The Return of Collective Intelligence: Ancient Wisdom for a World out of Balance

(Paperback)

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For our ancestors, collective intelligence was a normal part of life. We see it today as the mysterious force that enables flocks of birds, swarms of bees, and schools of fish to function together in perfect synchrony, communicating and cooperating at some undetectable level. At its most subtle, its an instantaneous knowing, shared by members of a group, of the wisest course of action that will benefit all.

As Dery Dyer reveals, collective intelligence still resides within each of us, and it is the key to restoring balance and harmony to our world. She shows how it occurs spontaneously when individuals who share a need and a purpose instinctively self-organize into a group and function with no leader or central authority. Such groups exhibit abilities much greater than what any of their members possess individually--or what can be replicated with artificial intelligence. Dyer explains, due to an unquestioning dependence on technology, modern humanity has forgotten how to connect with collective intelligence and fallen into collective stupidity, otherwise known as mob mind or groupthink, which is now endangering the interconnected web of life on Earth.

Drawing on recent findings in New Paradigm science, traditional teachings from indigenous groups, as well as sacred geometry, deep ecology, and expanded states of consciousness, the author shows how the ability to think and act collectively for the highest good is hardwired in all living beings. She explains how to release ourselves from enslavement by technology and use it more wisely toward the betterment of all life. Underscoring the vital importance of ceremony, pilgrimage, and initiation, she offers ways for us to reconnect to the infinite source of wisdom that fuels collective intelligence and which manifests everywhere in the natural world.

Revealing that once we relearn how to hear the Earth, we can heal the Earth, Dyer shows how each of us has a vital role to play in restoring our world to wholeness.

Reviews

Pachamama, Mother Earth, is speaking--and we are awakening to her message. The collective intelligence described in this beautiful book delves into the magic of the wisdom we hold deep inside--individually and collectively. * John Perkins, author of The New Confessions of an Economic Hit Man and Shapeshifting *
At this critical, uncertain time in history, building interdependence and community resilience is crucial. To do this effectively, we need to bust out of our mental straitjackets and breathe in the freedom of collective intelligence. Dery Dyers exciting book is at the leading edge of how to do just that! * Bill Pfeiffer, author of Wild Earth, Wild Soul: A Manual for an Ecstatic Culture *
We need to draw on our collective intelligence, and we need to realize that the best way of doing so is to re-cognize the intelligence that resides in each of us. Dery Dyers book tells us why and how. A must-read in our critical times. * Ervin Laszlo, Ph.D., philosopher and author of Science and the Akashic Field *
A compelling weaving of story, science, and mysticism that will help you remember who you are and the potential within and all around you. Dyer shows us how to release conditioning and misperception to see from the eyes of the heart and to root into primordial rhythms. She guides us into the mystery--to live in harmony with the Earth and the sacred circle of all life. * Llyn Cedar Roberts, award-winning author of Shapeshifting into Higher Consciousness *
The Return of Collective Intelligence is much more than a book--it is a Michelin-star mind meal at what could arguably be humanitys last supper. Dery Dyer has dished out a veritable smorgasbord. This beautifully crafted, highly readable ride through the latest literature and research on collective intelligence brings clarity while delivering a challenge to our hearts that (she rightly tells us) our intellects alone cannot answer--how do we cultivate wisdom in this information age Dyer skillfully offers a clearer lens through which to evaluate the usefulness and limitations of our social networks and digital media platforms. By directing us to indigenous wisdom and Great Nature as the sanctuary and source of collective intelligence, her words ring the golden truth bell in our hearts. Our collective intelligence contains the resources required to right our world through love, empathy, and connection, if we act together. This is the promise and hope provided by the title of this work. May our collective intelligence indeed return, and quickly! Dery Dyer has certainly done her part to make it so. * Elizabeth B. Jenkins, author of The Return of the Inka, Journey to Qeros, and The Fourth Leve *
A richly textured tapestry, artfully woven from widely disparate threads of human experience--from ancient civilizations to modern medicine, education, and quantum science. If you harbor any doubt about the essential intra-connectedness of life across space-time, and that we are designed for the sole purpose of co-creating the magical TOGETHER, Dery Dyers engaging narrative will relieve you of it! * Christina Strutt, principal thinking partner at CoCreating Clarity *
I breezed through this book during the 24 hours when I was in the midst of tech-savvy people conferring about the internets future. My neural excitation surpassed my ability to stay grounded in wisdom about who to be and what to do! Im endorsing The Return of Collective Intelligence as a prompt for our fieldwork-- to utilize Dery Dyers great integration that stretches across times and cultures. The words on these pages are a robust pod for passing, the best collection Ive seen--but how do we choose to live, applying what we learn Please, lets not go back to sleep. * Joan Lederman, steward of the Collective Wisdom Initiative *
"The optimistic title of Derys book reflects a belief that with the return of collective intelligence, the promise of an incredibly exciting new world is real. And its doable. In spite of the disastrous legacy humans have left up to now, theres hope." * Geoff Ward, Medium.com *
"In The Return of Collective Intelligence, Dyer sets out an ambitious agenda for all of us to get out of the mental boxes that have conditioned us into believing that we are part of a mechanistic universe and embrace what indigenous wisdom and increasingly modern science tells us: that we are all part a flow of cosmic energy which transcends the ego-driven self and embodies a greater cosmic 'Self.'" * -John McPhaul, ReVista: Harvard Review of Latin America *
The Return of Collective Intelligence is a well-crafted piece of work, referred to by others (and I agree) as an example of longform journalism as much as anything. This isn't surprising, since author Dery Dyer is, both by education and profession, a journalist. I didn't do a hard count but it's safe to say half the book or more is putting context to quotes from more than 200 sources. A very compelling argument is constructed, carefully, building one piece upon another until a very persuasive case for the need to get all of humanity in tune with the collective intelligence of (by and large) our indigenous forebears. * Patricia Mullen, Facing North *

Author Bio

Dery Dyer is former editor and publisher of Costa Ricas award-winning English-language newspaper, The Tico Times, where she worked for over 40 years. She holds degrees in literature and journalism from U.S. and Costa Rican universities and has studied indigenous spirituality in many different parts of the world. She lives in Costa Rica.