Chi ball turning

Entrepreneurs for Sustainability (E4S) is a growing, action-focused network of people, businesses, and networks, in the North-east of Ohio, engaged in learning and working together on a variety of concrete initiatives to make their region's economy sustainable. I feel privileged to work with them as an adviser because they are passionate and pioneering social innovators and my collaboration with them is leading to exciting discoveries on both sides. This blog entry is the story of one of mine.

Sitting in the “collaboration room” at E4S in Cleveland, we were exploring how to become the learning system we want to create for the world (of sustainability entrepreneurs). I was painting a “big picture” of how the quality of shared attention in collaborative learning defines its outcomes, or something like that… An inspired and inspiring man sitting next to me said, aha, it’s like a Chi ball! He went on to explain how to hold my hands, palms facing each other as to feel a ball of energy between them. He added, if the upper hand is the philosophical or "spiritual" part (where we enjoy dwelling), and the lower hand is the practical, then we can simply turn the ball and become practical whenever we want to.

I discovered the Chi energy ball in my 30s, taught it in my Tantra workshops, but would not have imagined that it will come back as a metaphor for the rolling of one dimension of our sensing and thinking (the philosophical) into another one (the practical). The man who introduced me the Chi ball in that new context, was George Nemeth, the co-author of “Instructions from the Cook: Recipes for New Conversations" with Jack Ricchiuto. I’ve just read it and feel compelled to blog about it. I will post my reading notes in the next entry but before switching subject, just in case you’re curious of what the Chi ball practice can do for you, here’s a 7-min video that can help you find out.