rehearsal proceses
that teach individuals, communities and organizations
experiential skills that encourage “living into”
a positively evolving societal transformation
in order to
Propagate a healthful, reciprocal human presence
on, of and with our living Earth
