Opening Space for Peace
Audrey Coward
audreycoward at bellnet.ca
Mon Apr 28 15:59:24 PDT 2003
I looked at your website. I think we have much in common. How did you
discover open space? Are there opportunities in Texas for people to become
open space facilitators.?
Audrey
----- Original Message -----
From: "Metta Zetty" <AIA at AWAKENING.NET>
To: <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
Sent: Sunday, April 27, 2003 9:43 AM
Subject: Opening Space for Peace
> Dear friends ~
>
> Convergence always is a fascinating dynamic....
>
> Usually, I simply listen, in this virtual community.
> However, for some time now I've been planning to share
> an invitation with you all...and now in response to
> Harrison, Birgitt's and Ashely's recent posts, it
> seems the time has arrived....
>
> In light of recent event world events, Harrison,
> my son and I have come to the same conclusion that
> you and Birgitt have -- we're ready to open more
> space. And, Ashley, we're doing it here in Texas!
>
> So, for those of you are interested, we invite
> you to...
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Join us in ... Opening Space for Peace:
> Imagining the Possibilities,
> Creating a New Reality
>
> http://peacespace.com
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> We will be gathering here in San Antonio on Sunday,
> May 4, and, if you do not live near enough to be
> able to join us, please consider supporting our
> event by inviting others you know in Texas....
>
> If you join our mailing list, we'll send you a sample
> invitation to share with others. And, if you let us
> know you're helping to spread the word:
> mailto:info at peacespace.com?subject=Add_my_name
>
> ...we will be honored to include your name (along
> with a link to the URL of your preferred organization)
> on our list of acknowledgments:
> http://supporters.peacespace.com
>
> Harrison: please note -- we've included a link to
> your new book at the foot of our Questions page:
> http://faqs.peacespace.com
>
> Birgitt: Gary and Nathan and I would *love* to see
> you again if/when you come to Texas....
>
> And, Ashley: where are you? It would be great to
> meet and share more....
>
> This is a fertile time -- a good time now for all
> of us to tend our gardens, and plant more seeds....
>
> With respect and appreciation,
> Metta Zetty
> http://open-space-technology.com
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2003 17:36:58 -0400
> From: Harrison Owen <owenhh at mindspring.com>
> Subject: Re: Testing
>
> At 06:44 PM 4/24/2003 +0200, Eva P Svensson wrote:
> >So quiet - just have to test that I'm still connected to you all!
>
>
> The silence is in fact deafening. And particularly noticeable for this
> group. When silences come I find the reasons are usually three: a) Nothing
> to say. b) Nothing need be said. c) What could, or should, be said takes
> people to a place they don't want to go. I vote for c)
>
> The events of the past month are, indeed, a little overwhelming. The US
> invades Iraq, SARS breaks out. And now North Korea threatens to do a
nuclear
> demonstration -- whatever that might mean. Sufficient to take your breath
> away. Forget about talking. And the prospects for the immediate future are
> hardly encouraging. Speaking just for myself, I can say that at such
times,
> space becomes claustrophobically small. And my daily activities verge on
the
> irrelevant. Silence. Very quiet.
>
> It is quite possible that we are really in the midst of very, very, deep
> doo-doo, from which there is no easy or obvious escape. Under the
> circumstances it is always nice to have somebody to beat on and blame.
> George the Shrub comes immediately to mind. But regardless of what he did
do
> that he shouldn't have -- or didn't do and should have, the situation is
> probably well beyond him. From where I sit, he remains what he has always
> been -- an embarrassment. As Birgitt might be tempted to say -- We have a
> lot of Dead Moose.
>
> And yet in such moments, there is the possibility of enormous learning.
> For ourselves, how do we open our personal space so that in this present
> moment we can be fully here -- fully alive? And for our neighbors,
> colleagues, clients and friends, how can we open that communal space so
> breath (and meaningful conversation) becomes a possibility? Opening this
> sort of space is rather different, I think, from filling the air with
trite
> platitudes and the power of positive thinking. It goes to a deeper place.
