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<DIV><SPAN class=150431200-25042003><FONT
face=Arial>Harrison,</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=150431200-25042003><FONT face=Arial>You are right that I agree
that there are a lot of Dead Moose under the table. For those of you who don't
know about the Dead Moose and its relationship to Open Space Technology, please
see the invitation at <A
href="http://www.openspacetechnology.com/articles_11.html">http://www.openspacetechnology.com/articles_11.html</A></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=150431200-25042003><FONT face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=150431200-25042003><FONT face=Arial>I suggest adding another
reason to the three you mention regarding silence and that is d) busy holding
space. I vote for d). I believe in the power of Open Space and what we know from
our many years of experience with Open Space Technology. The facilitator must
not be attached to outcome (and not to be shaken by events, even conflict as it
happens---I remember from working with you at the First Canada US Breast Cancer
Advocacy Conference what it was like to hold space in the face of huge
conflict---a microcosm of what we experience in the world). </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=150431200-25042003><FONT face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=150431200-25042003><FONT face=Arial>And so, hundreds of us
around the world are facilitating the "holding of space for opportunities for
harmony in the world". I stay focused on this, on who I am as a being of light
in the world, and I retain my balance no matter what the events are. I see and
experience myself as one of the co-facilitators of "holding space" that we
opened on Sept 21st of 2001. Anyone who cares to join us in the co-facilitation
of what is the biggest "space holding" experience may join at any time to assist
those already committed. And because we are co-facilitating, even if one or more
of us is having a "down" day, we know that others are holding the space and so
it is like a magnet to energize oneself again through meditation and prayer and
being in nature, as we would do for facilitating an OST meeting, and to rejoin
the others. </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=150431200-25042003><FONT face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=150431200-25042003><FONT face=Arial>I see and experience many
many events and projects to foster harmony and I am convinced that we are having
an effect. Can I prove it? No. Do I believe it? Yes. </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=150431200-25042003><FONT face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=150431200-25042003><FONT face=Arial>So, Harrison, you got me
started on this journey of learning to open and hold space for which I continue
to be deeply grateful. And now, we are simply called to hold space for humanity
using all the skills and capacity that we have developed over the years.
</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=150431200-25042003><FONT face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=150431200-25042003><FONT face=Arial>For anyone who cares to
join us in what we have called the Harmony Project, information is at <A
href="http://www.openspacetechnology.com/harmony.html">http://www.openspacetechnology.com/harmony.html</A></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=150431200-25042003><FONT face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=150431200-25042003><FONT face=Arial>In the picture on that
page, you will see a circle of stones that symbolizes our holding of space (and
remember that as facilitators we cannot be attached to outcome). Within that
stone circle, there are "seed stones" that I am willing to send out to those who
request them and want to use them to start a circle in their own location. There
are hundreds of such symbolic circles in the world now, and we visualize them as
all connected, weaving this opportunity around the globe. Of course, there are
some who have chosen to carry their seed stones in their pockets and to be
connected in that way.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=150431200-25042003><FONT face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=150431200-25042003><FONT face=Arial>I get great comfort from
taking action in this way with my state of being joined with others. And it
gives me great hope. The good news is that Open Space always
works.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=150431200-25042003><FONT face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=150431200-25042003><FONT
face=Arial>Blessings,</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=150431200-25042003><FONT face=Arial>Birgitt</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Tahoma
size=2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> OSLIST
[mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU]<B>On Behalf Of </B>Harrison
Owen<BR><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, April 24, 2003 5:37 PM<BR><B>To:</B>
OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re:
Testing<BR><BR></FONT></DIV>At 06:44 PM 4/24/2003 +0200, Eva P Svensson
wrote:<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=cite cite="" type="cite">So quiet - just have to test that
I'm still connected to you all!</BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>The silence is in fact
deafening. And particularly noticeable for this group. When silences come I
find the reasons are usually three: a) Nothing to say. b) Nothing need be
said. c) What could, or should, be said takes people to a place they don't
want to go. I vote for c)<BR><BR>The events of the past month are, indeed, a
little overwhelming. The US invades Iraq, SARS breaks out. And now North Korea
threatens to do a nuclear demonstration -- whatever that might mean.
