Temple Bells and other Esoterica

Harrison Owen hhowen at verizon.net
Fri Mar 21 13:38:55 PDT 2008


Doc (you prefer that to Steve?) I have often said that anybody with a good
head and a good heart can do Open Space. It ain't rocket science. AND it may
well take you a life time to do it well. And that for me is the fun part.
Never boring, always something to learn -- most of which has nothing to do
with another tool for the tool kit. My experience has been that it is a
continuing journey of self understanding, a deepening of self awareness. I
guess that sounds pretty "selfish." But I think it is a good sort of
selfishness and it includes all the things you refer to, and more.

The reason anybody can "do it" is that they really are not "doing it." The
essential mechanisms are buried deep in human systems and consciousness:
Such things as the power of self organization, a shamanic walk, the Hero's
journey. All of these, and many more were around a lot longer than any of
us. And they work pretty much all by themselves. I am not quite sure how to
say this, but our role is something like an "invoker," or maybe a
"reminderer?" We help people (the participants) to remember what they
already know. The funny thing about memory is that it doesn't take too much
to trigger it. Even something as clunky as a first time facilitator in Open
Space can do the deed. :-) But when memories are invoked by one who shares
those memories, and does so consciously, the impact can be much deeper. I
think that is where the added skill and experience comes in. And we get paid
for it -- not just in money, but in the priceless currency of a deepened
self awareness and understanding. 

You see we really are working the ultimate scam. The client does all the
work, even writes the report -- and we reap enormous benefits for ourselves.

Harrison  



Harrison Owen
7808 River Falls Drive
Potomac, Maryland   20854
Phone 301-365-2093
Skype hhowen
Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com 
Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org
Personal website www.ho-image.com 
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-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Steven
List
Sent: Friday, March 21, 2008 12:51 PM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Re: Temple Bells and other Esoterica

Harrison (and the rest of the world :)),

This really opens up a new dimension of perception for me. Considering OST
in the context of The Hero's Journey presents a number of interesting ways
to approach the various parts of the OS experience and facilitation.

And your thoughts about Bounding the Circle tie into that for me as well.

For instance, as I began doing this, I did it "by the book".  It seemed to
me, in my simple view, that anyone could read the book, think about it, and
do a good job of facilitating an Open Space.  And yet the attendees told me
repeatedly that I was doing a great job, almost as if they were surprised.

Having experienced the facilitation skills of some others over time, I begin
to see that there is a difference.

I'd love to hear feedback from the community on this, since it's all still
pretty new to me.

I think an OS facilitator:
* is aware - of people, currents, purpose, intent
* carries peace as part of holding space and time
* shares an energy attuned to the joy of the experience and the expectation
of the unexpected
* approaches the event as an organic, evolving organism

What a joy this is.

