And the next day... Everything is STILL moving.
Ralph On Aug 23, 2010, at 2:00 AM, OSLIST automatic digest system wrote: > There are 2 messages totalling 1418 lines in this issue. > > Topics of the day: > > 1. Everything is Moving: An Invitation to Join the flow (longish) (2) > > * > * > ========================================================== > [email protected] > ------------------------------ > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, > view the archives of [email protected]: > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html > > To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: > http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2010 17:49:47 -0400 > From: Harrison Owen <[email protected]> > Subject: Everything is Moving: An Invitation to Join the flow (longish) > > This is a multi-part message in MIME format. > > ------=_NextPart_000_0001_01CB4222.699A9210 > Content-Type: text/plain; > charset="us-ascii" > Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > > Our friend Suzanne Daigle sent me a note saying that it seemed I had been > very quiet on OSLIST. It is true that I appreciate silence, but the real > truth is, I was just thinking. Dangerous I know, but what follows is the > result - and you can blame it all on Suzanne (Joke!). So what do you think? > > > > ************************************************************** > > > > A long time ago a good friend, Ralph Copleman, was to be found in the middle > of a large circle of peers dressed in a flowing cape and repeating the > words, "Everything is moving, Everything is moving." Odd to say the least > and some doubted Ralph's sanity. Some still do, but that image has stuck in > my febrile brain ever since - and as time has passed it occurs to me that > Ralph had it precisely right: This is an energetic cosmos. The problem > arises when we (and that includes all of us some of the time) desperately > want everything to stop and stand still. So desperately in fact that we > have created a mental image of our environment exclusively populated by > static things which include everything from mountains to super nova along > with the oddments of our life like professions, chairs, relationships, > organizational structures, corporations, countries and empires. > Unfortunately this mental image is a radical illusion, one might say > delusion. Ralph is right. Everything is moving and what we perceive as > stable structures are but the momentary, slice in time, freeze-frame > constructs of our imagination. > > > > Heresy? Psychobabble? Advanced esoteric insight? - None of the above, I > think. As a matter of fact, Ralph's observation is nothing but a short > (poetic?) version of the (now) standard scientific understanding of the > nature of the cosmos. Starting with the Big Bang it is all flowing energy, > albeit now clumped in momentary configurations - but still flowing energy > for all of that. Scratch any rock hard enough and its essential nature comes > through - a whirring bunch of quarks and neutrons doing the cosmic dance. > Doubtless my physicist friends would take issue with my phrasing - but not, > I think, with the core message. Everything is moving. > > > > So what does all this have to do with the price of eggs? Or for that matter > - Open Space and our role as facilitators and consultants? A lot, I believe. > > > > Starting with Open Space which is many things to different people. For some > it is a Large Group Intervention. Others might see it as an aberrant > phenomenon peculiar to a cultish few. For myself Open Space is a trial ride > in the flow of life which has a lot of similarities to my boat. > > > > My boat is smallish in size (32 feet) but definitely larger than the average > punt. She is very seaworthy and shares a common heritage with the local > Lobster Boats here in Maine. We have many visitors, most of whom have never > been on a boat such as the Ethelyn Rose. When you walk on board, things look > sort of familiar. Chairs for sitting, a comfortable nook for dining, and > even an oriental rug on the floor - excuse me, sole. If you look further > there are the standard amenities such as a shower and commode, all > sequestered in their separate quarters. Even a complete landlubber will feel > more or less at home. > > > > But the moment we leave the dock the world changes - apparent stability > yields to constant motion. Everything is moving even if it seems to be > staying in the same place! In the harbor motion is minimal, but the moment > we clear the breakwater marking the harbor entrance the experience can be > radically different. Sea swells from the open Atlantic Ocean take us up and > down in distances measured in yards, and should we have a good cross wind > the surface chop adds an interesting side to side motion. The Ethelyn Rose > is right at home, but some of our visitors have a different impression. And > navigating in these conditions is a definite learning experience. Even a > simple walk through the main cabin can be a challenge. Hand holds that you > had carefully plotted at the start of your journey suddenly changed position > relative to you as you made your way. What was up is now down and who knows > what is happening in between. Interesting, and as they say, It ain't Kansas. > > > > > Most people meet the challenge and after a few educational bumps to various > parts of their anatomy they learn not to fight reality. No matter what you > may have thought you were going to do, the only useful option is to go with > the flow. And the next level of learning is that when you do that well > (flow) you can actually arrive where you need to be. Wonderful! Sounds a lot > like Open Space. > > > > We start in the static stability of a circle. This may seem strange to some, > but there is a place for everybody and everybody finds a place. A familiar > and enduring structure for sure. Then it happens. The circle crumbles in > bits and pieces as people come to center, announcing their passions - only > to be briefly restored as they return to their seats. However the > restoration is but momentary. Shortly everybody leaves their seats to join a > chaotic gaggle at the wall. So much for static structure, and it goes > downhill from there. > > > > Ebbing and flowing, groups form and reform all without benefit of the > standard constraints essential for orderly organizational life-or so we > might have thought. Pre-arranged agenda (sometimes called Mission, Goals, > Objectives) is nonexistent. The Schedule might be posted but never followed > - things start when they start. Assigned participation is nowhere to be > found, and yet the right people show up. And to make things even worse, the > air is filled with buzzing and flutters as Bees and Butterflies do their > thing. Madness! To be sure there may be a few people who are utterly > flummoxed as the hand holds they may have expected (see above under "Ethelyn > Rose at Sea") disappear . . . or reappear in unexpected places. Their > condition is not helped, for should they ask what to do the answer is likely > to come back as a question - What would they care to do? > > > > A trifling few will lose heart and head for the shore - perceived stability. > But the vast majority, as we have seen over the years and around the globe, > will be totally captivated by the moment, and a smaller group will > experience that moment as total exhilaration. They are doing what their > prior life experience taught them could not be done - seriously and > intentionally going with the flow. And rather than being rank hedonism, the > experience proves to be massively productive and fulfilling. Doing well and > good - and feeling great. A hard to beat combination. > > > > And then we come to Monday Morning. Back to reality, as they say. But is it? > The truth, I believe is rather different. They have experienced reality and > come to the edge of shedding illusion/delusion. In the words of friend > Ralph, "Everything is moving" - and this is now a fact of life to be savored > and enjoyed. No longer a terrifying unknown, it is to be affirmed and > embraced. Not without a few "white knuckle" moments to be sure - but > infinitely better than hanging onto the (illusory) rock of stability. > > > > So what about us - those privileged folks who have accepted the honor of > opening space in people's lives? Short answer: Invite our guests over the > edge. Please note I did not say, Push them over the edge. > > > > Crafting this invitation is always a matter of personal style and must come > from the heart. The invitation I have in mind never appears on a piece of > paper (or the electronic equivalent). It