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My first contribution here is part of my exploration to see the edge of opportunities for shifts in consciousness. This first example may not seem very concrete, but one way I seem to process is to move from the less tangible and then look at how it might come into form, into everyday life and work. And I welcome others who can help with that.
In exploring how groups move from ordinary conversation into that very electric and alive “presencing” space, I have made some observations that may be hints for how we can create the space for this to happen more often.
Context - Organizational Develpment Deeper Inquiry Group - a group of professional, mostly independent consultants, who gather to explore questions more deeply. The background here is that in a year I did not experience this group going deeply at all until the last 2 sessions. The group members (men and women) vary from time to time, meet once a month, and usually number about 10. My unscientific assessemnt of their SDi memetic center is GREEN with quite a bit of ORANGE in a few members. Most have at least intellectual familiarity with Otto Scharmer's work and presencing.
In October the 2 facilitators for the evening led the group in a presencing exercise based on the work of Ron Jue who builds on Otto's work. The evening consisted of an imaging exercise based on the question, “What are we exploring and creating through the Deeper Inquiry Group?” People then paired with another, shared their image, and answered some related questions. We came back together and there was some sharing with the whole, but not really enough time for much. And there was a different energy in the room. There were moments of silence, no rush to leave, no debate, no one vying to facilitate next time. And so we just naturally decided that the next gathering would be self-facilitated and would build on what we experienced with imaging that evening.
November's meeting was quite an experience. What happened could be a whole sharing in itself. We opened by going back into the imaging space, building on those or created new ones, and then shared with the whole group. And the emergent conversation was incredible. This was a very pregnant collective space, alive, electric, beyond personal agendas and yet all were very present. We were “presencing” just naturually. So today I began to think about how this happened. What was at work that was not there before? What was the tipping point? Where might be the edge to work with in other groups?
Here is what I captured in my journal this morning:
The power of imaging - it takes one out of the rational mind and seems to open one to something much larger than self. The images these individuals shared were incredible, and there were many overlapping themes. Maybe imaging is one way for people centered in GREEN to shift in consciousness, to make the leap to second tier, to the YELLOW / TURQUOISE space (even if only for a few precious moments, there is a glimpse, a taste).
Otto talks about how telling one's personal story can move the individual beyond self when they hear other stories and begin to identify with a larger story. They see their story within the context of the hero/heroine's journey. My sense is that is a way to create an opening for those whose center of gravity is ORANGE. It opens the heart. He works with a lot of corporate executives. What happened in the OD group was beyond personal story.
What seemed to happen with imaging was more. A pre-condition does seem to be openness on the part of each individual. This is why I sense the presence of GREEN. The image was already well beyond the personal and yet unique to each individual. It really points to an opening to invite in other ways of knowing. It could be imaging and lots more. It might be movement, dance, art, tone, music, poetry, bodily sensing, touch, meditation, and more. It is tapping into another part of self/Self - and maybe the gateway to collective knowing, to presencing, to 2nd tier consciuosness. And it is all beyond ego.
And it is a collective opening. Each self opens and then the Collective Being (Collective Self) is awakened and comes into presence - sometimes just momentarily as we learn how to do this. But these are powerful generative moments. This really points to “Wholeness of Knowing”.
So Women Moving the Edge is an opening into this imaginative, creative, realm in us, in consciousness itself. In the Deeper Inquiry Group and Women Moving the Edge the emerging components of collective leadership appear. We just naturally know what to do or not. I sense that as we learn more about doing this, as we come together again and again into this magical space, we can begin to identify and articulate this new terrain and create the grooves for collective leadership and the incredible creative and innovative potential that it holds.
And then we can identify these opportunities in our world, in our organizations, in our lives. The message from our Women Moving the Edge 2 constellation that so stays with me is that the world wants Collective Knowing to come closer now. We are the ones to take it to the world.
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