Going deeper, taking deeper

[Ralph Copleman]

On 2/20/03 10:02 AM, "Douglas D. Germann, Sr." <76066.515 at compuserve.com>
wrote:

> It is the job of the facilitator, Harrison says on p 110 of the Guide, to
> take the daily activities of an OST deeper, and that is done by
> progressively withdrawing from activity and sitting there letting go.

> This is something I need to learn. I have felt that I am not getting people
> deep enough.

Doug, take it easy.   You can't "get" people anywhere.  They do it
themselves, and if they don't it's not your failure.  How will you ever know
when people are "deep enough"?  You cannot know what people are capable of,
let alone a group that has never come together before to examine a question
they've probably never examined together.  Once the space is opened,
anything can happen, including shallowness.

>I did again yesterday. Perhaps I have been too enmeshed in the
> mechanics (a surface level thing, it seems) and not enough paying attention
> to the depth.

How, exactly, would you pay more attention to the "depth".  What would that
look like?
>
> Yesterday, the depth was present in the room: some people hinted at it.

How did you know?  What do you think YOU did to get them there?  And how do
you know it should not have been even MORE deep?

> Now I need to learn how it is that depth is found by simply being there.

I don't know if I'll ever know the "how" of open space.  People, in open
space as at any other time in life, make their own choices.  I just show
them the line around the circle and get out of the way.
>
> Is it simply a form of meditation by the facilitator?

Of course not.  It's a decision by each participant.

>Is it that his or her
> words and actions will communicate Spirit to Spirit at a level beyond
> words, maybe beyond intention?

You can "communicate" all the spirit you want, but if folks are not
interested in spirit (and who says they must be?), it'll go right past them.
Look, open space is many, many things, but it's not a religion.

(By the way, my dictionary tells me the roots of the word "religion" imply
piety, binding, and fastening.  Open space, for me is about the journey
spirit perhaps takes when it is, well, loosened.)
>
> What is your practice?

Beforehand, I think about the value of the group's questions and missions to
the world and find their connection to me.  I call up the place within me
that enables me to support what they do or seek.  Then I open the space and
get out of there.

>How do you take people deeper?

If you knew how to do this, you wouldn't be opening space; you'd be waving a
magic wand.

>How do you feel after an OST you have facilitated?

Could you perhaps be asking, "How am I supposed to feel?"

Relax.  The open space events you facilitate are about the people who show
up and what they're willing to do.

Ralph Copleman

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>From  Fri Feb 21 21:16:10 2003
Message-Id: <FRI.21.FEB.2003.211610.0100.>
Date: Fri, 21 Feb 2003 21:16:10 +0100
Reply-To: florianfischer at ff-wey.com
To: OSLIST <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
From: florian fischer <florianfischer at ff-wey.com>
Subject: Re: Going deeper, taking deeper
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Ralph Copleman schrieb:

>
> Doug, take it easy.   .
>
>

>
> hi, ralph,
> what a straight walk !!
> I like it very much.
> you bring me to something
> between smiling and laughter
> it´s touching me deep and making me high.
> thank you.
>
> florian

----------------------
florian fischer
begleitung im wandel
c/sta.bárbara 18
E 04115 rodalquilar / nijar
fon/fax 0034.950.389819
info at ff-wey.com

>
>

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