STEP BACK: Pause Like a Starling
In a murmuration, a starling pauses micro-instinctively to sense the field: the wind, the movement of nearby birds, the direction of the group.
This pause is not hesitation. It is Awareness in action. Humans have the same capacity. When we Step Back, even briefly, we create space to notice what is actually happening within us and around us.
Pause.
Notice your thoughts.
Notice your internal state.
Your Awareness is your internal guidance system.
Your thoughts are like wingbeats, small movements that subtly influence direction.
NOTICE: Is This the Pattern You Want to Contribute?
Every starling adjusts its movement based on what it senses in real time. Humans adjust based on what we think, feel, and believe.
Stepping Back invites a powerful question:
Is this the pattern I want to send into my personal murmuration?
Your team.
Your family.
Your community.
Without Awareness, we move from habit. With Awareness, we regain choice.
SHIFT: Change the Angle, Change the Pattern
In a murmuration, a starling shifts its angle by a fraction of a degree. The entire flock responds.
Human systems work the same way.
A belief reframed.
A focus redirected.
A pause before reacting.
These small shifts begin to alter both our inner experience and our relationships. This is the B in the ABC’s of Murmuration: Beliefs drive behavior, and behavior shapes how we Connect with others. This isn’t magic. It is neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to form new pathways through repeated Awareness and intentional practice.
FOCUS: What You Attend To Grows
In nature and in humans:
Where attention goes, energy flows. Where energy flows, patterns form. If you believe something is possible, your mind begins organizing around that possibility. If you believe everything is against you, your nervous system gathers evidence to confirm it. This is the ABC’s. Stepping Back helps us choose what we feed.
ENVISION: Move Toward Coherence
Starlings don’t fly toward chaos. They move toward patterns of safety, coherence, and life.
When we imagine the world we want to move in and begin aligning our choices with it, we step into the murmuration not by force, but by resonance. Small, consistent shifts shape the individual (ME). Others begin to feel that steadiness (WE). Over time, shared patterns give rise to collective wisdom (US). That is murmuration.
CONNECT: Finding Your “Seven”
Starlings coordinate with their nearest seven birds.
Humans, too, thrive through relational fields. When you shift your inner state, your outer relationships begin to reorganize. You naturally sync with people whose movement aligns with your own. This is not supernatural.
It is:
- relational attunement
- pattern recognition
- emotional resonance
- shared purpose
This is how community forms. This is how US becomes possible.
REALITY: Influence, Not Control
The ABC’s of Murmuration does not teach that we control everything. It teaches that we influence our trajectory by choosing:
- our Awareness
- our Beliefs
- how we Connect with others
This approach is grounded in the science of:
- neuroplasticity
- emotional regulation
- collective intelligence
- trauma-informed behavior
- group synchrony
You shape your path. Your path influences your relationships. Those relationships shape collective outcomes. That is the ongoing dance of ME → WE → US.