Imperatives?

Seth Godin has written some mighty good things worth repeating (or retweeting, if you're a twitter-ite).  Here's another example and it fits into the context of our anticipated upcoming discussions at circle in the next couple of meetings.

Here is Seth's post from earlier today.

The TED imperatives

1. Be interested.
2. Be generous.
3. Be interesting.
4. Connect.

In that order. If all you can do is repeat cocktail party banalities about yourself, don't come. If all you're hoping for is to get more than you give, the annual event is not worth your time. If you're not confident enough to share what you're afraid of and what's not working, you're cheating yourself (and us).

These aren't just principles for TED, of course. They're valid guidelines for any time you choose to stop hiding and step out into the world. It would be fabulous if people who were willing to commit to these four simple ideas had a special hat or a pin they could wear. Then we wouldn't have to waste our time while looking for those who care about their work and those around them.

[TED is a conference that started small, got big and then spawned more than a thousand local versions. Mostly, it's a culture of connecting interesting ideas and the people who have the guts to share them. Sometimes people at TED even follow these imperatives].

Now is the time.  Show up with confidence and participate!

Who We Are and What We're Looking For...

Center Circle 2011 ~ Eleven Members responded to an open poll on the blog

Tallied YES THIS IS TRUE FOR ME responses to each statement:

I want to be part of a diverse spiritual social group where we’re all conscious, respectful, and open-minded.  10    90%

I want to have a place where I can go to heal, to transform, and to remain connected with my journey (path/purpose).  10    90%

I want to take my power back.  9    81%

I have the power to change my life, now I want to change the world.  Who’s with me?  4    36%

I want to be aware of my thoughts, which create my beliefs, which in turn create my experience.  4    36%

I want to be a better communicator.  6    51%

I want to role model better communication for those I am around.  6    51%

I want to find a group of people who will support my pursuit of my dreams and goals.  6    51%

I am new in this community and want to connect with others like me.  2    18%

I can do only so much by myself.  I’m ready to be part of a collaborative group.  4    36%

I want to harness the power of my feelings and emotions, not be ruled by them.  7    63%

I have no one in my life that understands or is okay with me processing this particular experience.  1    9%

I haven’t talked to myself in a while.  I don’t even remember how.  0    0%

I want to experience my life anew.  8     72%

Shine From Within

At Center Circle, we explore who we are and how we show up.  Our common ground is our intense commitment to looking at ourselves and connecting to the joy in releasing the beauty of who we are.  The process of the discovery is explored in this safe circle.  We forgive ourselves for the times we are so hard on ourselves.  We let go of the hold on old patterns of thought that have been repeated for generations in order to embrace new ideas that allow for better relationships.  We look at our communication, which includes our self talk, in search of authentic expression.  We wish to represent truth.  We move to stay up with each new thought in each new day.  We share the journey together.  We love.  We evolve.  We shine.

Other Contributors

A note about the contributors to this blog.

Most of the posts, especially in the beginning, are authored by Lori and Andreea.  As more women participate in this Center Circle, they are invited to contribute to the blog by writing about an experience they had in the circle or a reflection about how the circle has contributed to their life in some way.  Those testimonials are submitted to Lori and Andreea, who post them.  The purpose of the blog is to give the reader some insight into what goes on in the circle, for the purpose of:

1.       Having some sense of what it’s about before showing up for the first time
2.       Keeping up if she has attended before and is unable to attend a meeting
3.      Starting your own women’s circle and using our experiences to inform you

Learning in Public

Lori's term "learning in public" is something we encourage to the point you are comfortable with.  There are mean people in the world who will rip you apart for just about anything you do in public.  Our aim is to practice being nice and to really support those risks each of us decide to take, which can either result in tremendous success worth celebration, for which we will all gladly join in for... or they are opportunities to learn in public, if you care to do so.

When something you do doesn't go as expected, it's not a failure.  It's an opportunity to learn.  You can learn in private, which means try really hard to hide it, don't talk about it, only tell your spouse or boyfriend or BFF or your diary...

or...

if you're feeling strong and bold, you can learn in public.  You can open yourself up, share what happened, and take a chance that your learning will multiply tenfold.

"Huh?" you say?

The Center Circle is a place where you can play with the concept of learning in public, if you haven't done so, or if it's been a while.  By sharing what you did and what you experienced, these women will listen, share compassion and their own experiences, and not only will you no longer be learning alone and feeling down, you'll feel companionship, community, and support.  You will be given more ideas and perspectives about what that experience was about; more than you could ever come up with on your own.

Learning in Public allows us all to learn from each other and with each other.  It allows us to experience, demonstrate, model, and encourage being vulnerable, which is one of the main characteristics of the feminine.

To share what you have experienced is to love.  It is to open yourself up to be loved in return.

