LALA Life Arts Learning Academy
Learning Dreaming BEcoming
“Learning to look deeply to see into the true nature of things, having direct contact with reality and not just describing reality in terms of notions and concepts, is the practice.” Thich Nhat Hanh
When we learn to discern the DREAMING understanding all we see and encounter in daily reality, we learn to see what is really happening underneath the concepts and notions with which we communicate among ourselves in order to transmit and share experience.
POLARITY AND UNTYING KNOTS – a conversation with my friend Dorit Weintal.
We were talking about some new year’s eve heated conversations about racism and immigration. Polarized issues. I was saying that there’s no point confronting “facts” against each other. So called facts just line up according to the values, viewpoints and instruments used by the researchers.
Resonating with this, Dorit came up with this wonderful insight: << If you want to release/untie a knot you can’t do it by pulling hard on the ends of the tangled rope in one direction or another. You need, instead, to take the knot in your fingers and delicately massage it, turning it this way and that, move it around to let it relax (moving your whole body with it as well). This way the openings will be found. >>
Last summer, Francesca Scafuto, clinical/social and community psychologist and dear friend, created a connection – she introduced me to professor Elvio Raffaello Martini, an eminent community psychologist and leader of the BuonAbitare (GoodLiving) project. As a result of that and subsequent meetings, he invited me to give a seminar intended as an introduction to a possible longer series of workshop/trainings for the network of psychologists and social workers of BuonAbitare. The seminar took place on the weekend of 15/16 December 2018 at the San Cerbone convent in Lucca, Italy.
Here are some keywords that come to mind if I think of the seminar at S.Cerbone: walking, moving, exploring the environment and one’s inner world, but also stillness, returning home, listening and listening to one’s self; getting involved, risk, giving up control; cultivating relationships with fellow travelers and nurturing the dream with them; nourishing the body, the mind and the soul; lightness and depth. Thanks to all of you for sharing this experience and to Ron who has guided us on this path. With the wish to continue this research also in the year that is about to begin. A hug. Raffaello
In December at the convent of San Cerbone in Lucca I did a weekend intensive for a group of Community Psychologists of Buon Abitare (Living Well). Here some reflections.
I take with me a sense of gratitude for the opportunity to have been able to work with a group so prepared, varied, strong and open to get involved. I take away an exciting sense of wonder about how the group process manifested presence, and demonstrated the process and the richness of the Field in action. The group revealed itself to be a social body that lived and learned collectively from experience. I also take with me the sincere desire to deepen my commitment to understand how the tools of body work and theatrical expression can serve to embody and empower individuals and communities through the expression of our dreams, emotions, needs and soul.
Io porto via un senso di gratitudine per l’opportunità di avere potuto lavorare con un gruppo così preparato, varieato, forte e aperto a mettersi in gioco. Porto via un senso di meraviglia eccitante per come il processo del gruppo ha manifestato la presenza, il processo e la ricchezza del Campo in azione. Il gruppo si è rivelato essere un corpo sociale che ha vissuto e imparato dall’esperienza collettiva. Prendo con me anche il desiderio sincero di approfondire il mio impegno a comprendere come gli strumenti del lavoro corporeo e l’espressione teatrale possano servire a incarnare e responsabilizzare individui e comunità attraverso l’espressione dei nostri sogni, emozioni, bisogni e anima.
Last night I was at dinner with friends and some friends of my friends. This couple, the friends of my friends, follow some spiritual teaching and the boyfriend (let’s call him A) of my friend is into yoga. We talked at length about the spiritual practice the couple is engaged in. I was really trying to understand what they were into and what this practice, which they were not really explaining, was giving them. In the course of the evening’s conversations I also said some things about what I do and share with people and some reflections about the yogic perspective came from A.
