REPORT ON PARTICIPATORY SPIRITUAL INQUIRY

As an example of the ongoing learning opportunities in the Wrekin Forum, there follows a report by Joycelin Dawes, on behalf of Wrekin Forum, on a Participative Spiritual Inquiry (also sponsored by the Scientific & Medical Network) held on March 3rd – 6th, 2008

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND

Wrekin Forum is an associate-based networking organisation with a purpose of deepening spiritual connection; this project brings together three strands of work close to this aim:

  • Exploring the meaning of 'deepening spiritual connection' through activity that inquires into each word of this purpose – deepening, spiritual and connection,
  • Helping us learn how best to use and apply one of the many new 'social technologies' available today.
  • In the opening session of the inquiry, it was observed that "There is a new dimension to this thing called reality and we need to look to see what we can do to bring this new understanding to the world." Wrekin Forum work with participative inquiry may come to demonstrate ways in which small groups can work collaboratively in new ways that give this practical application.

Sir George Trevelyan was interested in generating intuitive insight that was open to critical rational analysis and examination by scientists. It was natural, therefore, that the Scientific and Medical Network was interested to work with Wrekin Forum on this first inquiry. The process of participative inquiry is similar to David Bohm's 'dialogue', which was explored by the Scientific and Medical Network in the late 1980s.

A cycle of inquiry starts from a shared interest of the participants who frame their interest as a question, then devise and carry out an activity that seeks to explore the question. Participants report back on their experience and outcomes of the activity, and thus consider collaboratively what they have learned and how this might be integrated into future actions.

Wrekin Forum and the Scientific and Medical Network were generously supported in this inquiry by a grant from the Blaker Foundation. Participative inquiry complements their aim as a structured and rigorous way for people to discover and put into practice new ways of perceiving the world and of living their lives. It opens horizons and enables participants to explore and develop all dimensions of their experience - practical, emotional, spiritual, intuitive and intellectual.

NEXT STEPS

Clearly this inquiry has been successful in enabling this group to experience a high degree of trust, honesty, coherency and depth, which was experienced as real connection. This came from hard work, and willingness to recognise and lay aside taken-for-granted defenses and responses to difference and diversity.

Wrekin Forum sees great value in continuing this work, both to deepen spiritual connection amongst Associates and develop a method with much potential for other groups and organisations.

At present we are planning new inquiries and facilitating the first group to meet again and take their inquiry further. When a group reaches what became called 'common ground' it is important to realise that this is only an initial phase, not the end-point. If participative inquiry is really to demonstrate how groups can work collaboratively from a transpersonal and shared field of experience, this has to be grounded and anchored. This is long-term work.

As Wrekin Forum takes this forward, with our Associates and by inviting other organisations and networks to work with us, we shall seek funding to supplement participants' contributions. Although each inquiry will become self-supporting, there are set-up costs, for skilled initiating facilitators as the group learns self-management and to cover Forum overhead costs of developing the project.

We invite interest and response on the inquiry process and its potential, and interest in offering grant-funding to the project.

 

 

THE COMMON GROUND REPORT

This body of this report is compiled from the reflections of the 16 participants. Their 'voices' are alternately in normal and italic type. Process observations are noted in the right margin

 

We arrived. We began – introductions, some explanation from our initiating facilitators, Bryce Taylor and Kathryn Fitch. We thought we were starting at the beginning. Well, you do, don't you – conventionally that is – in linear fashion.

But participative spiritual inquiry is a cyclical method. It felt as if we started 'somewhere', went round a number of circles, then began to realise what we were doing, what was happening – learning 'on the job', experiencing and doing, and reflecting on it. Eventually, we discovered that each new cycle – each 'somewhere' – was a prelude to going more deeply together, of challenges, frustration, and opaqueness opening to clear light. Then, there we were – really somewhere, together, as one, exploring the heart of developing deep dialogue together, each in our uniqueness, one in our common ground.

"The 16 of us were very different, all with a 'way' or 'paradigm' of understanding our life in the Spirit. Through successive cycles of, muddling-ly, wondering if what we were going through was 'spiritual experience', we eventually reached a point late Wednesday afternoon, carried forward to Thursday morning, when, collectively, we designed an inquiry into how we might deepen our spiritual connection. We agreed an activity that would test this, carried it out, reported back on our experience of it, its meaning, how that impacted our spiritual understanding and what we learnt from it.

