Advanced Butterfly Behavior
Peggy Holman
peggy at opencirclecompany.com
Tue Aug 15 15:06:49 PDT 2006
Re: Advanced Butterfly BehaviorThere is something I'm trying to get at and still grappling with how to say it. It has something to do with what you said, Harrison:
> Actually I would see "butterfly-ness" as the essence of Open Space and all the rest as
> a practical accommodation to the needs of some (many) people for a specific time, place,
> and topic.
Here's another attempt:
Since we are always in Open Space, posting sessions becomes one specialized form that allows me to find people interested in a topic that I want to explore. As Tree was saying about her NCDD experience (mine too, BTW), the more time I spend in OS, the more I find that I'm drawn to people, relationships as much or more than topics or ideas. In fact, the last time I opened space, rather than focusing on the posting of topics as the primary activity, I framed it in the context of the larger Open Space in which we live. Sometimes we follow our noses to where the energy is, sometimes we are moved to meet with specific people, to deepen a relationship, and sometimes, we have an idea and want to explore it with others - hence the bulletin board.
Something I saw happen in the later years of Spirited Work was fewer topics on the walls and more conversations that just sprang up because we were hanging out with people we loved (whether we knew them or now). It was as if the foreground and background shifted - being together for whatever emerged became the norm, posting sessions happened when some specific topic had juice.
This is slightly different from my butterfly question, but in the same family.
(BTW, a bit more the the story on the "culturally mature" session...nothing particularly useful happened that evening. It did however, lead to a posting in which any and all who cared to participate came to a session in which they experienced his process. That session was quite meaty. I don't know for sure, but suspect the public session would likely not have happened had that first whispered session not taken place.)
still wondering,
Peggy
----- Original Message -----
From: Mark R. Jones
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Sent: Tuesday, August 15, 2006 10:00 AM
Subject: Re: [OSLIST] Advanced Butterfly Behavior
Hi H (Harrison) and Peggy.
Hmmmmmmmmmm . . .
There is an element here for me that is implied in Peggy's
piece and your response to it that I would like to explore . . .
The "butterfly" phenomena in OST has been widely acknowledged
by you and others. As a dedicated "butterfly" myself, I find
that I do have some reflections on the topic that Peggy has raised.
In my "butterfly-ness", I assemble, attract, and/or am attracted
to people with which I typically have very intense, personal, and
private conversations with. These conversations occur in both 1:1
and group forms. H, over the years, you and I have had these types
of interactions with each other -- in the midst of OS events.
In my "butterfly-ness", I discern who I want to be in conversation
with -- The Law of Two Feet -- and then act upon that discernment.
As you know H, I rarely actually attend "called" (posted) sessions.
Yet, I feel welcome to play in Open Space -- not negatively judged
for my discernment -- my exercise of The Law of Two Feet.
In my "butterfly-ness", I learn to hear, see, and love other people.
And perhaps others learn to hear, see, and love me and each other.
I acquire and refine insights and discover connections.
Unfortunately, I rarely document my learnings within the formal
mechanisms of OST. And my "public" sharings do not contain the
richness of the private details that I have discovered.
Yet, I feel that there is some common good that comes of it.
Some mutual sense of interconnection, compassion, and understanding
is established. Some of the insights are returned to the public
forum. And, interpersonal relationships are established and/or
reinforced.
AND --- All of this occurs "outside" of the formal process and form
of OST. "Butterfly-ness" is acknowledged by the process, and held
by the form of OST. But it is not the practice-normed form of OST
which is essentially -- gatherings around publicly advertised topics
and conveners in specific places at specific times.
If in the two examples that Peggy gave, the participants had simply
"butterflyed" their intention to meet together -- there would have
been no public declaration and no public outrage and judgment, and
possibly no public sharing. The "sessions" would have occurred outside
of the formal process and form of OST.
But I suspect that the session participants chose to try to in some way
to "honor" the formal process and form of OST by attempting to use some
of the OST mechanisms of "public" declaration. This partial revelation
of intent created a public stir regarding what was in all likelihood
a space in which very personal and private conversations could occur.
Peggy's inquiry provokes me to ponder:
* What ways does and can the formal process and form of OST more deeply
embrace and benefit from "butterfly-ness"?
* Does the formal process and form of OST fundamentally reject "private"
conversation and its manifestation in some forms of "butterfly-ness"?
* Is the manifestation of some forms of "butterfly-ness" as "private"
conversation a perversion of OST?
* Is acting upon "The Law of Two Feet" as a means of interpersonal
relationship discernment a perversion of OST?
* In the cultural norms of OST, am I required to give up my practice
of choosing who I want to interact with?
Mark R. Jones
Chief Executive Officer
The Sunyata Group
The Integral Wellness Group
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PO Box 58788
Renton, Washington
USA 98058-1788
Phone: 425-413-6000
e-Mail: mark.r.jones at sunyata.ws
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------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Harrison Owen <hhowen at adelphia.net>
Reply-To: Harrison Owen <hhowen at verizon.net>
Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2006 08:13:27 -0400
To: <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
Subject: Re: Advanced Butterfly Behavior
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
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USA
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207-763-3261 (summer)
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----- Original Message -----
From: Peggy Holman <mailto: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 <http://www.opencirclecompany.com>
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