arrives in our personhood - who we > are and how we present ourselves, which is to say, from the heart. Not to be > confused with a gushy valentine or formulaic presentation, the invitation > manifests in our simple presence, revealing our own acceptance and joy in > the moving flow of life. Without words we express the swimmer's call: Come > on in, the water is fine! Of course you have to be in the water for that > call to have any credibility. > > > > It is perhaps easier to say how NOT to create this invitation. First off, it > is not a matter of rational argument and presentation of facts. Most people > already know the facts at some level, and I think the case could be made > that it was "rational argument" that has gotten us into the bind we > experience. Given the "fact" of a moving, changing world which can be very > uncomfortable, it is quite "rational" to define that world in terms of > controllable static chunks that may be contained, or better, bent to our > specifications. This has led us to such wonderful things as "Flood Control" > which works until such time as Mother Nature and Old Man River decide to > take a different course. It turns out that The River is not a static, > definable thing but part of a vast ever changing system. Effective Flood > Control would require close management of the Planet's atmosphere to say > nothing of the cosmos beyond. Good luck! > > > > Also under the heading of "NOT to be included" are well intentioned efforts > to sugar coat the pill, as it were. Which is to say that we might propose > certain limitations that will restrict the possibility of change in Open > Space. Some of us have called these "givens" but so far as I can tell the > only given is change itself. And to suggest otherwise is not so much to > violate the "Spirit of Open Space" but rather the essence of the cosmos > itself. Ralph had it right: Everything is moving. In this context, Open > Space Technology is a minimal consideration. > > > > I am by no means suggesting that our invitation look like the back panel of > some medication listing every possible adverce reaction, if in fact > unexpected change is such an adverce reaction. And truth to tell I find the > appearance of unexpected change in the midst of an Open Space to be one of > its (OS's) most delightful consequences. I also think that it is important > to note the OS is not the engine of change. It simply provides the space for > change to show up and the cosmos (or whatever) takes care of all the heavy > lifting. > > > > For me an invitation to Open Space is an opportunity to include friends and > strangers in the deepest experience of (my) life. It has little to do with > selling a product, doing a process, excersizing some sort of professional > competence - although there are doubtless elements of all of that. > Fundamentally it is my invitation to experience life at its fullest in which > chanagability is not the enemy to be suppressed but rather the rich tapestry > of an evolving future. I don't make it, I can't predict it - but I can > participate both as a sojourner and a co-creator. Stuart Kauffman speaks of > being "At Home in the Universe." That is my elemental experience, and I am > always looking for playmates. > > > > Harrison Owen > > 7808 River Falls Dr. > > Potomac, MD 20854 > > USA > > Phone 301-365-2093 > > www.openspaceworld.com > > www.ho-image.com (Personal Website) > > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of > <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected]: > > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html > > > > > * > * > ========================================================== > [email protected] > ----------------------------- > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, > view the archives of [email protected]: > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html > > To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: > http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist > > ------=_NextPart_000_0001_01CB4222.699A9210 > Content-Type: text/html; > charset="us-ascii" > Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable > > <html xmlns:v=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" = > xmlns:o=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" = > xmlns:w=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" = > xmlns:m=3D"http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml"; = > xmlns=3D"http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40";> > > <head> > <meta http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; = > charset=3Dus-ascii"> > <meta name=3DGenerator content=3D"Microsoft Word 12 (filtered medium)"> > <style> > <!-- > /* Font Definitions */ > @font-face > {font-family:"Cambria Math"; > panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;} > @font-face > {font-family:Calibri; > panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;} > @font-face > {font-family:Consolas; > panose-1:2 11 6 9 2 2 4 3 2 4;} > /* Style Definitions */ > p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal > {margin:0in; > margin-bottom:.0001pt; > font-size:11.0pt; > font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";} > a:link, span.MsoHyperlink > {mso-style-priority:99; > color:blue; > text-decoration:underline;} > a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed > {mso-style-priority:99; > color:purple; > text-decoration:underline;} > span.EmailStyle17 > {mso-style-type:personal-compose; > font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; > color:windowtext;} > .MsoChpDefault > {mso-style-type:export-only; > font-size:10.0pt;} > @page WordSection1 > {size:8.5in 11.0in; > margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;} > div.WordSection1 > {page:WordSection1;} > --> > </style> > <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> > <o:shapedefaults v:ext=3D"edit" spidmax=3D"1026" /> > </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> > <o:shapelayout v:ext=3D"edit"> > <o:idmap v:ext=3D"edit" data=3D"1" /> > </o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--> > </head> > > <body lang=3DEN-US link=3Dblue vlink=3Dpurple> > > <div class=3DWordSection1> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal>Our friend Suzanne Daigle sent me a note saying = > that it > seemed I had been very quiet on OSLIST. It is true that I appreciate = > silence, > but the real truth is, I was just thinking. Dangerous I know, but what = > follows > is the result – and you can blame it all on Suzanne (Joke!). So = > what do > you think?<o:p></o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p> > > <p = > class=3DMsoNormal>*******************************************************= > *******<o:p></o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal>A long time ago a good friend, Ralph Copleman, was = > to be > found in the middle of a large circle of peers dressed in a flowing cape = > and > repeating the words, “Everything is moving, Everything is = > moving.” > Odd to say the least and some doubted Ralph’s sanity. Some still = > do, but > that image has stuck in my febrile brain ever since – and as time = > has > passed it occurs to me that Ralph had it precisely right: This is an = > energetic > cosmos. The problem arises when we (and that includes all of us some of = > the > time) desperately want everything to stop and stand still. So = > desperately > in fact that we have created a mental image of our environment = > exclusively > populated by static things which include everything from mountains to = > super > nova along with the oddments of our life like professions, chairs, > relationships, organizational structures, corporations, countries and = > empires. > Unfortunately this mental image is a radical illusion, one might say = > delusion. > Ralph is right. Everything is moving and what we perceive as stable = > structures > are but the momentary, slice in time, freeze-frame constructs of our > imagination.<o:p></o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal>Heresy? Psychobabble? Advanced esoteric = > insight? > – None of the above, I think. As a matter of fact, Ralph’s > observation is nothing but a short (poetic?) version of the (now) = > standard > scientific understanding of the nature of the cosmos. Starting with the = > Big > Bang it is all flowing energy, albeit now clumped in momentary = > configurations > – but still flowing energy for all of that. Scratch any rock hard = > enough > and its essential nature comes through – a whirring bunch of = > quarks and > neutrons doing the cosmic dance. Doubtless my physicist friends would = > take > issue with my phrasing – but not, I think, with the core message. > Everything is moving. <o:p></o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal>So what does all this have to do with the price of = > eggs? Or > for that matter – Open Space and our role as facilitators and > consultants? A lot, I believe.