We came to see that we were on 'Common Ground'; that we held and valued an 'open space' amongst us; it needed to be held collectively in a clear light free from individual perceptions, but from which we each share. The group, I think, experienced themselves reaching a unified transcendent space, holding a clear, grounded collective intent in which agreement came so much more easily. The group became one of peers, facilitated itself and the initiating facilitators 'died' to become part of the group."

"Collaborative spiritual inquiry was new to me and I found both the process, and what happened to this particular group, enlightening and full of wonder. This whole person learning process was considered important enough to require everyone being present throughout; and I discovered I really didn't want to miss out on anything! So a 'requirement' became willing and joyful. A safe environment was created by the facilitators and the group. The quiet joy and feeling of peace I experienced when we had 'come through' the tangle of muddle, separation and darkness, into a 'clear space' of underlying union, was indescribably beautiful. I felt the relief of knowing that 'staying with' what happens in the moment, however difficult, leads to clarity and vision. I learned a lot during the three days — but am aware there is a great deal more to learn about this new way, as being salutary both to individuals, groups and thus further afield."

"I joined the group to 'become different through learning' rather than accrue more learning. I changed through the process and realise:

  • We don't have to create spiritual experiences, just recognise ourselves within them; BE them, not just 'have' them. We were the living inquiry – the issue, problem and solution
  • We have to take responsibility for what's created and develop the ability to respond
  • There is potential within tension - in tension we can find intention
  • We can be the Destroyer, Creator and holder
  • Group agreement and conformity are not the same or as powerful as group intent
  • There is unity in diversity. Individually connecting to a higher group intent enables everyone to connect to a more powerful source, to 'be' and contribute themselves – we enable each other to be who we truly are; We are doomed if only connecting from the personality level as we only allow each other to be who we want and expect others to be.

This 'for me' provides great hope for the future of mankind and is the bridge between the old and new paradigms in terms of work to be done through groups and leaders in the world."

"The experience we had together seems to defy rational analysis because, collectively, we surrendered the rational through a painful and frustrating struggle through which we found a space beyond where knowing was replaced by meaning. This 'place beyond' has, hitherto, been the province of the religions and described by mystics variously as 'the cloud of unknowing', Christ Consciousness, Buddha Mind, the I Am Presence etc. Amongst our discoveries was the sense that this space is real (we seem to have termed it 'common ground') and there is a great sense of love and joy when we connect with it individually. When we connect collectively, as we did, I think we re-discovered a way forward for humanity in these 'transition times'.

I am fortunate to be in a few group situations where we choose to be in this space together, but I haven't experienced before the struggle to get there and the surrender of all identity and difference in order to reach this 'field of unknowing' in which other dimensions of awareness can break through. This 'field' is authentic, it lives in the moment and it can be trusted if we are willing to give it our trust. Clearly we are not the first to discover this but I hope through the process of morphogenesis that with each evolutionary step we take so it may open up a space for others to do the same.

The Arthurian myths seem to hint at how each of us goes forth on the Grail Quest for wholeness and, having found our own individual connection, we return to the 'round table' to find discover collective insight and to band together to offer collective leadership to Camelot. Maybe it is through the soul connected 'higher mind' that we receive higher awareness and then somehow pass this to the more concrete 'lower mind' to process and operationalise. This is where maybe an ongoing collaboration between Wrekin Forum and the Network might be useful – learning how to perceive through the 'eye of the mind' and the 'eye of the heart' and then integrate the two.

My own learnings seem to have been:

  • That true spirituality has to be authentic
  • That we can only reach it though surrender of all that we think and think that we are
  • That it swims in a field of unconditional love in which 'greater love hath no man than this – that a man give up his life for his friends' (I hope I get it!)
  • That other dimensions of being are real and await our connection to take us 'there'.

Quite what is the deeper meaning of the golden anchor I saw descending between us during the final meditation I am not sure but the golden chain reaching into the heavens was solid and strong. I look forward to another time of being with everyone and await where this might lead us"

"What did I learn?"

  • When to speak and when to remain silent
  • That to be silent is to participate
  • To recognise myself in others
  • To trust the moment and to risk not knowing where it leads
  • To witness the process yet be part of it
  • To hold the thread of focused awareness throughout a labyrinthine journey
  • To keep going through the not knowing
  • To be aware of the common ground underlying apparent differences
  • To watch a small seed germinate, gain strength, and grow
  • To trust that the group has an intelligence of its own
  • To participate in an alchemical process of transformation"

"My strongest learnings were more to do with meanings than with feelings or the imaginal. As an example, I went for a walk every morning, and on the first was rewarded by seeing the very last sliver of the waning moon, visible just before sunrise. The thought of entering the period of dark moon for our inquiry kept recurring, filling me with assurance that our dark not-knowing would be under the guidance of the moon. This then affected how I worked, or rather, how I perceived my part in our working, in the group. Increasingly often, as we progressed, I found myself in a state that I imagine surf-board riders to be in, balancing on the cusp of an onward wave where my movements and the wave's were one. It required constant attention. Words dissolve into paradox: it combined relaxation with unceasing activity, constant control with complete letting go of control, full personal responsibility with total acceptance of the group context. The techniques and ideas I learned were also of immense practical help, but it was this experience of living in a new way that now stays with me."

