Oika Courses

Overview

All Oika courses are grounded in the fundamentals of Ecological Intelligence as defined by Dr. Rich Blundell and his Earthling Theory.

The experience of ecological intelligence requires more than an education in scientific facts. It requires whole new, ecological worldview capable of seeing how everything arises from relationships.

This is easily put into words. But the impacts of living as if it were true (which it is) are profound beyond words.

In an Oika course you will experience the entire scientific story of nature from before the big bang, to the current moment and into imagined futures. For the first time, you will understand how your life fits within cosmic, Earthly and cultural unfoldings. Together we will discover what new possibilities are intrinsic to such a reality of continuity.

The process unfolds through group conversation across a spectrum of perceptual modes:

Experiential ⇋ Conceptual ⇋ Relational ⇋ Expressive

In Experiential mode we open ourselves to new ways of perceiving and experiencing the world.
In Conceptual mode we explore the themes of natural creativity surfaced through experience and engage new language to communicate what we discover.
In Relational mode we comprehend the ecological dynamics at play in shaping new kinship with the world.
In Expressive mode we manifest nature’s creativity as a flow-state through ourselves.

All courses are eligible for need-based scholarships and we are currently offering two levels of Oika courses to fit with busy schedules.

What is Ecological Intelligence?

Ecological intelligence refers to the field of communication generated by nature that also infuses human consciousness.

An Oika course will give you access to deep ecological insights that you may have not gotten through formal education. Here you will learn how ecological systems work and see how nature's intelligence can infuse your practice, amplify your creativity and enhance your experience of the world.

You will gain new language, concepts and the confidence to talk about your work in a way that matters in the Anthropocene.

1. Oika for earthlings

Oika for Earthlings is our introductory course in the fundamentals of ecological intelligence for everyone. This course teaches you what you need to know in order to lead the life of an Earthling with joy, gratitude and personal prosperity.

You will:

Learn the PERSON, PLACE, PRACTICE, & PROSPER modules
Learn three core-concepts of ecological intelligence (NARRATIVE, EMERGENCE & FRACTALS) plus two elective concepts.
Learn how to tell your own EARTH STORIES
Access to our place-based Earth Story app (coming soon)
Have access to the OIKA CAMPFIRE CIRCLES and network
Use the Trello Platform for course management and content sharing.

Two versions available:

Solo (online) - self-paced, anytime ($125)
Group (online) - 1 week, pre-scheduled ($300 - group discounts available)

Online , solo or group

You can take the course solo (anytime, self-paced) or with a group (pre-scheduled over 1-5 weeks).

2. Oika for cultural leadership

The Oika for Cultural Leadership course combines the intrinsic sensitivities of creative people with the knowledge generated by science to surface new relational awareness.

Building on the insights and practices of the Oika for Earthlings course, we will dive deeper into ecological concepts and convert them into lived-experiences that cultivate new relationships with nature. Then you, as an artist, can draw on those relationships to co-create art that changes culture and the world.

An Oika course teaches artists how to create art that changes what it means to be human through Ecological Intelligence.

Oika for Cultural Leadership is our advanced course for all cultural creatives with a focus on professional sovereignty. This course builds on the core insights of Oika for Earthlings to empower artists, educators and all cultural creatives to live and make culture in alliance with nature.

You will:

Focus on sovereignty using the PROSPER module in a professional context
Learn the full suite of the concepts of Ecological Intelligence
Be eligible to access special professional development tools including;
hosting your own Oika Campfire Circles
collaborative funding and residency opportunities
Oika Artist Incentives including reimbursement for your course fees
potential feature in Oika critique videos (great for promoting your work).

Two versions available:

Solo (online) - self-paced, anytime ($200)
Group (5-10 in-person) - 5-days pre-scheduled offered in partnership with a hosting organization. e.g Castle Hill Center for the Arts ($455 tuition only)

In-person, group only

This course is currently offered as an in-person 5-day course through Castle Hill Center for the Arts in Truro (Cape Cod), Massachusetts.