>
> Slightly less than a year ago, I was privileged to work with a group of
> Palestinians and Israelis in Rome. Relatively speaking, the world at that
> point (compared to the present moment) seemed almost idyllic -- but for
> those coming from The Middle East it appeared something other than a rose
> garden. And in their presence, I could only share something of the brittle
> fatalism reflected in the forced smiles, and nervous laughter with which
we
> began our gathering. Knowing full well that I could never be fully where
> they were, I nevertheless felt compelled to share my own vulnerability --
In
> my opening of the circle on that first day I said something like..."I had
> come because I cared for my friends in Palestine and Israel, and also for
> myself and my children. And although the people in that circle may feel
> themselves isolated and alone in their own private Hell with their own
> agonizing story, that story was also the story of our world. Like it or
not
> they were in the hot crucible of the future of humankind. The future of
all
> of us is being created in that strange place known as the Holy Land, even
as
> it has been for millennia. So I cared, but I was also on the edge of
despair
> or beyond. I could not think of any way out. The issues were so deep and
> intractable that movement appeared denied. Space was closed. But still I
> came, and still I cared as I presumed was true for each of them as
well."
>
> My learning during those days in Rome was profound. It became startling
> clear that neither I, nor any single person there, had the wisdom,
courage,
> strength or perseverance to get us where we needed to go. But none of us
> were called upon to do that -- we all were -- and all rose to the
challenge.
> In that rich space which contained all of our hopes, fears, frustrations
and
> anxieties, we collectively found a collegiality which included and
> transcended them all. Needless to say, we did not bring peace to The
Middle
> East, but we surely experienced peace in that moment. And that was a
moment
> we will never forget.
>
> So maybe it is time to break our silence here on good old OSLIST --
share
> what we are, and what we are learning.
>
> Harrison
>
> Harrison Owen
> 7808 River Falls Drive
> Potomac, MD 20854 USA
> phone 301-365-2093
> Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com
> Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org
> Personal website http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2003 20:29:16 -0400
> From: Birgitt Williams <birgitt at mindspring.com>
> Subject: Re: Testing
>
> Harrison,
> You are right that I agree that there are a lot of Dead Moose under the
> table. For those of you who don't know about the Dead Moose and its
> relationship to Open Space Technology, please see the invitation at
> http://www.openspacetechnology.com/articles_11.html
>
> I suggest adding another reason to the three you mention regarding silence
> and that is d) busy holding space. I vote for d). I believe in the power
of
> Open Space and what we know from our many years of experience with Open
> Space Technology. The facilitator must not be attached to outcome (and not
> to be shaken by events, even conflict as it happens---I remember from
> working with you at the First Canada US Breast Cancer Advocacy Conference
> what it was like to hold space in the face of huge conflict---a microcosm
of
> what we experience in the world).
>
> And so, hundreds of us around the world are facilitating the "holding of
> space for opportunities for harmony in the world". I stay focused on this,
> on who I am as a being of light in the world, and I retain my balance no
> matter what the events are. I see and experience myself as one of the
> co-facilitators of "holding space" that we opened on Sept 21st of 2001.
> Anyone who cares to join us in the co-facilitation of what is the biggest
> "space holding" experience may join at any time to assist those already
> committed. And because we are co-facilitating, even if one or more of us
is
> having a "down" day, we know that others are holding the space and so it
is
> like a magnet to energize oneself again through meditation and prayer and
> being in nature, as we would do for facilitating an OST meeting, and to
> rejoin the others.
>
> I see and experience many many events and projects to foster harmony and I
> am convinced that we are having an effect. Can I prove it? No. Do I
believe
> it? Yes.
>
> So, Harrison, you got me started on this journey of learning to open and
> hold space for which I continue to be deeply grateful. And now, we are
> simply called to hold space for humanity using all the skills and capacity
> that we have developed over the years.
>
> For anyone who cares to join us in what we have called the Harmony
Project,
> information is at http://www.openspacetechnology.com/harmony.html
>
> In the picture on that page, you will see a circle of stones that
symbolizes
> our holding of space (and remember that as facilitators we cannot be
> attached to outcome). Within that stone circle, there are "seed stones"
that
> I am willing to send out to those who request them and want to use them to
> start a circle in their own location. There are hundreds of such symbolic
> circles in the world now, and we visualize them as all connected, weaving
> this opportunity around the globe. Of course, there are some who have
chosen
> to carry their seed stones in their pockets and to be connected in that
> way.
>
> I get great comfort from taking action in this way with my state of being
> joined with others. And it gives me great hope. The good news is that Open
> Space always works.