" 'Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness' Eckhart Tolle.

This is exactly what the inquiry did for me. It is difficult to put into words, experiences that are very transformative, and garnering the insights and learnings takes time. But you just know that a shift has taken place. So there are deep personal learnings from it, but also the knowledge that we achieved something quite profound together. I learnt that to be at the 'creative edge', is where deep learning takes place, as well as understanding how a group can find higher ways of working together. What is it that a group can do together that individuals cannot? We can come into a collective emergence. So full authentic participation in a group, with a conscious intention, IS to co-create. I learnt the strength of authenticity and the immediacy of being at the 'creative edge', and that in the space of the common ground, that we created, even though there are differences between us, an energy becomes available to us, that has a deep creative flow.

This inquiry has contributed to the development of my own consciousness, and hence the collective consciousness, as well as to the creative development of group collaboration. It takes us forward individually and collectively."

"The experience brought to me a real sense of belonging which I have not felt before though I have often thought about it and known it to be possible. This I feel was brought about by the invitation to authentic expression which the process of the cooperative inquiry encouraged and was so evident in the later stages of our time together. I will carry with me the feeling of unity which we all created as the common ground. I am grateful too for the opportunity to practice the facilitator role in such a supportive atmosphere. This has, without a doubt contributed greatly to my gradual overcoming of the fear of speaking and enabled a step change in how I handled a talk I gave on the evening of our final day. I am left with the impression that the process of cooperative inquiry will be a great tool in the future for handling the opening of awareness in an atmosphere of equal voice where no-one can dominate to the disadvantage of others."

"When I stopped trying to make this event into the 'head' experience that I had been expecting and instead went with the group's flow, I then got from it instead a 'heart' experience - a powerful feeling, which has also stayed with me so far since, of love for the group, for my life and for life, and a gratefulness that all is very well.

At my 'head' level, I have been particularly impressed with how this group process mirrors life, in particular I see that in both:

  • One of the most valuable things that I can give to others is to be fully present to them and not withdraw if the going gets rough or I lose interest
  • The group and life goes where the energy is, and I need to not give away my power, dithering to find a 'right' moment to say/do something, as by this time the energy has often moved elsewhere,
  • I need to approach experiences open-mindedly, rather than through of my frames of reference

This has all led me to renewed efforts at 'chopping the wood' and 'fetching the water' of my daily life with a new level of mindful intent."

"I had had no time to prepare so had no pre-conceptions, expectations, stress or 'baggage'. I did have confidence that: the group would go through considerable angst, resistance and struggle; Bryce would guide the journey without taking anything away from it; I was committed to being present and to use my energy purposefully; everyone had volunteered to be there and was spiritually intentioned so this was a resource; I had no investment in the outcome. I got exasperated by what I perceived as middle class politeness and little peer accountability holding up the group's progress, but this turned out, I think, to be useful.

The real learning, for me, lies in what I think was a surrender of some kind which 'came over us' to the degree that we didn't really notice until we noticed there was 'something' going on. We reached a place of no-one or the group having an agenda big or precious enough to get in the way. We all found a way of bringing our conscious intent together to invoke something different to what we were all used to. We gave to one another so that we might, together, find something new and richer to explore."

"3–6 March 2008; dates in the diary. Anticipation. Participative inquiry? Do I like this facilitated process; these tram lines for my behaviour? Finally! We phrased an inquiry as, 'what is the experience for the individual and the group when we intentionally create common ground?' Simple intention; simple act - powerful result! I don't think it is too much to say 'heaven arose.' I could analyse it further; I could deconstruct it, but I choose not to. Its preciousness is in my recollection of its integrity as an experience. I have been living with the consequences of this ever since. I feel the on-going expansion like the ripples-from-the-stone-in-a-pond image, but instead of the ripples diminishing, they are gaining in wavelength and frequency!

The inquiry brought us to transcendence because it integrated self-and-other into one. I learned transcendency is a paradox; I examine self to lose self; I understand by seeking to understand not. Meaning is that which comes from inside – anything imposed from without is fundamentally an illusion. Once I understand from inside, I can use my intention to share my portion with the whole and truly participate. 'Knowing about' and experiencing 'Individuation in Oneness' is different. I prefer experience."

"This four day experience presented me with a method of profound group potential for change and spiritual leadership. A very rigorous system of negotiation, discussion and counter agreement revealed so much, not only of our individual blockages but the group blocks, and even humanity's (as macrocosm). This testing process opens up experience of difference, stuckness, acceptance, growth and emergence, and a real deep respect for each group member as they experience 'the burning ground' together and ultimately transformation.

The point of change to group creativity and with this the birth of a new receptivity and the acknowledgement of shared 'other dimensions' meant a 'new' learning could emerge."

"It is fascinating to be in a space of detachment and see things objectively and feel attuned with others in excitement of discovery or rediscovery! Despite the high Octane intellectual fireworks and plethora of debates, the process of inquiry and spiritual quest has touched my heart and mind, opening new windows of connecting with 'strangers' in more ways than one. The buzz word is simple, it is ''love'. I have continued feeling an encompassing feeling of love all around me, still.....integrating humans and all beings into the periphery of 'love zone' It is very beautiful feeling. In our non contract downsizing technocratic world, our meeting was wonderfully connecting in such a short space of time; a new emotional surge in my ribosomes tells me that after all we are all connected in very deep level, we just need to find it within a ground of openness, acceptance and love."

"Since I sent to you my initial reflections upon what I learned in our time together as a group, I have had the chance to watch the process deepen and develop. The feeling of recognising myself in others is still there, especially as I read the many wonderful contributions which have been circulated. The sense of keeping going through a time of not knowing has stayed with me, through a few days of intense activity. It has been like riding a huge wave of energy, while striving to remain steady, focused, and watchful.

For me, the most enduring memory has been of the widening of vision that took place, taking us beyond our frustrations, stuckness and irritation. The shared awareness of a common ground worked its magic. We did not have to bring it into being, it was there waiting for us to wake up to its presence."

"I have had a mantra/phrase in my head and heart for many many years...
'I will not give myself fully until it is the real thing.'

For me, where we got to at the end was and is, the future way of living. By any other name, we landed in heaven, we inhabited the heaven, the common ground of heaven, that has always been present. A new way of collective Being in the world and because of that, we will really make a difference in all areas of our lives, I feel sure."

"I found this journey quite a struggle to start with. In truth I had not read the paperwork properly, otherwise I would probably not have gone. Perhaps it was meant that I did not read the papers because I would certainly have missed out on a tremendous and valuable experience and learning curve. I had not appreciated how much of me was still stuck in perceptions and conditioning. I had always thought of myself as a good Aquarian, very detached and able to see the wider vision. Those few days were to show me that there was still much of me stuck in the Piscean age and its resultant perceptions and structures.

Gradually, however, on the third day, the penny dropped and I suddenly became aware of something much deeper happening. I saw beneath the process. In essence I connected with the energy that was prevalent in the group and when this connection was made, it was as if something opened up within me. I saw the value of how groups working together like this could bring about so much needed change in our society. Above all, I understood that my fears, my concern, were groundless. It had all been about perceptions and conditioning that I had picked up since birth and these needed to go. I had lost nothing of value and instead had gained so much. Something within was released and I became free.

With this release and freedom, I was so conscious of the exciting possibilities that lay ahead with this type of group work. I suddenly realised that this was true Aquarian group work and that those like us were pioneers in visualising the freedom, the transformation necessary for a deeper spiritual connection in humanity. Humanity needs to be free of the remnants of the Piscean Age and transform all its beautiful spiritual qualities into the visionary Aquarian Age. The Age where each human being will gain freedom from its own imprisonment and connect with its true spiritual nature.

It was a great privilege to do this journey with you all and I so much look forward to seeing you again."

"What is the emergence of common ground? We don't know where we are until we get there. And we won't get there until we know where 'WE' are going and that there is a 'WE' that is going and that the 'WE' is together - enough.

Straightforward, simple enough. How many times did we have to formulate our intent together before we almost got it fully into operation?

I know something of how long it takes to get 16 people's intent sufficiently aligned to bring about what they wish for cooperative inquiry teaches patience and the need to let the ego's reactivity burn up in the frustrations of learning how much we need it to be...(whatever way we believe it ought or needs to be)

Dreams, wishes, ideas, planning and intention - only when those last two appear do we get to bring about collective action – even if it is to dream collectively (is that a future challenge?)."

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