In each age, men of genius undertake the ascent. From below, the world follows them with their eyes. These men go up the mountain, enter the clouds, disappear, reappear. People watch them, mark them. They walk by the side of precipices. They daringly pursue their road. See them aloft, see them in the distance; they are but black specks. On they go. The road is uneven, its difficulties constant. At each step, a wall, at each step a trap. As they rise the cold increases. They must make their ladder, cut the ice and walk on it, hewing the steps in haste. A storm is raging. Nevertheless they go forward in their madness. The air becomes difficult to breathe. The abyss yawns below them. Some fall. Others stop and retrace their steps; there is a sad weariness. The bold ones continue. They are eyed by the eagles; the lightning plays about them: the hurricane is furious. No matter, they persevere.
Victor Hugo
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
shout Yes!
The invitation: It doesn't interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.
It doesn't interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon...
I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened by life's betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.
I want to know if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.
I want to know if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations of being human.
It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.
I want to know if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
"Yes."
It doesn't interest me
to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.
It doesn't interest me who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the centre of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.
It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like the company you keep
in the empty moments.
I want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.
It doesn't interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon...
I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened by life's betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.
I want to know if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.
I want to know if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations of being human.
It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.
I want to know if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
"Yes."
It doesn't interest me
to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.
It doesn't interest me who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the centre of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.
It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like the company you keep
in the empty moments.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Entrainment and the Rhythm of Life:
"Everything moves in rhythm. Atomic particles, waves of electrons, molecules in wood and rocks, grass and trees, amoebas, mammals and birds, fishes and reptiles, the earth, the moon, the sun and stars...and we ourselves. All are dominated by rhythm.
"In us, as in all animals, the heart is most noticeably rhythm; but the blood pumped by our heart, along with the organs, muscles, and sinews nourished by our blood, also move in rhythm, whether we're conscious of it or not. Our breath, the most obvious manifestation of our inner condition, quickens or slows according to our state of mind or level of physical excitement.
"The world is thus alive with a myriad of rhythms. 'Entrainment' is the process by which these rhythms fall into synchronization with each other.
"Rhythmic entrainment is one of the great organizing principles of the world, as inescapable as gravity. It explains how one rhythm works with another, and how separate entities, from molecules to stars, will fall into rhythm as automatically as a pulse beats or a butterfly flaps its wings.
"If you set two out-of-sync pendulum clocks side by side, by the next day they'll be keeping time together. In fact, it looks as if they want to be locked into sync with each other. When you adjust the knobs on your radio, your adjusting the set's oscillators: when they come reasonably close to matching the frequency of a station's signal, they suddenly lock and pulse together, and your program jumps into focus.
"Everything moves in rhythm. Atomic particles, waves of electrons, molecules in wood and rocks, grass and trees, amoebas, mammals and birds, fishes and reptiles, the earth, the moon, the sun and stars...and we ourselves. All are dominated by rhythm.
"In us, as in all animals, the heart is most noticeably rhythm; but the blood pumped by our heart, along with the organs, muscles, and sinews nourished by our blood, also move in rhythm, whether we're conscious of it or not. Our breath, the most obvious manifestation of our inner condition, quickens or slows according to our state of mind or level of physical excitement.
"The world is thus alive with a myriad of rhythms. 'Entrainment' is the process by which these rhythms fall into synchronization with each other.
"Rhythmic entrainment is one of the great organizing principles of the world, as inescapable as gravity. It explains how one rhythm works with another, and how separate entities, from molecules to stars, will fall into rhythm as automatically as a pulse beats or a butterfly flaps its wings.
"If you set two out-of-sync pendulum clocks side by side, by the next day they'll be keeping time together. In fact, it looks as if they want to be locked into sync with each other. When you adjust the knobs on your radio, your adjusting the set's oscillators: when they come reasonably close to matching the frequency of a station's signal, they suddenly lock and pulse together, and your program jumps into focus.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Reflections.....harvesting....
Dear dancers :-)
Collective Consciousness Conversation
In March 2009, in Leiden in the Netherlands, we participated in an inquiry and learning process - a dance about:
‘What kind of world can we create and what kind of leadership will enable that?’
As hosts, we believed then, and more so now, that A Collective Consciousness Conversation (CCC) is a choice moving us towards love and freedom.
