A fundamental pattern in nature

The Tidal Model describes a continuous pattern of change found in nature. There is an ongoing movement between phases, between opposing conditions. In the case of ocean tides, gravitational forces from the moon drive a constant shift between high and low tide. At the same time, there are continuous transitions between light and darkness, and between warmth and cold.

Opening and closing

These fundamental shifts shape the availability of nutrients and resources, giving all living systems an experience of a world that alternately opens and closes. Each phase inherently carries the conditions for the next.

Adaption in nature

This pattern is reflected in how organisms function. Plants withdraw during the winter season and return with light and warmth. Polar bears move toward the ice edge in rhythm with the seal’s life cycle, and beluga whales follow nutrient flows in tidal currents. Life in Arctic environments is clearly organized through continuous adaptation to phases of opening and closing.

Human experience

Tides brings this pattern into a human context. It builds on the concept of grounding and embodied alignment introduced in the Cradle of Deep Time, and organizes how experience emerges and shifts in relation to changing conditions.

Two axes

The model can be understood along two axes, a horizontal and a vertical. Along the horizontal axis, two experiential currents are distinguished. A nourishing current and an exhausting current. These currents are linked to networks of experience and memory that are activated in the present moment. Both past experience and current conditions will influence the direction in which the organism is drawn. 

Grounding as the dividing line

A key difference between these currents lies in the experience of grounding. In the nourishing current, contact is maintained, giving rise to a sense of grounding. In the exhausting current, contact is reduced, and the sense of grounding is lost. This connects directly to the Cradle of Deep Time, where contact forms the basis for mobility and orientation.

Vertical shifts

The vertical axis describes how experience can shift within each current. In the nourishing current, there may be an upward movement from calm, restorative presence toward increased vitality and capacity for action. In the exhausting current, there may be a downward movement from activation and stress toward depletion and freeze.

A dynamic interplay

The model thus reveals a dynamic interplay between external conditions and internal states. Human experience moves between these poles, which can be broadly understood as presence, vitality, stress, and freeze. These four states form a foundation for further understanding within the North Star Model.