Sacred Cow

We could not help ourselves.  We had to follow our last post on Sacred Space (which also included a reference to the Hindu faith) with a post on the Sacred Cow!

It is a wonderful reminder of how diversity often starts with a humorous recognition of a difference.  How many times have you laughed about an absurd notion that turned out to be just the oppposite of absurd once you heard the rest of the story?  Do you remember hearing about the Hindu's Sacred Cow for the first time?  Was it very different from your own experience and beliefs?  Did you think it was a joke at first?  Did you soon realize the person or people telling you about this absurd belief were completely serious?

Many things in life are this way.  In our circle, it's okay to laugh when something seems absurd.  And we will encourage you to look at others beliefs and your own in order to move from "you've got to be kidding!?" to the ability to listen objectively, and then to the ability to accept and integrate.

If you have been a teenager or the parent of one, you might agree this skill would be very useful.   If you're a manager in a diverse workplace, you'll find this skill very useful.  Can you think of another place where this skill will help you communicate more effectively and become a more compassionate listener and effective collaborator?

In our Women's Circle, Center Circle, we will explore this theme of co-existing with different beliefs often.  Look forward to exploratory conversation, role playing, and learning in public (our next post).

Sacred Space

We'll talk a lot about sacred space, so this is only the beginning.  We are thrilled that the location we found to start holding our Women's Circle has a name that contibutes to our Circle name.

BodySattva is the name of the center.
On their Web site, they allude to a meaning:

The term ‘Bodysattva’ was born out of this vision by pairing  the English word "body" with ‘sattva’ (sahtvah) or ‘awareness.’

“Sattva is a state of mind in which the mind is steady, calm and peaceful. Sattva may be defined as pure existence, awareness, being, truth, intelligence, virtue, goodness, joy”

Or simply put, the desire to practice and deepen the connection to, and access our closest resource, our own body’s wisdom.

In our Center Circle, we will continually discuss and acknowledge our body's wisdom, exploring the concentric circles outward from each of us; the breadth and depth of wisdom and how it might be amplified by coming together and practicing centering together.


If a deeper exploration is of interest, read the wikipedia texts on Sattva.

During at least one of the circle sessions we will discuss the idea of being Sattvic:
A satvic individual can be recognized if their mind, speech and actions synchronize.

Our Circle is a place to discuss the meaning of the things that surround us.  Since we are meeting in a center with the name BodySattva, it seems only logical that we seek to understand the meaning of that name, and its relevance to each of us.  It is of Hindu origin.  The point is to explore it, not to convert anyone to Hinduism or to be a circle of Hindu women.  It is to explore the diversity in this world and become richer, more tolerant, more compassionate, and more loving for it.

It is likely that in the course of time, we will find ourselves discussing things that touch many of the worlds faiths and traditions.

What should we expect when we attend?

Bring whatever is going on for you or leave it at the doorstep, either way.

Practice whatever you want to learn in a safe environment until it feels like a part of you and emerges into every part of your life.

Bring the questions you have about anything.

Talk about what's important for you right now and what you've always dreamed of doing.

Open to new experiences, and in the meantime perhaps discover a new aspect of your self.  Relate to your life in fresh and unpredictable ways.

Make new friends, create bonds, find common ground.  Find an accountability partner. Be an accountability partner. Create circles within the circle. Reach out beyond the circle. Invite a friend or a stranger to the circle who you think would contribute and benefit. Practice co-creating community. Have a place to go to continue to become the best YOU, you can be. Talk about the things your partner isn't the right person for - you know - "girl talk". Talk about the things your kids aren't ready to hear. Ask another woman what it's like as you head into a new time in your life, or share with another woman what that was like for you when she is headed into an experience you can relate to.  Get time away from all those other things in life. Think of it as your sacred space. "Your" time. Spend your time each session resting or regenerating. Be okay with just listening. Be okay with needing to talk about what's going on for you. Whatever feels right IS right. Simply feel yourself loving and being loved in your authenticity.

* If you are a woman who runs a business, this is a place where you can just be you. This is more about personal growth within all of the circles and relationships where you participate - as a whole. Sometimes our identity gets a little muddied with the identity around the business. Sometimes we feel like we have to wear our business identity any time we go out in the world. Here you don't. Set aside this time just for you. Stay connected to your authentic self.


What is our personal reason for doing this:

We (Lori and Andreea) have found a common element and theme in our discussions of what we are each here to do; to create a space where people come together to learn, transform, and co-create community. We felt holding a women's circle is an action that honors our visions and
direction and is a way we currently can contribute within our community.

What's important to us is to offer women an opportunity to experience a variety of ways to interact with others and ourselves; to get to know ourselves better and continually transform to the newest version of ourselves. We believe every new day brings an opportunity to change. We intend to provide a place for you to feel safe to be and discover who you are.