Welcome to the White Buffalo Associates (WBA) Website!

My name is MaryCatherine (also known as Cathy) Burgess. With the skilled assistance and patience of H.J. Blenkinsop, who designed this website, I have worked to provide a place and space that inspires and supports collaborative explorations among kindred spirits called to imagine and evolve visions, values, and resources capable of birthing a New and Compassionate and World Order.

Founded in 1993, WBA’s Mission was to ‘Retrieve Spirit, Purpose, and Community’, which I understood to be components of the Anima Mundi/World Soul. At that time, WBA’s Vision was ‘to Call Forth, Heal, and Evolve the Anima Mundi/World Soul’. Over time, the WBA Vision became the WBA Mission, and the WBA Vision evolved. For more information, see Mission and Vision in the About section.

I’ve consistently perceived Anima Mundi/World Soul to be some kind of Life Force that energizes and calls us to our Authentic Selves (Spirit); catalyzes our unique response(s) to that call both individually and collectively (Purpose); awakens us to our fundamental interdependence and interrelatedness – our Kinship (Community); and in that process, holistically breathes co-creativity into our daily life, global community, and cosmic home. I perceived the Anima Mundi as the Soul of our Planet, while also being part of a larger universe and an even greater cosmos.

Paradigm Shift

In addition, it was clear to me that WBA’s existence was part of a much Larger Story that would evolve and be revealed to me throughout my life. Unsurprisingly, I have come to see the Anima Mundi not only as Soul of the Planet, but also as Soul of the Universe, and Soul of the Cosmos – all three as differentiations of the ONE. 

From the beginning of WBA in the 1990s, I’ve felt like a cosmic citizen or universal human, but now, I resonate even more with our belonging in all those dimensions (planet, universe, cosmos) as ‘Cosmic Beings localized in space and time’ (Anneloes Smitsman*), ‘Microcosmic Co-Creators of the Cosmos’ (Jude Currivan*) and ‘local versions of the Cosmos (fractals) in Human Form’ (Jean Houston*). This inner shift in depth feels more informed and solid. It’s also shared more widely by other global citizens and by emerging scientific discoveries.

As we integrate more fully a paradigm of interdependence, interrelatedness, and cosmic oneness, we will be better able to embody the Values of a New Consciousness, along with New Patterns of Serving Life and Community, as we co-creatively address the issues facing humanity and our planetary home. We’ll also be better placed to help others awaken to a Cosmic Consciousness (Anne Baring*). However, to grow into that paradigm, we need to tune into the ‘Wisdom of the Higher Heart’, which is the Heart of the Cosmos (Jean Houston, Anneloes Smitsman, Anne Baring, and Jude Currivan*). 

Choosing to grow a Higher Heart that resonates with the intense energies of evolutionary cosmic consciousness can be challenging. For most of us, that choice demands an ongoing commitment to deep inner work, lifelong learning, spiritual guidance, wise mentors, and a compassionate community of supportive kindred spirits. We’re not on this journey alone, but it is a journey.

* Anne Baring, Jude Currivan, Jean Houston, and Anneloes Smitsman are wise women who share their education, research, experience and vision in ways that inspire and speak to me. Along with other teachers and mentors, you’ll see references to them throughout this website.

Holistic, Flexible, and Permeable Website Boundaries

The primary sections of this website – Story, Spirit, Purpose, and Community – interact in a flexible way, which is why I divided them into categories that overlap. Periodically, I shift topics to different sections to match my current thought process and understanding. These are permeable boundaries that I hope will encourage you to engage with what resonates with you, not confuse how you organize your own thoughts and perceptions. 

As you explore the various website sections, you will find a holistic pattern that reflects a movement beyond a patriarchal paradigm of separation, dominance, and control toward an emerging paradigm of partnership and oneness, in which small groups of people, who are aligned with their Life Force and dedicated to co-creating a world that benefits all life, join networks of other kindred spirit networks to nurture and support each other across ecosystems. 

Though I try to update this site as often as I can, I often fall behind. Please have patience. Being a ‘webmaster’ without extensive ‘tech’ experience is challenging, but I’m grateful to Heather for her help, when I occasionally call upon her for guidance. 

Music

Music has always been integral in my life and the lives of my family and friends. It’s also been woven into most of the work I do personally and with WBA. As a natural extension, I’ve decided to share some of the music that has inspired and/or uplifted me. As with other resources on this website, my selections may well fit in several categories. All of them are part of my personal collection, for which I have paid, and I list the composers and musicians. If you want more of their work, I invite you to find and purchase it.

The song I’ve selected for this Home Page sets a tone for the entire website. It has been a treasure for over 30 years. Though I have not provided words for this or any other songs, you can find most lyrics online. Sing along, if you wish, and enjoy!

‘Song of the Soul’ Composed and Sung by Cris Williamson

Hope and Possibilities

During this era of unprecedented whole systems transformational change, when our personal and collective shadows are rising from the depths, we have opportunities to face and heal those shadows and to ‘seed this chaos’ with visions, values, and actions grounded in a worldview of unity consciousness and committed to co-creating a loving, compassionate, and globally just society that serves the greater good for all life on the planet and for future generations. 

Chaos can be daunting, but we know that order eventually will emerge. To influence the fabric of that order and to co-create a planetary wisdom society, all global citizens, universal humans, social artists, and future humans need each other’s support, encouragement, and solidarity to actively midwife this process. Thank you for doing your part.