Hi Peggy, Birgitt, Joelle and ALL! I was just going to write about the ideas I got while reading (sorry for late literacy) a book 'Calling the Circle' and wondering that the idea is good and the form if even with the topic indeficated sounds like not very easy to come to everybodies understanding. when coming to chaos the idea of the auther is to get silence for a while when somebody will be ready to move forward.
of course any idea of calling the circle is good and should be apreciated, I think, but it is not easy to call the circle at least at our counry. the last try I did, though of course it was not much time to organize all things in proper way, but it seems that there are always something which not allow to do things... when people don't want them to do. even knowing they need to, they avoid everything which is not familiar and use their two legs as soon as they see nothing 'interesting' for them is happenning on the 27th of June after a two months of talking through the deputy of the city Berdsk which in near Novosibirsk and Akademgorodok (15 minutes drive) where I live, but 10 days before I managed to have a meeting with the mayor or the city (after a week of asking) he got the idea and as the summer is on already in Siberia and it is like 30 + C, and the time of vacations for most part of the population, we decided that the 27th of June will be OK to try to gather people for OS on topic "Encreasing the effectiveness of the communal service of the city Berdsk" it was Wednesday, 18th, when we decide to do it, and on Friday when I call the secretary, she told me that she gave the 'orders of the mayor' to certain people, so better to call them ... on Monday, when papers will arrive to them... so it was less then a week which will be rested, well, on Monday the chiif of the communal sevice department said that he wants to meet me ... tomorrow, and after an hour of retelling the stories and his sayings that they have a program for reforming the communal service of Berdsk he did understand the purpose of the OS and we agreed... to follow the order of the mayor he said that they will invite people of his department, non-profits and owners of facilities, as well as deputies... but there was not many people who show up and half of them 'use their feets' during the first session. before they go to sign for topics one said that they came to LISTEN for the proposals how to emprove the work of their communal service. I said that we are going right now to define problems, probably set on priorities and will learn together what we should do to improve the service... he was not satisfied and left though after working for some time with one of the groups... and leaving his own topic without leader on the second session... well, whatever happens... there were only 6 topics posted and that was enough only for 2 sessions, though the idea was to work the whole day. the chief of the department though asked me if we could work half of the day... I said we could do everything, but I'm not sure that we can go to any question in details if we work for half a day.. nevertheless, we had only 6 topics, half people left and though the very emotional discussions the reports were very short and always with the asking what can we do, if the financing is so small, not enough for repairment of the old equipment and so on... the only active group was the one which discussed the Association of owners of facilities (appartments actually), and the 10 people left said it was a very good and counstructive and not foraml way of discussing things. the person from private let's say condominium said that she find all the right people she wants to work with, that she discussed all the questions which were interesting for her and I HOPE, that the news about this calling the circle will be spread all over the city. the chief of the communal service department said that the meeting really could be called an OPEN FORUM as I proposed to call it... though it was 10 people left... I think that he did not give much effort to really call peple as he was afraid of what kind a meeting it will be himself, now he knows and we agreed that we will call a circle - a bigger one - in Autumn, and I hope that we will really work on spreading the information of what it will be people don't believe they can do anything as the problems of communal service which is financed from the budget of the city 50% (though the law in Russia is 90% - that is not 2 not 1.5 as we say, - what means 'half of the decision') but that is because the deputies of the city - which did not show up on the meeting, even the one who was a messenger to the mayor!) did not allow to do that - because of afraidness of not-popular decisions - but the reason they say is that the income of people is very low, and even with given compensation they will not be able to pay for new tarifs... the low income is the country problem, not only the city's Berdsk and ... so on as the circle again there are a lot of possibilities, but if people don't want to solve them = to change their life , even if it is not the life they want to live, but it could be WORSE as everybody is thinking and though there are a lot of hided extra work, payments and staff... all people are trying to keep the way they are used to be... well, sorry for the long letter again, it is of course less painful then Raffi's questions, but still the same NOT-BELIEF in people's possibilities to form a program and realizing of it I don't think that it was an OS which DID NOT WORK, it work as it could and should, and it was the start, but the start which was not as I planned - working for the whole day, as we were out of topics, people asked me what we will do next, so I said that now we shall discuss the results and it will be the closing session, which was very optimistic for all who was 'strong' enough to stay up to the end. and also I got a call that the woman wants to make the same kind of meeting for the 'owners of the facilities' but with many people (as much as possible) invited. she said she liked the form of the meeting. so, moving to understanding and listening each other... best wishes elena novosibirsk, russia ----- Original Message ----- From: "Birgitt Williams" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, July 07, 2003 11:14 PM Subject: Re: questions on OS's form > Peggy, > I smile at your gift to us of your making sure you are clear in what you are > communicating. And as you know, I too believe that for something to be an > OST event, there are elements of the form that define it as an OST event. > The form assists us as humans in our current state of evolution, to access > the essence of life and living (what some of us refer to as the great Open > Space). > > There are other forms that also assist us as humans in accessing the essence > of life and living. In group work, for me, this includes Appreciative > Inquiry, Whole Person Process Facilitation, World Cafe, and Calling the > Circle. And then there are various forms of art that assist us in doing this > including poetry, painting(s), music.... And then there are various forms > from the healing arts that assist us in doing this, including color healing, > aromatherapy, meditation, yoga, reiki healing, tai Chi and so on. Each > provides a path to us to consciously access All That Is, to remember what we > know. And for whatever reason, we need these paths, each of us choosing the > ones that work for us. > > Blessings, > Birgitt > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: