Hosting and holding the Art of Hosting as a field

I felt the inner need to bring a lot of conversations and ideas together, and harvest it out to our community and especially to the stewards. Please read first the article written by Bob Wing and myself after our conversations late Summer. I first try to paint the picture of what 'the whole' is about, and then end this piece with some of the questions that I see.

I know that a lot here is written in short style, not much flesh to the bones... but please ask or add your comments, ideas and build on it further! 

The Art of Hosting as a field
At this point in time Autumn ‘08
Harvest from many conversations and gatherings
By Ria Baeck

A little history
The stewarding of the Art of Hosting field started ‘officially’ at the Shire with a Stewards gathering in …..  
In June ’07 there was a kind of follow-up, which was named: the Art of Hosting on Art of Hosting, held in Belgium.
Out of this grew a next one, held in Axladitsa Greece, the Art of Hosting on Harvesting, November ’07.
The last Stewards Gathering was called in Nova Scotia, Canada again at the Shire, June ’08.
In September there was a conversation around Art of Hosting and Communities of Practice that contributed a lot to this harvest.
What is written here is a compilation of ideas, models and questions in order to
-    Let the field see itself
-    Share some observations
-    Offer some questions for further inquiry.

Care for the evolution of the spiral

We are the stakeholders and what we host is intentional evolution  – of humanity, of consciousness.

The evolutionary impulse gave birth to a new frequency of love.

Stabilize this frequency through replication; repeating the pattern, in as many places as possible.

The pattern, the DNA, the living core is named in the 5 (6) fold way:
1.    Be present, host yourself
2.    See brilliance in self and others
3.    Participate in conversations; get good in dialogue.
4.    Host conversations. This means: calling, convening, designing, host, harvest and connect.
5.    Co-create, find your mates; practice in daily life.
6.    See the next level and go through the same sequence. Commitment to reside in ‘hosting from the field, as a field’, always looking for the next level, for emergence. In this way we are always ‘midwifing the next level’.

Differentiation within the Art of Hosting field

This was more recently described in a short article written by Bob Wing and myself (mentioned at the beginning of this one). 

Stewarding the whole: Hosting the Art of Hosting field
In the Stewards gathering in June ’08 it became clear that it was time for the community to take the leadership of the field, in order to let it not become personalized by a few founders. Four people stepped forward, of which I am one.
The Art of Hosting is not a child anymore, IT is becoming of age.
What is here below was written down as a little harvest from this gathering.

Need 1.0
For the field to evolve, it needs to be held.

Purpose 1.0
Holding space for the field to evolve.

Practices 1.0
-    Being present. Leaving ego at the door
-    Seeing full brilliance in self, other and the field
-    Being in relationship of all kinds
-    Harvesting into hosting
-    Witnessing the evolution of the field
-    A field makes decisions by resonance. Harmony is consent in a field.
-    You can hear a lot, just by listening.
-    Practicing participatory leadership (not personified leadership)
-    Being aware of the centre, not in the centre.
-    Seeing the collective being as IT is.
-    Being accountable to IT.
-    Show what IT has.
-    It has to be of life, life-affirming.
-    Studying

Levels of engagement, different roles
-    participants in basic AoH trainings
-    callers of trainings
-    organizers of trainings
-    practitioners of the basic level
-    hosting teams
-    regional Communities of Practice
-    specific Communities of Practice
-    Stewards of the AoH field
-    Eagles
-    Holders of the AoH Field

What this community offers to its different members
Stages of Belonging
-    being ‘a member’ of the community
-    being a fellow: I bring it to the world
-    co-ownership/stewardship: we own the same
These stages of belonging respond to what the Community Offers:
-    a shelter for learning
-    an exchange platform
-    a container for evolution with respect for the whole

Different gatherings
“Organizing is making a focus point in space and time so that people and the energies that need to meet can find the holding space for their connection. The quality of the holding space, the love and deep respect that is present, is the ultimate condition to make the learning and evolution happening.”

Gatherings, trainings all offer an open space for the fundamentals of life:
Breathing and evolution
Resting and learning

-    basic Art of Hosting trainings
-    local Communities of Practice
-    ‘Warriors and Hunters returning home’ – needing hosts and hosting places
-    Stewards gatherings

Maturity of the Art of Hosting Field
For servicing humanity
As noted before, the Art of Hosting field is not a child anymore… and we can grow into:
-    Being more explicit about or own value/identity/purpose
-    Recognizing the limits of our practice
o    What can we do and what not?
o    Dow we dare to be different? Invite others to hold up the mirror
-    Managing our membrane, while staying open to the ‘outside’, only then can we really connect with other streams of social innovation.
-    The more responsibility we taken on, the more we build up resonance with the system

Calling the Learning Village again
The Learning Village, organized in Borl – Slovenia, in the first years of this century, contributed a lot to the birthing of Art of Hosting. Some are sensing it is time to call this Learning Village again.
An invitation will be send out to stewards of different streams within the social technology field to come together – maybe again at Borl – in the last week of August 2009.
Purpose 1.0 of this gathering is:
-    to look deeper into the field out of which the different streams have been emerging.
-    Connecting communities for emergence, for intentional evolution.
-    Weaving passions together.
Basic seems connecting; key is practice!
One of the guiding questions: What are the practices that will allow practitioners of different streams to work together for ‘the peace project’?


Questions to consider for the AoH Stewards, at this point in time:
GOVERNANCE
-    How to set the field free?
-    Who is a Steward? What is a Steward?
o    Someone who shows in doing and being that she/he cares about the DNA of the Art of Hosting.
o    Do we need a kind of ‘ritual’ to name stewards? Like: stewards are recognized by other stewards.
-    Where are we having ongoing conversations about the DNA, or living core of AoH?

Proposal to have regular conference calls – like every two months – to check in with each other, exchange experiences and developments in the AoH field.

ORGANISING GATHERINGS, MEETING POINTS
-    How to increase our collective and individual capacity?
-    What are the unwritten rules about organizing an AoH training?
o    Don’t do it on your own, but find your mates
o    Do it out of a felt need, by yourself or by a caller
o    Do it with a seasoned host(s) who can bring in experience
o    Invite one or more apprentices who can learn how to host hosts
    
MINIMAL SUPPORT STRUCTURE
-    Is support needed for local CoPs?
-    Is support needed for the CoP on scaling and sustainability (large scale systems change)? (see the article written after a conference call on this subject)

-    Is there a need for a centralized point where people find materials, support, and advice?
-    More centralized registration needed in Europe and elsewhere (like Berkana in US)?
-    
KNOWLEDGE AND INFORMATION SHARING
-    How to let (new) meaning travel well?