<o:p></o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal>Starting with Open Space which is many things to = > different > people. For some it is a Large Group Intervention. Others might see it = > as an > aberrant phenomenon peculiar to a cultish few. For myself Open Space is = > a trial > ride in the flow of life which has a lot of similarities to my boat. = > <o:p></o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal>My boat is smallish in size (32 feet) but = > definitely larger > than the average punt. She is very seaworthy and shares a common = > heritage with > the local Lobster Boats here in Maine. We have many visitors, most of = > whom have > never been on a boat such as the Ethelyn Rose. When you walk on board, = > things > look sort of familiar. Chairs for sitting, a comfortable nook for = > dining, and > even an oriental rug on the floor – excuse me, sole. If you look = > further > there are the standard amenities such as a shower and commode, all = > sequestered > in their separate quarters. Even a complete landlubber will feel more or = > less > at home.<o:p></o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal>But the moment we leave the dock the world changes = > – > apparent stability yields to constant motion. Everything is moving even = > if it > seems to be staying in the same place! In the harbor motion is minimal, = > but the > moment we clear the breakwater marking the harbor entrance the = > experience > can be radically different. Sea swells from the open Atlantic Ocean take = > us up > and down in distances measured in yards, and should we have a good cross = > wind > the surface chop adds an interesting side to side motion. The Ethelyn = > Rose is > right at home, but some of our visitors have a different impression. And > navigating in these conditions is a definite learning experience. Even a = > simple > walk through the main cabin can be a challenge. Hand holds that you had = > carefully > plotted at the start of your journey suddenly changed position relative = > to you > as you made your way. What was up is now down and who knows what is = > happening > in between. Interesting, and as they say, It ain’t Kansas. = > <o:p></o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'text-align:justify'><o:p> </o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal>Most people meet the challenge and after a few = > educational > bumps to various parts of their anatomy they learn not to fight = > reality. > No matter what you may have thought you were going to do, the only = > useful > option is to go with the flow. And the next level of learning is that = > when you > do that well (flow) you can actually arrive where you need to be. = > Wonderful! > Sounds a lot like Open Space.<o:p></o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal>We start in the static stability of a circle. This = > may seem > strange to some, but there is a place for everybody and everybody finds = > a > place. A familiar and enduring structure for sure. Then it happens. The = > circle > crumbles in bits and pieces as people come to center, announcing their = > passions > – only to be briefly restored as they return to their seats. = > However the > restoration is but momentary. Shortly everybody leaves their seats to = > join a > chaotic gaggle at the wall. So much for static structure, and it goes = > downhill > from there. <o:p></o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal>Ebbing and flowing, groups form and reform all = > without > benefit of the standard constraints essential for orderly organizational = > life—or > so we might have thought. Pre-arranged agenda (sometimes called Mission, = > Goals, > Objectives) is nonexistent. The Schedule might be posted but never = > followed > – things start when they start. Assigned participation is nowhere = > to be > found, and yet the right people show up. And to make things even worse, = > the air > is filled with buzzing and flutters as Bees and Butterflies do their = > thing. > Madness! To be sure there may be a few people who are utterly flummoxed = > as the > hand holds they may have expected (see above under “Ethelyn Rose = > at > Sea”) disappear . . . or reappear in unexpected places. Their = > condition > is not helped, for should they ask what to do the answer is likely to = > come back > as a question – What would they care to do?<o:p></o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal>A trifling few will lose heart and head for the = > shore > – perceived stability. But the vast majority, as we have seen over = > the > years and around the globe, will be totally captivated by the moment, = > and a > smaller group will experience that moment as total exhilaration. They = > are doing > what their prior life experience taught them could not be done – > seriously and intentionally going with the flow. And rather than being = > rank > hedonism, the experience proves to be massively productive and = > fulfilling. > Doing well and good – and feeling great. A hard to beat = > combination.<o:p></o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal>And then we come to Monday Morning. Back to = > reality, as they > say. But is it? The truth, I believe is rather different. They have = > experienced > reality and come to the edge of shedding illusion/delusion. In the words = > of > friend Ralph, “Everything is moving” – and this is now = > a fact > of life to be savored and enjoyed. No longer a terrifying unknown, it is = > to be > affirmed and embraced. Not without a few “white knuckle” = > moments to > be sure – but infinitely better than hanging onto the (illusory) = > rock of > stability. <o:p></o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal>So what about us – those privileged folks who = > have > accepted the honor of opening space in people’s lives? Short = > answer: > Invite our guests over the edge. Please note I did not say, Push them = > over the > edge.<o:p></o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal>Crafting this invitation is always a matter of = > personal > style and must come from the heart. The invitation I have in mind = > never > appears on a piece of paper (or the electronic equivalent). It arrives = > in our > personhood – who we are and how we present ourselves, which is to = > say, > from the heart. Not to be confused with a gushy valentine or formulaic > presentation, the invitation manifests in our simple presence, revealing = > our > own acceptance and joy in the moving flow of life. Without words we = > express the > swimmer’s call: Come on in, the water is fine! Of course you have = > to be > in the water for that call to have any credibility.<o:p></o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal>It is perhaps easier to say how NOT to create this > invitation. First off, it is not a matter of rational argument and = > presentation > of facts. Most people already know the facts at some level, and I think = > the > case could be made that it was “rational argument” that has = > gotten > us into the bind we experience. Given the “fact” of a = > moving, > changing world which can be very uncomfortable, it is quite > “rational” to define that world in terms of controllable = > static > chunks that may be contained, or better, bent to our = > specifications. This > has led us to such wonderful things as “Flood Control” which = > works > until such time as Mother Nature and Old Man River decide to take a = > different > course. It turns out that The River is not a static, definable thing but = > part > of a vast ever changing system. Effective Flood Control would require = > close > management of the Planet’s atmosphere to say nothing of the cosmos > beyond. Good luck!<span = > style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal>Also under the heading of “NOT to be = > included” > are well intentioned efforts to sugar coat the pill, as it were. Which = > is to > say that we might propose certain limitations that will restrict = > the > possibility of change in Open Space. Some of us have called these > “givens” but so far as I can tell the only given is change = > itself. > And to suggest otherwise is not so much to violate the “Spirit of = > Open > Space” but rather the essence of the cosmos itself. Ralph had it = > right: > Everything is moving. In this context, Open Space Technology is a = > minimal > consideration.