The NEXT Paradigm

[Therese Fitzpatrick]

Larry, this doesn't need to go to the list but I just wanted to follow
up a bit on the day you visited Spirited Work.

It is probably the only day in Spirited Work's seven years in which no
one walked the circle.  The weekend was chaotically convened.  I was
actually supposed to open the circle with Peggy the day you were there
but then Peggy was unable to do it.

I think Candi (who was at Goa) and Mira opened the day you were there
and they had opened the day before.  Candi aspires to be a facilitator
but she lacked confidence.  Mira is an architect and I have worked
with her in several groups and as far as I can tell she is completely
oblivious to group dynamics.  I think Mira was shocked when she stood
up on Friday and realized she had no idea what to do.

anyway, the Friday opening was a disaster.

In our daily stewards debrief on Friday, we talked about what Candi
and Mira had done.  I was supposed to do the next day but we had
gotten word that Peggy wouldn't be there for the morning circle or the
closing circle (she actually only showed up briefly just to see you).
I was willing to open on my own but the tradition at SW is that two
people open.  There was no one else eager to do it so I suggested Mira
and Candi try again.  That was the day you saw.

Mira and I have deep conflicts and she would not accept coaching from me.

I was the only person at that debrief that considered herself or
himself a facilitator.  As you must know, there are lots of people in
the world who have no idea that facilitating open space is real work.
Lots of folks think any old person can get up and talk and it works.

Which it does, as you saw when you visited us at SW.

I also think you might not have seen Candi walking the circle before
it began because I know she did.  At SW, the circle convenors walk the
circle for several minutes before the start time, always.


Anyway, do you know that SW has come to an end?  I think you saw it
crumbling the day you were there.

When you said you felt the energy field we had created, I thought you
were talking about the collective energy that we created as a whole.
I had no idea you were talking about the morning circle you happened
to see.  That circle was not the least bit typical. . . . although I
believe it was a clear indication that SW was coming to an end.

Mira, one of the women convening, does not have a scintilla of
understanding of group dynamics or what is involved in facilitating.
I don't know why she stepped up to open a circle but when she did, she
made it clear she knew very little about open space.

The chaotic morning circle you saw is not the kind of work we did at
Spirited Work to create the inner capacities of conscious collective
effort.

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