Sufficient to take your breath away. Forget about talking. And the prospects
for the immediate future are hardly encouraging. Speaking just for myself, I
can say that at such times, space becomes claustrophobically small. And my
daily activities verge on the irrelevant. Silence. Very quiet.<BR><BR>It is
quite possible that we are really in the midst of very, very, deep doo-doo,
from which there is no easy or obvious escape. Under the circumstances it is
always nice to have somebody to beat on and blame. George the Shrub comes
immediately to mind. But regardless of what he did do that he shouldn't have
-- or didn't do and should have, the situation is probably well beyond him.
From where I sit, he remains what he has always been -- an embarrassment. As
Birgitt might be tempted to say -- We have a lot of Dead Moose. <BR><BR>And
yet in such moments, there is the possibility of enormous learning. For
ourselves, how do we open our personal space so that in this present moment we
can be fully here -- fully alive? And for our neighbors, colleagues, clients
and friends, how can we open that communal space so breath (and meaningful
conversation) becomes a possibility? Opening this sort of space is rather
different, I think, from filling the air with trite platitudes and the power
of positive thinking. It goes to a deeper place.<BR><BR>Slightly less than a
year ago, I was privileged to work with a group of Palestinians and Israelis
in Rome. Relatively speaking, the world at that point (compared to the present
moment) seemed almost idyllic -- but for those coming from The Middle East it
appeared something other than a rose garden. And in their presence, I could
only share something of the brittle fatalism reflected in the forced smiles,
and nervous laughter with which we began our gathering. Knowing full well that
I could never be fully where they were, I nevertheless felt compelled to share
my own vulnerability -- In my opening of the circle on that first day I said
something like...<I>"<FONT face="Arial, Helvetica">I had come because I cared
for my friends in Palestine and Israel, and also for myself and my children.
And although the people in that circle may feel themselves isolated and alone
in their own private Hell with their own agonizing story, that story was also
the story of our world. Like it or not they were in the hot crucible of the
future of humankind. The future of all of us is being created in that strange
place known as the Holy Land, even as it has been for millennia. So I cared,
but I was also on the edge of despair or beyond. I could not think of any way
out. The issues were so deep and intractable that movement appeared denied.
Space was closed. But still I came, and still I cared – as I presumed was true
for each of them as well."<BR><BR></I>My learning during those days in Rome
was profound. It became startling clear that neither I, nor any single person
there, had the wisdom, courage, strength or perseverance to get us where we
needed to go. But none of us were called upon to do that -- we all were -- and
all rose to the challenge. In that rich space which contained all of our
hopes, fears, frustrations and anxieties, we collectively found a
collegiality which included and transcended them all. Needless to say,
we did not bring peace to The Middle East, but we surely experienced peace in
that moment. And that was a moment we will never forget.<BR><BR>So maybe it is
time to break our silence here on good old OSLIST -- share what we are, and
what we are learning.
<BR><BR><BR>Harrison<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR></FONT><X-SIGSEP>
<P></X-SIGSEP>
<DIV align=center>Harrison Owen<BR>7808 River Falls Drive<BR>Potomac, MD 20854
USA<BR>phone 301-365-2093<BR>Open Space Training <A
href="http://www.openspaceworld.com/"
eudora="autourl">www.openspaceworld.com</A> <BR>Open Space Institute <A
href="http://www.openspaceworld.org/"
eudora="autourl">www.openspaceworld.org</A><BR>Personal website <A
href="http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm" eudora="autourl"><FONT
color=#0000ff>http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm</A><BR><BR><U>OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU<BR></U></FONT>To
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eudora="autourl"><FONT
color=#0000ff><U>http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html</A><BR><BR><BR><BR></FONT></U></DIV>*
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