“"Be
soft in your practice. Think of the method as a fine silvery stream, not
a raging waterfall. Follow the stream, have fatih in its course. It will
go its own way, meandering here, trickling there. It will find the grooves,
the cracks, the crevices. Just follow it. Never let it out of your sight.
It will take you."
- Sheng-Yen
The
labyrinth design used by Lauren
Artress is a replica of a Medieval Labyrinth design inlaid
into the stone floor in Chartres Cathedral in France in 1201.
For the last 250 years, however, it had been forgotten and covered
with chairs until Artress led a small group of people into Chartres
cathedral to remove the chairs to then experience the meditative
walk first hand. From that point to date, Lauren Artress has reintroduced
people worldwide to the collective practice of the labyrinth walk.
After
more than 60 of the initial Collective Wisdom Initiative interviews,
we began to hear patterns. There appeared to our listening ears,
patterns that seemed to echo from transcript to transcript. Chris
Strutt brought her talents to putting these patterns into a concise
and organized form. And then she brought together illustrations
and direct quotes to make clearer what we were hearing....
[continued].
EXCERPT:The
Labyrinth as Tool for Further Understanding of Collective Wisdom
Lauren Artress whose work with the
divine imagination led to her rediscovery of the labyrinth is
now re-visioning how the labyrinth as a sacred tool can further
our understanding of collective wisdom. See an interview
with Dr. Artress and learn about opportunities
for practice.
In
language both precise and elegant, Tom Hurley articulates a coherent
framework of inner practices associated with collective wisdom.
He offers a vision of individual and group development inextricably
woven together and catalyzed by deep patterns already embedded
in human experience. What are these patterns that function as
a vital source for increased personal and collective capacity?
How can we begin cultivating these practices alone and with others?
What are the mythic underpinnings that allow individuals and groups
to “go deeper”?
Describing sixteen interrelated practices, Hurley acts as guide
and weaver showing us how personal growth and collective capacity
are constellated with the search for common purpose, spirit, and
social invention. For those of us seeking the hidden wholeness
in groups, this seed paper is a treasure - an invitation for inquiry
and a distillation of timeless strategies for development.
In
an interview with Otto Scharmer, Susan Lanier describes her facilitation
and healing work in groups which integrates the family constellation
approach of Bert Hellinger with the ways of Indigenous Medicine
People and Spiritual Elders. Susan's work seeks an alignment of
time-honored practices that broaden our perceptions of where wisdom
resides. It emphasizes the importance of reverence and humility
as we deepen our understanding of the presence of our ancestors
and the spirit inherent in all things. In this way, she guides
her groups to develop their capacities for the wisdom of a far
greater collective.
Marilyn and
Bill Veltrop of PathFinders,
along with FireHawk and
Pele Rouge of Resonance,
talk about their experience with Pathfinder Circles and the Pathfinder
Community Retreat that was held over summer solstice in 2002.
They ask the question, "What is it that contributes to inner
movement, relational movement and collective movement?" NOTE: If you have a very fast internet connection,
you can also download a PDF
version which will allow for
a nicer printed document. It requires acrobat reader to
download and view.If
you do not have Acrobat Reader, you can download it here
(8-10 Megabytes).