>
> Blessings,
> Birgitt
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2003 21:31:00 -0700
> From: Ashley Cooper <ashcooper at earthlink.net>
> Subject: Silence
>
> Awhile back some of Joelle's words were added to my wall of quotes (tucked
> in between two New Yorker cartoons of people gathered and talking) "Hold
> space for others to have the conversations they are longing for."
>
> I see the theme again with Harrison's words:
>
> And for our neighbors, colleagues, clients and friends, how can we
open
> that communal space so breath (and meaningful conversation) becomes a
> possibility?
>
> Where I am experiencing unrest is that it is my perception that many
people
> do not want to have these conversations. that the silence is so much
easier
> with which to "deal". i so often feel like i am walking on eggshells just
> to ensure that i don't upset another's day by communicating/ discussing
> matters in which different perspectives/perceptions are present.
>
> on the flip side, i feel like "things" are very stimulated right now.
> change brings about incredible opportunities. i sense this great passion,
> void, feeling (...i haven't figured out what word to use!) that has been
> buried deep within many, surfacing. it's invigorating how many are
> embracing this opportunity to communicate, to drive passion into action,
to
> find motivation in this time, to hold the space. unfortunately in my life,
> i more frequently feel many being stifled with confusion and avoidance. I
> hear many venting (including myself) of the difficulties in their lives,
> how suddenly things seem to be moving so fast. i can't help but to think
> that while situations are occurring in daily life that could cause such
> anxiety, uncertainty... that we are also susceptible to a greater mood
that
> prevails...during this silence.
>
> i am always drawn towards trying to learn the appropriate language to
speak
> to another. attempting to find the words, the sentence structure, the
> visual images which both myself and another are capable of understanding.
>
> presently, i am amazed at how often i find myself sitting back, watching,
> and listening...and yet there is so much bubbling inside. i am just trying
> to find a meaningful way to share.
>
> one last thought: i am also living in a new place. i often wonder if my
> observations are specific to this region in texas or similar realities
> exist all over this beautiful earth we inhabit.
>
> thanks for reading my ponderings!
>
> with love,
> ashley cooper
>
> *
> *
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>From Tue Apr 29 00:28:09 2003
Message-Id: <TUE.29.APR.2003.002809.0700.>
Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2003 00:28:09 -0700
Reply-To: bjp1 at cox.net
To: OSLIST <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
From: BJ Peters <bjp1 at cox.net>
Subject: Re: SV: Testing and Close and closeness
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Eva-- I loved your shared thoughts below. It reminded me that friends and
colleagues of mine often iterate the principles when talking about any gathering
of any kind for any purpose. Be Peace --BJ Peters<br>
<br>
Eva P Svensson wrote. . .<br>
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<div class="Section1">
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><span
lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 10pt; color: navy;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></span></font><font
size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><span lang="EN-GB"
style="font-size: 10pt; color: navy;"><o:p></o:p>I am thinking that what
if I just could live the principles and the law <span style=""> </span>-
<b><span style="font-weight: bold;">always</span></b> think that I am meeting
the right people, that whatever happens is the right thing, that when it’s
starts its starts and when its over it is and if I don’t like it – take my
feet to where I better would like to be. It looks so easy but it’s so difficult
just for one to live, to “walk the talk” in every days life.<span
style=""> </span>But there where it has to start isn’t it – if we all start
right where we are I am sure that it will make a different because through
my behaviour I will affect others. As a tiny example I hade a conversation
to day with my very best friend and we where talking about that she should
spend here time where she wanted to spend it and not where she thought she
was supposed to because of traditions, expectations etc. If she had went
to where she was supposed to and not wanted to – it would have shown through
negative energy.</span></font><font size="2" color="navy"><span
lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 10pt; color: navy;"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><span
lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 10pt; color: navy;">So I think that one way
to open my personal space is to live the principles and the law, although
I will have to deal with fears (my own as well as others), breaking “behaviour
rules”, and most important finding my own truth. </span></font><font
size="2" color="navy"><span lang="EN-GB"
style="font-size: 10pt; color: navy;"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><span
lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 10pt; color: navy;">And in my ongoing work
of trying to find that, (my truth and needs), I just stumbled over the English
word close. To close the door, to close the space. But if you put some more
letters to the word it has the total opposite meaning – closeness – to be
close to another person, to be close to one an other. <span style=""> </span>It
was when a person said to me “you must look for closeness” and I keep on
thinking on the meaning of “closing something” instead of what she really
mean (to be close to someone), that I started to think about it. <span
style=""> </span>I don’t know but in a way there must be a meaning with
