Bringing the right people together (at the right time)
My mother taught me that "we are all the
same", that when all is added up, we end up with an equal sum of abilities and
imperfections. On the other hand, I was also taught (by her and by others) that some
people are born with some natural "talents" that somehow make them
"superior" to others or even "geniuses". These two made-up rules
influenced me in ways that are sometimes hard to see. So many assumptions get made on the
basis of simple rules like these, that it is sometimes difficult to see what is actually
happening "out there in the Real World".
And so I see a group of people today. Let's say
that they have in common a desire or will to work together on some project, possibly a
magical/musical invocation. Is it automatically certain that any group of people with this
desire will be able to form the necessary electrical connections, becoming a living radio,
turning it on and then be able to process the input in such a way that it doesn't become
absolutely garbled? The answer is a clear "no". This simple common desire or
will can't guarantee a result (although it is certainly the minimum requirement for
anything to happen).
The blend of certain types is absolutely
necessary in order for the radio to form. A radio has different parts and the parts are
not all the same. No matter how long you try to form a radio out of 5 batteries, the radio
will not come together. You will have plenty of "energy" but no tuner, amplifier
or speaker to process the sound. You may get something, but it won't be a working radio.
You have to have a minimum combination of elements in order for the basic living artifact
to become active.
But these different types tend to reject each
other outright. In fact, most of them have spent their lives trying to studiously avoid
meeting the other types face to face. You are then in a position where you will have to
attract a group of people that have no natural affinity for each other and who will tend
to reject each other's presence. And you will somehow get them to work together and form
an ancient artifact. How can you do this?
Experiment: "THE DIORAMA"
Go to a park or other natural or
"semi-natural" area.
Walk around for a time looking for an area
that "feels right". If you hear yourself thinking about what "right"
is, then that is not the place. If you hear yourself thinking about not thinking about
what "right" is, then that is not the place. If all of a sudden you sit down to
rest and momentarily forget what you were doing... that is the place.
Draw a circle around you. If you are on sand
or land, you can actually draw it with a stick. If not, then just draw the circle by
visualizing it around you. The circle should be about the size of what you can reach with
your hands without moving or standing up.
Now, look at all the different objects that
are within your reach in the circle. If you say there is "nothing", you are
wrong. There is always something.
Create a small "diorama" with
the things that you find around you. Don't ask "a diorama of what?" It doesn't
have to represent anything, stand for anything or achieve anything.
Keep on working for as long as you like. If
you look at the diorama, and feel that there is nothing to add, it is finished. If you
feel like standing up, the diorama is finished. If you are not sure if the diorama is
finished or not, the diorama is finished.
This Experiment should be done on a nice day,
when there is no rain or cold weather. It can also be done with a group in two ways: each
person creating their own diorama or, making a wider circle, the group working on a
collective diorama.
Experiment 2: PARTY
Invite 3 people to dinner. But invite two of
them earlier than the third. (At least an hour difference.)
While you wait for the third one to arrive,
talk to your two guests. Interact with them and create an atmosphere.
When the third guest arrives, pay VERY CLOSE
ATTENTION to what happens: in each of the people there (including yourself) and in the
"mood" of the chamber.
After everyone leaves (or in a short break)
write down as much of your impressions as you can. What happened? How did the mood change?
How did the individual people change?
Experiment 3: THE PLAZA
Go to a shopping center or to a downtown
plaza, an area where people meet to talk and hang out.
Sit out of the way, by yourself. Try to
resonate with the mood of the place.
Look at the different groups of people and
resonate with them (don't stare!).
Try to sense how the mood of the whole place
changes as people come and go, as groups form and dissolve.
You can do this Experiment for a few minutes all
the way to about an hour. If you feel like you want to do it longer than an hour, STOP!
and don't ever do this Experiment again.
Experiment 4: "When Worlds
Collide"
1- Set up a dinner or lunch appointment with two
of your friends. It can be any two friends with only one condition: they have never met
each other and they come from two different "worlds" in your life.
2- During the dinner/lunch leave most of the
socializing to them. Without being obvious, let them talk to each other and stay out as
much as reasonably possible. Instead of concentrating on "what am I going to say
next" concentrate on the mood. Feel the certain tension in the space, as if a vacum
has been suddenly filled with new possibilities and dangers.
3- After the dinner/lunch is over, spend some
time by yourself and observe the effect that the collision had within you. The change may
be subtle (or it may be huge). Simply try to observe it as carefully as possible. Write
down your observations.
Group Experiment 1: Communication
The group sits in a circle and remains in
silence for a few minutes (10 to 15 mins should be enough.
The leader (or host) starts by communicating
something to the group. It can be a thought, a memory, an idea for the future. Anything.
It should be short. A few sentences at most.
The person sitting to the left of the leader
now communicates something to the group. Again they are free to communicate what they want
as long as it isn't too long or involved.
This goes around the circle three times.
When the three cycles are finished, the group
is silent for another 10 to 15 mins.
Maintain focus on the fact that the CONTENT of
the communication is not what matters here, but the flow of energy as it travels through
the circle. Don't get stuck on saying something too specific, or something funny, or
something "deep" or anything in particular. The first thing that comes to your
mind is the ideal thing to say. Don't try to rationalize it, or censor it! Let it out.
This flow is what will build the group. Just as you don't focus on your own content, don't
start trying to analize what others have said and how all the different communications
relate among themselves. Simply let them flow through your mind and when it's your turn,
let the flow turn outwards.
Group Experiment 2: Mica!
The group does some warm up exercises for
about 15 minutes (stretching, breathing, yoga, etc.)
One person is designated as "it".
That person starts to move their body. This can be seen as a dance. As simple everyday
movement. As ritualitic passes.
Everyone else imitates and tries to follow the
movements of the main person.
At some point the person that is
"it" passes their role to someone else by touching them.
This can continue, as the people pass on the
main role, for half an hour to an hour.
Music, incense, and all other kinds of mood
altering enhancements will work well with this experiment.
Not everyone or anyone should be there, picking the right
people, different structures for different moments and for different results, sometimes
less is more, don’t hold on to them!
Working with whatever is there – the "diorama" |
