Authenticity and self-discovery in Open Space

[Chris Weaver]

Chris's words that presence is no mere accident. It is the result of years
and years of practice... remind me of the idea that OST has both form and
essence.  It seems to me that authenticity opens to essence, pours into
essence.

As I reflect I realize how much I love working with form.  One word for this
is craftsmanship (& surely craftswomanship).  I wonder what specific parts
of working with the form you love?  For me, I love circling the chairs, both
the big circle and all the smaller ones.  I experience a deep aesthetics
around discovering the center of the circle and setting up the chairs.
Those who have worked with me know that I can't talk to them or even listen
to them while I'm doing this (which is why I like to arrive so early & be
alone so as not to appear rude).  There is a visceral moment when the circle
is just right, and the feeling of a particular smile born of that moment
appearing on my face.

I also LOVE making the space-time matrix.  I prefer to do this after
personally setting up the chairs at all the breakout spaces, because then
each of those spaces is already alive when I write the name of the space on
the post-it notes (and sometimes the spaces "tell me their names" as I am
setting up the chairs).

My experience of the opening is similarly aesthetic.  Instead of chairs and
windows and markers and paper, the tools have become words and silence and
walking and eye contact.  These things are aspects of form, while invitation
and authenticity point a finger at the essence.

And then, as has been shared on the list before, comes the pulsating
blissful moment of stepping out of the way.

So this message is about honoring form and about the gift of craftsmanship
through practice.  I think back on my first OST as a participant, which was
at the OSonOS in Monterrey.  I kept watching the facilitators speaking and
walking in the focus of all that inspired human energy in the room, and
hearing stories of giant high-profile events, and thinking, as the quite-shy
person I was, "These people are fearless!"  And then it is as though I
picked up the form of OST and held it in my hands like a flute, and over
months and years I just started playing.  The more music came through, the
more I appreciated the feel of the instrument in my hands.  My heart
connects with the music and my hands connect with the instrument.  Until the
day came when I could stand up and play and the presence of a whole lot of
brilliant people in the room didn't evoke any fear because my fingers
trusted the keys and I knew that the music was coming from everybody.

Chris


Chris Weaver
Springbranch, Inc.
Asheville, North Carolina USA
chris at springbranch.us
http://springbranch.us





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