Category: Free Inquiry

On Monday the group met again. We opened with a meditation and check-in.

This was a small group; only 4 of us were there, creating the opportunity to explore space and time even more deeply. We had introduced a theme of embodiment and then moved on to discussing the concept and role of play. We found that his was a very relevant topic to all of us. We conceptualized that play, for a lack of more conventional terminology, is a pure manifestation and expression of the soul. When we play, we a re connected to ourselves.

We decided to meet weekly again, after a month of meeting bi-weekly. I feel this sets a tone in the group of increased empowerment and more purpose. Along with that, we are introducing an accountability aspect. This is each person setting an intention/goal for the week and be followed up with at the next circle. My goal was to incorporate play more into my academic pursuits!

Over and Out!

I had been anticipating this circle for a couple weeks and was feeling underprepared yesterday until I spoke with a good friend. After the session, I realized that I had been preparing for a long time – developing skills of facilitation through my camp called FACES. I had facilitated a couple “Small group” sessions with my “Camera crew” in order to allow student to process therefore strengthening their overall camp experience. I found it extremely rewarding and it empowered me to further explore this type of work.

I believe I have uncovered several key skills that are necessary to effectively lead a group. One of which is the objectification of experiences. Noticing things that are happening emotionally,  for example, and giving them a name can become a tool to communicate one’s experience without ambiguity, thus opening a door for introspection. Identifying  details and asking questions about them is an incredibly important part of the work. These details are revealing things about what the person is going through and when we ask specific questions about those details, we invite them to reveal themselves.

Another skill that I feel I did well in was empowering the group to engage in each-other’s share. For example, when it was one person’s time to share and they wrapped up a though and left a pause, I would ask the rest of the group if they had anything to say to the person. This would allow an opportunity for the group to validate the person sharing. It is important that as a facilitator, I steer the type of talk but I don’t need to control the whole talk; I want the group to run itself.

In summary, this first experience running my own circle has been very satisfying and I hope it can continue to be a staple of meaning in my weeks to come.

Over and Out!

I have decided to do my free inquiry project on circles. Circles are a way to come together as a community and interact with each other in a meaningful and honest way. I am interested in this concept because it opens an individual up to experiencing or processing things like emotions, relationships hardship, addiction and many other things. It is an inclusive setting which encourages group support and sharing. The idea comes from indigenous cultures; who create these circles to strengthen the community.

In specific, I will be facilitating a Men’s Circle throughout this term. On Monday evenings, I have 8 or 10 individuals who have agreed to meet and do this type of work. Our purpose in the dive into our personal stories- to learn more about who we are so we can be better, more embodied versions of ourselves.

Tonight (september 23rd) is the first group. I am slightly anxious about what to do in regards to the starting time – it was supposed to be at 7:00 but may have to be at 7:30. We will see how it goes!