Integral Salons at the IEC: Integral European Conference 2021

CONVERSATIONS THAT MATTER

Integral Salons : with Ines Robbers, Michael Glück, Heidi Hörnlein at the IEC 2021

Heidi writes

Introduction

(Books and useful addresses below.)

Let’s start with the word “Salon”: A gathering of artists, writers, musicians, also scientists and other groups of common interest, often in private houses, with a modest number of participants and led by inspiring hosts.

When we look into the history of “Salons”, we notice that traditionally they were led by women. This was a possibility for women to participate in culture and learn about subjects they couldn’t attend or organise in public.

Famous were literary salons in Paris Sophie Marie Louise de Grouchy, marquise de Condorcet, Henriette Julie Herz in Berlin, Franziska “Fanny” von Arnstein in Vienna (all around 1800)

But these salons were not an invention of the last centuries.

Aspasia von Milet founded a philosophical salon in Athens around 470 bC,

The mysteries of Elysium and the oracle of Delphi were held by women, as well as the early paleo Christian house churches or ritual gatherings in private houses and in the Catacombs in Rome.

INTEGRAL SALONS

Thus an “Integral Salon” is a continuation of a long tradition where new and interesting topics or rituals are addressed and elaborated in small groups of interested people. In the German speaking countries the first reading circles for books of Ken Wilber gathered from the late 90ies on, the predecessors of the present “integral Salons” which have opened their doors in many major cities and, of course, now also online.

In the early 2000 the “Integrales Forum” was founded to gather the integral initiatives in the German speaking countries. They organised yearly meetings and conferences and published a magazine with translations of Wilber’s texts and essays from other integralists.

Watch my interview with Monia Fruehwirth, a founding member if the IF and salon leader in Vienna for 20+ years.

Participating at a conference in Berlin, Bence Ganti started from there with organising his first Integral European Conference in Hungary in 2014.

Integral Salons emerged during these years in many places with the intention to spread the integral worldview, Ken Wilber’s integral theory and the integral life practice. Many salons are part of the Association IF, but there are also other integral Salons with no direct connection to the IF.

Integral Salons are very different from one another. Depending on their leading team they emphasize more theoretical discussions or more practical exercises, They normally happen once a month, either with a given topic or in a free flowing conversation. The leadership is on a volunteer basis, the participants normally contribute with a small sum for rent of the venue or the invitation of speakers. They are open to interested people who, more often than not, are at late orange or green. They can be taken as a training field to reach the integral level of consciousness.

You will find a pdf of present Salons of which we are aware, in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in the chat and as an upload to our session..

If you know about other Salons in the world to put into the list please let us know.

Useful Information

Definition “Salon”: A salon is a gathering of people held by an inspiring host…. More at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salon_(gathering)

Women as Salon leaders:

Books:

The role of women in Greek culture and early Christianity (on the “pagan continuity hypothesis”, the women led congregations in ancient Greece and in early Christianity):

“The immortality Key”, Brain C. Muraresku https://www.amazon.com/Immortality-Key-Uncovering-History-Religion/dp/1250207142/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1621178786&sr=1-1

(in German): Musikalische Salons

Blütezeit einer Frauenkultur by Veronika Beci

https://openlibrary.org/works/OL577887W/Musikalische_Salons

History of Integral theory and its reception in the German speaking countries

https://www.integralesforum.org/das-if/geschichte-if

The interview with Monia Fruehwirth (Co-founder of the German speaking integral community) at The Wisdom Factory

https://thewisdomfactory.net/integral-conference-integral-salons/

The interview with Michael Glück on We-space/ community building (in German)

https://thewisdomfactory.net/michael-gluck/

Integral Salons connected with the “Integrales Forum” https://www.integralesforum.org/dabei-sein/integrale-salons

Other Salons we are aware of:

More integrally informed communities and/or content creation platforms.

https://www.presencing.org/gaia

https://enliveningedge.org/

https://www.joinclubhouse.com/join/integral-leadership/c0nF3UJi/P0gKdjoZ

https://www.patreon.com/jeremyjohnson

https://rebelwisdom.co.uk/

https://www.thestoa.ca/

https://www.scienceandnonduality.com/

https://www.spiritrock.org/drop-in-classes (meditation center with a salon for women)

Videopost for Mai 2021

TIME STAMPS : WHAT to find WHERE in the video

Timestamps coming soon

Michael Glück

Michael says: As a baby boomer I started my integral journey in the late eighties. Theory of interdependence and connected thinking was put into action on an ecological food project, where I worked from the beginning. In the nineties I cofounded a Montessori school based on the human development model of Piaget. Exploring the world and me with the psychoactive aqal-integral map is my favorite activity. Committing to Integral Life Practice gives me a frame to have an effect on different fields as a tai chi teacher.

Heidi Hörnlein

Heidi is part of the German speaking integral community for more than 20 years. In her Wisdom Factory she creates recorded interviews and has women’s circles, “Integral Salons”, which she has held regularly online for many years in order to spread and practice the integral worldview.

Ines Robbers

Ines is founder of the Integral Salon in Lübeck and active member of the Integral Forum e. V. where she facilitates the circle of salons, serves as Rep Link Cultural and Organizational Development and leads a project on digital collaboration. Ines works as coach, consultant, trainer and speaker in the field of conscious leadership, corporate culture and change. A core question that fascinates and guides her, is: What moves people?