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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color=black
face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;color:black'>Harrison
Owen wrote</span></font><font color=navy><span style='color:navy;mso-color-alt:
windowtext'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:
0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:.5in;text-align:center'><font size=3
color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:navy'>My
friend Birgitt Williams appears to have some difficulty with the notion that
organization, forming in Open Space, is in fact self-organization at work. Or
in her words, </span></font><font color=red><span style='color:red'>"For
me, the conscious Open Space Organization, as I understand it is not a self
organizing system."</span></font><font color=navy><span style='color:navy'>
And in answer to the question -- If not self-organization, then what -- she
says, </span></font><font color=red><span style='color:red'>"Rather, a
matrix or nutrient field is provided that is clearly bounded and ready to
nurture whatever is created. The matrix then gets filled in by choices that are
life nurturing or life depleting. The conscious Open Space Organizations is
life nurturing rather than life depleting."</span></font><font color=navy><span
style='color:navy'> All of which seems to me to be a rather nice description of
self-organization at work. Be that as it may, it occurs to me that it might be
useful to chat a bit about why I find the theory of self-organization so
attractive, particularly in reference to the Open Space experience, either as
event, or a continuing phenomenon.<br>
<br>
First off, please note that it is the <i><span style='font-style:italic'>theory</span></i>
of self-organization. And theory is never to be confused with The Truth or The
Facts. It's only theory. </span></font><font color=navy><span
style='color:navy;mso-color-alt:windowtext'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;color:black'><![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;color:black'>Harrison,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;color:black'>For me, I am clear that the conscious
Open Space Organization is not a self organizing system. IT IS MUCH MORE THAN
THAT and I am as clear as I can be in my communications that the two for me, do
not equal each other. I believe that Spirit is all that is, and that all is
Spirit and that we are connected through Spirit. Spirit is powerful and active
and there are infinite possibilities. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;color:black'><![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;color:black'>For me, the conscious Open Space
Organization includes self organization at work but is not limited to this
definition as a definitive description (or even theory) of either Open Space
Technology or the conscious Open Space Organization. Spirit is much more than
that. You may see it as useful to use the theory of self organizing systems to
explain what happens within Open Space Technology. I see it as limiting and a
disservice to the wholeness of <span style="mso-spacerun:
yes"> </span>Open Space Technology. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;color:black'><![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;color:black'>The effect we have as facilitators
working with energy is very influential in both the Open Space Technology
meeting and the conscious Open Space Organization. The matrix I referred to is
not a “pre-condition” only but also an ongoing and active ingredient. This is
work with energy, with the unseen, with Spirit. Deeply powerful and
non-visible. And the facilitator “holding space” <span style="mso-spacerun:
yes"> </span>influences the self organizing behavior that is part of the
Open Space Technology meeting.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;color:black'><![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;color:black'>I do not believe that there is such a
thing as a self organizing SYSTEM. I do think there is self organizing
behavior. I do not believe that there is such a thing as a system. I believe
systems are illusions, human constructs. We are all one in Spirit.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;color:black'><![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;color:black'>Harrison, I have huge respect for you as
you know. And we both know from about a decade of conversations and debates
between us, that we have different perspectives. I think you would be both
surprised and disappointed if I agreed with you. Over the years, you taught “opening
space for Spirit to show up”. I taught “opening space to work with Spirit that
is present everywhere always”. You taught that organizations are shifting from
proactive to interactive and eventually if all goes well to the state of
inspired. You taught that with use of Open Space Technology organizations could
make that leap from pro-active to interactive. I taught that the inspired
organization is always present, exists NOW. The inspired organization <span
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>simply needs to be uncovered—to get the
barriers to accessing Spirit out of the way. I called this the Open Space
Organization, and over the last few years as my own learning has evolved, the
conscious Open Space Organization.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>And then of course was the huge debate we had for years regarding “givens”.
I remember when I introduced the importance of “givens” as essential for working
with Open Space Technology, you responded by saying that with “givens” I was
going to ruin Open Space Technology. I still stand behind my belief and
experience that it is through clear definition of the “givens” that we define
where the degrees of freedom really are rather than where they are assumed to
be. The “givens” create the matrix (or womb) for the OST meeting to take place.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;color:black'><![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;color:black'>And now we see the importance of the
theory of “self organizing systems” differently. It is not a matter of me not
understanding, simply a matter of my view of Spirit with Open Space Technology
and the conscious Open Space Organization, my experience with Spirit and my
love relationship with Spirit. All of this for me minimizes the importance of “the
self organizing system theory”. I am informed based on my background in the healing
arts and my journey with Spirit.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;color:black'><![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;color:black'>Blessings,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;color:black'>Birgitt<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;color:black'><![if !supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><span
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></font><font color=black><span
style='color:black;mso-color-alt:windowtext'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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