Human to Human

Berkana is where I was formed for my adult working life. In values. In friendships. In experience. That’s Meg, Myron in the early 1990s. That’s Bob, Christina, Ann, Toke, Bonnie, Carol, Dave, and so many others in the late 1990s to early 2000s.

Berkana’s name comes from the Norse Runes, a symbol for growth and rebirth, flow into new forms.

I was looking through a few old folders recently. I found a one-page form that listed Berkana’s values.

• We relay on human goodness.
• We depend on diversity.
• We treasure the power of community.
• We trust life’s capacity to create order without control.
• We nourish our relationships and ourselves.

These values are still in my heart (and facilitation, and writing, and creating of programs). And so are the friendships — brunch with Meg coming next weekend.

On it goes, and flows.

What a treat to reboot my Human 2 Human Podcast. It’s conversations with people that A) I find really interesting, and B) that have so much story and learning and questions to contribute.

Enjoy the listen, 30 minutes. We touch upon healing, ascent, mountain climbs, descent, Carl Jung, bridges (inner and organizational), presence, becoming curious, myths, fears, karaoke, certainty, taking responsibility, dance. And, and.

And on the Spotify platform. Experimenting.

In one of the main clarifying stories I tell myself, I recognize that me and most people are sorting and seeking some layer of meaning and purpose. We want to know ourselves. Our surroundings. We want to know our neighbors. Our colleagues. We want to do good with all of that — not because we are forced, but because it is inherently desirable and fulfilling.

Well, here’s the thing.

When we get in the river, into deliberate processes of learning and connection together, the river gets in to us.

It’s as if (or maybe just is) the bigger river of life and of learning carries us away from our shores and out into the current of deeper waters and deeper understanding. When the river is in us, it is my experience that insights also flow so naturally. Ideas. Nuances. Projects to start or to define. Friendships. Intuitions. Things to stop.

Today I participated in another Center for Purposeful Leadership Zoom call. This time featuring Peter Block and a few of his colleagues.

In that river, I got river…

• “make a living out of common sense” — that’s Peter offering broad arc of his professional life
• “how long does it take to fall in love… 12 minutes” — that’s Maya Mehta, a community organizer describing the work of small group connection (strangers) over a meaningful question
• “learn to be radically human” — that’s Cheryl Persigehl reflecting on purpose in a group and in a community
• “it (the facilitation) doesn’t have to be dramatic” — that’s Peter again standing for simplicity (turn to your neighbor; share was is meaningful in what you are hearing)

What delight, to begin to recognize, and to practice more simply, and with more courageous consciousness, to be in learning together. What delight to learn of the gifts of the river that carry hearts, minds, bellies in kayaks of presence together.

Yup, all of that.

I participated in a group this morning — about 35 people on Zoom. The organizers are thoughtful people from the Center for Purposeful Leadership.

Their prompts today for small group discussion included:
– how to navigate in disrupting times?
– how to proceed grounded in love?

This map above, NILO, is one that I created a few years back, and that I continue to find helpful for such prompts. I suppose because I need nuance.

The basic map brings things into relationship. What is inner is also connected to what is outer. And vice versa. What is happening now is also connected to what is longer arc, both forward and backward.

Relevance today for these CPL prompts is that it helps to have good company to explore disruption both inner AND outer. And, also, to explore things that are well cohered both inner AND outer. Likewise to explore the patterns of disruption and coherence that are visible now, yet ALSO visible in the longer arc. It all helps to see the bigger view, and, to get meaningful insight / choice of action.

I felt simple in this call. Good simple. Clear simple. Which is / was so acutely my inner need this morning.

I’m glad for maps that bring view of the whole and of the parts.