Harrison, My belief and worldview is one that is grateful for the greater Open Space of the world, created by our Creator, and for the Divine Operating Plan inclusive of basic universal laws (givens) for which I am greatful and if they weren't being attended to we might just have our planets colliding with one another and so on. Within this Divine Operating Plan that I view as a matrix of some sort (the finite mind has a problem grasping the infinite, despite a deep knowing that is within me) every organism, including humans, seem to have free will to make choices that are either life depleting or life nurturing. As such, the visible world can appear to be self organizing within this greater Divine Operating Plan. Whether our free will takes us to a collective will that organizes ourselves to be life nurturing or life depleting is still unknown. Thank goodness that the seen world (the world experienced by our five senses) is not the total picture. I have a lot of faith in the unseen world to assist us to choose a life nurturing future.
Within Open Space Technology, created by yourself, we have a magnificent window to heighten our conscious awareness about our choices. That which is experienced by the five senses in an OST meeting may appear to be self organizing within a matrix developed and held by the collaboration of the facilitator and the sponsor and any others who so choose as the meeting unfolds. A matrix seems to be needed for the self organizing to appear. The richness and depth of the "self organizing" within the OST meeting seems to be impacted by the ability of the facilitator to work with the unseen world (in my experience, this is the opening and holding of "space" which is not empty space at all but indeed very full). In the games you are referring to, a matrix is created, within which the players have choice, usually again choices between life depleting and life nurturing. Blessings to you and all whom you make genuine contact with Birgitt Williams Mentoring for Organizational Effectiveness We invite you to visit us at www.genuinecontact.com and join the list serve at http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/genuinecontact "I believe that Spirit matters and people are precious. I know that organizations incorporating these values have exciting, tangible results including wealth, prosperity, and abundance. Daily, these organizations attend to their health and balance. Participating in the Genuine Contact program takes you on a learning journey of HOW to achieve the healthy and balanced organization (the conscious Open Space Organization). Birgitt Williams, Dalar International Consultancy Contact information for Dalar International Consultancy Mailing address: Po Box 19373, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA 27619 or for courier 12136 Shooting Club Rd., Raleigh, North Carolina USA 27613 Phone: 919-522-7750 Fax: 919-870-6599 -----Original Message----- From: OSLIST [mailto:osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu]On Behalf Of Harrison Owen Sent: Monday, April 29, 2002 9:36 AM To: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu Subject: Holding Space in Emergent Systems I am, as some may know, afflicted with the notion that all systems are essentially self-organizing, and that in Open Space we are basically dealing with one more such emergent system. Holding Space, therefore has something to do with the art and practice of sustaining self-organization. turns out we are not alone. Programers who do games of an emergent sort seem to be playing in the same sandbox. See the following: One of the pleasures of what I do, Zimmerman tells me, over coffee near the NYU campus, is that you get to see a player take what you*ve designed and use it in completely unexpected ways. The designer, in other words, controls the micromotives of the player*s actions. But the way those micromotives are exploited and the macrobehavior that they generateare out of the designer*s control. They have a life of their own. Sound a little Familiar? For more, check out Steven Johnson's book "Emergence" (Scribner/2001) Harrison Harrison Owen 7808 River Falls Drive Potomac, MD 20854 USA phone 301-365-2093 Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org Personal website http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html