Featured Circle Practice
Practices to explore group mind
Somoan Circle, Bohmian Dialogue, Psychosynthesis
Samoan Circle
At the
Sacred
Activism Conference, a 4 day conference in Seattle which
brought together spiritual progressives in Seattle along with
luminaries, Robert Kennedy JR, Jean Houston, Carolyn Myss, Barbara Marx Hubbard,
Marianne Williamson, Michael Lerner, Paul Ray and others. Seattle IONS
Community Group Coordinator, WA Sate Rep, Susan Burns participated in a panel
on Engaging the Common Wisdom with circle facilitators Bill Aal,
June Blue Spruce, and Peggy Holman. The choice for conversation
was using a Somoan Circle Process to demonstrate the unfolding of
collective wisdom and engage a group in discussion. Here is a
description of the process.
A Samoan Circle is used to
organize discussion of controversial issues or explore public
opinion within large groups. It can be an entrance point for
strategic planning. A Samoan circle has no facilitator, chair,
or moderator. Participants gather a circle around a circle of
4 chairs with a table in the center. There is space to walk
within the larger circle.
Everyone begins in the outer
circle with a question of reflection. Anyone can move in or out
of the circle as the discussion flows or topics change. On
impulse, those who wish to speak enter the inner circle and take
a seat. Each speaker in the inner circle freely makes a comment
or asks a question relevant to the present discussion while
those on the outside observe and reflect. No outside
conversations are allowed. Everyone has an invitation to join
the circle when they are ready.
Ready to speak, a
participant enters the circle and stands behind one of the 4
chairs chair. This is a signal for those in the inner circle
that someone is ready to speak and one of the four chairs must
be opened for speaker to take a seat. Thus one of the members of
the inner circle gives up a chair, returning to the outer
circle. This rotation continues as the discussion moves along,
changing and self organizing around the question.
Comments are often recorded. Votes of
opinions held by non-speakers are taken at the end, if desired.
Summaries can be complied and information can be used as a basis
for future organizational or strategic planning.
Bohmian Dialogue
Christian De Quincey,
former editor of IONS magazine (formerly The Review) shares a
story Cosmos
and Communion from his new book on the cover page of Shift
in Action I-news. The article is a beautiful description of a
very different form of community which shares subtle
communication within a mind field. The article is wonderful to
read as it discusses across species communication but gives an
example of what is possible for our species.
Guidelines
for Bohmian Dialogue was
presented for our Seattle IONS Community Group a few years ago.
Other descriptions of dialogue are offered at these links.
Psycho Synthesis
Have a question or intention in mind? Then take a minute to calm
the mind and relax.
Then open your senses and find the first object of focus. Stay with this
object, perceive it wholly. Then shift to a second object.
Then, with time, explore shifting between two objects, becoming
each object. Explore how these objects (parts of self) relate
to each other. Embody each object in turn, switch between the two. Allow entire mind/body response, emotions, memories, etc.
Lastly relate to question/intention. Synthesis can happen when
parts cease to be different - merging or blending - often leads
to insight.
Notes on Psycho Synthesis by
Patrick Marsolek.
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