Story of an Open Space unlike any I have ever run before

[Toni Petrinovich]

Chris, I am going to forward to you a piece that I received from another
list.  It will assist your headache.  It's wonderful!

Love and blessings,
Toni Petrinovich
www.sacredspaceswa.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "Chris Corrigan" <corcom at interchange.ubc.ca>
To: <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
Sent: Friday, September 21, 2001 11:35 PM
Subject: Story of an Open Space unlike any I have ever run before


> In the spirit of the stories about the September 21 space openings, and
> Harrison's invitation to open space too, I thought I would share with
> you a little about what I'm going through right now with a space I have
> opened.  I realized today that I am holding space for something when I
> noticed a bad headache and thought immediately of Joelle's diagnosis of
> my problem from OSonOS IX.  Holding space is hard on the head.
>
> I opened space on Sunday morning, very very early Vancouver time with an
> invitation that I sent to this list and one or two friends.  The
> invitation, as you now know, was entitled "The answer, according to my
> daughter."
>
> At the time, I thought I was simply reporting on an insight I had
> gleaned from my daughter's take on how to deal with monsters, but now I
> realilze that I was actually inviting something to happen.
>
> I have been overwhelmed by the response to this little essay.  People
> have followed their passions and taken responsibility for acting in a ll
> kinds of ways.  Some folks have been acting around the piece itself.  It
> has been illustrated beautifully, translated into German and soon nearly
> a dozen other languages.  It has been the focus of two specifc web based
> discussion forums.  Three people have offered to print it and distribute
> it.  It has been read at an AGM of a Canadian woman's organization and
> at a couple of peace rallies in the USA.
>
> Other people have decided that the invitation was to act, and they have
> written to politicians and heads of state, attaching the essay.  So far,
> Jean Chretien, Geroge Bush, Gerhardt Schroeder and Joscha Fischer have
> had it sent to them, to my knowledge.  It has been sent to the head of a
> government policy caucus in Canada, and an opposition party policy list
> in British Columbia.
>
> People have acted too on the invitation.  At least one person, in the
> midst of all the turmoil at Boeing in Everett, USA and totally uncertain
> about the future of her job, has volunteered at a soup kitchen for the
> first time.  Others have attended peace rallies or decided to speak out
> as a result of the piece.
>
> Reaction hasn't been universally favourable of course, but at least
> people are engaging with it.  Every email I get I respond to, trying to
> turn back either positive or negative vibes to creative action on the
> part of the sender.  Exactly as I would do in a more conventional Open
> Space Technology meeting: "What do YOU want to do?"
>
> At my website you can watch this curious OST evolve.  I have posted the
> invitation (the essay), as well as it's several translations, links to
> other websites and most of the responses I have received.  I see this as
> a news wall for the worldwide OST that is happening around this essay.
>
> Whoever comes is the right people, including religious zealots,
> peaceniks and war mongers.
>
> Whatever happens....all offers to publish the piece have been met with a
> big thumbs up by me, if that is where people's passions lie.  I am
> adopting the Harrion Owen approach in this respect, and giving the thing
> away.  After all, it was a gift to me from my daughter to begin with.
>
> When it starts...for me it has only recently dawned on me that this is
> an OST gathering, asynchronous, dispersed and diffuse, but all linked
> through me, in as much as people have wanted to share what they are
> doing.
>
> When it's over....my greatest fear is that I'll be holding this space
> open for a long time, which might be good news for the Tylenol company.
> At any rate, given the response the essay has had, and given it's
> seemingly instant conversion to an invitation, it is the least I can do
> to hold the space open for it for as long as it works.  Any advice on
> how I might do this is welcome from you all...:-)
>
> Law of Two Feet?  People come and go.  I hear from them, they disappear,
> they come back...this is not so much creating butterflies and bumblebees
> as it is creating viruses and websites.  The essay spreads like a virus,
> not from computer to computer, but from user to user, wetware to
> wetware.  It roosts on web servers in various parts of the world, the
> digital equivalent of sitting in the hotel bar and waiting for people to
> notice you.
>
> The more I think about it, the more I realize that this is what is
> happening.
>
> I invite you to take part, or just follow the story at
> http://www.chriscorrigan.com/aine where you will find it all.  The site
> changes daily, so if you're into it check back regularly.  I'll keep the
> list posted to the little things that happen that might be of interest
> here.
>
> Love and peace to you all,
>
> Chris
>
> --
> CHRIS CORRIGAN
> Consultation - Facilitation
> Open Space Technology
>
> http://www.chriscorrigan.com
> corcom at interchange.ubc.ca
>
> RR 1 E-3
> 1172 Miller Road
> Bowen Island, BC
> Canada, V0N 1G0
>
> phone (604) 947-9236
> fax (604) 947-9238
>
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