The Coalition for OneVoice
Last Spring FIONS (NYC) Board
member, Emily Squires presented a one page statement, “Reaching
for a Voice,” that called into being a coalition of
representatives from spiritually-centered groups to explore ways
to support efforts towards societal transformation. She made the
point that small groups alone have little power but, by coming
together into one large Coalition, the power of that collective
might, in fact, make a difference. After several sessions, this
group (11 people from five groups, four being members of the
FIONS Board) crafted a mission statement.
OneVoice is a coalition of organizations united
to form a collective power with a mission to consciously
connect, strengthen, and support activities that reflect an
evolution of consciousness toward an enlightened society, the
nature and details of which are presently unfolding
In
August the Steering Committee for OneVoice convened 45 leaders
and members from other groups and organizations for an evening
of World Café dialogue to begin to expand this initiative. They
held a similarly sized brainstorming and planning evening in
September as preparation for a large public gathering on October
15th called Passion to Connect. When Deepak
Chopra heard about this, he asked if he could attend. Since two
members of the SC are “students” of Andrew Cohen (founder of
What Is Enlightenment?), Andrew agreed to participate as
well. Journalist Judith Martin offered to moderate a dialogue
between the two. Other individuals and groups offered to
participate in Passion to Connect. The SC designed a flyer
announcing the event, which was emailed to members of
participating groups.
Passion to Connect
Spirit New York, a large Westside night club, offered its space
to OneVoice. Emily (5 Emmy awards) directed, we gathered 25
volunteers to greet, register, seat, and guide people, and
members of the SC contributed many hours to make this an
outstanding event. Participants came from diverse ethnic and
cultural communities and were of all ages. As people arrived,
they were encouraged to register their contact information with
two registrars who entered it directly into a data base. There
was a $10 admission fee to cover expenses.
Visionary artist Alex Grey lent several of his large paintings
to be hung in and around the space transforming the environment
to one suggesting infinite possibilities. Barry Manilow in Las
Vegas, heard about Passion to Connect through a former member of
his group in NYC and offered his inspiring song, “One Voice” to
be played at the event. Alan Steinfeld was Master of
Ceremonies.
With over 700 people present, Passion to Connect opened quietly
with the sound of three large gongs resonating throughout the
space (The Himalayan Voices), followed by a meditation offered
by Swami Ramananda, President of Integral Yoga, NYC. Voicepoint,
then performed a Rumi poem about inclusivity using a subtle
mixture of music, voice, and movement.
Judy Martin took the stage to moderate a stimulating dialogue
between Deepak and Andrew. They agreed that there are four key
qualities necessary for those committed to affecting a paradigm
shift in consciousness—Courage, Passion, Creativity, and
Ecstasy. As a metaphor for our time, Deepak shared the
astonishing story, taken from biology, of how “imaginal cells”
in decaying caterpillars inside their chrysalis come together in
small clusters to help bring forth the transformation into the
butterfly.
There followed three rounds of World Café dialogue, which I
facilitated. For most, this was their first encounter with WC
and they loved it! For people standing, we invited them to
engage in “water cooler conversations.” People were eager to
address the three questions.( Before introducing the third
question, I read the OneVoice Mission Statement, which was
enthusiastically received.)
-
What brings you to life? What is your passion?
-
How
can this community help all of us to bring our passion into
being in order to affect concrete change in the world?
-
Looking backwards from 2012, what is one thing that the
Coalition for OneVoice has created?
Alex Grey spoke about his efforts to create a community in NYC
through his art and the events he sponsors at his gallery, CoSM
(Chapel of Sacred Mirrors) on the fourth floor, above Spirit NY.
He invited everyone to visit his gallery before leaving. Two
members of the SC spoke about next steps for OneVoice inviting
people to register with their contact information and come to
the next event on November 15.
Fred Johnson from Florida concluded the afternoon, sitting on
his box-like drum, belting out a rap that incorporated the ideas
and themes that had been voiced during the event. Everyone
participated by clapping and following his lyrics. Seven hundred
people were on their feet, the “joint was jumping”—thus Passion
to Connect came to its rousing conclusion. People were still
hanging out an hour later.
During the month between the two public OneVoice events, the SC
collated the data that had been collected and explored various
options for creating a website that would be “user friendly”
allowing people to stay in touch with one another.
Where Do We Go From Here?
On
November 15 about 150 people gathered in a circle to continue
the conversations begun a month earlier. The evening was opened
gently by the Dzieci Theatre Group inviting everyone to join
them in a simple harmonic welcoming chant.
People then gave feedback about their experience of Passion to
Connect. Most comments were unabashedly enthusiastic. After a
brief briefing on Shared Leadership—ways for all to take
responsibility—and a reminder of the OneVoice Mission Statement,
people broke into groups of six to address the question:
What can we do as a collective power to make a
difference, a conscious change in the world around us?
Scribes captured on flip charts the reports from these groups.
This section ended with a ringing cry for addressing global
warming from “Uncle,” a visiting Inuit shaman from Greenland who
sees the ice pack in his native land melting and poised to fall
into the sea causing unbelievable damage around the world.
Uncle’s evident rage was unsettling to many but prompted a
number of dialogues and healing conversations at the conclusion,
as well as subsequent deep reflection by some towards awakening
to new ways to take personal responsibility in the world.
The final portion of the evening—far too short in
length—consisted of self-selecting groups convening to
brainstorm about some of the major themes and initiatives that
had been invoked. These focus groups were asked to share contact
info, choose a point person, and a scribe. While many people
found the evening encouraging and entirely worthwhile, some were
overwhelmed or distracted by the chaotic nature of this kind of
process.
Dzieci closed the evening by gathering in a circle for a
harmonic rite of toning accompanied by rhythmic arm gestures.
Once again, many people lingered to continue their
conversations.
Submitted 12/1/2006 by
Jane Hughes Gignoux
Jane is a member of the IONS Elder Council and Past
President of Fions (Friends of IONS).
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