Hosting and holding the Art of Hosting as a field

Hello Helen,

This conference call came into being out of a conversation between Toke (and maybe Monica?) and Maria and Sarah; and was called as 'the gathering of mates'... to see if there was a need and/or purpose to come together in real time to look into the next level of AoH.

As you can read below it has now been set that a little hosting team stepped forward to look into what is the minimal structure to hold these kind of campfires... 

If you feel called to be in this hosting team, of course you are welcome.

Ria

Conference call March 11, 2009 - in which different previous conversation lines came together. Present in the call: Maria, Sarah, Ria, Vibeke, David St., Monica, Tenneson, Teresa, Bob Wing

Framing by Maria: There seems to be different levels of conversations going on in the AoH community. This call (Febr 2) was about a gathering time and meeting: to harvest out the next level of AoH. Since then there was an email conversation around harvesting large-scale patterns. Then there are the four who stepped forward to hold the whole. And yesterday there was a conversation around the online presence of AoH: website and online community space.
Last call many needed to step out after one hour, and a few were left: we brought the wood and then people were gone to lit the bonfire. We spoke about having a hosting team to keep the fire of this going and make it happen.

Check-in – silence
Talking piece is a heart shaped stone from the local beach in Kastri.
Question: What is the wisdom we hold about coming together in person – as mates – to harvest the next level of the AoH pattern?

Monica: The image that surfaced is the dream from George; a point in the dream where they met on the corner of the streets, and putting their pieces together they came to see the map and could leave the city where they were kind of trapped. Working with the AoH, not always the time to share it; together we would have a lot of … enough to find generic patterns. And how this can support what is happening. I don’t want to force it, but looking forward to it. Every time I try to make things happen it doesn’t work – when does this want to happen? Also quite optimistic with the technology we have, and can meet across the Atlantic and have a talk like this.
One more thing: Tim Merry is on holiday, and can’t make it – ready to follow it up with action!

Sarah: Connected metaphor, a term that Chr. Alexander works with, ‘centers of wholeness’; each of us having a map that is complete in itself, and yet there is a larger whole. Sharing these centers of wholeness – then we could see the bigger center of wholeness – we are invited to discover it.

Maria: Hearing of George’s dream, my dream of last night came back: I met Barack Obama and we were working with this pattern. I connected with one of his daughters and started a friendship with her. He came in, in the background, and I had a feeing that maybe he was not OK with what was going on. He spoke: I noticed how you interacted with my daughter, and it seems important to inquire further into this. I thought: What a down to earth man he is! In some way I feel that what we are talking about has two different levels: one level is those of us that practice and want to come together and learn about what we are doing, and the second level is … in the simplicity what we do, there is a need in the world for us to come to a next level of understanding.

Bob: I got a real pleasing image of little black stones sitting together. We are being reminded we are not the only little stone. Meeting together with like-hearted people, image of each one of us carrying a stone of centeredness in our chaordic work.  We are strong sitting together. It is as serious and simple as that.

Vibeke: What I saw during the silence were triangles: …..how to connect, virtually, and the last one was the question of the hosting, holding the field of practitioners, the fifth paradigm… circles out of that.. that is what called me to this call. Participating in holding a next level. I am a practitioner in AoH, what I am seeking for a long time now is the mates. Also about holding it together, and looking for the next level; looking for another AoH workshop.

Ria:  Since the AoH Stewards gathering in June last year, I feel the need for a gathering of stewards and people working with large scale projects; hosted in a good way in service of those who are doing the work out in the world.

Teresa: Worked on the Newsletter for the Berkana/AoH alumni – form this vantage point, I can see the field of application and how it has really deepened: in practice, in place… I offer that vantage point. I wonder what can be done across distance, about that kind of learning. My feel is that it is the timing…. Into timing..

Dave: Thanks for all the images so far. Welcome Bob, good to hear your voice. In my image there was a sense of a tension between a sense – sensed it in the previous conversation and now – a sense of deep urgency on one level. Certainly a sense of deep purpose! And needing to be very wise around the issue of timing. Both interested in urgency, and knowing that it we want to do it with a lot of intention. Unresolved, waiting now for a sense for when and where. It would be really be a wise thing to do to come together f-t-f. A pattern that we live, is very nomadic for me, being with… a specific kind of learning. Not only a need to learn and get new insights, but also be in the presence of others who do the same kind of work. For me, no energy to be on the hosting team; but it depends on the time line. Gratitude for hosting the center well!

Tenneson: I am feeling very stirred in this call. What I do … one thing I play with is    Berkana last week, in the board, recognizing that there is real message…local work. Some of it was coming out of awareness and wonder about how we would be able to be … actually an energy …   still very aware of it. Second piece is that I realize that there is a bit of a feeling “gather while you can!” I recognize there is a bit of fear in that, but also wanting to be deliberate about… not being organized… The initial question was about images and stories; I want to share one story. Yesterday I was with my 3 old year son. I have been living since some months in a separate home. He asked me: Dad, why are you living in your house? I realized I was immediately looking for an answer that was …  for him… I sad: “I wanted him to have another home.” He said; Ohh! There is actually a deep level of truth in my answer! My other home is very much about creation… Clearly AoH is a form of home, as I relate to it. In the way that I describe home to him, we are not always together. For AoH there is no doubt that I want to gather, but …

