FOUR
WINDS DIALOGUE
YES, IT SNOWED... AND STILL THEY CAME!
scroll
down to read about what's up with our emerging community...
When
we understand, we are at the center of the circle, and there
we sit while Yes and No chase each other around the circumference.
- Chang-Tzu |
New
program being developed: STONE SOUP
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Transformative Conversations about What Matters
Dialogue is central to
what we do at Four Winds. We aspire to listen deeply and speak
authentically with each other, with the Natural world and with our
Self. The kind of conversation we are referring to is one
where we consciously use certain practices in order to develop and
access Wisdom. The basic practices are that we:
- Speak from the "I": that is, use
self-referential language that speaks from our own experience.
- Listen with Presence: that is with a quiet
mind and full attention on the speaker. Allow periods of silence
for reflection and integration.
- Suspend and Examine assumptions and judgments
that we hold, and seek understanding of our own thinking and others.
- Inquire from a place of genuine interest and
not knowing.
We think of Dialogue as
a different kind of conversation, one that seeks to encompass many
different points of view and ways of knowing. Its purpose
is not necessarily to find a solution, but rather to reveal what
wants to be known. It is a generative process that keeps leading
to deeper knowing. It is about Thinking and Learning together.
How many times have
we assumed that we knew what someone else needed, how they
felt, what they were going to say? Our world views color
everything we are involved in. They are opaque to us,
but in dialogue, we can learn to see with new eyes, hear with
new ears and think with new understanding. |
We believe that a good
dialogue is the foundation to learning, awareness, understanding
and change. We offer Dialogue groups to the community to give
people from all walks of life the chance to discover and experience
this remarkable way of being together. It is our hope that
by participating in The Dialogue process, we may all contribute
to the peaceful evolution of ourselves and of humankind.
update
on what happened at the :
FIRST
COMMUNITY MEETING - thanks for being there! Here's some
of what you envision:
"a
joyful sense of purpose, knowing
what to do, connecting more people to each other, no cars, mobilization,
windfarms, good news in the paper, taking turns doing menial work,
honoring each other, respecting each other, slow money, food, food,
food, enough energy, greenhouses, power of silence, listening, sharing,
social cooking for the needy, end of homelessness, good working
relationship with government, reduce carbon footprint, linking up
like minded people, literacy, skills development, biofuel busses,
land use, volunteering... to realize our dreams we need the community
behind us."
About 50 people from PITTSFIELD
to SHEFFIELD, points in between and to the west gathered
on that Sunday. Using the power of imagination to create a prefered
community vision and practicing dialogue skills lent a powerful
start to our time together. We envision continuing our work like
this. It was a heartfelt and exciting time. This news is to keep
touch until the group has a mechanism for communication that works
for everyone and doesn't bog us down with a zillion emails. Please
call MaryBeth at 528-3079 if you have expertise and suggestions.
We are researching this now. Also, we remind you to
keep visioning! As I sit here waiting for theObama
inaugural speech I am thinking myself of the possibilities that
await us right here if we have the will to focus on what we really
want and the courage to act from that place. The meeting taught
me a few things and one of them is to have courage. I lost
my center at one point and didn't follow through on something I
was going to do that I think, looking back, would have made a better
meeting. So I learn, we all do. I hope we all can hang together,reach
out, network and collaborate on the very important work of living
into the highest possibilities of who we are-- it takes community
and lots of LOVE! More to come!
SECOND
MEETING
Participants shared:
--How do we
respond to the fear about what is going on in the world.?
Can we trust? What are the barriers we place between ourselves and
what we want? How can we experience the oneness of life, our togetherness,
our center? What is the glue that holds us together? Can money
be an expression of brotherliness? Can we be conscious of each other's
needs? Can we build networks for thriving? And, how about
being light-hearted, using humor to empower ourselves?
THIRD
IMAGINE COMMUNITY MEETING
At this meeting we will
continue with our creative visualization of the "community
of our dreams" and talk about what we care about, what's important
to us and what are the foundational values upon which we can build
a community that reflects our hopes. We will save time for "business"
at the end, so if you have a project, event , idea, etc, you can
share it and ask for help. If you have a little extra time,
plan to stay and chat. Check out the resources below pertaining
to community building in the "new world". These ideas
are already percolating in the Berkshires!
.www.communityweaving.org
www.transitiontowns.org
SOCIAL
ARCHITECT
building
bridges to the future
Mary Beth is available to provide facilitation
for those visioning new ways to live and work-- using dialogue and
creative processes. Please call for additional information.
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