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<DIV><EM><FONT face=Garamond color=#800080 size=4>And one of the first things
the passionate observer observes is that it is the ego personality that is
having the "hard time" NOT being noticed as special.</FONT></EM></DIV>
<DIV><EM><FONT face=Garamond color=#800080 size=4></FONT></EM> </DIV>
<DIV><EM><FONT face=Garamond color=#800080 size=4>Toni</FONT></EM></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #800080 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=owenhh@mindspring.com href="mailto:owenhh@mindspring.com">Harrison
Owen</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
title=OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
href="mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU">OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, May 02, 2002 5:20
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: \Holding space</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>At 04:43 PM 4/30/2002 -0400, john engle wrote:<BR><BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=cite cite="" type="cite">we talk a lot about what it means
to open/hold space. we often say that it<BR>is tiring and that it can be
draining. i often find it to be so. i ask if<BR>these are not
characteristics that we put on ourselves as a result of our<BR>resistance
toward letting go.<BR><BR>if this is correct, why do we need to struggle so?
what are we resisting and<BR>why? as we grow and become more mature, should
we not arrive at a place<BR>where opening space, just like any other
activity, is nothing more than<BR>breathing in, breathing out, ...
breathing/nourishing our souls, being<BR>open/aware to what is
happening?</BLOCKQUOTE><BR>John it is a wonder -- but not so strange. Ever
since it has been apparent that anybody with a good head and good heart can
"do" an Open Space. It has also been true, I think, that it will take the rest
of your life to "do" it well. Certainly that has been my experience. It is the
old bug-a-boo of letting go, and how to do it. And of course, the harder you
try, the more difficult it becomes. Somewhere in there you come to the
conclusion that real letting go requires letting go of letting go... or
something. And then suddenly you run into the odd phenomenon of boredom in
Open Space. After all what's to do? Why am I needed? And the answer, of course
is -- You aren't needed. And you aren't needed, at least in the sense of
teaching the folks something new. Truth is -- they are already there. And just
about the time you think you got that one right -- it all comes around again.
To be sure you are not needed to teach or do a process -- but you are very
critical as a silent witness to the moment of creation as it rolls out with
the group. And what would "silent witness" mean? Passive observer? Hardly! And
so it goes. Definitely a journey -- but a great one.<BR><BR>Harrison <BR><BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=cite cite="" type="cite">Harrison
Owen</BLOCKQUOTE><X-SIGSEP>
<P></X-SIGSEP>
<DIV align=center>7808 River Falls Drive<BR>Potomac, MD 20854 USA<BR>phone
301-365-2093<BR>Open Space Training <A href="http://www.openspaceworld.com/"
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href="http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm"
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