<o:p></o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal>I am by no means suggesting that our invitation = > look like > the back panel of some medication listing every possible adverce = > reaction, if > in fact unexpected change is such an adverce reaction. And truth to tell = > I find > the appearance of unexpected change in the midst of an Open Space to be = > one of > its (OS’s) most delightful consequences. I also think that it is > important to note the OS is not the engine of change. It simply provides = > the > space for change to show up and the cosmos (or whatever) takes care of = > all the > heavy lifting.<o:p></o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal>For me an invitation to Open Space is an = > opportunity to > include friends and strangers in the deepest experience of (my) life. It = > has little > to do with selling a product, doing a process, excersizing some sort of > professional competence – although there are doubtless elements of = > all of > that. Fundamentally it is my invitation to experience life at its = > fullest in > which chanagability is not the enemy to be suppressed but rather the = > rich > tapestry of an evolving future. I don’t make it, I can’t = > predict it > – but I can participate both as a sojourner and a co-creator. = > Stuart > Kauffman speaks of being “At Home in the Universe.” That is = > my > elemental experience, and I am always looking for = > playmates.<o:p></o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'margin-left:1.0in'><o:p> </o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal>Harrison Owen<o:p></o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal>7808 River Falls Dr.<o:p></o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal>Potomac, MD 20854<o:p></o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal>USA<o:p></o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal>Phone 301-365-2093<o:p></o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal><a = > href=3D"http://www.openspaceworld.com";>www.openspaceworld.com</a><o:p></o= > :p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal><a = > href=3D"http://www.ho-image.com";>www.ho-image.com</a> > (Personal Website)<o:p></o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal><span = > style=3D'font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Consolas'>To > subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of = > </span><a > href=3D"mailto:[email protected]";><span = > style=3D'font-size:10.5pt; > font-family:Consolas'>[email protected]</span></a><span > style=3D'font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Consolas'>:<o:p></o:p></span></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal><a = > href=3D"http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html";>http://lists= > erv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html</a><o:p></o:p></p> > > <p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p> > > </div> > > </body> > > </html> > * > * > =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D > [email protected] > ----------------------------- > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, > view the archives of [email protected]: > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html > > To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: > http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist > > ------=_NextPart_000_0001_01CB4222.699A9210-- > > ------------------------------ > > Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2010 16:53:25 -0700 > From: Christine Whitney Sanchez <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: Everything is Moving: An Invitation to Join the flow (longish) > > --Apple-Mail-64--728671987 > Content-Type: text/plain; > charset=WINDOWS-1252; > format=flowed; > delsp=yes > Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable > > Stunning, Harrison. I will play with you and Ethelyn Rose (perhaps on =20= > > the Ethelyn Rose) any time! > > Love, > > Christine > > Christine Whitney Sanchez > CWS - Collaborative Wisdom & Strategy > 2717 E. Mountain Sky Avenue > Phoenix, AZ 85048, USA > +1.480.759.0262 > www.christinewhitneysanchez.com > www.innovationpartners.com > www.collaborativespark.com > > On Aug 22, 2010, at 2:49 PM, Harrison Owen wrote: > >> Our friend Suzanne Daigle sent me a note saying that it seemed I had =20= > >> been very quiet on OSLIST. It is true that I appreciate silence, but =20= > >> the real truth is, I was just thinking. Dangerous I know, but what =20 >> follows is the result =96 and you can blame it all on Suzanne (Joke!). = > =20 >> So what do you think? >> >> ************************************************************** >> >> A long time ago a good friend, Ralph Copleman, was to be found in =20 >> the middle of a large circle of peers dressed in a flowing cape and =20= > >> repeating the words, =93Everything is moving, Everything is moving.=94 = > =20 >> Odd to say the least and some doubted Ralph=92s sanity. Some still do, = > =20 >> but that image has stuck in my febrile brain ever since =96 and as =20 >> time has passed it occurs to me that Ralph had it precisely right: =20 >> This is an energetic cosmos. The problem arises when we (and that =20 >> includes all of us some of the time) desperately want everything to =20= > >> stop and stand still. So desperately in fact that we have created a =20= > >> mental image of our environment exclusively populated by static =20 >> things which include everything from mountains to super nova along =20 >> with the oddments of our life like professions, chairs, =20 >> relationships, organizational structures, corporations, countries =20 >> and empires. Unfortunately this mental image is a radical illusion, =20= > >> one might say delusion. Ralph is right. Everything is moving and =20 >> what we perceive as stable structures are but the momentary, slice =20 >> in time, freeze-frame constructs of our imagination. >> >> Heresy? Psychobabble? Advanced esoteric insight? =96 None of the =20 >> above, I think. As a matter of fact, Ralph=92s observation is nothing =20= > >> but a short (poetic?) version of the (now) standard scientific =20 >> understanding of the nature of the cosmos. Starting with the Big =20 >> Bang it is all flowing energy, albeit now clumped in momentary =20 >> configurations =96 but still flowing energy for all of that. Scratch =20= > >> any rock hard enough and its essential nature comes through =96 a =20 >> whirring bunch of quarks and neutrons doing the cosmic dance. =20 >> Doubtless my physicist friends would take issue with my phrasing =96 =20= > >> but not, I think, with the core message. Everything is moving. >> >> So what does all this have to do with the price of eggs? Or for that =20= > >> matter =96 Open Space and our role as facilitators and consultants? A =20= > >> lot, I believe. >> >> Starting with Open Space which is many things to different people. =20 >> For some it is a Large Group Intervention. Others might see it as an =20= > >> aberrant phenomenon peculiar to a cultish few. For myself Open Space =20= > >> is a trial ride in the flow of life which has a lot of similarities =20= > >> to my boat. >> >> My boat is smallish in size (32 feet) but definitely larger than the =20= > >> average punt. She is very seaworthy and shares a common heritage =20 >> with the local Lobster Boats here in Maine. We have many visitors, =20 >> most of whom have never been on a boat such as the Ethelyn Rose. =20 >> When you walk on board, things look sort of familiar. Chairs for =20 >> sitting, a comfortable nook for dining, and even an oriental rug on =20= > >> the floor =96 excuse me, sole. If you look further there are the =20 >> standard amenities such as a shower and commode, all sequestered in =20= > >> their separate quarters. Even a complete landlubber will feel more =20 >> or less at home. >> >> But the moment we leave the dock the world changes =96 apparent =20 >> stability yields to constant motion. Everything is moving even if it =20= > >> seems to be staying in the same place! In the harbor motion is =20 >> minimal, but the moment we clear the breakwater marking the harbor =20= > >> entrance the experience can be radically different. Sea swells from =20= > >> the open Atlantic Ocean take us up and down in distances measured in =20= > >> yards, and should we have a good cross wind the surface chop adds an =20= > >> interesting side to side motion. The Ethelyn Rose is right at home, =20= > >> but some of our visitors have a different impression. And navigating =20= > >> in these conditions is a definite learning experience. Even a simple =20= > >> walk through the main cabin can be a challenge. Hand holds that you =20= > >> had carefully plotted at the start of your journey suddenly changed =20= > >> position relative to you as you made your way. What was up is now =20 >> down and who knows what is happening in between. Interesting, and as =20= > >> they say, It ain=92t Kansas. >> >> Most people meet the challenge and after a few educational bumps to =20= > >> various parts of their anatomy they learn not to fight reality. No =20 >> matter what you may have thought you were going to do, the only =20 >> useful option is to go with the flow. And the next level of learning =20= > >> is that when you do that well (flow) you can actually arrive where =20 >> you need to be. Wonderful! Sounds a lot like Open Space. >> >> We start in the static stability of a circle. This may seem strange =20= > >> to some, but there is a place for everybody and everybody finds a =20 >> place. A familiar and enduring structure for sure. Then it happens. =20= > >> The circle crumbles in bits and pieces as people come to center, =20 >> announcing their passions =96 only to be briefly restored as they =20 >> return to their seats. However the restoration is but momentary. =20 >> Shortly everybody leaves their seats to join a chaotic gaggle at the =20= > >> wall. So much for static structure, and it goes downhill from there. >> >> Ebbing and flowing, groups form and reform all without benefit of =20 >> the standard constraints essential for orderly organizational life=97=20= > >> or so we might have thought. Pre-arranged agenda (sometimes called =20 >> Mission, Goals, Objectives) is nonexistent. The Schedule might be =20 >> posted but never followed =96 things start when they start. Assigned =20= > >> participation is nowhere to be found, and yet the right people show =20= > >> up. And to make things even worse, the air is filled with buzzing =20 >> and flutters as Bees and Butterflies do their thing. Madness! To be =20= > >> sure there may be a few people who are utterly flummoxed as the hand =20= > >> holds they may have expected (see above under =93Ethelyn Rose at Sea=94)= > =20 >> disappear . . . or reappear in unexpected places. Their condition is =20= > >> not helped, for should they ask what to do the answer is likely to =20 >> come back as a question =96 What would they care to do? >> >> A trifling few will lose heart and head for the shore =96 perceived =20= > >> stability. But the vast majority, as we have seen over the years and =20= > >> around the globe, will be totally captivated by the moment, and a =20 >> smaller group will experience that moment as total exhilaration. =20 >> They are doing what their prior life experience taught them could =20 >> not be done =96 seriously and intentionally going with the flow. And =20= > >> rather than being rank hedonism, the experience proves to be =20 >> massively productive and fulfilling. Doing well and good =96 and =20 >> feeling great. A hard to beat combination. >> >> And then we come to Monday Morning. Back to reality, as they say. =20 >> But is it? The truth, I believe is rather different. They have =20 >> experienced reality and come to the edge of shedding illusion/=20 >> delusion. In the words of friend Ralph, =93Everything is moving=94 =96 = > and =20 >> this is now a fact of life to be savored and enjoyed. No longer a =20 >> terrifying unknown, it is to be affirmed and embraced. Not without a =20= > >> few =93white knuckle=94 moments to be sure =96 but infinitely better = > than =20 >> hanging onto the (illusory) rock of stability. >> >> So what about us =96 those privileged folks who have accepted the =20 >> honor of opening space in people=92s lives? Short answer: Invite our =20= > >> guests over the edge. Please note I did not say, Push them over the =20= > >> edge. >> >> Crafting this invitation is always a matter of personal style and =20 >> must come from the heart. The invitation I have in mind never =20 >> appears on a piece of paper (or the electronic equivalent). It =20 >> arrives in our personhood =96 who we are and how we present ourselves, = > =20 >> which is to say, from the heart. Not to be confused with a gushy =20 >> valentine or formulaic presentation, the invitation manifests in our =20= > >> simple presence, revealing our own acceptance and joy in the moving =20= > >> flow of life. Without words we express the swimmer=92s call: Come on =20= > >> in, the water is fine! Of course you have to be in the water for =20 >> that call to have any credibility. >> >> It is perhaps easier to say how NOT to create this invitation. First =20= > >> off, it is not a matter of rational argument and presentation of =20 >> facts. Most people already know the facts at some level, and I think =20= > >> the case could be made that it was =93rational argument=94 that has =20= > >> gotten us into the bind we experience. Given the =93fact=94 of a = > moving, =20 >> changing world which can be very uncomfortable, it is quite =20 >> =93rational=94 to define that world in terms of controllable static =20= > >> chunks that may be contained, or better, bent to our =20 >> specifications. This has led us to such wonderful things as =93Flood =20= > >> Control=94 which works until such time as Mother Nature and Old Man =20= > >> River decide to take a different course. It turns out that The River =20= > >> is not a static, definable thing but part of a vast ever changing =20 >> system. Effective Flood Control would require close management of =20 >> the Planet=92s atmosphere to say nothing of the cosmos beyond. Good =20= > >> luck! >> >> Also under the heading of =93NOT to be included=94 are well = > intentioned =20 >> efforts to sugar coat the pill, as it were. Which is to say that we =20= > >> might propose certain limitations that will restrict the =20 >> possibility of change in Open Space. Some of us have called these =20 >> =93givens=94 but so far as I can tell the only given is change itself. = > =20 >> And to suggest otherwise is not so much to violate the =93Spirit of =20= > >> Open Space=94 but rather the essence of the cosmos itself. Ralph had =20= > >> it right: Everything is moving. In this context, Open Space =20 >> Technology is a minimal consideration. >> >> I am by no means suggesting that our invitation look like the back =20 >> panel of some medication listing every possible adverce reaction, if =20= > >> in fact unexpected change is such an adverce reaction. And truth to =20= > >> tell I find the appearance of unexpected change in the midst of an =20 >> Open Space to be one of its (OS=92s) most delightful consequences. I =20= > >> also think that it is important to note the OS is not the engine of =20= > >> change. It simply provides the space for change to show up and the =20 >> cosmos (or whatever) takes care of all the heavy lifting. >> >> For me an invitation to Open Space is an opportunity to include =20 >> friends and strangers in the deepest experience of (my) life. It has =20= > >> little to do with selling a product, doing a process, excersizing =20 >> some sort of professional competence =96 although there are doubtless =20= > >> elements of all of that. Fundamentally it is my invitation to =20 >> experience life at its fullest in which chanagability is not the =20 >> enemy to be suppressed but rather the rich tapestry of an evolving =20 >> future. I don=92t make it, I can=92t predict it =96 but I can = > participate =20 >> both as a sojourner and a co-creator. Stuart Kauffman speaks of =20 >> being =93At Home in the Universe.=94 That is my elemental experience, =20= > >> and I am always looking for playmates. >> >> Harrison Owen >> 7808 River Falls Dr. >> Potomac, MD 20854 >> USA >> Phone 301-365-2093 >> www.openspaceworld.com >> www.ho-image.com (Personal Website) >> To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of = > [email protected]=20 >> : >> http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html >> >> * * =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= > =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= > =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D [email protected]=20 >> ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change =20 >> your options, view the archives of [email protected]: = > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html=20 >> To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: = > http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist > > > * > * > =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D > [email protected] > ----------------------------- > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, > view the archives of [email protected]: > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html > > To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: > http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist > > --Apple-Mail-64--728671987 > Content-Type: text/html; > charset=WINDOWS-1252 > Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable > > <html><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; = > -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Stunning, Harrison. I = > will play with you and Ethelyn Rose (perhaps on the Ethelyn Rose) any = > time!