WOSonOS 2008, San Francisco...in...progress...

Fri Jul 25 14:34:04 PDT 2008

A little offering from my first experience at WOSonOS & the workshop  
with Lisa,

I have arrived home, and while my suitcase was light and quick to  
unpack, I feel I am also coming back with an armful of gifts that  
will take time to carefully unwrap, and gradually savour their true  
beauty.  Some that are coming to mind are the conversations I shared  
that explored opening space with oneself to discover fearlessness;  
open space as a process for engaged learning & discovery; silence as  
the auditory partner of physical space - a place where dreams may  
come into form, and where the new can emerge; experiencing OS as a  
relief for participants (even the skeptical), as it offers a process  
that allows for connection with other that is often longed for; the  
ancestral element of OS, as a remembered way of being.  And, of  
course, it was delightful to hear Harrison speak, a good storyteller  
brimming with practical wisdom, and most encouraging of continuing  
this little adventure...

I know it will have been a fabulous day today, too!

With heaps of appreciation,
Christie
On 23-Jul-08, at 7:08 PM, ashley cooper wrote:

> Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, LISA and crew. Lovely to hear and  
> feel the life and possibility bubbling in the certainly sacred  
> space you have created and welcomed the OS world into.
>
> there with you in spirit,
> ashley
>
> On Wed, Jul 23, 2008 at 4:04 PM, Lisa Heft  
> <lisaheft at openingspace.net> wrote:
> Hello, my lovely friends and colleagues -
>
> Thank you so much for your warm support - we feel you with us in  
> spirit, indeed.
>
> Monday and Tuesday we had a fabulous Open Space Learning Workshop  
> with 40+ interesting, interested and diversely experienced  
> colleagues from around the world.  Spark (from Korea) gave us a  
> gift - little...tiny...baby...two feet - a pin to wear as graduates  
> of this particular class.  Raffi translated for our Russian  
> colleagues and boy he must be thirsty. That is hard work.  Somebody  
> get him a glass of water...or what was I thinking? vodka. There was  
> a whole little production project so that by the end of class  
> everyone received a cd copy of the Open Space Idea Book.  I must  
> remember to invite these folks to my home whenever I need a whole  
> little elves' workshop!  We pondered the true meaning of  
> invitation, played concepts of Open Space back to each other in  
> silence, movement and metaphor, walked out to see the Golden Gate  
> Bridge, took naps... sounds like learning to me...
>
> Tuesday evening was the Author Evening with Harrison.  100+ people  
> in a lovely room by the San Francisco Marina - sun setting,  
> sailboats rocking, old friends and new, the launch of the Third  
> Edition of Open Space Technology: A User's Guide, nibbles, wine,  
> and okay so some hugging and laughter as well.
>
> Tonight is our opening casual reception - the same lovely room,  
> some food, and friends. No activity designed - just a lovely place  
> to meet and share stories, introduce new and old friends, look at  
> the sunset, drink some wine or juice and enjoy each other.
>
> Tomorrow the conference day opens.  This will be in a lovely room  
> with a very large window and a view of the Golden Gate Bridge to  
> continue giving us a sense of place.  Space opens, we jump in, and  
> off we go.
>
> We will have...
>
> - A Global Village Marketplace - where you bring bit of art or  
> fabric or ? from your village or that you made and sell it to raise  
> funds for your travel expenses or the Access Queen Project (this is  
> how we share resources to help 'Askers' get to our WOSonOSs)
>
> - Silent Auction - where you hope to be the highest bidder on some  
> lovely item so you can take it home and the money goes  
> to ...yes...the Access Queen Project
>
> - a Photo Corner so we can get a photo of everyone present - we  
> will try to put this in our Book of Proceedings
>
> - A Things to Do and See wall where people will be posting colorful  
> posters of ideas for spending time and enjoying the San Francisco  
> Bay Area
>
> - Gently used books on facilitation - for those who do not have  
> access to books - to take home with them
>
> - A library of Open Space  resources (including Raffi's new book)
>
> - Lovely pinwalls and a cool suitcase that holds facilitator items  
> to show to all - from our friends at Neuland
>
> - Compostable dining items, recycling, local merchant food, and an  
> electronic Book of Proceedings to keep an eye on our impact on the  
> planet (our caterer tells us that on occasion, the compostable  
> dinner ware - forks for example - can change shape a bit during  
> dinner - but they are still perfectly useful for eating...  
> hmmm...that will be fun....
>
> - A quiet room...ahhh....
>
> - A Thursday evening dinner and celebration with music, perhaps a  
> little performance or dancing will break out..and..perhaps some  
> lovely "hippie" costumes...as people tease us Californians all the  
> time about being 'hippies' we said 'hey, bring it on! come dressed  
> as hippies and show us what you mean!' - I know I have my costume  
> all picked out...peace and love, baby...
>
> - International Suitcase Cuisine - where everyone brings some  
> lovely food or drink from their country, neighborhood or kitchen to  
> add to our Thursday dinner (I envision everything from pickled  
> herring to Haitian rum to local organic chocolates -- okay not all  
> together, I mean one after the other)...
>
> - Home stays and shared rooms and hostel beds found, ride shares  
> matched, buddies to meet to navigate in a new land, tips for new  
> travelers, more Russian translation, sharing language and culture  
> and more...our Access Queen Project of matching people who can give  
> to people who need is helping a record number of wonderful people  
> to join us this year and enrich us with their diverse knowledge and  
> experience...
>
> - Invitation offered from potential country hosts for the 2009 and  
> 2010 WOSonOS - as we move back and forth across the waters to share  
> this event around the world...
>
> - ...and a group of fabulous Citizen journalist / bloggers who will  
> send out more news to you, dear readers...as we go...
>
> A few weeks afterwards, after your dear Host Team can rest a bit,  
> we will be posting our Book of Proceedings for you all to enjoy,  
> plus - another tradition of Access Queen behind the scenes - we  
> will be sending a list of ideas, resources and checklists to our  
> 2009 WOSonOS hosts - lessons learned from several years of past  
> WOSonOS hosts to future ones to help them in their planning for  
> this lovely world event.
>
> I am about to swim back in to the details of registration and  
> preparation and also maybe a lovely walk in sunny breezy San  
> Francisco before our reception tonight.
>
> But I wanted to give you a taste, my friends who cannot be with us  
> in person.
>
> We are thinking of you as we jump into this nourishing mix of  
> fascinating people with stretchy thinking and mind-expanding  
> experience.   If we don't see you this week...we are saving our  
> pennies for 2009 to see you....wherever in the world that will be.  
> And that will be revealed...very soon after our conference....
>
> And I bow to my fabulous, creative and hard-working Host Team:
>
> Jeff Aitken
> Kelly Feder
> Ainsley Nies
> Nettie Pardue
> Erica Peng
> Heidi Nobantu Saul
> Bob Sullens
>
> ...Most of whom have been together working on this for a year (we  
> celebrated our year anniversary on this project with ice cream and  
> cake).  We are SO excited that this is happening now...We are  
> delighted and honored to receive our colleagues here in San  
> Francisco at WOSonOS 2008.
>
> More soon....
>
> Lisa
> On behalf of the WOSonOS Host Team
>
> ___________________________
> L i s a H e f t
> Consultant, Facilitator, Educator
> O p e n i n g S p a c e
> lisaheft at openingspace.net
> www.openingspace.net
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