About
Victor MacGill
Learn about the Science of Connecting. We live in a disconnected world; disconnected from ourselves, other people and the life we live. We can reconnect.
My life
There are mnany threads that make up who I am. I live in Nelson, New Zealand. From a young age I tried to link the worlds of science and spirituality. At university I learned about science, focusing on psychology as a way of understanding the myself and the people about me. At the same time I became interested in Maori culture and the connected worldview it holds.
That led to interests in New Age, Spiritualism and Theosophy as well as being a deacon in the Maori Anglican Church. I also developed an interest in mythology and archetypes and how we can use them to heal our wounded lives.
My day job is working in family violence. I work with people, mainly men to explore better ways of relating to the people in our lives without resorting to abuse or violence. I used Systems Theory as a core foundation for understanding violence and developing atsrategies for living happier, more fulfilling lives.
In 1995 I came across a television programme that led to learning about Systems Theory. Systems Theory is the science of connecting. I learned and still learn Tai Chi as an active way of reconnecting.
For me it built a bridge that connected science and spirituality. There were underlying patterns to life that made sense and gave me back a sense of myself and my place in the world.
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The Science of Connecting
Most of science uses reductionism. It breaks the world down into smaller and smaller bits until they are small enough to understand. We can certainly learn a great deal from reductionism but it doesn’t tell us about the realtionships between all the parts we created ar how they fit together.
Systems Theory, while still a new science, opens a whole new world of understanding the complexity of life and the challenges we face.
The big issues of our day like climate change and AI are very complex issues that only start to make sense, when we step back and look at the bigger picture.
Family Violence work
Around 20 years ago now I started work as a Probation Officer and later specialised in facilitating programmes for offenders in prisons and in the community. When I returned to live in Nelson I started work for what was then called SVS Living Safe. It has since been called RISE. We run 1-1 and group programmes. We run perpetrator groups for men and for women, safetyprogrammes for men and for women. I have been fortunate in being able to use my Systems Theory skills to develop a unique approach to working with our clients. My men’s group work, Systems Theory and family violence work all support each other and help towards building a coherent life style.
Men’s Groups
I have been involved in men’s Groups off and on since 1982. I became more involved when I came back to live in Nelson around 10 years ago. I attend the twice yearsly Lake Rotoiti gatherings and in the last 2-3 years have become involved in establishing a men’s group network for the Top of the South Island. We now have groups involved from Hokitika, Greymouth, Westport, Reefton, Golden Bay, Motueka, Nelson and Kaikoura. We hope to keep extending through the South and North island to make men’s groups more accessible to men who are looking for support.
Each group of 5-10 men meets regularly, usualy every two weeks and spends an evening sharing their lives with others. We learn from each other, challenge respectfully. We are pro-women and open to all men.
Maori Culture
I am not at all active in a Maori communty these days, but the Maori language and culture still remains an abiding interest. The Maori way of weeing the world recognises the connectedness between people through the links to tribe and tribal areas. The Maori people see themselves as tangata whenua, people of the land. They have distinct rituals that keep them connected. Of course colonisation has presented a signfifficant challenge, whereby they can maintain their traditional within a dominant culture.
Tai Chi
Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese art that uses slow body movements tha allow us to learn to move and live in harmony. Ihave been learning off and on for 30 years. The style I study at present is Taoist Tai Chi developed by Master Moy
