“Living organisms are open systems in the sense that they take and excrete energy and matter. In theory, they are open as far as the bounds of the universe; but they are also enclosed within a hierarchy of internal boundaries. As we move in towards the Earth from space, first we see the atmospheric boundary that encloses Gaia; then the borders of an ecosystem such as the forests; then the skin or bark of living animals and plants; further in are the cell membranes; and finally the nucleus of the cell and its DNA. If life is defined as a self-organizing system characterized by an actively sustained low entropy, then, viewed from outside each of these boundaries, what lies within is alive.”
~James Lovelock. The Ages of Gaia
Every living system has a boundary which can also be called a membrane. Living systems come in all shapes and sizes from a cell to a galaxy. Ecosystems are also living systems with organic boundaries or membranes. They are also self-organizing. Self-organization of the ecosystem is what creates the membrane. The membrane goes on to feed, protect and nourish the interior. Humans can participate in this care, protection and nurturing of the bio-energetic membrane and its interior. The village membrane is also the membrane of your natural ecosystem.
Crucial words to remember when one cares for the village membrane are participate and collaborate. Since ecosystems are self-organizing wholes, they do not need to be told what to do. It is our job as humans to listen to their inherent wisdom and assist and cooperate in what is wanted or needed- or not. When we override the inherent intelligence of an ecosystem we throw it out of balance which is unhealthy for all lifeforms held within it. When thrown off balance, it will strive to reach equilibrium again.
Supporting the village membrane means learning how to listen
Each membrane, no matter how large or small, contains a living system. Systems Theory helps us understand the complexity of living systems and teaches us that within a system, everything is interconnected and in constant communication with everything else. Living systems are autopoietic, meaning they are self-authoring and self-organizing and emerge organically from the interactions of the components, species, or life forms within them.
The system organizes itself into a coherent whole and sets its own terms and conditions by learning what best maintains the whole. Sensitivity is the way a component or part understands what it needs to do to best fit with the system and keep itself healthy while helping to maintain the balance and health of the whole.
“Each organism maintains a clear sense of its individual identity within a larger network of relationships that helps shape its identity. Each being is noticeable as a separate entity, yet it is simultaneously part of a whole system. While we humans observe and count separate selves, and pay a great deal of attention to the differences that seem to divide us, in fact we survive only as we learn how to participate in a web of relationships. Autopoiesis describes a very different universe, one in which all organisms are capable of creating a ‘self’ through their intimate engagement with all others in their system. This is not a fragile, fragmented world that needs us to hold it together. This is a world rich in processes that support growth and coherence through paradoxes that we need to contemplate” (Wheatley 117).
From a “membrane” perspective, this would mean that each individual membrane holds within it a self-organizing system (identity, soul) that cares for itself while also caring for the membrane of the village. In lifesystems, each part is independently working to thrive while also remaining sensitive to the health of the whole. Developing human capacities back to this kind of awareness and sensitivity would help us better care for the membranes at all levels.
A personal soul issue, often called an identity crisis, may be indicative of a breakdown in the whole. A breakdown of a community often arises from clashing identities or a community soul issue. Healing one heals the other.
Remembering our interconnectivity through what is revealed in studying lifesystems and how they maintain themselves is useful for the care of the membranes.
Read my new pieces at medium.com:
Self-Organizing Systems Generate Their Own Membranes
Membrane work consciously attends to the membranes created by the autopoietic system. Remember: autopoiesis is self-creation, self-organization. This means the membrane is created by the autopoietic system itself.
Humans do not create the membranes, they already exist, having emerged out of the self-organizing consciousness of the system that is housed within them.
This analogy can be extended through all the levels of membranes, from the micro to the macrophase. If we are going to truly hold and care for a village, it is wise to understand how lifesystems work, learn from them, and work with them from within. It is essential to understand that we are but a part of the system. From that point of view, we endeavor to allow our listening to become that acute and sensitive.
Humans who tend to the membrane at the village level do so by interfacing with the spirits of place and keeping the village safe inside the membrane. The village is our town, city, neighborhood or location within which we work.
Tenders of the village membrane listen for anything dissonant or inharmonious, human or non, visible or non, embodied or spirit, within the membrane that needs tending to as well as an impending situation arriving from the outside that could cause harm or disturbance to the village membrane. In this way, it could be said that we are attending to the soul of the community by tending to the membrane that surrounds it.
Come to the upcoming online class: The Village Membrane: Learning to care for the spiritual well-being of your community and ecosystem to learn more.
© Theresa C. Dintino 2024
Works Cited
Lovelock, James. The Ages of Gaia: A Biography of Our Living Earth. Bantam Books, 1988.
Wheatley, Margaret J. Leadership and the New Science. Berrett-Koeh- ler, 2000.