The content will empower cultural creatives to access their ecological intelligence developed in the Oika for Earthlings course.

This is what you need to know in order to live and create a culture in alignment with nature.

Course Structure & Content

Over five weeks we will meet virtually to learn the three core concepts of ecological intelligence (NARRATIVE, EMERGENCE & FRACTALS) plus two elective concepts that include: Cybernetics, Tacit Knowing, Radical Affection, Quantum Ecologies, The Virome, Phenomenology, Reciprocity, Gratitude, Timeless Play, ENjoyment, Consilience, etc.. Class size is limited to seven per cohort.

Five weekly video calls and ongoing email conversations are supplemented with short videos on the core concepts (two sample excerpts shown below).

The course also includes self-directed practices in the artist’s home habitats called Earth Stories. An Earth Story is a moment of Oika practice that can be shared. Typically this means a photo, video clip, sketch or drawing, or poem or other writing.

The Oika curriculum draws on current science to tell a natural history of art in an accessible way.

Sample 5-week Syllabus

Week 1 PERSON

Each week we will explore concepts during regularly scheduled video calls & group email. Concepts are then converted into lived-experience through self-directed practices during the week.

Conceptual Exploration

1.5 hrs

Course Intro:

What is Ecological Intelligence?

Ontological Continuity

Participant Intros:

Housekeeping:

Course logistics

Platform (getting set up on Trello)

Earth Stories

Practical Experience

2 hrs

Watch: PRIMORDIA Video (links to trailer)

Watch: NARRATIVE Video (links to trailer)

Research: Narrative Identity Theory

Do: PERSON Module

Create: Earth Story 1

Research elective concept 1

The weekly video calls are limited to 90-mins or less. Practice time is according to your schedule. How much time you spend on the practices is up to you but we recommend a minimum of 2-hrs per week. The more time spent in direct contact with nature, the better.

Testimonials

Ideas that highlight the connections between nature and humanity are seen within the learning experiences of the Oika program. I'm excited about incorporating this content not only into my own studio practice, but also into my teaching deliveries as an art and design professor. I'm excited about working with the Oika program in the near future.

-- Kat, Artist & Art Teacher

I loved learning how everything is interconnected and nothing is inconsequential. Also finding my own personal connection to nature and being more mindful of the "little things" in the universe- the simple moments of clarity and connection - James, Poet

I needed this to bring that connection back to place myself into the right direction again. belonging to this planet that we’re all disconnected from. It’s made me so motivated to push what I love to do further with a new purpose and new energy to my work. -- Cheryl, Artist

This experience really drove home to me the message that everything on earth, including humans, are all made from the same matter and energy. We are all one. -- Jill, Writer

The Oika experience made me feel connection, again, between my relationship with the earth and myself as a human. From this, I felt a new sense of creative purpose arise. One with a mission to share what I’ve learned with the world of busy individuals disconnected from our home. Perhaps a calm and connected state of mind and a form of self love. A new purpose to my creative work and how I can use that to share that with the world and allow them to know that they can have that connection too.

-- Chelsea, Artist

I'm more aware now about the idea of nature like something that I am part of, not only like something external to me. Also, I got the idea of nature as literally everything. -- John, Visual Artist

Oika Courses

Overview

What is Ecological Intelligence?

too much text?

1. Oika for earthlings

Online , solo or group

2. Oika for cultural leadership

In-person, group only

COURSE IMAGERY

Sample Oika Videos

Sample 5-week Syllabus

Week 1 PERSON

Conceptual Exploration

Practical Experience

Week 2 PLACE

Conceptual Exploration

Practical Experience

Week 3 PRACTICE

Conceptual Exploration

Practical Experience

Week 4 PROSPER

Conceptual Exploration

Practical Experience

Week 5 PROGRESS

Conceptual Exploration

Practical Experience

SAMPLE OIKA BOARD

Course progression is documented through an online, multimedia platform built by participants

Testimonials