We have been connecting deeply, reflecting and wondering about how our individual and collective experiences have been influencing us to take our own constructive actions in the world. We were each of us able to share tales of our connections with CCC dancers and we are in awe of how all our stories reflect constructive action amongst the collective.
‘I have heard it all my life,
A voice calling a name I recognized as my own...’
The Call by Oriah Mountain Dreamer
We were also wondering about whether there were any questions and /or concerns that you would like us to attend to in our collective role as conveners, hosts and guides post the CCC experience? We welcome your comments.
And so, as we continue to anchor these roles, and with on-going loving intention and attention to co-creation, we are offering a further invitation to deepen the CCC inquiry. We are curious to learn how the CCC has impacted on you. Our extended personal invitation to you is to reflect further on what CCC may have offered to you. Or to use a metaphor, what the CCC may have seeded for you; what may have required pruning and cutting back; what green shoots may be appearing or are there any situations which are already blossoming for you, in your life, in your work and in your praxis?
We invite you to share what feels appropriate for you...we hope that by your sharing we will be able to weave a rich contextual tapestry from which we can all learn as a collective. Your offerings can be incorporated into a collective collage…so feel free to express yourself in whatever way resonates most personally and powerfully for you……
In the first instance, it is our intention to share the learnings with those who were physically present in CCC. We hope to harvest the fruits to inform our next CCC cycle which continues to evolve and respond to the collective consciousness of the now as it emerges anew…..
We were wondering about the process that each group went through as it progressed its work in designing and hosting the co-creation session relating to the inquiry themes of connections; collective consciousness I; collective consciousness II and constructive action. A brief summary of the session format and specific activites that each group led would be very helpful and we invite each group to share with us in this regard if they would so choose.
Overtime, maybe some of the offerings could inform our ongoing theory and praxis development – or could be offered as learnings on the blog and the CCC FaceBook page.
We are aiming to weave some threads together by the end of October so that we can embrace what is emerging for the next phase of our development and our intention to host a further CCC inquiry in Wales in March 2010. So we would be delighted if you could share with us, as appropriate, in the coming weeks.
We look forward to continuing the dance in the space that is emerging between us, known and unknown, being and becoming…and yet…
Love,
Zachary, Anjet, Rene and Christine
x x x x
Collective Consciousness Conversation
In March 2009, in Leiden in the Netherlands, we participated in an inquiry and learning process - a dance about:
‘What kind of world can we create and what kind of leadership will enable that?’
As hosts, we believed then, and more so now, that A Collective Consciousness Conversation (CCC) is a choice moving us towards love and freedom.
We have been connecting deeply, reflecting and wondering about how our individual and collective experiences have been influencing us to take our own constructive actions in the world. We were each of us able to share tales of our connections with CCC dancers and we are in awe of how all our stories reflect constructive action amongst the collective.
‘I have heard it all my life,
A voice calling a name I recognized as my own...’
The Call by Oriah Mountain Dreamer
We were also wondering about whether there were any questions and /or concerns that you would like us to attend to in our collective role as conveners, hosts and guides post the CCC experience? We welcome your comments.
And so, as we continue to anchor these roles, and with on-going loving intention and attention to co-creation, we are offering a further invitation to deepen the CCC inquiry. We are curious to learn how the CCC has impacted on you. Our extended personal invitation to you is to reflect further on what CCC may have offered to you. Or to use a metaphor, what the CCC may have seeded for you; what may have required pruning and cutting back; what green shoots may be appearing or are there any situations which are already blossoming for you, in your life, in your work and in your praxis?
We invite you to share what feels appropriate for you...we hope that by your sharing we will be able to weave a rich contextual tapestry from which we can all learn as a collective. Your offerings can be incorporated into a collective collage…so feel free to express yourself in whatever way resonates most personally and powerfully for you……
In the first instance, it is our intention to share the learnings with those who were physically present in CCC. We hope to harvest the fruits to inform our next CCC cycle which continues to evolve and respond to the collective consciousness of the now as it emerges anew…..
We were wondering about the process that each group went through as it progressed its work in designing and hosting the co-creation session relating to the inquiry themes of connections; collective consciousness I; collective consciousness II and constructive action. A brief summary of the session format and specific activites that each group led would be very helpful and we invite each group to share with us in this regard if they would so choose.
