Connectedness in vulnerability
The Talking stick.
Is it an Indian tribe thing? Is is a hippy thing? Maybe. Does is matter? I actually love offering this and being part of this experience during special occasions. Why? Because it opens your heart and when you open your heart you get better.
This a simply a heart sharing circle. A chance to be Perfect in your Complete imperfection. A chance to share without reservation around rules and regs.
‘A conversation that comes from the middle of the moment. ‘
The power of talking stick is in the simplicity and the attention to really listening.
Sit in a circle around a fire and pass around the stick. Only one speaker at a time, everybody listens. There is a lot of space in between sentences and people, where we simply are silent and integrate. No words of approval or disapproval, suggestions for solutions or murmurs of judgment.
Last week during a Circle a young, special, innocent Japanese student shared an embarrassing and obviously lingering incident that had occurred when he was only five years old and was still being obviously played out in various parts of his life. The sharing was very powerful and a very courageous act of vulnerability. My heart became incredibly expansive and pounded with compassion. There were tears welling in the eyes of many in the circle and raw emotion was tangible with human beingness, alive in its pervading brilliance.
For the next minutes I could feel all hearts were pumping with the same intensive, connected rhythm. This was an opportunity to experience a wonderful connection that only raw vulnerability offers. Compassion and connection alive to the core.
Hours later, I reflected how unfortunately rare this experience is. How so many hide in the fear of exposure, noisily sharing the big suitcase of all the things they know to gain some sense of control or approval. We sacrifice a real connection when we only relate in this half mast state. Maybe today is the day we say we don’t know, gain the courage to be really vulnerable and simply share yourself without any thought about how others may perceive you.
The beautiful thing about this state is we all get a chance to really feel the truth around unity. When vulnerability steps in, it carries it’s best mate of deep rich interconnectedness.
Beyond the delusion of separation is us really doing it all together.
With love,
Gwyn
