Deep Time

One of the core values behind Present Beings is best describe by Buddhist philosopher Joanna Macy:
Deep Time.

The PBCFT logo references Deep Time in the half circles above and below. The top half-circle gestures towards the inheritances of our ancestors, while the bottom half circle invites us to consider the future beings — those who will inherit what we pass on.

Springing originally from the field of deep ecology, Deep Time invites us to see ourselves in the landscape of the life that proceeded us, and that which follows us. Engaging in Deep Time means we take into account the inheritances of our ancestors and our connection to future beings in order to most fully experience the present moment.

As a family therapist and systems thinker, exploring each client’s family systems — both bio and chosen — directly influences how we appear in our current relationships. It also impacts what we imagine for ourselves and what we bring
to future generations.

Utilizing Deep Time in family therapy allows clients to consider intergenerational traumas and legacies from a strengths-based perspective. It is a practice that has room for tremendous grief right alongside admiration and appreciation.

Deep Time asks us to see a more nuanced perspective on where we come from, and where we may yet go. It also provides a tangible landscape for seeing our lives as intricately interconnected in a web of life across time. Perhaps most importantly, it can help equip us to practice rootedness in the Now.

Deep Time can be especially valuable for LGBTQIA2S+ clients and families: drawing strength on Trancestors and other available lineages can help us stay present to our strength and struggle in the same breath.

Deep Time perspectives offer an essential mode of treatment for navigating climate chaos, political upheaval,
population-specific persecution and more.

It is also a vital element of how we can become truly present beings.