I feel very moved to be back in Quebec among psychosynthesis friends after an absence of 20 years. Canada was my adoptive home for two decades in the l960's and l970's and will always have a special place in my heart. I am also deeply touched by the dedication of Eva Louise and her magnificent act of will in making it possible for us to all be here together.

Louise asked me to say a few words about our theme of cooperation. What's most interesting to me when I reflect on this theme is how it relates to the evolution of consciousness. To function in a cooperative mode requires a certain level of maturity. And conversely it is likely that participation in cooperative social structures accelerates our maturation process. Developmental psychologists such as Kegan (in his book, The Evolving Self) speak of the mature consciousness as characterized by mutuality and interdependence. At the stage of development Kegan calls "inter-individual" a person has advanced on the path of individuation far enough that cooperation with others no longer presents a threat. At this stage autonomy and relatedness are reconciled. When we are secure in a deeper source of identity -- the true Self- we have less need for approval, less fear of criticism or disagreement, less need to be right. And thus we can engage in creative dialogue with those whose views are different from our own.

One very significant thing that happens in the mutualistic stage is that we begin to deeply experience ourself and the other person as sacred. Relationships have more of an I-Thou quality, with an opening to community and communion. A friend of mine who runs council circles once said that when a group comes into that magical space of true community, the person who seemed like a jerk a moment ago suddenly appears more like Christ or the Buddha.

As we enter this time together, let us remember the sacred value of each person and see our interactions in this light. And I want to invite us to explore some ways of being together that are inspired by the spirit of mutuality and cooperation. So, for example, in the co-creative groups there will be an opportunity to experiment with what it is to engage in deep collaborative inquiry, what it is to draw out and support each person's highest expression -- even though their point of view may be different from our own -- and how the spirit of synthesis can help us to hold the wisdom of diverse perspectives.

In closing I'd like to touch briefly on how cooperation may be relevant to the evolution of psychosynthesis itself. During the lifetime of a movement's founder, there is a natural tendency to look to this individual to articulate the truth. Now that Assagioli is no longer with us on the physical plane, we ourselves have the task of nourishing the life of psychosynthesis. And as we all know, any living entity must transform and renew itself to stay vital and alive. I often remember Assagioli's famous statement that "psychosynthesis is a living entity and an evolving thought form" and I'm sure he would have been the first to encourage efforts to keep psychosynthesis, as it was in his time, on the leading edge of the culture.

The challenge I would put before us in this gathering is this: Can we draw on the energy of cooperation here to begin to sow some seeds for developing, co-creatively, the next generation of psychosynthesis theory and practice?

We'll be talking soon about the "co-creative" groups which were designed with this possibility in mind. When I proposed the idea to Eva Louise, I was inspired by the experience I've had participating in various on-line groups where practitioners of new energy-based therapies are sharing ideas and experience. There is a level of excitement and creativity in these internet groups that reminds me very much of the early days of psychosynthesis when the ideas were new and we had a strong sense of mission. One of my hopes for this conference is that we can bring new life to Assagioli's important work that has given us all so much. It will be interesting to see if some of the co-creative groups begin to anchor a collaborative impulse that continues after the conference. And if we so desire, there is a vehicle in place through the internet list that John Cullen has created that could be developed to carry forward the intentions and interest groups that we form here. In any case, I hope you'll find the groups to be a valuable experience in their own right and Peter and Louise and I will be most interested in your feedback.

I'd like to finish by calling in the Spirit of Cooperation to be with us, to infuse us, and to teach us during our time together and in our lives ahead. Let's take a moment of silence now to attune to the energy of Cooperation.