Silence

[Chris Corrigan]

There's silence, and there's SILENCE.

I usually start meetings with two kinds of silence.  In Aboriginal
organizations and communities it's very common to start with a prayer,
and so we will begin with that silence, a prayer, or a calming, or a
short space of absolute internal silence in which our intention is
simply to experience the present and each other.  This means stilling
internal thought and opening up to external sounds, creaks, breathing,
hums etc.

Then, as we get into the content of a meeting, whether it is OST or some
other process, I'll invite people to reflect in silence about the issue
at hand.  That's a different kind of silence...it's the kind that is
filled with the internal sound of thought, but the room goes quiet.

So, to conclude, in terms Artur might appreciate:

Prayer = IS + EN
Reflection = IN + ES

Where IS=internal silence, IN=internal noise, ES=external silence and
EN=external noise.

Chris

---
CHRIS CORRIGAN
Bowen Island, BC, Canada
http://www.chriscorrigan.com
chris at chriscorrigan.com

(604) 947-9236






> -----Original Message-----
> From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Don
> Ferretti
> Sent: Friday, January 23, 2004 11:19 AM
> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> Subject: Re: Silence
>
> How important is silence in my day? Very important. I have learned
that
> silence is as much as part of conversation as talking is, especially
> since all the research shows that the words we speak out loud are
> actually a very small part of what is communicated. I know that this
is
> a very important thing to remember in suicide intervention. In
> facilitation, I love the void (space) that silence creates so instead
of
> feeling the need for an intervention to "break the silence" I have
> learned to let the silence play itself out - usually the first words
> spoken after a period if silence are heart felt. Also, silence does
> allow time for people to think - me included.
>
> http://placer.networkofcare.org
>
> >>> 76066.515 at compuserve.com 01/23/04 06:50AM >>>
> Hi--
>
> What is the role of silence in OST and the Open Space life?
>
> It seems to me silence is rich, full of panoramas of colors and sounds
> and
> tastes.
>
> How important is silence in your day?
>
> Have you seen it used by any of the groups for whom you've led an OS?
>
>                               :-Doug. Germann
>
> PS: This Tuesday a few of us are gathering for an open telephone
> conversation on this subject.
>
> Would you be so kind as to pass this invitation on to the people who
> need
> to see it?
>
> Thanks!
>
>                               :-Doug.
>
> ----Forwarded Message(s)----
>
> Hi--
>
> Can we make further and deeper use of silence in our work?
>
>       Silence is a delicious thing for our meditation and
>       contemplation; so how can we use silence, and let silence
>       use us, in our work as teachers and nurturers of Spirit?
>
> This is a telephone gathering where each of us can engage all of us,
> to
> learn how others are using silence, and together to invent new ways.
>
>       If you wish, I will offer my learning from a recent
>       retreat I led for a group of Quakers; also a story
>       of an encounter that sheds some silence on light.
>
> Please join us for this mutual exploration. e-mail me to reserve your
> space
> and get the number to call.
>
>                               :-Doug. Germann
>                               Doug at FootprintsintheWind.com
>
> PS: There will be someone there with whom you need to speak.
>
>                               :-Doug.
>
> Where and When: Your telephone, this Tuesday, January 27, 2004, 7:00
pm
> New
> York time, 6:00 pm Chicago time, 4:00 pm Los Angeles time, which is
> Wednesday, January 28, 2004, 12:01 am London time, 11:00 am Sydney
> time.
>
> Cost: You decide. Hint: a one-hour seminar, with one expert who
> *might*
> talk on what you need to know, can cost you $15-$30 US. Here you have
> many
> experts, and you ask what you need to know. Decide and pay after the
> tele-gathering. Or please take 20 pounds of canned goods to your local
> food
> bank. Or do both.
>
> To pay, simply e-mail the value you decide using Visa, Mastercard,
etc.
> via
> PayPal using this link:
http://www.FootprintsintheWind.com/tgpaypal.htm
> ,
> or send me a check to Learning Works, Incorporated, P.O. Box 2796,
> South
> Bend, IN 46680-2796.
>
> Questions? Please e-mail, or call me at 800/545-DOUG (3684).
>
> Please pass this on to someone you know who uses silence well.
>
>                               :-Doug.
>
> ----End Forwarded Message(s)----
>
> *
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