<div><br></div><div>Love,</div><div><br><div = > apple-content-edited=3D"true"> <span class=3D"Apple-style-span" = > style=3D"border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: = > Candara; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; = > letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: = > auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; = > widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; = > -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; = > -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: = > auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-size: medium; "><div = > style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; = > -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; = > "><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div>Christine<div><br></div><div>Chr= > istine Whitney Sanchez</div><div>CWS - Collaborative Wisdom & = > Strategy</div><div>2717 E. Mountain Sky Avenue</div><div>Phoenix, AZ = > 85048, USA</div><div>+1.480.759.0262</div><div><a = > href=3D"http://www.christinewhitneysanchez.com";>www.christinewhitneysanche= > z.com</a></div><div><a = > href=3D"http://www.innovationpartners.com";>www.innovationpartners.com</a><= > /div><div><a = > href=3D"http://www.collaborativespark.com";>www.collaborativespark.com</a><= > /div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></span> = > </div><br><div><div>On Aug 22, 2010, at 2:49 PM, Harrison Owen = > wrote:</div><br class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote = > type=3D"cite"><span class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"border-collapse: = > separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Candara; font-style: normal; = > font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; = > line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; = > text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; = > -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: = > 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: = > auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-size: medium; "><div = > lang=3D"EN-US" link=3D"blue" vlink=3D"purple"><div class=3D"WordSection1" = > style=3D"page: WordSection1; "><div style=3D"margin-top: 0in; = > margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; font-size: = > 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; ">Our friend Suzanne Daigle sent = > me a note saying that it seemed I had been very quiet on OSLIST. It is = > true that I appreciate silence, but the real truth is, I was just = > thinking. Dangerous I know, but what follows is the result =96 and you = > can blame it all on Suzanne (Joke!). So what do you = > think?<o:p></o:p></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; = > margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: = > Calibri, sans-serif; "><o:p> </o:p></div><div style=3D"margin-top: = > 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; = > font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; = > ">**************************************************************<o:p></o:p= >> </div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: = > 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, = > sans-serif; "><o:p> </o:p></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0in; = > margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; font-size: = > 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; ">A long time ago a good friend, = > Ralph Copleman, was to be found in the middle of a large circle of peers = > dressed in a flowing cape and repeating the words, =93Everything is = > moving, Everything is moving.=94 Odd to say the least and some doubted = > Ralph=92s sanity. Some still do, but that image has stuck in my febrile = > brain ever since =96 and as time has passed it occurs to me that Ralph = > had it precisely right: This is an energetic cosmos. The problem arises = > when we (and that includes all of us some of the time) desperately want = > everything to stop and stand still. So desperately in fact that we = > have created a mental image of our environment exclusively populated by = > static things which include everything from mountains to super nova = > along with the oddments of our life like professions, chairs, = > relationships, organizational structures, corporations, countries and = > empires. Unfortunately this mental image is a radical illusion, one = > might say delusion. Ralph is right. Everything is moving and what we = > perceive as stable structures are but the momentary, slice in time, = > freeze-frame constructs of our imagination.<o:p></o:p></div><div = > style=3D"margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; = > margin-left: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; = > "><o:p> </o:p></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0in; margin-right: = > 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 11pt; = > font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; ">Heresy? Psychobabble? Advanced = > esoteric insight? =96 None of the above, I think. As a matter of fact, = > Ralph=92s observation is nothing but a short (poetic?) version of the = > (now) standard scientific understanding of the nature of the cosmos. = > Starting with the Big Bang it is all flowing energy, albeit now clumped = > in momentary configurations =96 but still flowing energy for all of = > that. Scratch any rock hard enough and its essential nature comes = > through =96 a whirring bunch of quarks and neutrons doing the cosmic = > dance. Doubtless my physicist friends would take issue with my phrasing = > =96 but not, I think, with the core message. Everything is = > moving.<o:p></o:p></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0in; margin-right: = > 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 11pt; = > font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "><o:p> </o:p></div><div = > style=3D"margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; = > margin-left: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; = > ">So what does all this have to do with the price of eggs? Or for that = > matter =96 Open Space and our role as facilitators and consultants? A = > lot, I believe.<o:p></o:p></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0in; = > margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; font-size: = > 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "><o:p> </o:p></div><div = > style=3D"margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; = > margin-left: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; = > ">Starting with Open Space which is many things to different people. For = > some it is a Large Group Intervention. Others might see it as an = > aberrant phenomenon peculiar to a cultish few. For myself Open Space is = > a trial ride in the flow of life which has a lot of similarities to my = > boat.<o:p></o:p></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; = > margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: = > Calibri, sans-serif; "><o:p> </o:p></div><div style=3D"margin-top: = > 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; = > font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; ">My boat is smallish = > in size (32 feet) but definitely larger than the average punt. She is = > very seaworthy and shares a common heritage with the local Lobster Boats = > here in Maine. We have many visitors, most of whom have never been on a = > boat such as the Ethelyn Rose. When you walk on board, things look sort = > of familiar. Chairs for sitting, a comfortable nook for dining, and even = > an oriental rug on the floor =96 excuse me, sole. If you look further = > there are the standard amenities such as a shower and commode, all = > sequestered in their separate quarters. Even a complete landlubber will = > feel more or less at home.