fyi -----Original Message----- From: Anne Stadler <anne_stad...@mist.seattleantioch.edu> To: phol...@email.msn.com <phol...@email.msn.com> Cc: osl...@listserv.idbsu.edu <osl...@listserv.idbsu.edu> Date: Tuesday, November 24, 1998 10:58 PM Subject: Re: OSONOS-my struggles,my viewpoint
Thanks, Peg, for forwarding Birgitt's OSonOS reflections message to the Listserve and your reply. I'll add my two cents: It was bumpy and very very valuable, especially for those of us who do Open Space a lot. What I learned: 1. We OPen Spacers NEED and got some big lessons in welcoming "strangers", including people who do things differently than we do. That was brought home forcefully by having an international group of practicioners, and by having a number of people who were virgins (smile), and by having a few people who were at "the first one" (of which there seemed to be more than one "first"!!), and by having one person who invented "Open Space" (by another name) in the late seventies before any of us did!! I am personally VERY grateful that we are international; that we have a chance to observe different people opening space; and that many of us are willing to co-facilitate and learn how to enable that to happen smoothly, and trustfully, and powerfully (witness Monday AM!!). For myself, I have been doing co-facilitated OSs on purpose for about a year. I feel it helps people (myself included) learn how to prepare, evolve a common discipline of mindfulness and playfulness, AND learn to be at ease with the shared leadership I believe is important to model in opening space. AND I am aware that I can have strong reactions to the way others do things; but I believe the way I need to handle that is to be aware of what is triggered in me, and to integrate that as best I can, and then to give and receive feedback, so I and we can learn.-- that's the way I have proceeded with HHO and others whom I've known over the years, and I've learned A LOT. A few more words about the "stranger": I was a stranger when I first encountered OPen Space. I was welcomed. I was included. I was taken for how I valued myself. And I made life-long companions, changed my professional focus, etc. So, for me, the "stranger" is "me"! And also, I think we really have to admit that at a very fundamental level, we are all "strangers" everytime we open space. We truly cannot predict what we may encounter. We literally open ourselves to the unknown. So.. in this sense we enter the space as "strangers" to whatever may be in store for us. Sure, I have experience and learning to share-- so I am not a stranger to OST, per se. Sure I may be THE PROFESSIONAL FACILITATOR of OST. But I am a stranger to the particular experience which will happen in the NOW of that new moment. The appearance of strangers in our midst is simply an opportunity for the GROUP to be reminded that we ARE opening to the unknown, and to relearn it and integrate whatever is the new learning about that. I felt as Peg did-- a sense of gratefulness that we had such a deep well of space that we could include HHO in our thoughts and conversation and hearts, that his presence or absense didn't dominate our activity, that we could learn so deeply and intensely together, even the difficult lessons, and emerge new and whole to the accompaniment of the double rainbow!! (which I didn't SEE, but I truly GROK!) And Birgitt, I hold you in my heart and appreciate the relentless probing you do and the deep integrity you bring to your (and our) evolution!! Lots of love and thanks to all the OSonOSers! Anne Stadler Lots of love Sent via SoftArc's FirstClass SMTP/NNTP at Antioch University Seattle. The views expressed are those of the sender and are not necessarily subscribed to by Antioch University students, staff or faculty.