Varyflow Deck

Varyflow Deck is a collection of cards that can be used for guidance and strategic advice. Taking as inspiration the Ecological Thinking Framework, Panarchy, and Polysingularity, they propose a narrative, which is based on alternating cycles of exploration and focus, zooming in and zooming out. The objective is to promote mindful use of limited resources, respect towards the environment, and variable dynamics that promotes adaptive evolution embracing both growth and decline as the necessary stages of development.

Varyflow principles are implemented both in InfraNodus and EightOS practice and are available in their original form as a deck of playing cards. A companion book is being published by Circadian.

The player is invited to pick the card which resonates with their inner state the most at the moment of reading, based on the image or the concepts on the reverse side of the card. Then, they can read the card to define the current state. After that, they are proposed to explore the previous state (the origin of the current situation), the next state (where it may evolve), as well as a complementary state (where it may go at some point of time). The reading will advise on the most ecological course of action in relation to the current situation.

It is important to note, that in this context, “ecological” is understood in a wider sense of the word: relating to careful, mindful use of limited resources (for example, one’s own attention and energy) while being respectful towards the environment (the effect one’s actions may have on others, preventing or enabling their evolution). The intention is not to promote efficiency, but to, rather, let go of the idea of constant growth and to assume a different approach to development, based on the cyclical iterative oscillation between the extremes of the various spectrums — just like is often the case in natural systems.

For example, if the current state is identified as Reflection (#3, bottom right), the player might discover some interesting associations with that state, for instance, that of irregularity, introspection, and non-equilibrium — all necessary for understanding the previous state (regularity, synchronicity) and the next state (complexity, reconstruction). In order to shift to the next step, patterns must be broken, old connections must be disrupted, the new ones should be made, shifting to the bigger scale (extrovert exploration). A complimentary state is that of regeneration: a reminder that it’s important to rest during disruptive moments in order to keep the energy for long-term operations.

Date

September 15, 2022

Tags

cards, development, ecology, evolution

Year

2022

Presented At

"Selfsense" workshops at Martin Gropius Bau, Berlin

Category

Active, Discourse, Featured, Framework, In Progress, Media, Medium, Methodology, Publishing, System, Type, Urgency