that. If I take same words for close and closeness in Swedish there is nothing
similar at all. </span></font><font size="2" color="navy"><span
lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 10pt; color: navy;"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><span
lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 10pt; color: navy;">That some two cents or
two öre thoughts late at night.</span></font><font size="2" color="navy"><span
lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 10pt; color: navy;"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="E-postmall18"><font size="2"
color="navy" face="Arial"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 10pt;">All
the best<o:p></o:p></span></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="E-postmall18"><font size="2"
color="navy" face="Arial"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 10pt;">Eva<o:p></o:p></span></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="E-postmall18"><font size="2"
color="navy" face="Arial"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 10pt;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoAutoSig"><!--[if supportFields]><span class=E-postmall18><font
size=2 color=navy><span style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt'><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span><span style="mso-spacerun:
yes"> </span>AUTOTEXTLIST \s "E-postsignatur" <span
style='mso-element:field-separator'></span></span></font></span><![endif]--><font
color="navy"><span style="color: navy;">Bästa hälsningar</span></font><font
color="navy"><span style="color: navy;"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoAutoSig"><font size="3" color="navy" face="Arial"><span
style="font-size: 12pt; color: navy;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></span></font><font
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<p class="MsoAutoSig"><font size="3" color="navy" face="Arial"><span
style="font-size: 12pt; color: navy;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></span></font><font
color="navy"><span style="color: navy;"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoAutoSig"><font size="3" color="navy" face="Arial"><span
style="font-size: 12pt; color: navy;">Eva P Svensson</span></font><font
color="navy"><span style="color: navy;"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoAutoSig"><font size="3" color="navy" face="Arial"><span
lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; color: navy;">........................................................................................</span></font><font
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<p class="MsoAutoSig"><b><font size="3" color="navy" face="Arial"><span
lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; color: navy; font-weight: bold;">EPS
Human Invest AB</span></font></b><b><font color="navy"><span
lang="EN-GB" style="color: navy; font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class="MsoAutoSig"><i><font size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><span
style="font-size: 10pt; color: navy; font-style: italic;">"Verksamhetsutveckling
genom människor"</span></font></i><i><font size="2" color="navy"><span
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<p class="MsoAutoSig"><font size="3" color="navy" face="Arial"><span
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color="navy"><span style="color: navy;"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoAutoSig"><font size="3" color="navy" face="Arial"><span
style="font-size: 12pt; color: navy;">S-439 34<span style=""> </span>ONSALA</span></font><font
color="navy"><span style="color: navy;"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoAutoSig"><font size="3" color="navy" face="Arial"><span
style="font-size: 12pt; color: navy;">Tel & Fax 0300-615 05</span></font><font
color="navy"><span style="color: navy;"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoAutoSig"><font size="3" color="navy" face="Arial"><span
style="font-size: 12pt; color: navy;">Mobil 0706 - 89 85 50</span></font><font
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<p class="MsoAutoSig"><font size="3" color="navy" face="Arial"><span
style="font-size: 12pt; color: navy;"><a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:eva at epshumaninvest.se">eva at epshumaninvest.se</a></span></font><font
color="navy"><span style="color: navy;"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if supportFields]><span class=E-postmall18><font
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 65.2pt;"><font size="2"
color="black" face="Tahoma"><span
style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; color: black;">-----Ursprungligt
meddelande-----<br>
<b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Från:</span></b> OSLIST [<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU">mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU</a>]<b><span
style="font-weight: bold;">För </span></b>Harrison Owen<br>
<b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Skickat:</span></b> den 24 april 2003
23:37<br>
<b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Till:</span></b> <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU">OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU</a><br>
<b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ämne:</span></b> Re: Testing</span></font></p>
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style="font-size: 12pt; color: black;">At 06:44 PM 4/24/2003 +0200, Eva
P Svensson wrote:<br style="">
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 36pt; margin-left: 101.2pt;"><font
size="3" color="black" face="Arial"><span lang="EN-GB"
style="font-size: 12pt; color: black;">So quiet - just have to test that
I'm still connected to you all!</span></font><font color="black"><span
lang="EN-GB" style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<br>
The silence is in fact deafening. And particularly noticeable for this group.
