What if we don’t have time to quietly contemplate and watch for the signs? What if we are in the heat of the battle at a negotiation table? To tune our minds and hearts to the optimal wavelength, add a brainstorming session to every discussion in conflict. When a meeting is called in advance to discuss a conflict or difficult situation, add an invitation to brainstorm to the meeting notice. Also add written ground rules to the meeting invitation informing others that solutions that arise during the brainstorming phase of the Read the remainder of this entry »
Find two partners to participate. You will be the “movie projector” or speaker, and your two friends will act as “screens” or listeners. First, the projector selects a conflict, preferably an internal one. The projector then describes one side of this conflict to the first screen and the other side to the second screen. If I am trying to decide where to go on vacation, one friend might represent the argument to go to Mexico and the Read the remainder of this entry »
To Explore
Apply the above dream-deciphering method to conflict interpretation. Try to remember that just as with dream interpretation, any perspective I might provide you with is just a “shameless projection” of my own experience. Yet you might see and understand elements of an issue that I have missed. If you are asked to listen to another person’s conflict, first refer to the code of conduct described in the Earth chapter: Read the remainder of this entry »
The character of Baba Yaga in our folktale reminds us that solutions to our problems often come in strange packages. What would happen if in every conversation we believed that we were speaking with the teacher who holds all the answers in every conflict? What if we believed that the perfect answer could be found by listening to the grocery store clerk or to the ramblings of a six-year-old? Wouldn’t we pay attention? Read the remainder of this entry »
Jungian psychology also takes advantage of the ancient power of symbol to help us hear the inner voice. “The psychological mechanism for transforming energy is the symbol,” explained C. G. Jung. The Tarot, a card deck containing eighty-four themes, provides such a symbolic system to describe the human journey and its surrounding challenges and resources. Like the I Ching, the Tarot can be used to ask for guidance or can be seen as a symbolic guide to follow. Read the remainder of this entry »
Most traditions use some type of oracular practice as a tool to determine the next step in a difficult situation. Through the ages, inspiration and guidance were found by opening a favorite book or religious text randomly and selecting a passage with closed eyes. In the Christian tradition, this is a form of contemplation, called Lectio Divina. The text that “jumps out of the book” holds the answer to the question; the mind is quieted to understand it. The randomly selected text is read multiple times or repeated during meditation. The contemplative then quiets the mind to understand an expanded meaning Read the remainder of this entry »
There are many methods for interpreting these important dreams, although my personal favorite is what Jeremy Taylor calls “If it were my dream.” In this method, I tell others my dream, and the other parties pretend to be me as they interpret it. This method incorporates the premise that I can only provide you ideas based on my own limited perspective. As Jeremy says, “Any interpretation will be a shameless projection.” Yet this projection or perspective can hold great insight. Read the remainder of this entry »
List everything you know about a conflict. What do you believe? What do your opponents believe? What is clashing? What are the constraints? What is causing you and others anxiety? Just as writing a to-do list when the workload becomes overwhelming eases the stress, pulling together what you now know about a situation helps move you toward resolution and away from exploding! Read the remainder of this entry »
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Jun
List What You Know About Your Location (2)
Through acknowledgment we can consciously collect the fuel and feed the fire. We are then able to weather the internal storm and emerge not only to rewrite the way we perceive the world but also to redefine our cultural stories. In the last one hundred years in the United States we have seen African Americans and women of all races creatively expand their stories and respond to the struggles of racism and sexism. By acknowledging the warring stories through discussions on human rights, societal roles, and equality, they Read the remainder of this entry »
The main challenges of this phase are anxiety and frustration or oppression. Time becomes our enemy. We see these characteristics in Vasilisa as she faces the huge tasks of sorting the corn and poppyseeds, the other chores, a short time frame, and the risk of death. We can see the first step to overcoming these challenges and moving through the Fire phase when she first lists what is overwhelming her. Read the remainder of this entry »
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