Friends
to be...
I blunder slowly across a dark woodland area in search of
fellows gathered for a sweat lodge experience. Eventually,
a circle of silhouettes loom and greets me, identified only
by voice. Nice to see you Rob! I grin unseen at the joke.
An interesting and poignant start to the ECN council gathering,
sitting in the dark, the unknown, warmed by the stones of
the earth with friends to be...
It was hot tho, and I only made one round but left grateful
for the opportunity and the generosity of Mipp and all who
helped to make the lodge happen, an opening into the ceremonial
spaces that council invites.
I had arrived earlier in the day to a welcome and a very well-organised,
relaxed team of mostly women who had evidently been in action
for some time. The flawless feeling continued throughout the
meeting, it was all in hand behind the scenes, and I had no concerns
about how it was all going to work. I noted with some incredulity
however, that the small contribution we were asked to make help
with checking the showers and toilets, I forgot! Even after facilitating
groups in community for 4 months prior to the gathering seemed
not to instill me with automatic memory. I decide to be more
compassionate to myself and others who need reminding of basic
duties more than a few times.
More than doubling last year's size, the ECN began with a circle
of around 50 folk of a broad age-range... including children!
Wow! The community grows, the culture includes, and I, as many
were, pleased to see that parents and children were provided
for by carers included in the program and who were also occasionally
to join us. The carers, cooks, care-takers and organisers, the
facilitators, visioners, dreamers and explorers, the environment
and those in it weaving, breathing in and out, around and about
co-creating the space gave me the sense that I was part of an
organisation, a human organisation, a community in the making.
Perfection contains flaws
After introductory games, we settled in to a program organised
to facilitate the most from our few days together. This included
council of course, plus Open Space Technology for the exploration
of many subjects touched on and awake within the ECN folk around
council, and which afforded a slightly different way of communication
and working. Eight spaces and six time-slots were allocated
over an evening and morning, which gave nearly 40 possible
group sessions.
"Damn! I want to do them all!" I
blurted out to a another bemused participant in front of the
sea of coloured cards covering the wall. Discernment comes
and a commitment to stay in just one session at a time, though
we are also invited to 'migrate' or cross-pollinate to another
sitting, as a Bee might if we felt to. I tried it once, though
I had a small sense of betrayal, I felt the value of the idea
and was still able to contribute OK.
Amongst the many fabulous subjects offered, a wonderful film
and media interviews opportunity arose, which also offered
an equally wonderful shadow in the events, as a large
population of the ECN disappeared for over half of the
called mini-meetings, leaving some of us wondering where
on earth our pooled mind-potential was on other important
topics. Well, more opportunities for next year methinks,
we go at the speed we are at!
Birthing from the shadows
Human-beings in empowered and supported spaces are marvellous
to behold. The evening gathering to witness the first european
trainers step forward, tell us their truths, answer some searching
question and be blessed by the benevolent presense and words
from Gigi and Marlow, elders for the Way of Council here in
Europe, was more, much more than pure function.
Human story
kicked in pretty much straight away and my heart was lifted
by the integrity of the process and the realness of what it
is to be around ceremony and human values. Unscheduled shadows
which had been present for some around the position and status
of being a Trainer or NOT being a Trainer were explored in
a very real and compelling way. The hushed atmosphere lengthened
into a three-hour process and no-one was going to go to bed
until we had done. What I can tell you is that as of the completing
ceremony first thing the next morning, in Europe, we have five
new trainers, affirmed and supported by everybody in that room,
and my trust in the ECN and the people who I am traveling with
was deepened to the core.
My sense is we are still new-born as a network, finding our
way, needing our elders but growing stronger and beginning to
be aware of our potential.
A lasting and clear memory of one particular session of an inner
and outer circle, was a gifted young child sitting next to me
in the outer circle, drawing. A drawing which unfolded in a pictorial
way to the changing energy in the inner circle. It was like an
illustration in real time, of the group soul. Blessed be.