	Doc

>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of
>> Harrison Owen
>> Sent: Friday, March 21, 2008 11:07 AM
>> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
>> Subject: Re: Temple Bells and other Esoterica
>> 
>> Steve -- You got it for sure! And how I got it was pretty much like
>> the
>> situation with the Bounding the Circle. Typically, when I finished
>> walking
>> the circle, I would move to the center and begin the standard rap,
>> ending of
>> course with an invitation. You all know what happens next! After a
>> number of
>> years doing all that it occurred to me that while I wasn't telling the
>> story
>> of the Hero's Journey I was in fact dancing it -- which I suppose is
>> "telling" in another medium. That was just a curiosity, but it also
>> went a
>> long way towards explaining the intensity of reaction on the part of
>> the
>> participants. They just got right with the story -- which is not
>> surprising
>> if it is a story buried deep in all of human consciousness as Campbell
>> suggests. Even if they had never heard it -- they knew it. I found the
>> whole
>> thing not only explanatory but also very instructive. When you
>> actually know
>> what you are doing, there is a chance you can do it better.
>> 
>> Harrison
>> 
>> Harrison Owen
>> 7808 River Falls Drive
>> Potomac, Maryland   20854
>> Phone 301-365-2093
>> Skype hhowen
>> Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com
>> Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org
>> Personal website www.ho-image.com
>> OSLIST: To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the
>> archives Visit: www.listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
>> 
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of
>> Steven
>> List
>> Sent: Friday, March 21, 2008 10:23 AM
>> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
>> Subject: Re: Temple Bells and other Esoterica
>> 
>> I love the mapping of The Hero's Journey to Open Spaces.
>> 
>> "A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of
>> supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a
>> decisive
>> victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure
>> with the
>> power to bestow boons on his fellow man."
>> (Joseph Campbell) (via the Wikipedia -
>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero%27s_journey)
>> 
>> Doesn't that describe the experience of OST beautifully?
>> 
>> Consider the major stages of THJ:
>> 
>> 1. A call to adventure - the invitation to an unstructured event with
>> unspecified results
>> 
>> 2. A road of trials - discussions that may go any way, people who may
>> not be
>> in alignment, different approaches to organizing/leading/guiding each
>> discussion
>> 
>> 3. Achieving the goal or "boon" - "be prepared to be surprised",
>> finding
>> unexpected results yet achieving the goals/intent of the event
>> 
>> 4. A return to the ordinary world - the sad part, it's over,
>> convergence
>> leading to action?
>> 
>> 5. Applying the boon - putting the results to work
>> 
>> I'd love to see further detailed analysis. And off the top of my head,
>> I'd
>> say it's a pretty compelling mapping between THJ and OST.
>> 
>> Thanks, Harrison!
>> 
>> 	Doc
>> 
>> P.S. I just ordered a pair of temple bells (or is it singular, since
>> they're
>> joined with a cord?) and some talking sticks.  Perfect timing for my
>> next
>> events next month.
>> 
>> --
>> Steven "Doc" List, CMP
>> The Money Is In Your Blind Spot!T
>> Keynote Speaker, Facilitator, Consultant, Master of Ceremonies
>> Workshop Presenter, Author, Coach, Career Management Professional
>> AnotherThought, Inc.
>> 4815 W Braker Ln, Ste 502-111
>> Austin, TX 78759
>> V: 512-246-3533
>> M: 512-924-9248
>> F: 512-233-2943
>> www.AnotherThought.com
>> www.StevenList.com
>> http://Austin.ClassesInTown.com
>> 
>> AnotherThought at gmail.com
>> 
>> >> -----Original Message-----
>> >> From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of
>> >> Harrison Owen
>> >> Sent: Friday, March 21, 2008 8:22 AM
>> >> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
>> >> Subject: Temple Bells and other Esoterica
>> >>
>> >> There is little doubt about it, OST is strange. But the strangest
>> part
>> >> is
>> >> not the use of Temple Bells - but rather the fact that it (OST)
>> works
>> >> at
>> >> all. As far as I can tell OST violates every single theoretical and
>> >> practical principle when it comes to the management of meetings, as
>> >> well as
>> >> management in general. Everybody "knows" that nothing useful will
>> >> happen
>> >> without the presence of The Leader, who takes charge of things,
>> >> insuring
>> >> that the carefully made plan or design is implemented. The Plan is
>> the
>> >> product of long and tedious hours and its implementation is
>> >> accomplished
>> >> only by means of strict command and control. Anything else is
>> weird,
>> >> counterintuitive, wrong, and probably illegal, immoral and
>> fattening.
>> >> Which
>> >> brings us to OST. Frankly it could not, and should not happen - But
>> it
>> >> does.
>> >>
>> >> For participants around the world, now numbering in the millions,
