Posted on by Tenneson Woolf

Wise, Soulful – A Fire & Water Reflection

It is true that the first Fire & Water Cohort has completed. It was a group of 17 participants. From 20s to 60s. He’s. She’s. They’s. Community organizers. Educators. A farmer. A few entrepreneurs. A few managers. All leaders. We went together for 16 months. Plus a couple of months before that for applications and discernment. It was three five-day retreats, the first of which was October 2019. It was two five-day retreats online for CoVid adaptation. It was every other month whole-group calls. It was every other month small group calls. It was monthly online check-in. It was coaching support. Enough structure to support critical connection. And love. And grace. And journey. And passage.

I love a journey. I love a road trip. I love the mystery in it, the unknowns. I love going together in it. We are different together, aren’t we. I love the laughter. The tears. The ahas. The claiming. The arising of such palpable clarity born from self, and from self in community, and from community, and from community in self.

Fire & Water has been a journey. For all the reasons above. A journey of becoming that is different and more than a one-time gathering. That is different from a training, though also includes key skills. Fire & Water is a journey from which the outcome is deepened inner and outer awareness. It is a capability to inhabit self and the varied domains in which we respectively live. With integrity. With grounding. With aspiration. With inspiration. Fire & Water is a journey from which the outcome also includes deep rootedness in this time, this present moment of now, and how that is connected to the longer arcs that any of us inhabit. It is a journey that invites wisdom, not just more knowing of things. It is a journey that begets soulfulness, not just more masquerade of the surface. It is a journey that insists on realness, from which liberation naturally flowers.

Yes, all of that. Shimmering. In the autumn sun. Alluring with dance.

I’m proud of these people that have journeyed. I’m proud of this creation with my colleague and friend Quanita Roberson. I’m grateful that Fire & Water wisdom goes with each of these people. I continue to learn that growing presence together — being — makes all the difference — in the doing — that is ours for these times.

Do you wish to explore joining us for the 2021-2022 cohort? For a journey. The first step is an application. To begin your reflection. And then a conversation. To discern together.

With anticipation.

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Gifts of Circle - Question Cardsasd
Gifts of Circle is 30 short essays divided into 4 sections: 1) Circle's Bigger Purpose, 2) Circle's Practice, 3) Circle's First Requirements, and 4) Circle's Possibility for Men. From the Introduction: "Circle is what I turn to in the most comprehensive stories I know -- the stories of human beings trying to be kind and aware together, trying to make a difference in varied causes for which we need to go well together. Circle is also what I turn to in the most immediate needs that live right in front of me and in front of most of us -- sharing dreams and difficulties, exploring conflicts and coherences. Circle is what I turn to. Circle is what turns us to each other."

Question Cards is an accompanying tool to Gifts of Circle. Each card (34) offers a quote from the corresponding chapter in the book, followed by sample questions to grow your Circle hosting skills and to create connection, courage, and compassionate action among groups you host in Circle.

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This set of Note Cards (8 cards + envelopes)  quotes a few favorite passages from poems in In My Nature. I offer them as inspiration. And leave room for you to write personal notes.

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This set of Note Cards (8 cards + envelopes)  quotes a few favorite passages from poems in Most Mornings. I offer them as inspiration. And leave room for you to write personal notes.

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