Intention

Human beings, shaped over hundreds of thousands of years of evolution to be social creatures, have evolved a deep instinct for belonging and attunement to others within groups and systems. In our evolutionary past, exclusion from the group could mean survival was at risk, so our consciousness became finely tuned to the "voice of the tribe"—its rules, its dynamics, and its expectations. This voice, often ingrained before we develop a clear sense of individuality, continues to influence us in ways we may not fully recognize throughout our lives.

The goal of this program is to cultivate a clear awareness of the impact of the systems within you—whether family, work, or societal networks. These systems (unconsciously) shape your decisions, relationships, and even your sense of self, sometimes creating barriers to growth or success. Yet, they are also a source of profound strength and connection when we can take them within a bigger picture.

Context

The course provides a grounded, experiential and embodied framework to navigate the subtle yet profound ways systems influence our lives, empowering you to live with greater clarity, intention, and individuality. It provides access to explore what I call your systemic shadow: unconscious systemic connections, loyalties and entanglements.

The Systems Within is distilled from lessons learned over four years leading the program, now requiring only two-days plus a follow-up session. It is the prerequisite for a major offering --The Systemic Way -- which is a long-term development and practice program in the emerging field of systemic alchemy.

Who Will Benefit

For all audiences, this is a beginning program that will generate self- and systemic-awareness regarding your own systemic hooks and how they play out in your professional and personal life.

Additionally, the program is appropriate for three distinguishable audiences:

professionals wishing to explore becoming a systemic facilitator, able to conduct full-scale systemic constellations (potentially joining The Systemic Way)
coaches wishing to start their journey of becoming a systemically-informed coach (also potentially joining The Systemic Way)
anyone intrigued by how systems become embedded inside us, influencing our behavior outside of our awareness, and wanting to explore their own systemic shadow

Approach

There are three main components of The Systems Within:

Gaining experience in working with simple systemic constellations, which are rich dynamic maps of any system of interest (family, work team, organization, etc.). We will setup simple structural constellations from key personal and professional systems to which you belong.
An understanding of the potential for a new type of systemic alchemy, where we aim to catalyze the transmutation of non-functional energies and patterns in individuals, organizations, and social and societal systems into higher vibrational energies.
Understanding the systemic methodology from the viewpoint of a spirit-based practitioner and its ancient, shamanic worldview.

Journey of the Program

The first day we will work with your Family-Ancestral map, to understand something about your place within it. Our systemic patterns and preferences generally show up first in this realm.

The second day will focus on your Professional role affiliations with which you identify, your training, and organizations to which you have belonged or currently belong (including existing company / client). The other component of the second day will be to engage a basic shamanic journeying practice for information retrieval. This provides an integrating worldview, and provides an integrating context for the work done in the remainder of the program.

Outcomes

You will identify blocks to doing clear work with new client systems, based on the systems that unconsciously run you.
You will identify – and may begin to resolve – hot button issues from the systems (family, ancestral/tribal, organizational) that you belong to – those that still express themselves through your consciousness and behavior.
You will feel more confident in doing healing and transformational work with team-, organizational- and societal-systems.
You will learn the most basic skill of systemic work, representational perception.
You will become familiar with basic structural constellation formats, and be able to use them for yourself and others informally.

Program Leader

Michael K Spayd Jr has been leading transformational processes for over three decades, during which time he has trained and mentored multiple-thousand coaches and organizational change agents. His training includes an extensive background in systemic approaches (family therapy, relationship systems coaching, systemic constellations, Human Systems Dynamics), as well as consciousness studies and transformational processes. He has been a teacher of Integral theory and its applications for more than 15 years. Over the course of his training career he has introduced many new methods, including human consciousness technologies, to his community. He has long aspired to teaching the use of systemic constellations to students, and to starting a school of organizational shamanism. And now, it has happened.

Format / Duration

Two full days, approximately five hours each day, with a completion & 2.5 hour integration session a week later. (Note: dates have been updated)

Workshop:

Sept 30 & Oct 1, 2026
9 am to 2:00 pm ET (US) each day

Completion Session

Oct 15 -- 9 am -- 11:30 am ET (US)

Supplements: homework, program chat channel, readings.

Cohort max size: 12

Contact the host of YOUR SYSTEMS WITHIN: Exploring Patterns of Belonging (September 2026)