Tibetan temple bells

[Chris Corrigan]

I use what I can.  In First Nations communities bells of any kind often
evoke the school bell that sounded in residential boarding schools, and that
can be a slightly jarring experience for many, especially for those that
experienced trauma at those schools..  Often in these communities I will use
a drum, softly beating, and growing stronger to bring people back together.

Almost always, at the end of a gathering, I simply start to put the chairs
back in  circle which eases the group into the closing.  No bells needed
there.

I DO use bells though, in all sorts of other places, because they are really
good at getting attention in a gentle and piercing way.

On the question of appropriating vs. using...to me appropriating means to
take something that isn't yours and make it yours.  People appropriate
things all the time from Native American sources.  There is tons of bad
"Native American wisdom" out there that is exactly that - bastardized
versions of traditional thought that have been roped into service of
whatever trendy new age concept is the flavour of the day.  Appropriation of
this kind is not respectful to the group you are working with or the people
whose voices you have appropriated.  So much of what I see used is
completely unsourced, as if somehow there was this great generic and
anonymous well of Native American wisdom that is free for the taking.  In
truth, the first peoples of North America are very diverse and have very
deep and sophisticated philosophical, psychological and scientific systems
and worldviews, and real people contribute, interpret and work with these
systems every day.  We would never quote Jung as "an anonymous European
Elder."  Attributing wisdom to sources is just good practice.

And here's a good piece on what I'm talking about:
http://www.bluecorncomics.com/newage.htm

But I think your inquiry about the bells falls into a different category.
Using something that is useful is another story.  Whenever I ring my bells
the first things I say is "Wow...the Tibettans really know how to get
people's attention."  Then I offer a few sentences about what these unusual
bells are, and why I use them.

Am I appropriating something?  I don't think so.  I used bells to open and
close an Open Space gathering for the Dalai Lama Centre in Vancouver once
with many Tibetans in the room.  They were all delighted, coming up to me
afterwards with big grins to say how cool it was that we were using bells to
open space. Seems to me it's a question of honest and respectful use.
Others might think differently I suppose.

But here's perhaps the cardinal rule on anything I do to open space: make it
about opening space for the work to happen.  That's what you are there for.
Do whatever you need to do, in the context of the folks you are working
with, to open space and get out of the way and let them get to work.
Dissonant ritual or drawing undue attention to yourself or the process does
not generally serve the group.  Be clear and don't distract them from the
task at hand.

Those are my thoughts...

Chris



On Wed, Mar 19, 2008 at 12:39 PM, Raffi Aftandelian <raffi at bk.ru> wrote:

> Dear friends and colleagues,
>
> The recent discussion on choosing not to talk about bumblebees reminds me
> of
> my hesitation in using Tibetan temple bells to open the space and to
> invite
> everyone to the closing circle.
>
> I really like Tibetan temple bells and their place in OST meetings. They
> seem to mark an entrance into a different time and space, from chronos
> (sequential time) to kairos (spacious, potential-filled time). They seem
> to
> invite presence. And I particularly like the bells given to me because of
> their story.
>
> And, I worry that by using these bells, I am appropriating something that
> is
> not from my original culture.
>
> And very occasionally, the bells seem to evoke something mystical,
> bringing
> on great discomfort to some participants. I am not sure this dissonance is
> necessarily something harmful for participants, however.
>
> How do others see the questions, concerns I raise here?
>
> appreciatively,
> raffi
>
> raffi at bk.ru, raffi_1970 at yahoo.com
>
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-- 
CHRIS CORRIGAN
Facilitation - Training - Process Design
Open Space Technology

Weblog: http://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot
Site: http://www.chriscorrigan.com

Principal, Harvest Moon Consultants, Ltd.
http://www.harvestmoonconsultants.com

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