Raffi's letter on Os and the women of Ingushetia

[Hamilton Lock]

My name is Anne.

Last week I held my first open space gathering, but this is not why I write.  

First I acknowledge a debt of deep gratitude to Harrison Owen - for giving me the terminology and process of working in circle within the corporate setting.  I thank you Harrison.

The reason I had struggled previously, is that I was fixed on naming the health system I am training in, each time I approached a corporation.  

The system I work with is curanderismo, a very beautiful, non-linear, creative health system, handed down by a mixture of Spanish, African, North and South American Indian cultures.  It is community medicine and this includes corporate communities, but few in the UK are familiar with it.

There are many aspects to curanderismo, but my interest is in releasing old corporate cultures, in order to heal and to create the space for an organisation to move on.  [Again, I have recently learned that I speak the same language as you on this topic too, Harrison.  Yahoo!].  

Another aspect of curanderismo, is that it deals with susto - or soul loss.  

When I read Raffi's letter about the women of Ingushetia, who have suffered horrific trauma and are in so much pain that it is 'like they are asleep' - this condition, in curanderismo terminology, is susto [soul loss].

Curanderismo combines well with Open Space  - the preparation meetings you have beforehand, I call platicas, or heart to heart talks.  These sessions, which I had with the sponsor of my gathering, provided the clarification and the deep personal preparation needed to trust that introducing OST to his organisation would be ok. 

As an apprentice curandera, tools such as platicas and/or limpias [spiritual cleansing] would help the women of Ingushetia to peel off the layers of pain, and perhaps enable them to be PRESENT during their open space gathering.  People with massive soul loss tend 'not to be in' most of the time - which is how they 'survive' and why they seem to 'be asleep' .  Anyone engaged in an open circle has to be present, [in it] to benefit from it's magic - so you can see how, given Raffi's observations, curanderismo would support Raffi's OS. 

After platicas and limpias, it is often appropriate to do soul retrieval - and in a group situation, this is a very powerful way to help people re-claim that part of their spirit that they need to go on.  I believe these women could use this kind of support.  If not the whole process at this point, certainly the platica/limpias.

So I'm wondering if any of you folk who convene Open Space in places like the UN or various European Development platforms - or in any large corporations, know of any who might donate funding to get some curanderas on the ground to support Raffi during his 5 month stint in Chechnia?  If you point me in the right direction, I'm happy to do the grunt work.

There are 3 apprentice curanderas based in the UK that I know of - [all of whom are apprenticed to Elena Avila, author of Woman Who Glows in the Dark see www.Elena-curandera.com to get more of an idea of the scope of this incredible medicine]  who would be honored to work with these women.  

 There will also be 3 curanderas visiting London from Mexico, 5-8 June, en route to Vienna, to do workshops there.  So although the timeslot is slim, on the offchance I thought I'd put this note out to see how we can help.

Finally Raffi, it may be that you can convene another OS meeting with these women later in your stay - if that is the case, let me know and perhaps I can come help.

A hug and a big smile to all.  And thanks again Harrison.

Anne



 

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