Dialogue Circle Basics

Beginning on January 12, 2010; Gaia Rising will host monthly dialogue circles on the second Tuesday of every month. The conference line will allow up to 96 separate callers and even with half that many we must all be aware of some guidelines and ground rules in order to keep the process as smooth and fluid as possible.

Ground Rules and Pointers

1. Join the call a few minutes early so that we can begin promptly.
2. Call in from a phone which has mute capability, if at all possible, and keep yourself muted except when it is your turn to speak.
3. Bring a pencil and paper so that you can keep track of when it will be your turn to speak.
4. Honor all beliefs and values and speak only in love and trust. Seek not to prove or disprove, seek only to hear and be heard.
5. Only speak when it is your turn. Be patient and trust that you will be heard when the time is right.
6. With the exception of the 2 minute check-in at the beginning of each call, take as much time as you need to say what you need to say, but also be mindful of others and as concise as possible.

The Process For Our Dialogue Circle:

1. Tree will begin by asking for first names which begin with the letter A, B, and so on. When your letter is called speak only your first name (or nick-name, it's your preference).
2. After gathering all the names Tree will read back the alphabetized list in order to establish the seating arrangement for the virtual circle. Please write down the several names before yours so that you'll be aware of when it is about to be your turn to speak.
3. Tree will then make opening remarks and the first trip around the circle will begin.
4. The first round is a 2 minute check-in. During your 2 minutes we'd like you to share your name, your geographic location, how you are feeling (mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and/or physically), and whether you enter the circle in the spirit of RELEASE, ACCEPTANCE, or INVITATION. You may take less than 2 minutes, but please do not pass on this round.
5. When the last person has checked in, Tree will pose a question for the next round. Everyone will have the opportunity to either speak or pass.
6. Depending on how many participants are present, there may only be one round before check-outs.
7. Each participant will have up to 2 minutes to check out by sharing their name and any brief sentiment they choose to share.

Watch for subsequent blog posts which will offer additional information about the theory and practice of dialogue.

Gaia Rising: Monthly Dialogue Circles

Gaia Rising hosts a monthly dialogue circle via conference call. The purpose of the circle is to explore personal and planetary transformation in a mutually supportive and caring environment.

Up to 96 people may join a call. Tree will facilitate the dialogue by establishing a virtual circle (in alphabetical order by first name). Each participant will be given the opportunity to speak or pass the "talking stick". Each call will begin with a 2 minute check-in, in which each participant shares where he/she is (emotionally, geographically, mentally, etc.). After the check-in, the dialogue will continue in rounds, with each round centering around a question.

In the beginning, for sake of ease, Tree will pick the questions. After a few calls the group will co-create questions.The calls are scheduled to last 2 hours and will occur the second Tuesday of every month at 8:00 pm Central Time (US) which is 9:00 pm in New York City (as a reference to international guests).


Date: Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Time: 8:00pm - 10:00pm
Location: 218-844-0850, passcode: 209064#

Fear

Is fear a gift or a curse? Or some of both?

More and more I see everything in the world like an electrical system... everything and everyone and every action is either positive, negative, or neutral. And let me clarify, negative does not equal bad or evil. I think of it in mathematical terms, 0 is the middle and +1 means movement in one direction and -1 means movement in another direction.

Today I notice I'm feeling afraid. I've worked through many kinds of fear in the past and found that fear can be a huge gift. Fear can be the guardian at the gate of the most sacred temple. Fear can be the building energy on the way to a major break through. Fear can even be a sacred rhythm, providing me with timing to ensure that I don't move too quickly.

Or fear can be debilitating. Fear can drive us to violence, control, and hatred. I believe that every war the planet has seen has its roots in "fear of the other". When we are not elevated enough to understand that we are all connected, we feel disconnected. When we're disconnected our emotions can run away with us. When we are not conscious of our unity, we notice that something is missing. We interpret this sense of lacking as fear that we will not have enough food, shelter, love, etc. This fear justifies competition and conflict and enables our "survival of the fittest" drive.

