Opening space 24X7 --Wave Riders Unite!

Suzanne Daigle sdaigle4 at gmail.com
Mon Feb 15 06:50:27 PST 2010


Even in Florida,  we hibernate, without the snow but certainly with lots of
cold this year.  Hibernating is what I have been doing after a
"traumatizing" and "exhilarating" year  of personal growth in 2009 much of
it instigated by Open Space which captured my soul and fought with my
intellect.

Harrison's invitation last December "*Opening Space 24 X 7: Wave Rider's
Unite" * attracted me because I read into it a collective "call to action"
for what Open Space can offer to a world riddled with pain, fear, chaos,
confusion and conflict...more than any of us have probably seen in our
lifetime. It would seem that on the basis of this very great need, *we could
just go do it!*

And yet for me, I had to pause, and open up time and space in my life before
rushing right in.

Borrowing from a concept in Harrison's book *The Practice of Peace* in which
he eloquently dummies up some of Ken Wilber's work, I can attest that a
little over a year ago,  I was at the fourth level of consciousness called
"Intellect" which means I valued *control, helping, fixing, doing, planning
and the exhausting list goes on.  *Some days I'm still there though now I
truly feel myself shifting to others places called Soul and Spirit, feeling
the exhilaration and pain which puts me face to face with all those things
that I used to do which don't make me proud.  Lucky, I am pretty good at
self-compassion most days.

When you have lived the addiction of helping, fixing, and organizing it hits
you hard and you have to heal a bit, forgiving your ego before you *jump
right in*. At least that's what I've found myself doing. In hibernation, I
have spent days and nights reading as I've never read before catching up on
the great thinkers, philosophers, artists and scientists as if my life
depended on it while also exercising, eating healthy, being quiet, etc. I
needed this reflection time to connect Open Space with the bigger picture
and to let it sink in. I needed to prepare by "not doing" and this has been
the most difficult thing to do,  knowing the great pain and need out there
everywhere that so pulls us to do and fix.

Now if I am sharing this very personal journey with you, as the Open Space
beginner and facilitator that I was,  it is to gift this community back with
the gratitude I feel for the path I am on. I also want to say there are lots
of "me's" out there ready to be ignited and to be re-engaged in the "being
and doing" of their lives, which I think is the way nature intends us to
live our lives. Many are the corporate folks, like me, consumed and rushed
on the fast treadmill of death, stressed out and so exhausted without even
knowing it. Lots of breathing out, no time for breathing in. Wave Riders and
Peacemakers are needed.  People need to hear and feel our invitation in more
places, more often.

I know my journey is not unique and that the route that gets us there may be
different but what I want to do in the most vulnerable way is say thank you
to so many including Brian, who touched my soul more than I knew. He must be
looking down on us now with that glint in his eye.  In the meantime, even in
hibernation, I still did Open Space just last week with a small group of
girl scouts and the magic overwhelmed me again as I felt their joy, energy
and gratitude to just talk which they said they never really get a chance to
do.

So yes Harrison and others, I am in serious preparation to be Opening Space
24X7, wherever, whenever with whoever but I had a lot of internal work to do
before I could be ready. It's getting closer but I'm not quite there yet.
I'm working on the "being" that goes with invitation imagining what it would
have taken me to be convinced to host an Open Space.  And that is hard work
cause it would have taken a lot for the "unconscious" me to have had the
courage to open space and time in the midst of what feels like crisis on top
of crisis. I know that it will be my intention more than my words that will
create the opportunity.

So thank you all on this US President's Day, a day after Valentines.
Hopefully others will join in to share their thoughts and let it all hang
out.
Suzanne







On Tue, Dec 15, 2009 at 8:26 AM, Harrison Owen <hhowen at verizon.net> wrote:

>  Several days ago I sent a note to what I thought was going to be a small
> group of friends, inviting thinking about opening space every day, what that
> might mean, and how to accomplish all that in specifics. In effect, I was
> taking off from my book "Wave Rider" which is my best shot on the subject to
> date -- with the expectation that there is much more "out there" in terms of
> ideas and actions. Along the way I did suggest that OST (as the meeting
> approach) might be getting in the way of the larger discussion. Even worse,
> I facetiously (jokingly) invited everybody to join "The Imperial Society of
> Wave Riders!" Well you can imagine the uproar this caused. Here I am
> suggesting that we eliminate OST and become imperialists! Not a good day --
> but I do think the proposed discussion has merit. In fact from where I sit
> it may just be the most important discussion we could have.
>
>
>
> Given the state of the world (no need for detailed analysis) superior human
> performance achieved in a peaceful fashion seems like a very good idea. Or
> put another way how do we find the intelligence and energy to deal with the
> massive issues we face without killing each other? I believe that the 25
> year Open Space experiment has clearly shown that superior performance in a
> peaceful manner can be achieved any time we open space. It may not be
> perfect, but it works better than just about anything else, and for sure it
> is a lot less work. The reason for all this is that we are not really doing
> anything. Rather, we are inviting the system (business, family,
> organization) to do what it can do all by itself. Self organize. We are just
> helping people to notice that -- and when they do magic seems to happen.
> Peace and high performance show up. If we are honest about it, I think we
> might realize that OST is in some real ways a fraud and a joke, at least it
> becomes all that if we take credit for the power and effect of the process,
> and the special way that we might "do" it. Rather like taking credit for the
> power and effect of gravity -- which will continue no matter what we do!
>
>
>
> Anyhow, I believe the community that gathers here online (and anybody else
> who cares to join us) is uniquely positioned to engage in this discussion
> not just at a theoretical level but at a very solid practical level. We have
> the shared experience of hundreds of thousands of Open Spaces. And we have
> something else -- the shared experience of life in our community. As the
> world might see it the "Open Space Community" is a pretty strange thing. It
> has no boundaries, no formal organization, leadership, or corporate status.
> Membership is pretty much whoever shows up -- and the party has been going
> on for 25 years. Odd but very effective. Indeed there are multiple formal
> organizations in the world who with might greater effort have accomplished
> substantially less. Think about it! Multiple Global and regional meetings. A
> world wide reach. More training programs than you can name. And absolutely
> nobody is in charge. There has never been a Business Plan, and if a budget
> exists it has never been found. Is it all just a gossamer dream, a fanciful
> delusion, or something much deeper and more important? I vote for the
> latter. I think this is a conversation that needs to happen, not to the
> exclusion of all others, but this is where my passion is.
>
>
>
> Anyhow I invite you to share and think about our common experience -- and
> let our experience be our guide. As a starting point we might just begin
> with invitation. What would happen if all our projects began with invitation
> as opposed to assignment?
>
>
>
>
>
> Harrison
>
>
>
>
>  * * ==========================================================
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-- 
Suzanne Daigle
NuFocus Strategic Group
7159 Victoria Circle
University Park, FL 34201
FL 941-359-8877;
CT 203-722-2009
www.nufocusgroup.com
s.daigle at nufocusgroup.com

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