Conversation
Pattern of collective inquiry
Maria: I want to speak about a pattern that has emerged here in Axladitsa. Lots of people are not local to this area, the pattern, we are still noticing and observing. The pattern is that usually a little group, they have some fire to gather around. We saw it in the Art of Protection, as taking care for what we really love. 5 of us brought our different perspectives together. Then we wanted to invite more people, and then we called a gathering, April last year; and we inquired together. Afterwards we wanted to keep on going with the inquiry; and we invited others into this virtual inquiry. The 5 of us do service, host the conference calls, every 6 weeks. There is also the next gathering point this year.
There is something wise about connecting virtually. There is something about knowing that we will connect, show up for it, hosted by a few people, who share questions etc.
For self-organisation there is a practice: a few people that step forward in service to host the container. Sending out the Meeting Wizard, or set up a regular call…

Sarah: A couple of other treads I want to add. In between these conference calls, we pair up, a space to inquire more deeply. That seems to feed the field in another way. There is also a level of economy, so that the hosting is honored in servicing the field.

Vibeke: I find quite interesting what you spoke, Maria and Sarah. The image of the fifth paradigm – with ENexus and all this – that is one way of connecting. But there is also a sense of un-connectedness! The core is not accessible… there is kind of a wanting to get some more connections on other levels than is possible today.

Minimal, optimal structure to get things moving
Bob: Have you seen these structures that are made of two pyramids? When you make them move they become a completely different sense of what it is. When they spin, they come alive. Structure that allows us to work around each other. This is what I also see in Aikido, it is one thing to practice it statically, completely different to be in movement. When things are moving, then that is what is interesting.

Maria: Thank you so much Bob for putting words to what I am feeling: ‘just enough structure to get things moving’.

Ria: I feel inclined to ask the question: are there others to step forward to create this minimal, optimal structure,

Vibeke: I would very much like to step forward!

Bob:  He feels some excitement to step forward, although I don’t know what it is…

Maria: With Ria’s question and answers from Vibeke and Bob, I wonder if more needs to be said…

Monica: My silence is not a lack of interest. I offer to show up and I am wondering if we can go beyond sensing, and go into exploring with different questions in the center. I would love to show up around the fire.

Maria: I step forward to hold this too.

Bob: What comes to mind, is having a real nice conversation of what the field is asking of us. Is it the ability to hold many circles at the same time? I feel challenged and excited about this. It has taken all of me to just hold one circle. How to hold multiple circles? I am finding, if I am not the center of each circle, but a member - being centered and being on the rim – that is how I can hold many circles.  This is one of the fields of AoH. This does not require more work, but just a different way of being.

Sarah: I asked the Tarot cards (5 of Swords reversed – then the Moon) whether to step forward, I am unclear on this. Whatever team is emerging, I want to sleep on it. It seems to be related to ‘holding many circles’, but I am also in my own new practice of hosting and I need to sense if this fit into it.

Maria: In service of our center: what I am hearing, a smaller core is emerging that will sense into ‘just enough structure to get things moving’ and will invite us into moving. Those of us that wish to then can gather, either virtually or f-t-f. Are we complete to check out?


Check-out:
Maria: Just speak about alignment or about any disconnect that is left.

Tenneson: I feel so much stirring in this call, a huge gift, in the form of words that have been spoken. The learning of M and S. All that is present for me. Part of the clarity is …   and I feel huge alignment about what we are talking about and what needs to happen. …  I can work on that in many ways…. To know that there is a small group here   that    so that I can be …  gratitude.

Dave: Beautiful words Tenneson, I feel also real gratitude for the ones stepping forward. Important in this, a disturbance is a yearning to get together more often. Getting around the world in these big metal things… a gift right now, the getting together would need to have a lot of intention. I am grateful for people to hold the space, my plate is full for the next couple of months. In my own way I want to hold space, from the heart. Gratitude that this call was called; thanks for hosting it, and the good questions.

Monica: I do feel not able to hold more than what I am holding at this point, but I feel and resonate with having an opportunity to an ongoing base – what can get us beyond the checking in, and getting to the juice of it. Thank you for calling this!

Maria: I feel deeply aligned for having stepped forward; it comes from the fact that ‘you are my local’; this community of very diverse people that have a deeply connected root system. My local being a trans-local is a weird thing, and yet it is. In a recent call, a German guy said: What do we have to let go of, collectively, in order to move forward?

Bob: I like campfires. The image that came to mind is: Never work alone.  I am aware that when you are around the fire you are reflecting back; this is like breathing on the fire. It helps to breath on it. You can’t make a fire with one log, they reflect the heat back to each other and then you have a fire.
I feel excitement, I feel a lot the world contracting, this is part of this exploration. Every one is willing to give in into the fire, if it is an important fire. Perhaps the role of the hosting team just emerged, is to find out the important fire to gather around. The rest will take care of itself. We will be reflecting back to each other. The hosting team will just be offering the starting point.

Teresa: I offer two things: How do we support the learning across the different centers? – same issue in Berkana as a parallel network. And I want to offer, reading through the alumni news, interesting the synchronicity of timing with this call.

Vibeke: Thank you very much, I am very grateful that I could participate in this, excitement with this call, feel deeply aligned. One line you said Bob: … that is what I take with me. Thank you very much.

Ria: I feel good and happy that some clarity emerged and something will happen.

Sarah: I too, I am glad that things are moving. The disturbance is in my heart, and I will sleep on it, there is a shift in the field – we are inviting each other into the next level.