Overtime, maybe some of the offerings could inform our ongoing theory and praxis development – or could be offered as learnings on the blog and the CCC FaceBook page.
We are aiming to weave some threads together by the end of October so that we can embrace what is emerging for the next phase of our development and our intention to host a further CCC inquiry in Wales in March 2010. So we would be delighted if you could share with us, as appropriate, in the coming weeks.
We look forward to continuing the dance in the space that is emerging between us, known and unknown, being and becoming…and yet…
Love,
Zachary, Anjet, Rene and Christine
x x x x
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Exploring Consciousness
Exploring consciousness is the theme of the latest edition of Resurgence...at the heart of earth, art and spirit.
...E.F. Schumacher once said, 'We are now far too clever to be able to survive without wisdom'. The question is, will humanity take the quantum leap in consciousness needed to create a resilient future? More is explored in the article on Resilience by Peter Russell.
In the article Reality by Thich Nhat Hanh.....'ancient traditions and religions have known intuitively for millenia what quantum physics is now proving: that all things are interconnected and the whole of creation is interdependent...'
Here is the link http://www.resurgence.org/
I wonder what the synchronicities might be for our ongoing Collective Consciousness Conversation and leadership inquiry?
Love
Christine
x
...E.F. Schumacher once said, 'We are now far too clever to be able to survive without wisdom'. The question is, will humanity take the quantum leap in consciousness needed to create a resilient future? More is explored in the article on Resilience by Peter Russell.
In the article Reality by Thich Nhat Hanh.....'ancient traditions and religions have known intuitively for millenia what quantum physics is now proving: that all things are interconnected and the whole of creation is interdependent...'
Here is the link http://www.resurgence.org/
I wonder what the synchronicities might be for our ongoing Collective Consciousness Conversation and leadership inquiry?
Love
Christine
x
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Reflections, Inspirations and Emergence
As my adventure into learning and exploring social media technology continues, especially my learning on Facebook - I have had some space to take a step back in the last week or so. Been wondering about the themes on the CCC FB page and also the links to the FB Appreciation, Inspiration and Sacred Moments page.
They have both inspired me and I wanted to share with you what has emerged for me...
Love
Christine
x
Awakening to the Embrace
Realising i was awake, grateful…
Horrified, broken open, who, what now?
Really feeling, really listening and hearing, seeing…
Acknowledging the before, the hurts, the wants,
the patterns being repeated…
Letting go, of the known, the usual routes.
Being struck by a sudden moment of tenderness,
Beauty and awe in nature, a colourfully woven web.
A ‘HEY YOU’ – become part of this call.
Sadness, loss, for him, for her, for them our formative souls
Shattered, not perfect, not whole, not saintly
Being here, humanity in creation, presence in essence.
And so, to wallow, to forgive, to learn?
Choices, choices….love? life and living?
Experiencing and embracing the discovery…
A friend, trusting, being, sharing and smiling
Watching children on the beach, dancing in the waves
Listening to the laughter, watching the kites flying.
And what more? Another cycle begins…
a storm gathers, the creative vortex approaches.
Clearance…stillness…peace…realization.
A fresh new day with all of its possibilities
What will I choose now…enough?
Being, loving and embracing the experience…
Christine Davies 15th August 2009
They have both inspired me and I wanted to share with you what has emerged for me...
Love
Christine
x
Awakening to the Embrace
Realising i was awake, grateful…
Horrified, broken open, who, what now?
Really feeling, really listening and hearing, seeing…
Acknowledging the before, the hurts, the wants,
the patterns being repeated…
Letting go, of the known, the usual routes.
Being struck by a sudden moment of tenderness,
Beauty and awe in nature, a colourfully woven web.
A ‘HEY YOU’ – become part of this call.
Sadness, loss, for him, for her, for them our formative souls
Shattered, not perfect, not whole, not saintly
Being here, humanity in creation, presence in essence.
And so, to wallow, to forgive, to learn?
Choices, choices….love? life and living?
Experiencing and embracing the discovery…
A friend, trusting, being, sharing and smiling
Watching children on the beach, dancing in the waves
Listening to the laughter, watching the kites flying.
And what more? Another cycle begins…
a storm gathers, the creative vortex approaches.
Clearance…stillness…peace…realization.
A fresh new day with all of its possibilities
What will I choose now…enough?
Being, loving and embracing the experience…
Christine Davies 15th August 2009
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