One of our concerns with this movement was about cultural appropriation. The concept of Totems is arose in the field of anthropology and with the study of First Nation peoples by the developed west, and is bound up with Colonialism and exploitation. There is a real risk of straying into very difficult cultural battlegrounds and that is the last thing we would want as an outcome from this movement.

What will it take to restore balance to our world? How can we repair our devastated environments, and secure future generations’ survival? And what’s the key to unlock the mindset shift to enable truly regenerative transformation? Flourish reaches beyond ‘sustainability’ to explore ‘regenerative’ practice, what it really means, and how we can get there together. Looking deeply into the web of life that created and supports us, Flourish draws inspiration from diverse cultural traditions and perspectives.

Over the past thirty years, a new systemic conception of life has emerged at the forefront of science. New emphasis has been given to complexity, networks, and patterns of organisation, leading to a novel kind of 'systemic' thinking. This volume integrates the ideas, models, and theories underlying the systems view of life into a single coherent framework. Taking a broad sweep through history and across scientific disciplines, the authors examine the appearance of key concepts such as autopoiesis, dissipative structures, social networks, and a systemic understanding of evolution. The implications of the systems view of life for health care, management, and our global ecological and economic crises are also discussed.

Most objects have become “problematic”. Last century’s great philanthropist is this century’s great oppressor. My patron saint is your despised false idol. My symbol for the sun is your nazi flag. As these old symbols are torn down, we are faced with a puzzle: What should replace them?