My favorite part of "in the middle" is that incredible moment of transformation from a state of nothingness, and usually anxiety, to something approaching connectedness, maybe even intimacy.
When the people have first found their seats. there is really nothing there, and for most people that is an awesome/fearful experience. Confronting "nothing" that is. But by the time that I have walked around the whole circle, the change in atmosphere is remarkable. Nothing has really changed except that I have invited each person to notice all the others -- friends, acquaintances, strangers. No words have been spoken (by those sitting in the circle), no issues have been announced. Seemingly, nothing has happened. But it really is a very different world. What amazes me is just how quickly that happens -- which is also a problem, I guess. Something serious has happened, and people miss it. But I don't. It is just wonderful -- or did you say magic? Harrison -----Original Message----- From: OSLIST [mailto:osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu] On Behalf Of douglas germann Sent: Saturday, June 14, 2008 4:08 PM To: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu Subject: Magic in the Middle Hi friends-- I believe our friend Finn Voldtofte first coined the phrase "The magic in the middle," to talk about what happens in circles. What is the magic in the middle? I invite you to a virtual session on this topic, here, now, on the oslist. Help us all puzzle this out. Is it one thing, or is it a cluster (or several clusters) of things? I am not so much after words to describe this magic (those are welcome too) as the concepts of what is actually going on. For instance, these are some of the things I have noticed about it. What have you noticed? Being heard. Conversations that matter. Action. Knowing glance. Emergence. Aliveness. Coming together. Whoosh. Creativity. Banter. Differences unite. Collective intelligence. More. Field. Awareness of a whole. A way of functioning. Intention. Widening view. Becoming a unity. Hearing others speak your thoughts. Light out of the muddle. Effortless. Flow. A life of its own. Enthusiasm. Getting work done. Moving people. Taking charge. Peer to peer. The between. Third person appears. WEave- old threads, new fabric, more. The space is open. Come and play.... :- Doug. * * ========================================================== 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 * * ========================================================== 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
