Seeds for a happy planet

First morning here in the Art of Humans Being in the Essex Conference center. Not yet 7 am and I see already some people around writing in their notebooks; I hear a conversation going on in the background… I’m sitting here on my bed; the sun is sending its rays through the trees’ branches. My little room being under the roof, I see branches all around, as if sitting in a tree hut.

What to tell about our half day together yesterday? I’m not sure. There is nothing that really stands out for me, nothing that I could capture easily. The weaving of 26 stories and perspectives didn’t show a clear pattern; at least not to me. Or does it?

This is a gathering, a learning event that uses the Art of Hosting pattern, but its main pupose is not to provide a training in this art, but to use the art to dive into the main theme and question: How will we, as humans being, repattern ourselves, to create and activate the new story? Tenneson said: I want to loose myself in that question!

I have two feelings right now. On the one hand there is a tension – actually I think it is a longing – that we talk about and engage with the real stuff: Why are we doing this? What’s the real point here? If we don’t repattern ourselves the end will come, sooner or later. That’s a fact. Did we do that yesterday? Where we blunt and bold enough to be at this point where we don’t have a clue how to move forward? On the other hand there is this calm feeling – a deep inner knowing – this kind of coming together is the repatterning! At least part of it. Being in a collective inquiry works on many levels: energeticc – intangible – subtle – conscious and also: individual – group – collective – systemic.

What sure is different here is the presence of other ways of knowing – other than mental – the poems, the silence, the collages, the artful workbook, the invitation from Judy to come from a soul-aligned space.

Let’s be bold and nothing than my unique self.
No forcing and no holding back (Rilke).
From hosting conversations that matter to hosting collective learning that matters to the planet.

What’s going on in the world out there that makes repatterning and restorying important? That was the question for our World Café and a way to ge to know each other. Some nuggets for me where:
It is us – you and me – normal people – civic society that will do the repatterning, not the leaders in politics or economy.
We have a choice – we can make a choice.

The collages, made as a way of harvest, showed in many different ways the bridge from the known and old story to pictures and images that spoke of nature, community, being creative and the like: a story of wholeness and wellness and being fully alive!

We ended our first afternoon with a circle. What calls you to be here now – as you are aware in this moment?

Highlights and threads:
It is time to live big.
All is not as it seems.
Home – where is my place? Where do I engage in transitioning with a local community? Commitment to find community where I am.
This land – here – Cape Ann.

Leadership – How to create collaborative leadership? How to listen to the voice of the collective, of the system?
Deep grief – what is it that is being griefed?
Living between stories, between the old and the new – literally, energetically.
Finding my own voice – finding home in myself – owning my wisdom.
The nourishment of circles engaging with big questions – the gathering of the people – the collective inquiry.

Are these the elements of our repatterning, of living wholeness?

People who know me in real time know that I love desserts. I used to say that it is my only addiction, as I don’t like coffee, don’t smoke and I am not fond of alcohol. Really, I have decided more than hundred times that I would stop eating (too much) chocolate or cookies and I never really managed.

Now something has shifted.

Since I am a very physically based person, and I am trained in emotional bodywork, I have an easy connection with subtle feelings in my body. Normally, when I go to bed, I fully stretch myself out and connect with a deep relaxation, both in my body and in my breath. This is a practice that has installed itself over the years. At some point I turn myself, lie on my side and fall asleep immediately.

During one of these evening sessions I noticed that my stomach was not relaxed; actually I realized it never is! Mmmm… something needed to be done here…

I focused on relaxing it and little shocks – more like tremblings – were releasing through my body. Somehow I could sense a fear when I tried to release even more. Not a big fear, but something on a very, very subtle level. It would be accurate to say that the fear wasn’t quite emotional, but was more on the level of my cells; almost instinctual. Doing this every evening I became aware that I had grounded myself in my stomach! Strange to say, but that was how it felt. Unconsciously – from early childhood – I had clinked to my stomach for security. Now I understood why I would always eat and snack more while being in any kind of stressful environment.

This brought a next awareness or insight about what I think grounding really means. I have always been a stable person – both physically and emotionally – and my ‘not so fine’ legs are a signal of this. For me it is easy to keep my balance and my legs have a lot of strength. It means I always have felt safe – and grounded – on/in my own legs. But I realized that feeling this is still not a real sense of grounding. Grounding has to do with ease and relax in your body, but it should also include a connection to the context you are in at the moment.

Back to chocolate, cookies, cake and eating. My eating pattern has really changed since I started relaxing my stomach. I notice it is now easy to eat just what I consciously decide to, and there are no moments – no! really! – when an invisible hand takes over and opens the cupboard or reaches for a next portion. I don’t even have to think about it, or ‘work’ on it.

It is relief – and the scale shows less weight – but most importantly it is a confirmation that I/we can reach subtle information in our bodies, and best of all: it helps or heals issues that always looked incurable.

Some time ago I posted a question on my Facebook wall: “Sitting with this question: what makes witnessing so powerful? Is it because it links with our deepest soul?” A whole lot of answers came; and really nice ones.

The question had been fueled by recent experiences in some gatherings and learning events. In one we did a witnessing circle. It was a listening circle – instead of speaking when you had the talking piece, now you were the one to listen to the others who would share what they saw was your precious gift. To me, it was a very special moment and someone said: This is even beyond Appreciative Inquiry! It was special because we could all touch a layer that we normally don’t give words to. It was basically naming each other’s essence. I would say it was about and from the soul level. Also in the Axladitsa Immersion, a learning gathering around Living Wholeness this witnessing was very present throughout the gathering.

Here are some of the answers that came on my FB page:
“I have been sitting with this question as well Some words from Alan Watts made me wonder if that’s a possible answer!
“Through our eyes, the universe is perceiving itself. Through our ears, the universe is listening to its harmonies. We are the witnesses through which the universe becomes conscious of its glory, of its magnificence.” ~ Alan Watts”

“Often I’m reminded that our anatomy doesn’t let us see our own beauty except in a mirror. We can do that for each other!”

“There is definitely something about being seen and heard – and maybe that is about the universe being seen and heard through each of us.”

“Mirror neurons?”

“Perhaps the gracefulness of not attempting to change but accepting something…”

“There’s also something about seeing and hearing ourselves within that process which makes it so potent for me too.”

“The Vedas talk about unmanifest Being splitting itself into Rishi, Devata and Chandas – the Knower, the Process of Knowing and the Known – in order that it might know itself. Witnessing is a practice of being consciously aware of all three to complete the trinity, rather than just focusing on the ‘Known’…”

Isn’t there a lot of wisdom in my friends? I really was surprised by the abundance of the answers, as this was more or less the first time I engaged myself in this way on Facebook!

The witnessing evoked in the Immersion the notion of Radical Amasement. To me, to be in a state of real witnessing, be it something in nature, an old tool or someone else, I become radical amased about the ingenuity of what is in front of me. The wonder of life, that explodes in these myriad of different forms, so many different ‘solutions’ to so many different ‘problems’… it is just awesome!

Then you realize it is not about solutions and problems, but it is about how life tries out each and every way to express the richness of itself. It seems always trying out what kind of life forms are life-bearing or life-affirming. It just goes on doing that; and it never stops. Still the big bang is happening all the time….

The Dutch translation of this poem, originally written in German, was for years on the wall, where I changed my cloths. So, I read it many, many times in the morning or when going to bed; sometimes consciously, sometimes less. But it dripped in, slowly but surely. Now I came across it again… It is such a deep wisdom, that is also at the core of any transformation work, be it individual therapy, systemic constellation work or… it is also useful for the state of our world.

It is what it is, says Love…

“It is madness
says reason
It is what it is
says love

It is unhappiness
says caution
It is nothing but pain
says fear
It has no future
says insight
It is what it is
says love

It is ridiculous
says pride
It is foolish
says caution
It is impossible
says experience
It is what it is
says love.”

Erich Fried (Es ist was es ist. Liebesgedichte Angstgedichte Zorngedichte) – Translation by M. Kaldenbach

I open up my reader – where all the blogs I’m following appear on one page – and read both these blogposts, both by women, both on the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico…

One is about workers who are cleaning up the big mess, and are not allowed to talk with anyone about what they are doing.

The other one is about being part of the system that created this.

Summer Solstice is a celebration of the longest day of the year and the beginning of summer. Since ancient times humans have celebrated this time in festivals honoring the life giving power of the sun, and the abundance and vitality of life at its zenith.

Ancient systems of knowledge were universally orientated to celestial events, particularly the solstices and equinoxes that mark the seasons of life on earth. Honoring of these cardinal points is found throughout the world in sites as diverse as Stonehenge in the British Isles, the Big Horn Medicine Wheel in Wyoming, USA, the Caracol Tower of Mexico, and the Pyramids of Egypt.

Solstices happen twice each year, when the tilt of the Earth’s axis is most inclined toward (summer) or away (winter) from the Sun. The name is derived from the Latin sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still), because at the solstice the Sun appears to stands still in its path before reversing direction. Of course as we view this time from a global perspective, it is obvious that the northern hemisphere and southern hemisphere are opposites, so that the summer solstice of one hemisphere is the winter solstice of the other.

