Our Peace & Justice healing session on Relational Grounding: Hearing Each Other's Stories on Wed., July 3rd built upon our listening theme from our June session with weaver @Orly Israel. Orly has created The Listening Table, a movement that invites us to set up listening tables in community spaces with the agreements: No judgment. No advice. No charge.
For our July session, co-facilitator Elaheh Pooyandeh led us in an exercise of deep listening that leads to what she calls a Shared Pool of Meaning. Elaheh invited participants to be storytellers, responding to one of the following two prompts:
- How have you been healed by having someone listen to you?
- What you might be able to heal by listening?
We then moved into breakout groups of three people. For the first five minutes, the storyteller responded to one of the prompts. The 1st listener then shared what they heard from the storyteller in three minutes, while the 2nd listener described in three minutes what they heard from the first two speakers. In the remaining ten minutes, the three talked about what surfaced for them in their listening.
Following the breakouts, every participant had an opportunity to share what this experience of deeper listening was like for them. Comments included:
- This brought back a lot of memories.
- It was a very valuable experience and expanded my identity to include parts of me from my 20s and 30s.
- This was very powerful. I got more out of this than I thought I would.
- Enjoyed this experience. It brought me to a place of gratitude, reminding me why I'm doing what I am.
- We all gained something, whether telling or listening.
- You feel very listened to and realize you can step back from the story you're telling and find your way into another person's story.
- A wonderful exercise that maps to one of our goals which is to seek peace within.
- I have been a lifelong listener, but haven't always listened to myself. It's important to share your story.
One person pointed out that each person in her group was from another country, which had its own value.
Another member advised us of the organization The Human Library that began in Denmark and invites us to conversations of deep listening as we challenge stigma and stereotypes by approaching one another as "open books."
In our next session, Peace & Justice Open Mic: What's Calling to You? on Wed., Aug. 7th (11:00am to 12:30pm Central; 9-10:30am Pacific; 12:00-1:30pm Eastern), participants will have the virtual "floor" to talk about what's emerging for you in your work for peace and justice.
Mark Your Calendars! For Gandhi's birthday, on Oct. 2nd, we will join again with the Euphrates Institute to hear from international peace educator Paul K. Chappell, beginning at 10:00am Central. More to come!
Yours in peace and weaving,
@Kate Towle, Co-Facilitator