book circle invitation

[Barry Owen]

Raffi,

In the late 80's I was very busy "playing" around the country looking for myself and feeling around to discover my purpose. Part of this included getting to know my Father. I'll never forget my curious self trying to get a grip on what he did for a living. I knew that he wrote books and that he was a consultant . . . I also knew that (I think in his terms) he was considered to be a "quack" by the traditional consultants and was simply not publishable . . . wasn't "mainstream stuff" and the publishers wouldn't touch it.

I got a copy of "Spirit" very soon after it was completed . . . and it sat on my shelf for @ 4 years before I actually opened the cover and began to read. The day I did read that book was the day I found purpose. Years of wandering culminated instantly. I was consumed by the possibilities and immediately launched myself into a "learning mode" I had never before experienced . . . became a rabid reader . . . "Plugged in" to as much OS as I could - even though there was not yet very much of it yet . . . Attended one of the first "Trainings" at Evergreen (Seattle area) . . . and as many "OT's" and OSONOS's as possible . . . participated in the construction of some of the first internet presences . . . and even explored the notion (with a group of folks) of establishing a physical "Open Space Institute" campus in the Pacific Northwest.

Those were exciting times, and the excitement has not waned. I have not been as plugged in to the OS community in the past few years because I have been "busy" following that purpose I found :-)

What all of this did was tipped me in the direction of living in Open Space and inviting others along for the ride. I sell real estate and run a real estate firm to pay the bills . . . and incorporate open Space into everything I do. My comment to a group of folks yesterday was: "If you think big enough, any single person can be a group." I have just launched a very cool concept to integrate OS principles into the workings of our International corporation . . . and am making good progress with that and am opening a bit of space in a particularly conflicted office in a few weeks.

All this to say . . . "Spirit - Transformation & Development in Organizations" was the fire that kindled these 15 years of discovery . . . Thank you Dad!

b

--
Barry Owen 
Principal Broker 
The Owen Group 
Keller Williams Realty 
30 Burton Hills Blvd STE 175 
Nashville, TN 37215 
615.568.2123 
www.theowengroup.net 
Visit my BLOG @ http://creatingspaces.blogspot.com/ 

Keller Williams Realty is a learning-based training & Consulting company supporting our REALTOR partners by offering business models, systems, tools, & support to Build Careers WORTH having, Businesses WORTH Owning, and Lives Worth Living!

-------------- Original message -------------- 
From: Raffi Aftandelian <raffi at BK.RU> 

> Dear fellow spaceholders, 
> 
> From time to time we ask, "what happens after Open Space?" or "How do we 
> create (conscious) Open Space organizations?" or any number of other Big 
> Questions. One book that probably offers answers to these questions and 
> invites further inquiry is Harrison's self-published "Spirit: Transformation 
> and Development in Organizations" (Abbott Books 1987), available through 
> online bookstores and freely downloadable at Harrison's website. 
> 
> The Utne Reader called it a "cult classic." 
> 
> One might liken reading the "User's Guide" and other later books about 
> OS/OST to being offered to ride in a shiny, red Ferrari. 
> 
> In "Spirit" one might get the feeling that Harrison is lying underneath a 
> Ferrari, wrench in one hand, oil cloth in other hand, saying, "Hey, I've 
> been busy all my life discovering this time machine called Open Space, wanna 
> see how it ticks and join me for the ride?" 
> 
> "Spirit" is intriguing not only for what it says, but also for what is left 
> unsaid. Indeed, Harrison, I think one of your greatest gifts as a writer is 
> how you subtly leave the space open for the reader to formulate the question. 
> 
> I have found "Spirit" exciting for a number of reasons, including: 
> 
> - it tells much more of the story of OS, sans martinis 
> 
> - connections between the myth, liturgy, ritual, and organizational 
> transformation are established 
> 
> - case examples of application of OS principles before there was an OST. 
> 
> - this book offers a perspective on understanding the form and essence of 
> OS/OST without a mention of self-organization. Self-organization is a great 
> way of explaining why OST works *and* there must be other ways of 
> understanding and explaining why it works. 
> 
> Might "Spirit" be the most significant thing that Harrison ever wrote on OST 
> and the open space of our lives? 
> 
> I would like to extend an invitation to anybody who cares to to explore this 
> book together. 
> 
> I'd like to convene a "Spirit" discussion group. I see us gathering by 
> conference call once a month sharing our (new) questions, insights, 
> challenges as we go through this book. 
> 
> If interested, drop me a line offline. 
> You can find the book at http://www.openspaceworld.com/Spirit.pdf 
> 
> Warmly, 
> Raffi Aftandelian 
> 
> * 
> * 
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