<o:p></o:p></div><div style=3D"margin-top: = > 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; = > font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; = > "><o:p> </o:p></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0in; margin-right: = > 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 11pt; = > font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; ">But the moment we leave the dock the = > world changes =96 apparent stability yields to constant motion. = > Everything is moving even if it seems to be staying in the same place! = > In the harbor motion is minimal, but the moment we clear the = > breakwater marking the harbor entrance the experience can be radically = > different. Sea swells from the open Atlantic Ocean take us up and down = > in distances measured in yards, and should we have a good cross wind the = > surface chop adds an interesting side to side motion. The Ethelyn Rose = > is right at home, but some of our visitors have a different impression. = > And navigating in these conditions is a definite learning experience. = > Even a simple walk through the main cabin can be a challenge. Hand holds = > that you had carefully plotted at the start of your journey suddenly = > changed position relative to you as you made your way. What was up is = > now down and who knows what is happening in between. Interesting, and as = > they say, It ain=92t Kansas.<o:p></o:p></div><div style=3D"margin-top: = > 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; = > font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: justify; = > "><o:p> </o:p></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0in; margin-right: = > 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 11pt; = > font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; ">Most people meet the challenge and = > after a few educational bumps to various parts of their anatomy = > they learn not to fight reality. No matter what you may have thought you = > were going to do, the only useful option is to go with the flow. And the = > next level of learning is that when you do that well (flow) you can = > actually arrive where you need to be. Wonderful! Sounds a lot like Open = > Space.<o:p></o:p></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; = > margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: = > Calibri, sans-serif; "><o:p> </o:p></div><div style=3D"margin-top: = > 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; = > font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; ">We start in the = > static stability of a circle. This may seem strange to some, but there = > is a place for everybody and everybody finds a place. A familiar and = > enduring structure for sure. Then it happens. The circle crumbles in = > bits and pieces as people come to center, announcing their passions =96 = > only to be briefly restored as they return to their seats. However the = > restoration is but momentary. Shortly everybody leaves their seats to = > join a chaotic gaggle at the wall. So much for static structure, and it = > goes downhill from there.<o:p></o:p></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0in; = > margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; font-size: = > 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "><o:p> </o:p></div><div = > style=3D"margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; = > margin-left: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; = > ">Ebbing and flowing, groups form and reform all without benefit of the = > standard constraints essential for orderly organizational life=97or so = > we might have thought. Pre-arranged agenda (sometimes called Mission, = > Goals, Objectives) is nonexistent. The Schedule might be posted but = > never followed =96 things start when they start. Assigned participation = > is nowhere to be found, and yet the right people show up. And to make = > things even worse, the air is filled with buzzing and flutters as Bees = > and Butterflies do their thing. Madness! To be sure there may be a few = > people who are utterly flummoxed as the hand holds they may have = > expected (see above under =93Ethelyn Rose at Sea=94) disappear . . . or = > reappear in unexpected places. Their condition is not helped, for should = > they ask what to do the answer is likely to come back as a question =96 = > What would they care to do?<o:p></o:p></div><div style=3D"margin-top: = > 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; = > font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; = > "><o:p> </o:p></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0in; margin-right: = > 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 11pt; = > font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; ">A trifling few will lose heart and = > head for the shore =96 perceived stability. But the vast majority, as we = > have seen over the years and around the globe, will be totally = > captivated by the moment, and a smaller group will experience that = > moment as total exhilaration. They are doing what their prior life = > experience taught them could not be done =96 seriously and intentionally = > going with the flow. And rather than being rank hedonism, the experience = > proves to be massively productive and fulfilling. Doing well and good =96 = > and feeling great. A hard to beat combination.<o:p></o:p></div><div = > style=3D"margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; = > margin-left: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; = > "><o:p> </o:p></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0in; margin-right: = > 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 11pt; = > font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; ">And then we come to Monday Morning. = > Back to reality, as they say. But is it? The truth, I believe is rather = > different. They have experienced reality and come to the edge of = > shedding illusion/delusion. In the words of friend Ralph, =93Everything = > is moving=94 =96 and this is now a fact of life to be savored and = > enjoyed. No longer a terrifying unknown, it is to be affirmed and = > embraced. Not without a few =93white knuckle=94 moments to be sure =96 = > but infinitely better than hanging onto the (illusory) rock of = > stability.<o:p></o:p></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0in; margin-right: = > 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 11pt; = > font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "><o:p> </o:p></div><div = > style=3D"margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; = > margin-left: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; = > ">So what about us =96 those privileged folks who have accepted the = > honor of opening space in people=92s lives? Short answer: Invite our = > guests over the edge. Please note I did not say, Push them over the = > edge.<o:p></o:p></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; = > margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: = > Calibri, sans-serif; "><o:p> </o:p></div><div style=3D"margin-top: = > 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; = > font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; ">Crafting this = > invitation is always a matter of personal style and must come from the = > heart. The invitation I have in mind never appears on a piece of = > paper (or the electronic equivalent). It arrives in our personhood =96 = > who we are and how we present ourselves, which is to say, from the = > heart. Not to be confused with a gushy valentine or formulaic = > presentation, the invitation manifests in our simple presence, revealing = > our own acceptance and joy in the moving flow of life. Without words we = > express the swimmer=92s call: Come on in, the water is fine! Of course = > you have to be in the water for that call to have any = > credibility.<o:p></o:p></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0in; = > margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; font-size: = > 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "><o:p> </o:p></div><div = > style=3D"margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; = > margin-left: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; = > ">It is perhaps easier to say how NOT to create this invitation. First = > off, it is not a matter of rational argument and presentation of facts. = > Most people already know the facts at some level, and I think the case = > could be made that it was =93rational argument=94 that has gotten us = > into the bind we experience. Given the =93fact=94 of a moving, changing = > world which can be very uncomfortable, it is quite =93rational=94 to = > define that world in terms of controllable static chunks that may be = > contained, or better, bent to our specifications. This has led us = > to such wonderful things as =93Flood Control=94 which works until such = > time as Mother Nature and Old Man River decide to take a different = > course. It turns out that The River is not a static, definable thing but = > part of a vast ever changing system. Effective Flood Control would = > require close management of the Planet=92s atmosphere to say nothing of = > the cosmos beyond. Good luck!