>> all
>> >> of
>> >> this creates something in the nature of cognitive dissonance. You
>> know
>> >> one
>> >> thing to be true, and then the opposite happens! Fortunately, most
>> >> people
>> >> (our participants) are much more interested in results than they
>> are
>> >> in
>> >> principles of theory and practice. And they get results - even have
>> >> fun in
>> >> the process. What a relief compared to the usual state of affairs!
>> >>
>> >> But for professionals in the field (managers, executives, other
>> >> facilitators) - all of this is a real problem. If Open Space works
>> so
>> >> well,
>> >> easily, and often, then one might question why they are working so
>> >> hard. And
>> >> that would be just the beginning of the questioning. Some years
>> ago, a
>> >> very
>> >> senior official in ASTD (American Society of Training and
>> Development)
>> >> told
>> >> me that if what happened in Open Space actually occurred, then 95%
>> of
>> >> what
>> >> they were currently doing under the heading of Training and
>> >> Development -
>> >> need not be done. That is pretty shocking, particularly if all your
>> >> professional status and salary depend on what you were doing. In
>> that
>> >> moment
>> >> it became quite clear to me why people (in general) love Open
>> Space,
>> >> and the
>> >> professional community does its best to ignore it, at the least.
>> >> Under the
>> >> circumstances, I would do the same.
>> >>
>> >> My personal response to all of this has been to accept the
>> challenge
>> >> and
>> >> dive as deeply as I could into the puzzle: OST works. It shouldn't.
>> >> What's
>> >> going on? It has been a lot of fun, and all of you have been deeply
>> >> contributory to the adventure. Collectively, I think we are
>> beginning
>> >> to see
>> >> some sense in the non-sense! For me a critical step came when I
>> began
>> >> to
>> >> think of OST as simply an example of the great force of self-
>> >> organization at
>> >> work. This is not something we invented or created. In fact it
>> seems
>> >> to have
>> >> been going on for 13.7 billion years.
>> >>
>> >> But clearly that is not the only way to look at things, nor is
>> >> self-organization the only thing that is operative in this funny
>> thing
>> >> we
>> >> call Open Space Technology. To this I might add the shamanic act of
>> >> Bounding
>> >> the Circle, the age old mythology of The Hero's Journey, and of
>> course
>> >> -
>> >> Temple Bells.
>> >>
>> >> "Bounding the Circle" may not be familiar to some people, but every
>> >> time we
>> >> (as OST facilitators) walk the circle at the beginning of a
>> gathering
>> >> - that
>> >> is exactly what we are doing, and some people might call it weird.
>> But
>> >> I
>> >> think it is very important to understand how Bounding the Circle
>> came
>> >> to be
>> >> a part of Open Space. It just happened. Way back when - I found
>> that
>> >> at the
>> >> start of a gathering it seemed like a good idea to walk around the
>> >> circle so
>> >> folks might see who I was, and simultaneously see who else was in
>> the
>> >> circle
>> >> as their eyes followed me around. Nothing esoteric here - just
>> seemed
>> >> like a
>> >> good thing to do. What surprised me as I and friends and colleagues
>> >> did this
>> >> simple walk, was how powerful it seemed to be in terms of exciting
>> and
>> >> focusing the spirit and energy of the participants.
>> >>
>> >> One day it hit me like a ton of bricks. I was simply doing what I
>> had
>> >> seen
>> >> countless Medicine Men doing when I was in Africa. In fact, it was
>> a
>> >> simple
>> >> ritual from millennia past. It worked then. It works now. Isn't it
>> >> surprising, the fundamentals of human community are still
>> fundamental!
>> >> But
>> >> the really important point is that I never sat down to deeply study
>> >> Shamanic
>> >> Traditions, and then said to my self - Right, Let's do this in Open
>> >> Space.
>> >> Quite the other way around! I did it, and then wondered why it
>> worked.
>> >>
>> >> I could say basically the same thing for Temple Bells and the
>> Hero's
>> >> Journey. They just happened, and then we all had the wonderful
>> >> opportunity
>> >> to ask, How come?
>> >>
>> >> This conversation has been basically ongoing, and for me it is one
>> of
>> >> the
>> >> richest parts of our community life. And now - What about Temple
>> >> Bells? Or
>> >> the Hero's Journey??
>> >>
>> >> Harrison
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Harrison Owen
>> >> 7808 River Falls Drive
>> >> Potomac, Maryland   20854
>> >> Phone 301-365-2093
>> >> Skype hhowen
>> >> Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com
>> >> <http://www.openspaceworld.com/>
>> >>
>> >> Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org
>> >> Personal website www.ho-image.com
>> >> OSLIST: To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the
>> >> archives
>> >> Visit: www.listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
>> >> <http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
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