Graduate Institute is education that bridges indigenous wisdom and modern knowledge, and as such,
is on the leading edge of the post-modern ecological world. It is education whose time
has come, because the modern, scientific paradigm has reached its limits in describing the world
it once thought it knew and could control, and because the exploitation of the natural world has
brought us to the brink of extinction. Today, all our institutions, including education, are
being reexamined in light of a trend toward more holistic, systems analysis that provide a larger
framework of understanding and a more ecological, interconnected view. SEED Graduate
Institute builds upon this shift in consciousness to offer a new paradigm of education that in its
entire structure is set up to embody a coherent, holistic approach.
The mission of SEED Graduate Institute is to empower individuals, through an interconnected, synergistic education, to find their true calling in service to their community and the natural world. SEED Graduate Institute seeks to bridge indigenous wisdom and modern knowledge, existing and new, leading-edge fields, and experiential and academic learning.
Five colleges are proposed: Earth, Air, Fire, Water,
and Spirit, granting MA degrees, respectively, in Global Ecology;
Perennial Wisdom, Science and Cosmology; Integral Healing; Expressive
Arts, and Indigenous Studies. The elements Earth, Air, Fire and Water
were chosen as college headings to specifically imply the interconnectedness of all of
nature and all subject matters. The fifth college, Indigenous Studies, or Spirit,
is envisioned in the center of the other colleges to embody the animating principle of
the universe that connects and interpenetrates the elements.
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$5,000 ($417 per month) The Curriculum
The Global Ecology program (Earth) addresses the social/cultural/political nexus
surrounding the world's ecology. Students will seek to discover the underlying, tacit
assumptions that were made in Western culture as we moved from coherent, holistic ways of
imagining our relationship with the Earth to more specialized methods of how we can apply
the Earth's "resources" toward human needs. We will explore the world ecology in relation
to the economic needs of the nation-state or multi-national corporation, and revision
business philosophy and the global economic paradigm in terms of promoting a sustainable
economy that is in harmony with the Earth. Basic business skills, in both the for-profit
and non-profit sectors, will be addressed. Students prepare for or enhance their careers
as policy advisors, cultural liaisons, socially responsible entrepreneurs, managers,
diplomats, lobbyists, teachers, writers and foreign correspondents.
The master's program in Perennial Wisdom, Science, and Cosmology (Air) integrates Native science and new scientific models of wholeness, including quantum theory, general systems theory, chaos theory, and complexity theory with comparative philosophy and religion, mythology, depth psychology and cosmology. Students practice many ways of thinking and knowing, and give attention to process as well as content, and practical action as well as abstraction. Students prepare for or enhance their careers as writers, philosophers, psychologists, teachers and leaders in developing new paradigms for future society.
The master's program in Integral Healing (Fire) looks at healing in a holistic context, with the human body seen as integral to community, Earth and cosmos. Alternative healing methodologies will be explored from this context, understanding that healing is not a state but a process of moving into integration, balance and wholeness. Practica are completed in conjunction with the Ayurvedic Institute, NM School of Natural Therapeutics, The Institute of Chinese Medicine, and other approved organizations or apprenticeships. Students obtain certification in their chosen practice while obtaining their MA in the field of Integral Healing.
The MA program in Expressive Arts (Water) explores the myriad ways of human creativity as an expression of the world we live in and our relationship to that world. The program nurtures the blossoming of the student's artistic work and living, enhancing or launching the student's professional life with a completed body of work that demonstrates an existing connection with society. The overall historical context of art in relationship to the Earth and society will be explored, with particular attention paid to art therapy, which emerged as a field during the middle of the twentieth century, offering healing through art to a population that has become alienated from the natural world and is now seeking reconnection.
The master's program in Indigenous Studies (Spirit) emphasizes a deeper exploration into the indigenous worldview and how it informs and interweaves with all paradigms throughout history. The program gives the student time to develop an understanding of Native art and science that is grounded in the practical applications of Native thought, and emphasizes learning by doing, both in the classroom and, when appropriate, through on-site participation in storytelling, ritual and ceremony. The second year of the program includes some of the political and legal issues facing indigenous peoples today and the ramifications for the Earth and society at large. A basic language course in Blackfoot, Tewa or Navajo or previous experience as a Native speaker is required. Students who graduate from this program become the leaders in working on the issues facing indigenous people today, and/or the bridge people between indigenous and mainstream culture.