Presence - Connect - Play

Journal Entry: Week 4

“Presence–Connect–Play” is a simple three-part framework often used in Authentic Relating communities to describe a progression of how people can deepen their connection and creativity with each other. 

“Presence” begins by landing in the here-and-now, not merely planting our feet but also receiving feedback from the ground—like dancers who feel the earth’s support and allow their own inner pulse to generate movement and connection. In "Connect", we recognize there is someone else in the relational field, with an experience every bit as layered and vibrant as our own. As we acknowledge and invite their perspectives, we weave our unique realities together, co-creating a dynamic exchange that unifies physical sensations, emotions, and thoughts into a cohesive flow. Finally, "Play" emerges when these foundations of presence and connection open a gateway to spontaneous, creative exploration—an embodied, yet cognitive invitation to discover new relational possibilities. 

As we connect this framework to “Land as Liberation,”  we move toward a wholeness connection to the ground and the other beings on this ground, defragmenting the many parts of ourselves into a single, integrated expression of consciousness—and in doing so, we expand not only our personal awareness, but also the shared space in which authentic connection thrives.