Hi-- Here is my developing understanding of the ordinary magic we see in OS and what we saw in particular at the Doers Conference.
It is very similar to The Holy Intimacy of Strangers (also the title of a book by Sarah York) which I have noticed and conversed about with Joelle: people who are strangers in an intimate workshop setting, talking about spiritual or other higher matters, sharing things they may never have shared with their families or closest friends, may never have even had guts to share in their prayers. What is going on? It seems in this light to be aided by the gathering question: it announces we are going to talk about something serious, important, urgent even, and outside the normal realm of day to day. It is for this very reason that taking it back to the office on Monday is difficult and maybe not even to be sought: here we are deciding large things; there we cannot and do not wish to sustain that high level of effort and passion and thought: there is a place for grunt level work. (Our hope for Monday might be better placed in having the high-level conversations inform the grunt-level work.) It is also aided by the circle setting which says there are no higher nor lower and therefore all have high dignity of the possibility of developing useful insights from time to time during our days. It is aided as well by stating the law of Two Feet which gives another set of words to remind people of their dignity and respect. The same message is given by Whoever comes.... We are in effect, by our ritual and words setting a stage of respect and of high, out of the norm expectations. It is aided as well by Whatever happens... because this communicates a heightened sense of getting off our agendas and opening our minds and hearts to the possibility of transforming ourselves. This may be the magic we see. So what I am seeing is that by setting up this (open, equal, respectful) format and the inviting question about a matter beyond the everyday we are setting the stage for ordinary magic: transformation (metanoia, turning, conversing) of persons. It is willing suspension of ego in the pursuit of mutual discovery. Or so I think this brightening, warming morning. :-Doug. Germann Seeking people making community change. * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist