The Long Arc of Human Awakening: Planting Seeds for Seven Generations

TED* Team · May 22, 2025

By Donna ZajoncWhen David Emerald created The Empowerment Dynamic (TED*), he wasn’t simply developing a model to escape the Drama Triangle. He was planting seeds—seeds he hoped would blossom long after his lifetime.

David often said TED* was his child. Unable to have biological children, he channeled his fathering energy into this body of work. Like a devoted parent, he nurtured TED* with tenderness, curiosity, and the enduring hope that it would outlive him—serving future generations in ways he might never witness. He imagined a future where TED* would still be breathing life into the world seven generations hence.

This wasn’t just poetic language for David. It was a compass—a clear and sacred intention that guided our planning for the next generation of leadership in our company. We knew that how we guided that next step would pave the path for many generations to come.

When we first adopted the vision of “seven generations,” I was only vaguely familiar with the original concept. So, I did a bit more research this week to better understand its historical roots.

The phrase “seven generations hence” originates from the Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy, an Indigenous system of governance that profoundly influenced ideas of democracy and stewardship. Leaders were taught to consider the impact of their choices on the seventh generation to come. The Confederacy also empowered grandmothers with the responsibility of selecting tribal chiefs—further underscoring the wisdom of long-term, relational thinking.

Though the concept has Indigenous roots, it has been widely adopted in environmental, social justice, and spiritual movements as a guiding philosophy for sustainable action and intergenerational responsibility.

For David, this principle became deeply personal. His hope wasn’t just that people would use TED* to navigate out of momentary drama. It was that TED* would help cultivate a more conscious and empowered humanity—one that could steward life, leadership, and the creative impulse toward a world that works for all.

This long-view vision infused everything he did—from the decisions he made to the people he mentored to the unwavering integrity with which he carried his work.

TED* was never just a facilitation or coaching tool to him. It was a sacred path—a way of being. A contribution to the long arc of human awakening.

He spoke of TED* not merely as a framework, but as an emerging operating system for humanity. In our company mission statement, he wrote:“TED* is an emerging operating system that is spreading virally through the web of human relationships in order to facilitate the conscious evolution of humanity.”Today, the Center for The Empowerment Dynamic’s leadership team is carrying forward that vision—not only for our own transformation, but for those we will never meet. We are walking a path that David helped clear—not just for today, but for seven generations hence.

As you learn and embody TED*, you are not doing so only to improve your coaching practice or leadership skills, or even your relationships with family and loved ones. You are becoming someone through whom the wisdom of empowerment flows. Whether you teach it, coach it, or simply live it, you are carrying forward the power of a new way of thinking and living.

I invite you to pause and reflect on the legacy you’re stepping into with these reflection questions:

1. What does “seven generations hence” mean to you personally?
2. Who are the future generations you hope your growth will influence?
3. If a future generation could watch you now, what would you want them to see and learn from your life?

To David, the shift from Victim to Creator was never a single “aha” moment. It was the slow, generational work of awakening and it embodies how he wanted others to see him now.

Every time you step into your Creator essence, a new possibility is born. A new path is opened. A new generation takes root. And the world shifts—one soul, one generation at a time.

If you wish to learn more, or you're thinking about how to bring TED* and the 3 Vital Questions into your work, facilitation, or leadership, I really encourage you to consider our upcoming 3VQ Trainer Certification. I'll be co-facilitating with a group of amazing coaches and facilitators. You'll gain the confidence and competence to apply this life-changing work with clarity and impact in organizations and in your own personal life. You can learn more about it HERE.

Until next time, here’s to the Creator in you,Donna