When silences come I find the reasons are usually three: a) Nothing to say.
b) Nothing need be said. c) What could, or should, be said takes people to
a place they don't want to go. I vote for c)<br>
<br>
The events of the past month are, indeed, a little overwhelming. The US
invades Iraq, SARS breaks out. And now North Korea threatens to do a nuclear
demonstration -- whatever that might mean. Sufficient to take your breath
away. Forget about talking. And the prospects for the immediate future are
hardly encouraging. Speaking just for myself, I can say that at such times,
space becomes claustrophobically small. And my daily activities verge on
the irrelevant. Silence. Very quiet.<br>
<br>
It is quite possible that we are really in the midst of very, very, deep
doo-doo, from which there is no easy or obvious escape. Under the circumstances
it is always nice to have somebody to beat on and blame. George the Shrub
comes immediately to mind. But regardless of what he did do that he shouldn't
have -- or didn't do and should have, the situation is probably well beyond
him. From where I sit, he remains what he has always been -- an embarrassment.
As Birgitt might be tempted to say -- We have a lot of Dead Moose. <br>
<br>
And yet in such moments, there is the possibility of enormous learning.
For ourselves, how do we open our personal space so that in this present
moment we can be fully here -- fully alive? And for our neighbors, colleagues,
clients and friends, how can we open that communal space so breath (and meaningful
conversation) becomes a possibility? Opening this sort of space is rather
different, I think, from filling the air with trite platitudes and the power
of positive thinking. It goes to a deeper place.<br>
<br>
Slightly less than a year ago, I was privileged to work with a group of Palestinians
and Israelis in Rome. Relatively speaking, the world at that point (compared
to the present moment) seemed almost idyllic -- but for those coming from
The Middle East it appeared something other than a rose garden. And in their
presence, I could only share something of the brittle fatalism reflected in
the forced smiles, and nervous laughter with which we began our gathering.
Knowing full well that I could never be fully where they were, I nevertheless
felt compelled to share my own vulnerability -- In my opening of the circle
on that first day I said something like...<i><span
style="font-style: italic;">"I had come because I cared for my friends in
Palestine and Israel, and also for myself and my children. And although the
people in that circle may feel themselves isolated and alone in their own
private Hell with their own agonizing story, that story was also the story
of our world. Like it or not they were in the hot crucible of the future
of humankind. The future of all of us is being created in that strange place
known as the Holy Land, even as it has been for millennia. So I cared, but
I was also on the edge of despair or beyond. I could not think of any way
out. The issues were so deep and intractable that movement appeared denied.
Space was closed. But still I came, and still I cared – as I presumed was
true for each of them as well."<br>
<br>
</span></i>My learning during those days in Rome was profound. It became
startling clear that neither I, nor any single person there, had the wisdom,
courage, strength or perseverance to get us where we needed to go. But none
of us were called upon to do that -- we all were -- and all rose to the challenge.
In that rich space which contained all of our hopes, fears, frustrations and
anxieties, we collectively found a collegiality which included and transcended
them all. Needless to say, we did not bring peace to The Middle East, but
we surely experienced peace in that moment. And that was a moment we will
never forget.<br>
<br>
So maybe it is time to break our silence here on good old OSLIST -- share
what we are, and what we are learning. <br>
<br>
<br>
Harrison<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br style="">
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center"
style="margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-left: 65.2pt; text-align: center;"><font
size="3" color="black" face="Arial"><span lang="EN-GB"
style="font-size: 12pt; color: black;">Harrison Owen<br>
7808 River Falls Drive<br>
Potomac, MD 20854 USA<br>
phone 301-365-2093<br>
Open Space Training </span><a href="http://www.openspaceworld.com/"
eudora="autourl"><span lang="EN-GB" style="">www.openspaceworld.com</span></a></font><font
color="black"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black;"> <br>
Open Space Institute </span><a href="http://www.openspaceworld.org/"
eudora="autourl"><span lang="EN-GB" style="">www.openspaceworld.org</span></a></font><font
color="black"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black;"><br>
Personal website </span><a
href="http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm" eudora="autourl"><span
lang="EN-GB" style="">http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm</span></a></font><font
color="blue"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: blue;"><br>
<br>
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