The invitation is about participation

Photo credit: Craig Neal

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In our new book "Art of Convening", Diarmuid O'Murchu speaks eloquently to the key aspect of the Invitation. He says, "the invitation is about participation, not mere observation. We are not journeying in the universe but with the universe. We are not concerned about living in an evolving world but co-evolving with our world. We are parts of a whole, much greater than the sum of its parts, and yet within each part we are interconnected with the whole."

This line of understanding our role as a part of a Whole living universe correlates very deeply and directly with Indigenous worldviews, and brings us circle back to understanding we are inspiringly a part of a magnificent co-creation, and that each of us has a voice and unique "fingerprint" unlike any other. When we gather in a convening circle, we deepen our ability to be productive, open to possibilities, and to acknowledge each individual's key role when we come from this lens.

Art of Convening is a very special journey full of tools and steps for authentic engagement. We'd be honored if you'd consider writing a review at amazon.com, and also if you haven't yet a copy, our publisher Berrett-Koehler is offering a 30% off discount for a few more days--both for the hardcopy as well as e-book. Here is the UPDATED (as of March 31, 2011) link to buy a copy for 30% off--offer expires April 7, 2011. Thank you, Bolsa, for flagging this.

All the best wishes to you and your circles,

Craig & Patricia

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Craig & Patricia Neal offers live intvw webcast on Power of Communication

Photo Credit: Craig Neal

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Craig & Patricia Neal offers live intvw webcast on Power of Communication Today 1p EDT http://bit.ly/dWr1qW @ArtOfConvening

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Meetings not getting anywhere?

Photo Credit: Craig Neal

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Meetings not getting anywhere? Have you tried Stringing the Beads? Find out more plus get 30% off @ArtOfConvening http://bit.ly/ebAQiw

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Are you Facilitating instead of Convening?

Photo Credit: Craig neal

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Are you Facilitating instead of Convening? Find out the difference and transform your Conversations & Meetings!

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Shoveling Snow With Buddha

photo credit: craig neal

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Shoveling Snow With Buddha
 
In the usual iconography of the temple or the local Wok
you would never see him doing such a thing,
tossing the dry snow over a mountain
of his bare, round shoulder,
his hair tied in a knot,
a model of concentration.
 
Sitting is more his speed, if that is the word
for what he does, or does not do.
 
Even the season is wrong for him.
In all his manifestations, is it not warm or slightly humid?
Is this not implied by his serene expression,
that smile so wide it wraps itself around the waist of the universe?
 
But here we are, working our way down the driveway,
one shovelful at a time.
We toss the light powder into the clear air.
We feel the cold mist on our faces.
And with every heave we disappear
and become lost to each other
in these sudden clouds of our own making,
these fountain-bursts of snow.
 
This is so much better than a sermon in church,
I say out loud, but Buddha keeps on shoveling.
This is the true religion, the religion of snow,
and sunlight and winter geese barking in the sky,
I say, but he is too busy to hear me.
 
He has thrown himself into shoveling snow
as if it were the purpose of existence,
as if the sign of a perfect life were a clear driveway
you could back the car down easily
and drive off into the vanities of the world
with a broken heater fan and a song on the radio.
 
All morning long we work side by side,
me with my commentary
and he inside his generous pocket of silence,
until the hour is nearly noon
and the snow is piled high all around us;
then, I hear him speak.
 
After this, he asks,
can we go inside and play cards?
 
Certainly, I reply, and I will heat some milk
and bring cups of hot chocolate to the table
while you shuffle the deck.
and our boots stand dripping by the door.
 
Aaah, says the Buddha, lifting his eyes
and leaning for a moment on his shovel
before he drives the thin blade again
deep into the glittering white snow.
 
~ Billy Collins ~

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The Art of Convening

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AOC BOOK ON FACEBOOK

Welcome to the world of convening: the art of gathering and "holding" people for the sake of authentic engagement.

We welcome you to try the Art of Convening, beginning wherever it makes sense for you, and to discover the gift of convening in all of its simplicity and power.

-Craig, Patricia and Cindy

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Paper or Plastic?

Photo Credit: Craig Neal

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Conservation is something you and I must engage in on a daily basis, and if everyone helps out a little we will eventually see a worthwhile change.

So when you go to the grocery store, why are you still asking for plastic?

Yes, it turns out that to help save the planet, you actually have to do something. Something as simple as bringing a reusable bag next time you go to the supermarket...

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A Blessing for the New Year

Photo credit: craig neal

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A Blessing for the New Year

On the day when
the weight deadens
on your shoulders
and you stumble,
may the clay dance
to balance you.

And when your eyes
freeze behind
the grey window
and the ghost of loss
gets in to you,
may a flock of colours,
indigo, red, green,
and azure blue
come to awaken in you
a meadow of delight.

When the fiber frays
in the canvas boat of thought
and a stain of ocean
blackens beneath you,
may there come across the waters
a path of yellow moonlight
to bring you safely home.

May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
may the clarity of light be yours,
may the fluency of the ocean be yours,
may the protection of the ancestors be yours.
And so may a slow
wind work these words
of love around you,
an invisible cloak
to mind your life.

~ John O'Donohue ~

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