In the Occident, the solstices and equinoxes mark the beginning of the seasons, such that summer solstice is the first day of summer. In East Asian Cultures, they mark the middle of the seasons. This reflects the understanding that the Chi, or energy, in the movement from yin to yang crests at the midpoint. Hence the Chinese character for solstice means “extreme”, signifying the zenith of the energies of summer and winter.

A similar sense of flowing between seemingly contrary forces (as symbolized by Yin and Yang) is expressed in the traditions of the British Isles, where the Oak King- who rules the waxing year, reigns from Winter Solstice to Summer Solstice when he abdicates to the Holly King who rules the waning year. Thus, in traditions of both East and West, we acknowledge that in the realm of duality opposites give rise to each other in turn. We experience this mystery every year when the longest day marks the beginning of the light’s incremental waning toward winter’s darkness, and again at winter solstice when the darkest night heralds the return of the light.

Many ancients, such as the Druids, celebrate the marriage of Heaven and Earth during Midsummer Solstice, reflecting the alchemical fusion of spirit and matter at the heart of creation. Though celebrations held in different parts of the world differ, they reveal a common essence of celebrating light at its zenith and the bounty and goodness of life that is given by the vitalizing radiance of the sun.

Thanks to Dana Lynne Andersen for the text and to Ursula who forwarded the picture!

My friend Helen made a nice blogpost on Natural ways of working, a few days ago. She is a natural kind of harvester, both in beautiful words and pictures! Most of the words you can read here, the pictures are on her blog.

“The campfire, so reminiscent of our earliest human roots, is a guide to natural ways that conversation flows among people sitting in a circle. And so, as I listened to people’s stories about their experiences of participatory leadership, I found myself distilling what I heard into some principles that could move us away from the stifling hierarchical paradigm that many of us find so oppressive and towards some easy attitudes that promote effortless thriving.

* Nature’s implicit purpose is to thrive – nature is in the business of creating life from life. It is the manifestation of living wholeness, evolving. Humanity is part of that evolution. Evolution is about awakening – through the higher mammals and us humans, nature is becoming conscious of itself as a living whole. In the workplace, if what we are doing is truly in service of the whole, to allow the whole to thrive, then we will seek ways to achieve our purpose that allow all affected to thrive in the longer term, and to enhance our own and each other’s wellbeing in the short term. Part of the way we can do this as individuals is to freely offer our gifts to each other, in service of each other’s thriving, and to ask others for what we need but cannot provide for ourselves.

* Attend to the invisible realms – a lot of life is invisible to the eye. What goes on under the ground or in the sub-atomic or quantum spaces is just as important as what we can empirically observe. The same is true of what happens in organisations and inside and between people. A lot of life is equally invisible to the mind. One often neglected place of invisible power is silence. Another is what happens in the wake of a good question. Most potent of all, though, is the invisible field that holds communities, conversations, projects – all shared entities, however nebulous or immaterial. The mind cannot grasp this concept in any but the most abstract terms – it is the domain of physical and subtle sensing, and not conducive to rational dissection.

* Flexibly adapt around constraints – nature doesn’t make a big deal about obstacles and constraints. It simply incorporates them or grows around them. If it can be said to have a focus, that focus is thriving and creating more life, not obsessing about restrictions. If we keep a constant eye on our shared purpose, and if that purpose is truly in service of greater wholeness, then the kosmos will tend to meet us half-way in the most unexpected forms, as synchronicity spreads like an algal bloom around us.

* Focus on relationship – the transformative power of simple human contact has been so overlooked in mainstream organisational culture, and yet it remains true that relationship is the soil in which the seed of task is sown. Relationships thrive on simplicity. Too much complexity tends to undermine the trust without which healthy belonging is not possible. Simple practices are often the most effective – things like celebrating birthdays, honouring people’s acts of courage, stepping up to help and support each other in small ways and remembering each other at important or challenging times when we cannot be physically present.

* Nature is participatory – in any ecosystem, all elements participate fully. The only participation required of them is to be fully themselves. The greater the diversity and the greater the interaction between the diverse elements, the stronger and more resilient the system. In human systems, inviting full participation creates ownership, which in turn creates belonging, which creates commitment. As natural beings ourselves, it can help us to remember that our best contribution is simply to show up as ourselves. Having the courage to offer our unique perspective, for the good of the whole, even when we are unsure how it will be received.”