Thankfully today I've also had some insight about my present fear. I feel like I've been honored with the opportunity to serve Gaia (God, The Great Spirit, the Universe, Love, or whatever name you're most comfortable with) but I fear that I cannot do it alone. Even as I become able to name it I realize that I'm most certainly not alone. And so, I can now accept this fear as the gift of being guided to ask for help. I am blessed with many friends and a wonderful family. As I ask for help the fear dissipates. How blessed are we to have fear as a guide!

At the Precipice of Apotheosis

It is quite natural to desire to be The Chosen One. The Hero's Quest is an archetypal mythogem which we all carry. Trinity wasn't better than Neo simply because she awoke from the dream sooner. Nor was he the only chosen one... Trinity's relationship to Neo was predicted by the Oracle as well. (The Matrix Trilogy).

The rhythmic tides of history and legend swell around the story of the One. Buddha, Noah, Confuscious, Jesus, Gandhi, Mandela, Columbus, Napoleon, Sitting Bull, King Arthur...

It is as if these men were a type of singular catalyst, and by activating their own deepest levels of mastery they were able to somehow propel all of humanity to the next level. It was a supreme service, and in many cases, a personal sacrifice ending in assassination.

We are approaching a gateway, which many would term The Second Coming. Of course the most common connotation of that phrase is the return of Jesus Christ, our lord and saviour. As well as the beginning of the Rapture, which is supposed to be a fairly scary ordeal followed by 10,000 years of peace.

For many years I've compared and contrasted religious doctrine, creation myths, and prophecies. The reason I consider myself interfaith is because I've found truth, beauty, and love in every one of these stories. As I watch the patterns and dynamics of the present world, and allow these similarities to simmer and bubble up I can't help but hold each story very gently and consider the ever deeper mysteries of the universe. But, as long as I am a physical/material being I can never grasp the entire truth of creation.

What if The Second Coming is the dawning of consciousness at a whole new order? What if instead of God sending Jesus back in the flesh, He is guiding us each to realize our own Christ light? What if each one of us is THE CHOSEN ONE?

When I look around I see more consciousness than ever before. Humanity is at a height of consciousness like never before experienced on the planet. There are countless teachers and gurus, thousands of weekend retreats and transformative processes, and millions of books all geared around this Rising. The personal and the planetary are transforming at an ever increasing rate.

Jesus was born of a woman, a mere human, who through radical love and self sacrifice achieved God status. He did it to show us what was possible. That is apotheosis. Jesus wanted us to love each other. It is up to YOU to decide whether you are at the edge of your own apotheosis, your own enlightenment. And if you are secretly dreaming that you are The Chosen One... then that is a sign that you have the power within your heart to unlock the seven gates and enter the Kingdom of Heaven. You ARE chosen. And if you answer the call we can rise up together.

Gaia Rising!

Another World is Possible

Another World is Possible
by Rose Flint

Another world is possible.
We can dream it in, with our eyes
open to this Beauty, to all
that Earth gives each of us, each day
those miracles of dark and light --
rainlight, dawn, sun moon snow, stormgrey
and the wide fields of night always
somewhere opening their flower-
stars---this, this! Another world is

possible. With river and bird
sweet and free without fear, without
minds blind to harmondy, to how
we can hold. we have been too long
spoiled greedy children of Earth,
life of rocks and creatures
slipping out of our careless hands.
We must stand now and learn to love
as a Mother loves her child, each
precious heartbeat of her that is
ourselves, our path and our journey
into our dream of future, where
another world is possible
cradling this one in its arms.

Gaia's Message

Gaia's Message

(A poem by Maria Silmon)

I am here

in the scent of a flower

in the living rainbow of light

on a dew drop

on a blade of grass

I am in every ray of the sun's light

in every grain of sand and drop of rain

in the rising mist

in the heat of the morning sun

and I am living through you

I whisper my secrets to you

when you are waking

and sing to you my song

while you sleep

I teach you of love

and its unfolding

and hold you when you weep

I am a reflection of life's unfolding

and I too,

as you,

am evolving

I am growing and changing

just as you do

I am vast

and, like you

I am part of the great cosmic dance

of awakening and becoming

I dance with the planets and the stars

and sparkle

as a radiant emerald jewel

in the bed of the universe

(c) Maria Silmon 2002