<span style=3D"font-size: 12pt; = > "><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0in; margin-right: = > 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 11pt; = > font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "><o:p> </o:p></div><div = > style=3D"margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; = > margin-left: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; = > ">Also under the heading of =93NOT to be included=94 are well = > intentioned efforts to sugar coat the pill, as it were. Which is to say = > that we might propose certain limitations that will restrict the = > possibility of change in Open Space. Some of us have called these = > =93givens=94 but so far as I can tell the only given is change itself. = > And to suggest otherwise is not so much to violate the =93Spirit of Open = > Space=94 but rather the essence of the cosmos itself. Ralph had it = > right: Everything is moving. In this context, Open Space Technology is a = > minimal consideration.<o:p></o:p></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0in; = > margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; font-size: = > 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "> <o:p></o:p></div><div = > style=3D"margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; = > margin-left: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; ">I = > am by no means suggesting that our invitation look like the back panel = > of some medication listing every possible adverce reaction, if in fact = > unexpected change is such an adverce reaction. And truth to tell I find = > the appearance of unexpected change in the midst of an Open Space to be = > one of its (OS=92s) most delightful consequences. I also think that it = > is important to note the OS is not the engine of change. It simply = > provides the space for change to show up and the cosmos (or whatever) = > takes care of all the heavy lifting.<o:p></o:p></div><div = > style=3D"margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; = > margin-left: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; = > "><o:p> </o:p></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0in; margin-right: = > 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 11pt; = > font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; ">For me an invitation to Open Space = > is an opportunity to include friends and strangers in the deepest = > experience of (my) life. It has little to do with selling a product, = > doing a process, excersizing some sort of professional competence =96 = > although there are doubtless elements of all of that. Fundamentally it = > is my invitation to experience life at its fullest in which = > chanagability is not the enemy to be suppressed but rather the rich = > tapestry of an evolving future. I don=92t make it, I can=92t predict it = > =96 but I can participate both as a sojourner and a co-creator. Stuart = > Kauffman speaks of being =93At Home in the Universe.=94 That is my = > elemental experience, and I am always looking for = > playmates.<o:p></o:p></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0in; margin-right: = > 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 1in; font-size: 11pt; = > font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "><o:p> </o:p></div><div = > style=3D"margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; = > margin-left: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; = > ">Harrison Owen<o:p></o:p></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0in; = > margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; font-size: = > 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; ">7808 River Falls = > Dr.<o:p></o:p></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; = > margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: = > Calibri, sans-serif; ">Potomac, MD 20854<o:p></o:p></div><div = > style=3D"margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; = > margin-left: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; = > ">USA<o:p></o:p></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; = > margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: = > Calibri, sans-serif; ">Phone 301-365-2093<o:p></o:p></div><div = > style=3D"margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; = > margin-left: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; = > "><a href=3D"http://www.openspaceworld.com"; style=3D"color: blue; = > text-decoration: underline; = > ">www.openspaceworld.com</a><o:p></o:p></div><div style=3D"margin-top: = > 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; = > font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "><a = > href=3D"http://www.ho-image.com"; style=3D"color: blue; text-decoration: = > underline; ">www.ho-image.com</a><span = > class=3D"Apple-converted-space"> </span>(Personal = > Website)<o:p></o:p></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0in; margin-right: = > 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 11pt; = > font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "><span style=3D"font-size: 10.5pt; = > font-family: Consolas; ">To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, = > view the archives of<span = > class=3D"Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a = > href=3D"mailto:[email protected]"; style=3D"color: blue; = > text-decoration: underline; "><span style=3D"font-size: 10.5pt; = > font-family: Consolas; ">[email protected]</span></a><span = > style=3D"font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Consolas; = > ">:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0in; margin-right: = > 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 11pt; = > font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "><a = > href=3D"http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html"; = > style=3D"color: blue; text-decoration: underline; = > ">http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html</a><o:p></o:p></div>= > <div style=3D"margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: = > 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, = > sans-serif; "><o:p> </o:p></div></div>* * = > =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= > =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= > =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D<span = > class=3D"Apple-converted-space"> </span><a = > href=3D"mailto:[email protected]"; style=3D"color: blue; = > text-decoration: underline; ">[email protected]</a><span = > class=3D"Apple-converted-space"> </span>-----------------------------= > - To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives = > of<span class=3D"Apple-converted-space"> </span><a = > href=3D"mailto:[email protected]"; style=3D"color: blue; = > text-decoration: underline; ">[email protected]</a>:<span = > class=3D"Apple-converted-space"> </span><a = > href=3D"http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html"; = > style=3D"color: blue; text-decoration: underline; = > ">http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html</a><span = > class=3D"Apple-converted-space"> </span>To learn about = > OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs:<span = > class=3D"Apple-converted-space"> </span><a = > href=3D"http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist"; style=3D"color: blue; = > text-decoration: underline; = > ">http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist</a></div></span></blockquote></div>= > <br></div></body></html>= > * > * > =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D > [email protected] > ----------------------------- > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, > view the archives of [email protected]: > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html > > To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: > http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist > > --Apple-Mail-64--728671987-- > > ------------------------------ > > End of OSLIST Digest - 21 Aug 2010 to 22 Aug 2010 (#2010-205) > ************************************************************* * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected]: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist
