There are weeks that move us forward quietly—and weeks that stretch us open.
This past week was one of stillness, contemplation, and deep inner listening. A week that asked me to slow down, reflect, and return—again—to my purpose. I found myself on the other side of Session Three of my Integral Coaching PCC with Thirdspace, feeling both tender and grounded, expanded and clear.
As part of my own development, my coach, Lizzie (a literal Earth Angel), invited me to read: Let Your Life Speak by Parker Palmer. Since she shared it with me, I’ve gifted the book to close friends, and I’ve read it three times. As Sunday came to a close, I returned to Palmer’s book and opened to a page that met me differently this time.
Near the end of the book, Palmer reflects on leadership and includes a passage that felt especially poignant and timely: an address delivered in 1990 by Václav Havel, the last President of Czechoslovakia and the first President of the Czech Republic, spoken to the United States Congress shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
What struck me wasn’t just the historical weight of the moment—but the spiritual and moral clarity of his words.
As Havel spoke to the leaders of the Western world, he offered something unexpected: not a request, not a demand—but an invitation to mutual learning. He acknowledged the value of democratic systems, education, and prosperity, while also asserting that those who had endured oppression and hardship had something equally important to offer in return: wisdom born of lived experience.
And then he said this:
“Consciousness precedes being.”
That line stopped me.
Havel went on to say that the salvation of the human world lies nowhere else than in the human heart—in our capacity for reflection, responsibility, modesty, and moral awareness. Without what he called a “global revolution in human consciousness,” nothing would truly change for the better.
Reading these words—thirty-six years later—I felt their relevance echo loudly in our present moment. We are still learning this. Still remembering that strategy and action alone are insufficient. That policy without heart is hollow. That action without consciousness cannot sustain real change.
Leadership, at its core, is not merely about what we do.
It is about who we are being while we do it.
If you’ve found yourself wondering lately, What can I do during times like these? How can I help?—I believe Havel offers a profound answer.
Be the embodiment of love.
Not as a bypass. Not as a platitude. But as a lived, disciplined, courageous practice. To love unconditionally. To lead with presence. To hold peace within yourself and allow it to ripple outward into your sphere of influence.
There is real power there. Real impact.
Each of us carries a field around us—an energetic, emotional, and relational sphere that shapes conversations, decisions, families, workplaces, and communities. When we choose to embody love, responsibility, and awareness, we are participating in the very revolution Havel spoke of.
This feels like an invitation for all of us to become pillars of light for our sphere of influence. To lead not just with intellect, but with heart. To remember that consciousness is not separate from leadership, it is leadership.
May we choose the consciousness of love, again and again. If you would like to read Václav Havel’s speech to the US Congress, I have linked it here.
With cosmic love,
Bonnie
Photo by: Damien Dufour