A Canadian friend of mine, Dave Stevenson, wrote a week ago a message to the Art of Hosting emaillist. He is doing great work within the process of giving child and youth care back to the first nations, away from the central government.

Here is what he wrote:
“Last week we held a ceremony at a local long house, which for those of you not familier with the West Coast First Nations traditions, holds the home fire of traditional laws and customs. The ceremony was to formally acknowledge and celebrate a relationship between Provincial, Federal and First Nations Governments working together for the care and protection of Aboriginal children in British Columbia.

As part of the event, one of the champions and leaders for First Nations Children was asked to speak and gave this message, which I am passing on. June 21st is National Aboriginal day, and the message is a request for a moment of clarity and intention for the care of mother earth.
Please feel free to pass along.”

Dear friends and family,

June 21, 2010 is Aboriginal Day for Aboriginal people in Canada. In light of this date, Caring for First Nations Children Society of British Columbia is asking for your support in the following initiative;

Mother Earth continues to nourish us and care for people regardless of the injuries she has suffered at the hands of man. From oil spills, earthquakes, logging, fisheries industry, among many other injuries, mother earth has sustained us and continues to fight for our survival. In the spirit of reciprocity, Caring for First Nations Children Society of BC would like for offices, agencies, organizations, families, and individuals to be conscious of the clock at 10am on June 21, 2010. At 10a.m. we ask that people consciously extend their healing thoughts to mother earth whether in the form of a prayer or otherwise. We encourage you to not underestimate the power of such a concentrated effort at a simultaneous time. Please extend healing thoughts, prayers, ceremony and positive energy for/to mother earth and ask that she heal herself and that people around the world support her healing.

Kleco,

As some readers might recall, last Autumn, I packed all my stuff in boxes, put it all in an old stable and not sensing where was my place to go next, I ended up living with Helen, in a Brussels suburb.

Actually this has been a most wonderful time, and out of her reorientation in life and my passion to live in a natural way, we now are just days away of getting the keys of a new house!

Actually it is a project on what we really want and what we are able to manifest. So we opened a separate blog for it to keep track of our learning and to share it with a wider audience, and you are welcome to read over there (both in Dutch and English!) Its name is Dorpsstraat, which is the actual name of the street and it translates as Village Street – just to be clear on how big the village is!

Part of the property is a totally grown over little apple and pear orchard, that we are unveiling of nettles and brambles… see how it was and how it is emerging…

Since a few weeks I haven been wondering why the need I perceive in men/masculine – as they are holding so much in the world ‘out there’ – and the offer and skill of women/feminine to witness and hold that, is not gelling, is not coming to a fruitful synergy (yet?). It all made me wonder if we – women/feminine – have a collective blind spot that keeps us away from our real power? Power, as I understand it here, in the sense of full contribution to life itself.

As sometimes is the case for me, giving language to the question itself, elicit almost immediately the answer. This came from me from that deeper inner well: “The blind spot is that we have inner knowing, and our mind doesn’t know.”

I understand this inner knowing as a connection – through subtle sensing – into the realms of the invisible, the intangible and the non-human parts of our reality. Inner knowing is not something weird, but a reality that is mostly ignored in our mainstream culture, although unconsciously it guides our choices and all serendipity and synchronicity in life.

It is this subtle sensing that ultimately ties us, humans, back with nature and Earth. It is a relationship that goes much deeper than sustainability. A better concept is thrivability – where ALL that exists can thrive. Ultimately it is regenerative in its nature when we let our actions be grounded by this wisdom.

In the systemic constellation we did in the Immersion around the topic of what is the need in the world and how it relates with us and our masteries, the Wounded Healer was one of the main characters. He seemed to have a lot of power and was holding a lot, but he was also very stiff, rigid and not flexible or fluent. It was only when he connected with the Grandmothers energy that he could relax in his body and starting to breath a little deeper. After that had happened – and of course much more happened in the constellation – he was able to turn to Earth itself and saying “Sorry”, on her request. That gave the final relief in the constellation.

Having this story in my mind and still wondering about the feminine blind spot I asked myself: what is the Wounded Healer in us, women? This was the answer that came up: “We, as humans, can’t make it happen; we need to co-create with nature.” So, if I tie this all together then we need to become conscious and explicit about our relationship with nature and the invisible in order to co-create with these forces and energies – back into thrivability of humans and the earth. It seems to me, the feminine has to offer these capacities to the masculine, and can also ask the masculine to protect these skills in service of the wholeness of humans and earth; life itself.

What do you think about these matters?

(The people on the pictures were participants in the Immersion, and were representing the Wounded Healer and the Grandmothers.)