open space

[Peter or Esther]

Dear Vona Andrea,

We will answer questions #3 & #4:

3. Have you ever participated in an O.S. in religious context? What was
your experience?

We (including an ex nun and others who have been Catholic in the past
but are more recently in the Alternative Spiritual movement.) Those of
us "searching" found ourselves at an Open space event responding to the
posting of "How to create an alternative spiritual weekly event." The
details are below.


4. Many religious people expect guidance from the church. But in an O.S.
everybody can bring up topics and there is no guidance. IN a religious
context people need spiritual guidance, they want to be filled with
words and want to be supported. How can O.S. work for these type of people?

We remain a small group because it is difficult for people to take
responsibility for their own expression of the God within.

Here is what has evolved for us and as noted we have met since November
weekly. The Circle is about 6 to 9 people every Sunday morning from
11:30 to 1:30 or 2:00.

Here is what we've crafted so far.

Warmly,
Peter and Esther Fisher
Asheville, North Carolia USA (in the middle of the Bible Belt)

Here it is:

SACRED CIRCLES

The Asheville, North Carolina Sacred Circle came together in October
2003 out of an Open Space event. We consider ourselves "spiritual
pioneers" as we explore spirit together and continue to evolve our
Sacred Circle.

But as we note below, it is not for everyone.

Our Sacred Circle is a process of deep expression, listening and hearing
by every member of the Circle, as we consider each other's responses. We
are open to quiet, to song, to toning, to talking, to acting and to
expressing and just to be or do "whatever". We are respectful of each
other's expression and there is a goodly amount of "space" between our
participations so that no one feels hurried, pushed or cut off. We watch
and listen closely for threads of commonality and diversity. Both are
desirable. We evolve and spiral -- in usually about two hours -- through
layers of our personal and group spiritual awakening and reawakening. We
often come to an "ideal" vision or situation -- for the moment -- and
are then always quite ready for the next outworking -- to yet another
ever more new reality. It is an exciting and deeply satisfying process
of love outworking.

We believe that Sacred Circles inform the next step in humanity's
conscious evolution. It just might be incumbent on some pioneering wise,
spiritual and thinking people to experience these new ways of being, of
participation and of self-organization. It can jump start our conscious
evolution toward more profound understandings of our new world -- that
seem quite necessary in our world today, for the New Millennium.
Some say we are similar to the Friends (Quaker) religion, and we do not
mind that comparison, however we have absolutely no creed, no hierarchy,
no history, no expectations, no fixed beliefs  -- and we are simply not
part of any official religious connection nor denomination. We do not
have ministers, assistants, priests, deacons or hierarchy of any sort.

We all participate and it is heart warming to feel the Circle come alive
each time with that participation. (As John Stewart, of The Daily Show
said on the Larry King program recently: "we don't need anyone to
interpret God for us!") Those of us who participate in the Circle have a
direct connection to whatever we each sense God to be (or even not to
be). We consider ourselves wise, spiritual God beings having a human
experience. We know we have absolute CHOICE in our lives! Something
beautiful and sustaining happens as we "do whatever we do."

Sacred Circles are creative, self-organizing, non-hierarchal and
participative. In our Sacred Circle we assume that all participants are
both learners and teachers, both students and ministers (or priests),
and that each and all bring valuable wisdom, knowledge and life
perspective to the Sacred Circle. Our Sacred Circle is collaborative and
transformative, resulting in many altered states of being, individually
and collectively. Sometimes we go beyond BEING to DOING -- with personal
or collective action -- spiritual, social, cultural or otherwise. We
endeavor to always be in the NOW!

Sacred Circles have several precursors. Open Space, developed by
Harrison Owen, is primary. Open Space is a group dialogue "technology"
and more importantly a way of life --much as Sacred Circles. Except Open
Space events are usually held for hundreds, even thousands of people at
the same time (over 1 to 3 days) with techniques to break into smaller
groups. As we implied above, our Sacred Circle was sparked by and
evolved out of an Open Space event.

The Open Space phenomenon is an organic approach to facilitation of
groups of people and a style of living. It enables a very natural
process of self-organization found everywhere in nature. Open space
works by creating a simple structure through the application of a few
simple rules and allows for a free flow of communication between all its
parts. Inside this process, groups unfold in a seemingly random fashion,
but in truth, its participants interact guided by their passions and
natural attractions. Thus was our Sacred Circle created.

We also found the Sacred Circle approach written about by James Redfield
in his "Celestine Prophecy" where he said: "Part of the Eighth Insight
is learning to interact consciously." This entire approach, however,
also harks back to the 60's when George Leonard, then a Look magazine
editor and a New Age proponent, wrote a small book entitled "Education
and Ecstasy" that was about a possible new state of being. It was about
all of us having been brought up to sit quietly in rows in school as
small children, about having been required to be attentive to the
pronouncements of others as youths and about sitting in audiences,
churches and seminars as adults even today -- listening to others talk
AT US. The old idea was that others knew more and were more spiritual
than we are.

We are changing that! Some of us have discovered that we have a very
strong passion to explore our spiritual wisdom together in Sacred Circles.

Sacred Circles are not for everyone, however. One almost has to feel
restlessness with his or her current spiritual practices. Those who seem
to take to the Circles most have that passion to express their wisdom in
interaction and participation with others. These Circles require a
profound level of presence, maturity and awareness.

If one is still very comfortable and content with others taking the
primary responsibility for one's religious or spiritual sustenance and
consideration, then the Circle is probably not right yet. If one can
accept a temporarily greater degree of uncertainty and looseness they
may wish to meditate on their motives for attendance at their current
religious or spiritual practices.

If one has any degree of passion or restlessness toward greater
participation, they may wish to attend a Sacred Circle. If you do decide
to attend a Circle, please give it a good try, and participate fully
three or four times until it "feels" comfortable. There is always a time
of angst in "leaving" old familiar friends, practices and expectations.
At any rate one can soon find a new community of friends and caring
fellow seekers in a Spiritual Circle that will be most supportive,
loving and caring -- if you simply give it a chance.

We would love to have you join with us or help you get started where you
are! Please call or contact us if you are interested in any way.

With love,
The Asheville Sacred Circle
Asheville, North Carolina
828-298-5800



Vona Andrea wrote:

> Dear EVerybody experienced in Open Space,
>
> I am doing a research o n the use of O.S. in the Catholic church. It
> is connected to an O.S .even held last autumn in Hungary. I've made
> several interviews with the participants and many quesitons arouse. If
> you have any ideas, opinions about the following quesitons. Feel free
> to answer.
>
> 1. If the participants do not know much about O.S. in advance, they
> can bring up a topic, but can they take responsibility for their topic
> if they did not have the chance to prepare for that topic?
>
> 2. The Law of Two Feet can give you the chance to "step out" of those
> situations, which seem to be awkward and problematic but if you are
> brave enough and stay there, maybe you can solve your problems. Isn't
> it dangerous to step out of each situation which we find at first
> sight uncomfortable or boring. Maybe it is just the temptation to
> escape and avoid something.
>
> 3. Have you ever participated in an O.S. in religious context? What
> was your experience?
>
> 4. Many religious people expect guidance from the church. But in an
> O.S. everybody can bring up topics and there is no guidance. IN a
> religious context people need spiritual guidance, they want to be
> filled with words and want to be supported. How can O.S. work for
> these type of people?
>
>
>
> I look forward to any replies.
>
> Best wishes, Andrea Vona, University of Economic Sciences, Budapest,
> Hugary.
>
> http://www.vipmail.hu
>
> ____________________________________
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