Remembering

There is a Chinese curse that goes, “May you be born in an interesting time.” These times we are living in are filled with challenges. War, ignorance, rampant greed and so many voices calling out for help. As many hands reach out for our comfort there are times we have nothing left to give. There may be an urge to just crawl into a hole, leave the world behind, and enter a less interesting space. But that is, at best, only a temporary comfort. There is no getting away from our connection with this terrible, beautiful life. At times like this I turn to my senses for comfort and grounding, to bring myself back to the present moment and remember, over and over, that life is mysterious and it is not always possibly to know what invisible beauty is folded within its dark fabric.

As 2023 draws to a close, it’s a great time to sweep the old path clean of leaves and debris in order to better see the first step into the unknowable future.  I invite you to join me in a very special, very ancient, practice of remembering together. The practice is called council. In council we sit together around a virtual fire as we speak and listen in a safe space. The space is made safe by the mutual agreement of the group to speak from the heart, listen from the heart, not comment on one another’s words and, as they say in Las Vegas, “what is said here stays here”. This practice started with American indigenous cultures around the camp fire and moved into Zen centers, prisons, and meeting spaces around the world. It has helped create transformation in board rooms, zendos, and living rooms. Council provides us with a safe space to speak into, a space where we are not judged, where no one tries to fix us, where we can just take a breath and be ourselves. I have personally found this practice of speaking and listening immensely helpful and healing. It has created a level of comfort and self- acceptance I’ve never known before.

It is such are rare thing to be truly seen and heard, safe to be honest in a group. If you would like a place to explore council please join us on Monday mornings starting in the new year. We will sit for 20 minutes then practice council for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on how many people show up. If this calls to you, you can contact me at jacquelinek@vom.com  I’m happy to address any questions you might have and send you a link to our Monday morning zoom space. This four session offering is my gift to you for the new year.

If you would like to take a deeper dive into the history and process of council here’s a video by Zen Peacemakers International, who use council as one of their core practices. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPWjeZDXsvI

Wishing you a way forward, step by step and looking forward to being with you in 2024,