The deeper questions one can ask oneself as a human being have changed little in the past decades perhaps even centuries. However, our way of searching and the abundance of answers offered to us has changed fundamentally, because we live in the so-called information age.
The pure accumulation of information and aphorisms does not lead thereby necessarily to the fulfillment and satisfaction of our internal search and longing. Knowledge is not the same as wisdom. Wisdom can be defined in different ways, but in any kind of description it becomes clear that wisdom has relevance for our daily life and is often a result of a deep inner process of transformation and insight.
Circles of Wisdom are a shared contemplative practice in which we experience, through practice, how to connect to our individual and collective wisdom potential. The key elements that enable this deepening are moments of shared silence, mindful communication, slowing down, an open mind, an empathic, warm heart connection, deep listening for subtle impulses. It thus includes elements that belong to most forms of spiritual practice, as well as elements from The Circle Way, Theory U and Collective Presencing.
Circles of Wisdom are ...
Circles of people who walk part of the way together for a certain time.
Circles where a form of universal spirituality is lived, in the service of the individual, the group, humanity, the earth and all its living beings.
Circles where individual and collective wisdom becomes accessible as a result of a connection to that which transcends the level of personality.
Circles where there is space for individuality, initiative, joy, encounter, reflection and exchange, for inner listening and for the silence behind the silence.
Circles of people who have a regular spiritual practice and take responsibility for working on their own shadows.
Circles where people support each other in their individual spiritual development towards a sustained, stable awakened state of being.
Circles where you feel the importance of such circles. While being in one place there is an awareness of the connection with others in other circles.
Circles of connection to all that is manifest, as well as to that which is not manifest, to the earth as a living being, as well as to the spiritual realm.
The process and the procedure are clearly structured, one could maybe say ritualized. The person who invites and facilitates the gathering is also a participant. This double role is demanding, as it requires that he or she can maintain a good balance in relation to both positions.
In a Circle of Wisdom, a subtle interplay emerges between one's personality, life experiences and knowledge on the one hand and the transpersonal on the other hand. Thus, each person brings a unique perspective to the question or topic being explored. In the course of the conversation, a kind of transpersonal space can become palpable, in which even challenging experiences can be shared. Qualities such as wonder, gratitude, love, joy, etc. can thus come to bear and enrich the insightful conversation and make it a gratifying and healing experience.