OUR GOAL IS TO SHIFT THE OVERTON WINDOW—EXPANDING THE RANGE OF TOPICS CONSIDERED POLITICALLY AND SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE—WHEN DISCUSSING NON-ORDINARY TRANSFORMATIVE EXPERIENCES (NOTES) AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS.
WE DEFINE A "NOTE" AS HAVING THE FOLLOWING TWO PARTS:
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• AN EXPANDED STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS – A PROFOUND SENSE OF INTERCONNECTEDNESS WITH ALL THINGS, OFTEN DESCRIBED AS A MYSTICAL, PEAK, OR NON-DUAL EXPERIENCE.

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• A SUBSEQUENT TRANSFORMATIONAL PROCESS – THIS DISTINGUISHES NOTES FROM OTHER EXPANDED STATES THAT DO NOT LEAD TO PERSONAL GROWTH. TRANSFORMATION CAN UNFOLD OVER YEARS, BUT WHEN APPROACHED WITH CARE AND VALIDATION, IT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO FACILITATE DEEP HEALING FROM TRAUMA IN POWERFUL WAYS.

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AT THE ELEPHANT COLLECTIVE, WE BELIEVE THAT ONLY BY EXPERIENCING BOTH ASPECTS CAN INDIVIDUALS—AND SOCIETY AS A WHOLE—TRULY BENEFIT FROM A NOTE.
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THESE EXPERIENCES CAN BE TRIGGERED BY TRAUMA, MEDITATION, BREATHWORK, PSYCHEDELICS, NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES OR OTHER PRACTICES. WE RECOGNISE THAT THERE ARE MULTIPLE TYPES OF PEAK OR MYSTICAL EXPERIENCES, AND IN THIS ERA, INDIVIDUALS MAY ENCOUNTER SEVERAL ALONG THEIR JOURNEY. WITHOUT THE RIGHT SUPPORT, THEY CAN BE DEEPLY CHALLENGING, BUT WITH THE RIGHT FRAMEWORK, THEY HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE PROFOUNDLY TRANSFORMATIVE.

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KEY IMPLICATIONS
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WE SEE THESE EXPERIENCES HAVING TWO SIGNIFICANT IMPLICATIONS:
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• A NEW UNDERSTANDING OF REALITY – NOTES SUGGEST THAT REALITY MAY BE FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT FROM THE CURRENT MATERIALIST PARADIGM AND THAT, ON SOME LEVEL, EVERYTHING IS INTERCONNECTED.

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• TRAUMA HEALING AND TRANSFORMATION – PATTERNS EMERGING FROM NOTES INDICATE A PROFOUND LINK BETWEEN THESE EXPERIENCES AND HEALING, OFFERING TRANSFORMATIVE POTENTIAL BEYOND WHAT CONVENTIONAL THERAPY OR MEDICINE CAN PROVIDE.

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OUR VISION
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WE BELIEVE THAT BY COLLECTIVELY SHARING THESE EXPERIENCES, WE CAN DEVELOP A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT WE SEE AS AN EVOLUTIONARY PROCESS. TO ACHIEVE THIS, THESE EXPERIENCES MUST MOVE FROM THE FRINGE TO THE MAINSTREAM, ENSURING WIDESPREAD ACCESS TO INFORMATION THAT CAN SUPPORT THE HEALING PROCESS FOR THIS GROWING PHENOMENON. WE ALSO BELIEVE THAT WHEN INDIVIDUALS WHO INTEGRATE THESE IDEAS BEGIN TO SHARE AND COLLABORATE, SOMETHING GREATER AWAKENS. BEYOND COLLECTIVE HEALING, THESE GROUPS CAN SPARK NEW IDEAS IN ACTIVISM AND SOCIAL CHANGE.

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WHY 'THE ELEPHANT'

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NOTES ACKNOWLEDGE THE ‘ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM’: THE VAST UNKNOWN. SCIENCE CURRENTLY EXPLAINS ONLY 5% OF THE UNIVERSE, AND EVEN PHYSICISTS DESCRIBE CERTAIN PARTICLE BEHAVIOURS AS "SPOOKY." INSTEAD OF IGNORING THE MYSTERY, WE EMBRACE IT—WITH OPEN MINDS AND HUMILITY.

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WE ALSO USE THE NAME 'ELEPHANT' AS WE DRAW INSPIRATION FROM THE INDIAN PARABLE OF THE BLIND MEN AND THE ELEPHANT —EACH PERSON, TOUCHING A DIFFERENT PART OF THE ELEPHANT, BELIEVES THEY UNDERSTAND THE WHOLE. ONLY BY SHARING PERSPECTIVES DO THEY BEGIN TO GRASP THE BIGGER PICTURE. WE HOPE THAT, THROUGH A GROWING COMMUNITY, WE CAN PIECE THIS MYSTERY TOGETHER BY SHARING OUR SIMILAR YET DIVERSE EXPERIENCES. THIS IS SOMETHING WE ARE ALL DISCOVERING COLLECTIVELY.

 
​ OUR INITIAL ACTIONS
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• CREATING AND DISTRIBUTING COMPELLING MEDIA CONTENT BY DOCUMENTING AND SHARING THESE EXPERIENCES TO INFORM THE PUBLIC AND REFLECTING A GROWING GLOBAL MOVEMENT.

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• BUILDING A COMMUNITY PLATFORM: 'OUR ELEPHANT' – A SPACE FOR PEOPLE TO GATHER, SHARE IDEAS, AND TURN THEM INTO MEANINGFUL ACTION.