[OSList] sacred space

[Birgitt Williams]

Dear friends and colleagues,
Over the years, I have given considerable thought and reflection to the
concept of open space, including what Open Space Technology is, what it
does. I have considered why it is a life nurturing strategy to use Open
Space Technology as often as possible, everywhere in the world, and as
often as possible within an organization.

1992, my first exposure to Open Space Technology by Harrison Owen. I had
already experienced circle work in other forms, the power of the circle.
Now I had a different treasure to experience, a different format of using
circle work. During the Open Space Technology training, Harrison didn't
mention the reflective questions he asked at the end of an OST meeting. I
am not sure that they are in 'The User's Guide'. They might be. They are
definitely in our Genuine Contact program workbook about Working with Open
Space Technology because I found them to be so powerful, offering an
exceptional moment for insights to pop to the surface.

I sat in rapt attention at the end of the closing circle as Harrison asked
"during this time together, what did you experience about leadership? about
vision? about community? about management?". The answers were overwhelming,
positive, insightful, and glorious. The people expressed visceral, not only
intellectual responses that leadership popped up everywhere, that a shared
vision was felt, that community felt surprisingly present, and that within
the structure, self management flowed. For me in that set of moments of the
reflection, I had an insight that affected the rest of my life, my career,
and was the catalytic moment of the development of the Genuine Contact
program.

I related what happened in that moment to what Marianne Williamson wrote,
also published in that same year A Return to Love: Reflections on the
Principles of a Course in Miracles. You probably know the quotation I am
referring to as Nelson Mandela used it in a powerful speech. Here are
Marianne's words "“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our
deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not
our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be
brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you *not* to be?
You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There
is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel
insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were
born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in
some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we
unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are
liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”.

I realized that Open Space Technology provided a window into what is. It
provided a window into the light of the people gathered, their power beyond
measure, their brilliance, beauty, talent, the beautiful spirit in each and
every person gathered and the beauty of the spirit of the collective, the
genius of the collective. The reflection questions helped me to understand
the power of this window that is Open Space Technology into what is, into
what already exists, into what every part of my being knew was sacred.

Just as I believe we are all enlightened, simply needing to pause, breathe,
mediate to develop our awareness of the sacred of our being, I find OST the
best tool to assist a group of people develop awareness that they are much
more than they believe themselves to be, capable of much more from the
sacred, from the field of all possibilities. OST assists us in developing
our capacity to view the field of what is, and what can be further creating
in the ever expanding field. OST assists us in developing our capacity,
with curiosity, wonder, joy, love to work with the field, and to add our
creations to the expansion of the field, a field always present, always
expanding, and accessible by all of us individually, as groups, as
collectives. I do not think of this field as 'open space'. I think of it as
sacred space. It is free, it is available, it invites us if we choose to
have eyes to see it and ears to hear it.

I appreciate Harrison Owen capturing the elements of a useful window, Open
Space Technology, writing about it, training us in it, and inviting people
everywhere to go ahead and use it, without fees going back to him. The
window takes us into the sacred space that is, the sacred space that
includes exceptional insights, conversations, relationships, and results.

For me, I understood that the training lies in how to work with Open Space
Technology, to position it within an organization for the organization to
have the best possible harvest from allowing such a window in their
organization...once or multiple times..or as a way of operating daily.

The Working With Open Space Technology module of the Genuine Contact
program emerged from my quest and my fascination with the first workshop in
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada in 1999. Trainings based on this module
continue in multiple locations annually. A schedule of offerings is at
genuinecontact.net. Of note, three offerings are coming up soon.
1. in the Netherlands by Doris Gottlieb, Thomas Herrmann, Anna Caroline
Turk in the Netherlands Sept 3-5
https://genuinecontact.net/events/ost-amsterdam-201909/
2. in Washington DC area right before WOSONOS by Anna Caroline Turk and
Thomas Herrmann Oct 22-24 https://truthcircles.com/open-space-washington/
3. and the offer of Birgitt Williams and Rachel Bolton online three Fridays
in a row Oct 18, 25 and Nov 1 from 9am to 12:30
https://www.dalarinternational.com/curriculum/open-space-technology/. We
also have a self study option plus one to one mentoring featured on that
page for people who come  to us wanting to learn how to work with OST asap

in genuine contact,
Birgitt






*Birgitt Williams*
*Supporting Next Level Leadership "Leading So People Will Lead"*
Author, Senior Consultant, President Dalar International Consultancy, Inc
<http://www.dalarinternational.com/>
Founder Genuine Contact Program
<http://www.dalarinternational.com/genuine-contact>
Co-owner Genuine Contact Group, LLC
<https://genuinecontact.net/about/co-owners/>
Founder Extraordinary Leadership Network
<http://www.extraordinaryleadershipnetwork.com/>

*Learn with us for your skill and capacity development for leading and
working in the new leadership paradigm "Leading So People Will Lead"*

Upcoming learning module: Working with Open Space Technology
<https://www.dalarinternational.com/curriculum/open-space-technology/>.
Three different learning options to learn a process for facilitating
meetings that engage the people. Self-Study + One-to-One Mentoring +
Mentoring Circle; Self-Study + Real-Time Workshop + Mentoring Circle;
and Self-Study
+ Real-Time Workshop + One-to-One Mentoring + Mentoring Circle with real
time workshop dates three consecutive Fridays from 9am to 12:30pm EST on
October 18, 25, and November 1st.

PO Box 19373, Raleigh, NC, USA 27613
Phone: 01-919-522-7750
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