OSLIST [mailto:[email protected]]On Behalf Of Peggy > Holman > Sent: Sunday, July 06, 2003 5:00 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: questions on OS's form > > > I find myself still pondering what feels like a contradiction in my answer > to Birgit's question. It has to do with the essence and form of Open Space. > > Raffi described the meeting he attended saying: > >But the energy of the sessions felt very much like OS. I wouldn't call > >it full OS. > > and then said: > >I am inclined to believe that in their hearts the facilitators trusted > >the space would be opened and that internal opening allowed for the > >space to open externally. > > > Of the two meetings I described, the corporate one didn't even have the > spirit of an OS. The second one did to an extent, more like Raffi's > description. So, I would say, these gatherings exhibited a bit of the > essence of OS. > > So, on the one hand, I would say form isn't necessary when the essence shows > up unaided. That said, the form of OST is useful (i.e., the circle, the > law, principles and marketplace) because it just about guarantees that > self-organization happens and spirit emerges. Without the form, I wouldn't > call a gathering an Open Space meeting, although the space may well be open. > > So, don't know if anyone else felt the need for more detail, but I feel > better! > > From still sunny Seattle (and thinking thoughts of travel to Denmark), > Peggy > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Peggy Holman" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Saturday, July 05, 2003 2:46 PM > Subject: Re: questions on OS's form > > > > Birgitt, > > > > Good question! You help me test my thinking. I would not call something > an > > open space event without the circle, the law and the principles. > > That said, taking responsibility for what you care about in the context of > > the whole, is at the heart of what makes open space more than a meeting > > methodology for me. As a personal life practice, this is essence guides > me. > > As a collective practice, coming together periodically (that design > element > > of breath) in a circle, speaking the law and the principles, and creating > a > > marketplace seems to matter. > > > > Peggy > > > > P.S. As I re-read my message, one thing that I didn't make clear is that > I > > would not have called either of the meetings I described open space > events. > > To me, it was a misuse of the name. > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Birgitt Williams" <[email protected]> > > To: <[email protected]> > > Sent: Friday, July 04, 2003 2:02 PM > > Subject: Re: questions on OS's form > > > > > > > Peggy, > > > along that theme of one more thing not to do, am I understanding > correctly > > > that for you, so long as people "take responsibility for what they care > > > about in the context of the whole" that is enough---no circle needed, no > > > principles stated and so on. Or am I understanding your words correctly? > > > > > > Blessings to you, > > > Birgitt > > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: OSLIST [mailto:[email protected]]On Behalf Of Peggy > > > Holman > > > Sent: Friday, July 04, 2003 4:42 PM > > > To: [email protected] > > > Subject: Re: questions on OS's form > > > > > > > > > Raffi, > > > > > > A comment on the OS you attended with: > > > > > > >no walking in a circle (the two co-facilitators sat at the head of the > > > room) > > > > > > and Harrison's response: > > > >Walking the circle focuses and centers the group. If the group is > already > > > focused, and knows where it is, save the effort and sit down. > > > > > > I've attended 2 sessions called OS where there was no circle or stating > of > > > the principles and the law. > > > > > > One was a corporate setting with lots of tables. They had some > > > pre-determined topics "just in case". No surprise: the only topics were > > the > > > pre-selected ones. The work of focus and centering, which creates space > > by > > > defining its edges was not in their consicousness and therefore not > done. > > > > > > The other setting was the Leadership Institute of Seattle. This was a > > group > > > in which most people knew each other. They had common values from > working > > > together over time. In this setting, while people sat in little circles > > of > > > 3 at the opening, there was no issue with sessions getting posted. I > did > > > notice that people did not use their two feet at all to travel between > > > sessions. So something was lost in the mix. > > > > > > > > > So, what is the essence? I continue to use that wonderful design lesson > > > from Harrison: what's one less thing to do and have the experience be > > > whole? > > > > > > I've come to believe the essence of open space is taking responsiblity > for > > > what you care about in the context of the whole. This to me is the law > of > > > two feet. The principles flow from this way of being. Circles help. > > > Naming the law and the principles make them much more visible. > > > > > > Peggy > > > > > > * > > > * > > > ========================================================== > > > [email protected] > > > ------------------------------ > > > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, > > > view the archives of [email protected], > > > Visit: > > > > > > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html > > > --- > > > Incoming mail is certified Virus Free. > > > Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). > > > Version: 6.0.493 / Virus Database: 292 - Release Date: 6/25/2003 > > > > > > --- > > > Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. > > > Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). > > > Version: 6.0.493 / Virus Database: 292 - Release Date: 6/25/2003 > > > > > > * > > > * > > > ========================================================== > > > [email protected] > > > ------------------------------ > > > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, > > > view the archives of [email protected], > > > Visit: > > > > > > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html > > > > * > > * > > ========================================================== > > [email protected] > > ------------------------------ > > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, > > view the archives of [email protected], > > Visit: > > > > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html > > * > * > ========================================================== > [email protected] > ------------------------------ > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, > view the archives of [email protected], > Visit: > > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html > --- > Incoming mail is certified Virus Free. > Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). > Version: 6.0.493 / Virus Database: 292 - Release Date: 6/25/2003 > > --- > Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. > Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). > Version: 6.0.493 / Virus Database: 292 - Release Date: 6/25/2003 > > * > * > ========================================================== > [email protected] > ------------------------------ > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, > view the archives of [email protected], > Visit: > > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html > * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected], Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
