temple bells - how to use?

Thu Jul 8 10:58:33 PDT 2010

All this information is excellent for ‘bell use’ protocol. I have learned
the hard way – picking bells up by the cord and having them clang together
rudely interrupting people followed by mumbled explanation of my gaff.
Ringing them too often can be too much in open space or with other group
processes like world café. I have learned an important thing in life - Less
is definitely more
 As you say Wendy, the bells have a powerful energy and
can be used in other ways to stimulate energy flow. I have a singing bowl I
use for myself when I want to ground my energy and be centred before a
meeting, event or gathering – or just for me to slow down and pay attention
before I go into the studio. 

One question I have though is about using the bells to close the closing
circle after everyone has spoken – to bookend the event, so to speak.
Thoughts? 

Nancy

  _____  

From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Wendy
Farmer-O'Neil
Sent: July-08-10 10:27 AM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Re: [OSLIST] temple bells - how to use?

Really good points, Chris.

I use the bells only as part of my initial opening of the space and then to
open the closing circle.  I often use them before participants arrive to
condition and charge the space as a lot of venues have cluttered energy or
low energy.  I've found ringing them in the corners of the room and in the
center of the space (and anywhere else that intuition says needs a lift)
helpful. (Again, I do this before other participants arrive, as part of
general set up.)

Cheers,

Wendy

On 8-Jul-10, at 9:35 AM, Chris Corrigan wrote:

Bells can get overused and can lose their appeal and charm, so use them
infrequently and with the pacing and mindfulness that Lisa and Wendy both
suggest.

Also, be careful how you pick them up.  I find that the bells reveal one's
inner state like nothing else.  If you pick them up without consciousness,
and you grab the cord in the middle, they clatter and ring and crash and
lose their power, and you will find yourself embarrassed and apologetic.  In
all things balance is good, but not in picking up ting sha.  If you pick up
the bells by the cord holding them closer to one end or the other, the bells
won't collide.  That way when you finally do ring them the sound will have
been previously unheard and therefore more powerful.

Finally, something I have learned working in Native communities here in
Canada...if there are a lot of Elders in the room, the bells will often
remind them of the time they went to Church-run residential schools which
were resulted in very traumatic experiences for many many people.  As a
result I rarely use bells anymore in these contexts, preferring instead to
call people back together with a drum or some other more appropriate
attention-getting sound.

Chris

----
Chris Corrigan
chris at chriscorrigan.com
http://www.chriscorrigan.com

On 2010-07-07, at 8:57 AM, Lisa Heft wrote:

I bow to you, Ms. Karolina.

I only know what I have noticed.

1) If you ring them 'to let people know things) - for example to signify the
change in time for sessions - you are actually breaking into peoples'
thought process. And there are always enough timepieces (electronic and
otherwise) that people have and even clocks on the wall, plus session
convenors' interest in their next sessions - to let people know in a
participant-centered (rather than facilitator-driven) way when the time is
shifting.  So when I do it, I only ring them at one certain time - to draw
peoples' attention to the fact that Closing Circle is beginning. When I
introduce how the day will go (usually after they post their topics on the
wall), I include the fact that I will not be telling them about time, that
they have these timepieces, but that I will see them in Closing Circle at
''x o'clock" and that I will be in the room if they have any questions.  And
when I use them this once - they really capture peoples' attention, because
they have not over-heard it.  If I am not mistaken, the fabulous Elwin Guild
uses one ring of his bells after the very last comment / all is over at the
end of the event.  Elwin, would you like to share how you use your bells?

2) I 'ding' the bells about 4 to 6 times, letting the full sound of each
ding run out, before I start the next ding. I breathe. And I find the dings
are much like a graceful breathing.

3) If it is a very large venue I hold them up to a microphone.

4) Some people hold them like cymbals (the 'faces' on vertical planes
opposite each other); some people hold them both facing down, next to each
other (lightly holding the straps so as to not affect the sound), and touch
them to each other. This last method is my method.

5) When buying them - ideal is to go to an actual store (a Tibetan store for
example) to listen to the music and tone of each set of bells, to feel which
is the one set that speaks to you.

6) I went to great lengths to make a connecting piece that was not the
original leather - so that I could put things on it that meant something to
me. It turns out that it can affect the sound and can stretch and I am
wondering if perhaps keeping the original simple leather piece might be
best. Although mine is still the way I created it and I enjoy how it looks.

What do others do and know about their bells and their use of them?

Cheers from a gray California morning,

Lisa

Lisa Heft

Consultant, Facilitator, Educator

Opening Space

lisaheft at openingspace.net

www.openingspace.net <http://www.openingspace.net/> 

Ask me about the The Power of Pre-Work workshop for facilitators -August
18-20, 2010 - San Francisco

and the Open Space Learning Workshops - October 15-18, 2010 - Medellin,
Colombia and December 15-17, 2010 - San Francisco

Join me on OSLIST - the World Open Space community in conversation (English)
<http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html>
http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html

and at the Open Space World Community space (all languages)
http://openspaceworld.ning.com <http://openspaceworld.ning.com/>  

On Jul 7, 2010, at 8:31 AM, Karolina Iwa wrote:

from facilitating wikisym2010 in gdansk, poland,

i am writing with a question:

many of us - including me - use temple bells during os events to attract
participants attention.

anybody knows the full code of respectful use of the bells?

i would appreciate your contributions to decreasing my ignorance.

thank you in advance for sharing.

karolina.

____________________________________

karolina iwa.

trainer & facilitator
collective intelligence & self-organisation

D: +49 15774 932139   PL: +48 880 747578
____________________________________

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