On the way home and this morning I was feeling some kind of sadness. At first it presented itself as doubts about the utility for others of the things I practice and teach. Is there interest? Is there any real benefit? Am I able to contribute to their understanding and happiness? After some time dancing with my jackals trying to sense what is in their heart, I came to the understanding that the real source of my sadness was my need to just BE and meet others beyond our roles, our professional or devotional identities – a meeting of souls beyond roles. In fact what I am practicing and sharing in my work are experiences and instruments for self-connection, discovering purpose, communication, collaboration and celebration that are free of labels, free of isms. Of course I am grateful and pay homage to the contributions and teachings of many masters, teachers, researchers and seekers. I acknowledge them by name so that anyone can deepen their familiarity with these things that have been and are of profound inspiration to me. But I’m never suggesting that anyone should become a follower of any of these things. My purpose is to inspire and facilitate each person’s awakening and transformational process toward what their real needs are and what the dreams that move them are.
This weekend’s workshop in Florence was focused on the 3rd step of the 5 Steps For Achieving Anything – Communication. It’s been a powerful and deeply touching encounter with a group that unfolded honest, authentic, courageous, creative, playful and vulnerable presence. A real gift and honor to be able to serve such a process.
At the end it was decided to call the group The Field, a reference to the field of living being that gives birth, shape and sustenance to all that is and in which our existence, experience, learning and development unfold.
As Gemma, whose name means jewel, said: I take away a piece more of me. I take with me looks, smiles and throbs of humanity.
This is was my take-away: I take away a sense of wonder and admiration for your bravery and sincerity, a sense of joy for having been able to share all this, a hope that it has served you, and a sense of respect for your concentration in facing the challenges of our education. I would like to thank you for the beauty that you let me see and live.
Francesca said: In the work with Ron we talk about the field, which I understand as the circle of sharing in a protected environment. Around the great vibrant heart of the field, everyone takes care of themselves and together of everyone else. The vibrations are already inside of us we just need to pull them out and Ron invites them to dance. Through his work, he invites them to take voice with the words of the conscious soul that wants to be heard. These words, which now are far from us because the we have forgotten, return. It is like hearing the sound of a bell that invites us to come home. We gather around the circle, each with our own personal story, each with our own internal jackals. And we become aware of a common resonance that touches everyone’s experience releasing the knots, freeing us from loneliness and strengthening our awareness. It is a precious process that comes from the integration of different techniques: mindfulness, automatic writing, body movement, use of the voice, storytelling, meditation and non-violent communication (M. Rosenberg), processwork (of A. Mindell). The aim of all these techniques is to achieve greater awareness through a creative process and empathic listening for conflict resolution in both dialogue with ourselves and in listening and communicating with others. After this journey I bring with me a great certainty that human frailty is a huge resource. These two days have been precious, delicate, intense, full of of true and honest contact with myself and with all my companions. A journey of discovery, of sharing, of amazement and creativity, of meeting with others, of exchange and tenderness. I am immensely grateful to have been able to do such an important and valuable work with my friend Ron, a very dear and special person beyond my imagination.
Thank you
for the open arms,
for useful questions and the decisive step.
For the absence of judgment
and for what moves inside.
Thank you
for the luminous gem,
for her sensitive and delicate strength that touches me,
for wet handkerchiefs,
for the lowered eyes listening to the hearts beyond their own pain.
More will follow…
Someone asked me, “What is it that you do?”. Walking home along the river I found myself answering: “It is not so simple to explain because its just so simple.”
The Power Of Stories – knowing and designing yourself
It is about alignment, alignment between our inner world of connection with our essence, our spiritual needs, our psychology, our desires and dreams, the alignment between this sea of Dreamland and our actions (and not only our’s) in the world and the realities they generate. The reality we call eveyrday life. The power of our mind, of our words, the power of our actions, the power of our body language. The goal of this work is to connect to our dreams, realize their importance and soften, liquidify, the border between this Dreamtime world and the world of daily living.
The work aims to share and awaken the realization that we are creators, that we are all artists and that together we create the world. That we are here to contribute to the art of being, the art of life. This is what calls me to discover, research and transmit to the people who participate working individually and together on our stories.
What’s this work about? Self-Realisation. To realize that we are not who we often think we are, or not only who/what we think we are. We are much more, much more diverse, much more open, much more varied. In reality, without limits.
The aim is to realize space. Space within ourselves, and space around ourselves to really appreciate what’s going on, to really connect, and celebrate, create moments of beauty and meaning in whatever we’re doing.
a Olbia
a Firenze