 The First and Future CultureChristina Baldwin
This is a beautiful book about awakening and relating. Baldwin has applied the insights that come from the attempt to live a more conscious life to the ways we relate with all the others in our world. It is a deeply feminine reworking of the mechanistic culture of separation we live in. She provides a completely practical, and ancient, format to begin to integrate a way of relating that is affiliative instead of dominance-based.
Baldwin says,
"Over and over again I hear people express their longing to know what to do, how to apply personal consciousness to the world in some healthful way. I believe we can apply consciousness to heal the world -- and we already are. Great power lies within us what has been missing is the mechanism for organizing this power. I believe this mechanism of empowerment and action is the circle.
The kind of Circle this book addresses as a council of ordinary people who convened to create a sacred space and from that space accomplish a specific task, support each other in the process. Because it has a sense of containment, the Circle has a beginning, middle, and end that are framed through simple rituals appropriate to the group in setting. The Circle has a shared verbalized intention so that everyone knows why they are gathered. The Circle self-governs and corrects its course through the adoption of common sense agreements of behavior. And when confusion arises, or the way is momentarily lost, everyone agrees to fall into reflective silence, refocus on the group's highest purpose, and follow protocols for problem solving that reestablish trust and cohesion. In such a Circle leadership rotates, responsibility is shared, and the group comes to rely deeply on spirit." p.14
" Relying on spirit means that people perform simple ritual and consistent refocusing to acknowledge the highest intention of the group. The center of the circle literally and figuratively serves a sacred space, a place where everyone's commitment to cooperation dwells. And when we don't know what to do next, in circle it is appropriate to stop the action and create an environment in which people, each in his or her own way, commit themselves to asking for guidance. We grant ourselves permission to slow down, watch for what is needed, and see how we might do our part." p. 6.
Baldwin gives examples of using the Circle for all kinds of meetings, including the technical team at a software company. It's a great resource for finding another way to relate to people in a group, a way in which respect for the other and an acceptance of the emotional and intuitive level of communication can lead to deeper relationships and more productive group efforts.
Log in or Subscribe to Membership Community to discuss this article in the Forum...
|
Meaning & Purpose 
