|
Program Description
After 6 years of quarterly gatherings at the Chinook center of the Whidbey Institute, Spirited Work has ended one form and is inviting what wants to emerge next.
The original descriptions of our program will remain on this website as a record of the intention of Spirited Work, and the many ways in which this community has supported amazing work in the world.
Statement of Commitment
Spirited Work participants are asked to commit to being part of a community of practice which gathers seasonally and whose members are linked in an on-line learning environment. We ask participants to familiarize themselves with the work of Angeles Arrien, author of The Four-Fold Way, and Harrison Owen, creator of Open Space Technology.
As participants in a learning community, we are committed to creating and sustaining a community that manifests higher purpose in every day life. We are committed to the expansiveness and diversity of age and to true rites of passage (from babies through elders). We are committed to learning to acknowledge and honor the spirit of each person.
Community Practice of Open Space (Harrison Owen)
The Law of Two Feet: Take responsibility for what has heart and meaning.
Each of us exercises personal choice about who we are being; our views and mental models; what we intend; what we say; what we do; what we explore; and how we live and work together. We are each responsible for our own learning, and the learning of the Community.
The Four Principles of Open Space
- Whoever Comes are the Right People
- Whatever Happens is the Only Thing that Could Have
- Whenever It Starts is the Right Time
- When ItÍs Over ItÍs Over
Seasonal Gatherings and Themes
Learning themes are based on the Seasonal Archetypes of The Four-Fold Way (Angeles Arrien):
- Winter: The Way of the Warrior:
"Show up and choose to be present." Being present allows us to access the human resources of power, presence and communication.
- Spring: The Way of the Healer:
"Pay attention to what has heart and meaning." Paying attention opens us to the human resources of love, gratitude, acknowledgment and validation.
- Summer: The Way of the Visionary:
"Tell the truth without blame or judgment." Non-judgmental truthfulness maintains our authenticity, and develops our inner vision and intuition.
- Fall: The Way of the Teacher:
"Be open to outcome, not attached to outcome.î Openness and non-attachment help us recover the human resources of wisdom and objectivity.
We encourage you to read The Four-Fold Way by Angeles Arrien (Harper San Francisco, 1993), Expanding our Now: The Story of Open Space Technology, by Harrison Owen (Berrett Kohler, 1997), and The Power of Spirit: How Organizations Transform (Berrett Kohler, 2000), also by Harrison Owen.
Who Participates in Spirited Work?
- People with awareness of themselves as both learners and leaders
- People who feel called to participate in a conscious learning community with a committed group of people over a committed period of time
- People who are firmly cognizant of the environmental, social and spiritual challenges facing our generation and that of our children
- People in touch with the spirituality of their being who possess the courage and openness to explore the universality of human wisdom as it appears and reappears in diverse faith traditions
- People who seek a new "economic imagination" in organizing for productivity and sustainability
Spirited Work is convened and managed by a group of Stewards, members of the community who volunteer to take responsibility for Spirited Work for one year.
|
