photo by Alan Briskin

When people gather — for a meeting, important conversation, healing experience or to create something new, the place and its surroundings affect the quality of the experience and its outcomes. Such special gathering places are of a distinct and different order. They are often described by their overall Gestalt, ethos or embodied felt-sense, as “aesthetically vibrant environments that come alive”, places that feel like “coming home”, “spaces that facilitate healing or generative thinking.” In broad terms, we have begun to describe these special places as transformational places.

Transformational places sometimes exist in powerful locations that are embedded in or imbued by Nature. They can also be created in any space or structure that is consciously infused with energy that is life-giving and life-supporting. The power and influence of transformational places is directly related to the consciousness, the intentions and the social interaction of those who are responsible for care and keeping of a place and those gathering in these spaces.

Our intention is to seek to further understand and articulate more precisely the nature of such transformational places and how to access the larger energetic field of which they are a part. In doing so, we seek to make transformational places more visible and accessible to groups who gather in service of a better world. As part of this process, we have begun to create a special listing of transformational places worldwide that we call PlaceBook. We invite you to use it to find these special places for your own transformational events.

If you have a recommendation of a place that you have personally experienced as transformational and think should be part of this listing, contact the PlaceBook coordinator with all pertinent information (using the template & instructions in the "How to Add a Place" page as a guide) and contact details to help us take next steps.