Author Description

Abstract The evolving nature of human consciousness in our changing times compels us to redefine what education is for. We are called to expand how we teach, learn, think and live as educators and learners. Holistic education is at the forefront of reconceptualising educative practices and curricula that dynamise personal and systems transformation. Holistic learning exercises "second tier thinking" characterised by affiliative constructs of pluralism and relativism. Holistic pedagogy and praxis is reflexive and world centric. Rooted in perennial philosophy its transpersonal practices nurture levels of wholeness through personal transformation. At the heart of holistic learning are educators taking charge of their personal and professional growth by developing reflective, insightful practices rooted in transformative principles. In studying their work, we discover the value of soulful and spiritualising learning activities that restore wholeness and wonder to learning. Researching the praxis of holistic educators contributes practical ideas and new technologies for nourishing meaning and creativity in modern education. Qualitative research tools such as narrative are best suited to study the human perspectives of holistic educational praxis. This study uses a narrative voice as a method of inquiry to describe the work of three educators who have developed models of soulful, creative activities committed to actualising transpersonal and spiritual consciousness. Principles of caring and authenticity inform their educational encounters with learners. Their educative work attends to the learner’s personal transformation through self-integration. Their practices foster inner balance, authenticity and insight in learners and nurture the learner’s soulful connection between self, subject and community. By nurturing the soulful qualities of the self/Self such as presence, aliveness and joy of learning, their work seeks to develop multidimensional levels of intelligence, including spiritual intelligence. Using imaginal and aesthetic tools that encourage learners to make inner and outer connections, their work aspires to cultivate spiritual intelligence as both a personal and pedagogical process and goal. Spiritual intelligence is a dynamic, holistic cognition that synergises the concrete intelligences (characterised by physical, emotional and logical intelligences) with higher order intelligence (exemplified by imagination, intuition and vision). Their novel holistic approaches articulate the value of communion and creativity in learning and teaching. Their work creates meaningful opportunities for learners to experience self-reflective awareness through creative visualisation, forms of meditation and aesthetic contemplation. When used with the expressive arts––such as creative writing and with other learning activities, these insightful modalities animate deeper connections between the inner and outer self encouraging learners to discover creativity, wholeness, purpose, insight, self-awareness, harmony and love as integral aspects of learning and living.