[OSList] Circle of One (was OSList Digest, Vol 19, Issue 5)

[Harold Shinsato]

Matilda, thanks for your reply. I look forward to learning more about 
the Hal and Sidra Stone 'Voice Dialogue' technique.

Brendan - I remember you very well as an important part of my experience 
of Berlin - especially your statement about letting go of needing to 
make a difference, so that you can make a difference. Your response was 
worth reading a few times. If you're familiar with Gestalt therapy's 
"empty chair" technique, how do you think this Celtic wisdom might 
apply? A coach led me through the process a few times, and it has been 
quite intriguing. I even got a bunch of different hats to try doing the 
work on my own. It seems to help to give these different elements of the 
psyche some space to express - open space and let the inner conflict be 
visible so that these elements can be more in communion. It's one of the 
things I enjoyed most about studying improv and acting. Playing with 
different persona's made it easier to be less rigidly identified with 
the ego.

So much of theater and acting seems like deep shamanistic psyche work. 
This seems very rich territory for exploration.

     Harold

On 9/13/12 5:42 PM, Matilda Leyser wrote:
> Hi Harold and Brendan and all,
>
> Joining this thread late, or just at the right time :-)! - I am a 
> little slow on email these days since my circle of one has become a 
> circle of three, with our 8 month year old son wriggling round it all 
> day. Yes, Harold, you remembered the session in Berlin well and 
> Brendan's description of how he opens space for himself is wonderful, 
> as is that quote of John O'Donohue's. My own process has also been 
> influenced by a body of work known as 'Voice Dialogue,' developed by 
> Hal and Sidra Stone, which is precisely about the many selves we carry 
> inside our self, and developing the ability to hold space for all of 
> them.
>
> Hope to see some of you soon in a circle in London,
> Love
> Matilda and Riddley and Phelim and the cuddly toys xxx
>
>
> On 12 Sep 2012, at 14:43, Brendan McKeague wrote:
>
>> Well Gijs...what a lovely memory you're triggering from the 
>> Presidio..and Matilda's creativity in Berlin
>>
>> Here is a the context, best expressed for me by John O'Donohue in his 
>> inspirational book, Anam Cara...Spiritual Wisdom from the Celtic World
>>
>>     "Individuality is never simple or one dimensional.Often it seems
>>     as if there is a crowd within the individual heart ... At the
>>     deepest level of the human heart, there is no simple, singular
>>     self.Deep within there is a gallery of different selves.Each one
>>     of these figures expresses a different part of your
>>     nature.Sometimes they will come into contradiction and conflict
>>     with each other.If you only meet these contradictions on the
>>     surface level, this can start an inner feud that could haunt you
>>     all the days of your life.Frequently, you see people who are
>>     sorely divided.They are in a permanent war zone and have never
>>     managed to go deeper to the hearth of kinship where the two
>>     forces are not enemies, but reveal themselves to be different
>>     sides of one belonging.
>>
>>     We cannot embody in action the multiplicity of selves we
>>     encounter in our most inward meditations.But without a knowledge
>>     of these numberless selves our existence is severely diminished
>>     and our access to mystery is blocked.We are talking here of the
>>     imagination and its riches; too often we degrade imagination to a
>>     problem-solving technique.
>>
>>     We need to develop a new sense of the wonderful complexity of the
>>     self.We need thought models or patterns which are fair and
>>     appropriate to that complexity.When people discover their own
>>     complexity, they become afraid and with the hammers of
>>     second-hand thoughts they beat this rich internal landscape into
>>     a monoscape.They make themselves conform.They agree to fit in;
>>     they cease to be vivid presences, even to themselves."  (pp146-48)
>>
>> This notion got me to thinking - how would it be to facilitate an 
>> Open Space meeting for my 'inner village', or 'inner family'...or 
>> 'inner tribe'....
>> A colleague of mine had introduced me to the Jungian 'thought model' 
>> of 'Active Imagination' where we can create a space for conversation 
>> with these inner-village people by intentionally engaging our 
>> imagination. These characters often appear in dreams and I had been 
>> setting time aside to have a yarn with each of them in response to 
>> the purpose behind their appearance in my subconscious world. I would 
>> sit quietly with journal and write out the conversation as it 
>> unfolded...a kind of imaginary dialogue with 'part of me' that needed 
>> to be given voice in my conscious, ego-controlled presence.  This was 
>> very useful for me in surfacing and addressing some 'shadow issues' 
>> with a trusted companion (spiritual guide, therapist...).
>>
>> I then wondered what it would feel like if I invited whoever wished 
>> to come along to an Inner VIllage Open Space meeting - and guess 
>> what, it was very similar to an outer-world meeting...issue an 
>> invitation around a theme that's significant for me at the time, see 
>> who shows up, post topics, host conversations, converge and plan 
>> actions....with me (ego state) the sponsor/facilitator recording the 
>> proceedings and getting more in touch with the deeper recesses of my 
>> 'truth'....and I must confess that some quite shady characters often 
>> show up - an old/familiar acquaintance, a shy stranger, a domineering 
>> autocrat, a frightened child, a passionate activist....all the right 
>> 'people' of course!
>>
>> So, maybe its the leprechauns in me...regardless, I love it - even 
>> tho some of these meetings can be very draining and last for a couple 
>> of hours...its a rich experience.
>>
>> Cheers
>> Brendan
>> (and his village)
>>


-- 
Harold Shinsato
harold at shinsato.com <mailto:harold at shinsato.com>
http://shinsato.com
twitter: @hajush <http://twitter.com/hajush>
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