Advanced Butterfly Behavior

Tue Aug 15 06:42:19 PDT 2006

Hi Harrison.  Ah, it is fine to breath the fresh air you so often bring to
this list.

I was at both of the multi-day OS events that Peggy has referenced (I
believe she incorrectly dated the 'culturally mature' session to April when,
in fact, it took place in May).

At both events, I was not invited to the 'private', advanced-butterfly
sessions.  But as a high empath, and as someone who was very intentionally
holding space for both of these events, I 'felt' the dissonance. I knew
these private sessions were taking place.  I can recall feeling twinges and
tears within myself.  When I am holding space, I take it very seriously (I
know all on this list hold space seriously!)  and as the space is stirred,
people come and go to sessions, great thinking, caring and loving unfolds. .
. and I feel all the energies as they sworl together. In a way, this inner
holding I do is like listening to fine music.  When these two 'private'
sessions unfolded, I felt/heard screechy, disharmonious shifts in the
energy.  It was almost as if someone were scratching a blackboard.

Of course, I 'detected' the private sessions.  Of course, I knew I was free
to attend each of them.  But the whole thing felt yucky to me. I did not
like it.  And I would discourage someone from doing such a thing if they
were to come to me and ask, for much of the same reasons you have outlined,
Harrison.  But, for me, the way these private sessions unleashed screeching
dissonance inside my spaceholding energy tells me all I need to know about
holding private, advanced-butterfly sessions:  it should not be encouraged.
I trust the clues I got, I trust how I felt yucky.  That is all I need to
know.

On 8/15/06, Harrison Owen <hhowen at adelphia.net> wrote:
>
>  I am not sure that I would see such occurrences as "advanced butterfly
> behavior. Narrow minded and shortsighted come to mind. Folks will do what
> they will do -- and whatever happens is the only thing that could have. . .
> but I really think that the conveners of such groups are short-changing
> themselves and all those who come to the session (and maybe all those who
> don't, as well). By arbitrarily restricting the diversity of the group the
> potential for new and deeper thought/experience is radically reduced. I must
> also confess to a certain abhorrence to terms like "culturally mature" --
> and even more with those who think they could make such a determination. I
> am reminded of the situation at the recent OS for Imams and Rabbis. As it
> happened there were several young students present including a delightful 19
> year old lady from Indonesia. On the face of it, I doubt she would have made
> anybody's list as "culturally mature." And given her natural modesty I am
> sure that she would never have made the association for herself. But the
> fact of the matter is that her natural charm, intelligence and curiosity
> made her in my eyes (and for others as well) one of the real stars of the
> gathering. If nothing else, she was willing to ask questions that everybody
> else was assiduously avoiding. Would I do anything to stop such segregated
> gatherings? No -- but I guess I would hope that part of the learning curve
> for the Culturally Mature was coming to see that there are really better
> ways than hiding out in a room, talking to each other.
>
>
> Harrison
>
>
>
> Harrison Owen
> 7808 River Falls Dr.
> Potomac, MD  20854
> USA
> 301-365-2093
> 207-763-3261 (summer)
> website www.openspaceworld.com
> Personal Website www.ho-image.com
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> *From:* Peggy Holman <peggy at opencirclecompany.com>
> *To:* OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> *Sent:* Monday, August 14, 2006 8:26 PM
> *Subject:* Advanced Butterfly Behavior
>
>  As I mentioned in my last e-mail, now that I'm back after about a year
> away from the OS list, I've got a variety of questions, stories and
> learnings to share over the next few weeks.  This question popped to the
> top of my list.
>
>
>
>
>
> There is a situation that I have now experienced twice in long OS
> gatherings with many experienced OSers.  It is a dynamic that has an
> important and potentially dissonant energy.  I'm wondering if others have
> encountered this and what their thoughts are on it.  My suspicion is that
> we'll see more of it as more people attend longer OS gatherings and
> generally develop more experience with OS.
>
>
>
> My hunch is that this is a phenomenon that deserves a name, much like
> bumblebees and butterflies.
>
>
>
> So, with that preamble, here's the description and two specific examples:
>
>
>
> There's a session that emerges from what is happening in the mix.  The
> convenor(s) have some very specific people they wish to meet with and aren't
> interested in having it open to whoever wanders in.  It is similar to what
> happens when butterflies meet but because there is more intentionality and
> potentially larger numbers, it is its own thing.
>
>
>
> Two examples:
>
>
>
> At the April Evolutionary Salon:
>
> We had an expert in a process who was willing to do a session but he felt
> that his work required a targeted group (in his terms, the "culturally
> mature").  We were interested in experiencing this and quietly put the word
> out to the people we wanted in the room.  When others also came, they were
> welcomed.
>
>
>
> At the Practice of Peace in 2003 and in her words:
>
> *On the last day of the conference, I woke up with a clarity of what I
> should do if I really cared to take this rare, international opportunity one
> step further into the future.  I saw a session with specific people (very
> engaged and personally interested, committed to the theme I was passionate
> to explore, with very "concentrated energy" that I felt was essential for a
> breakthrough in clarity and identifying what was next.)  *
>
>
>
> She was fine if others appeared  but did not wish to announce the
> session.  She pulled the post-it for the space from the time/space grid and
> then quietly put out the word to the people she  had in mind.  Some of
> them came to the session and others chose to go to other sessions. A few
> others appeared during the session and were welcomed.  She created a
> session report an hour after the session was over. She had intended to
> talk about the session and the experimentation during the closing circle.
> (For a variety of unrelated reasons, that closing circle never quite
> happened, so this became painful unfinished business for her.)In both
> cases, there was some reflection by the hosts after the OS completed.  Some
> saw the sessions as fine, appropriate butterfly behavior.  Others were
> disturbed by the lack of transparency, feeling that it was a drag on the
> energy field.
>
>
>
> I am reflecting that as participants become very mature, posting such
> sessions, complete with a mindful request about who comes is an ideal for
> this; also VERY challenging to do!
>
>
>
> Thoughts?
>
>
>
> Peggy
>
>
>
> _____________________________
> Peggy Holman
> The Open Circle Company
> 15347 SE 49th Place
> Bellevue, WA  98006
> (425) 746-6274
>
>
> www.opencirclecompany.com
>
>
> For pre-orders with a 20% discount on the new edition of The Change
> Handbook, go to:
> www.bkconnection.com/ChangeHandbook
>
> "An angel told me that the only way to step into the fire and not get
> burnt, is to become
> the fire".
>   -- Drew Dellinger
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-- 
Love rays,
Tree Fitzpatrick

. . . the great and incalculable grace of love, which says, with Augustine,
"I want you to be," without being able to give any particular reason for
such supreme and unsurpassable affirmation.  -- Hannah Arendt

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