What is Council?
When my oldest son was a baby, I started attending a weekly therapy group that was part therapy and part spirituality. The group was led by a wise man, Frank West. He passed away in 2020 in his 90’s, but those who know me well, know the ‘frankisms” that are part of my vocabulary and mythology.
When the group had a new member Frank would ask us all to introduce ourselves and tell everyone why we were there. I started attending 2003 to work on issues I had relating to my father and abandonment, but 15 years later I attended every week to reconnect my inner light and recognize that it shines in all of us regardless of the anger, fear and guilt we project on to the world. In these groups I shared my story, but also deeply listened to the stories of other’s heartache and pain as well as their resilience and love. Frank and all the members of those groups, as well as the space that was held, have a very special place in my heart and were truly foundational to the person I am today.
In 2016 I attended a a special retreat class for the psychology program at Columbia I would soon attend. The class was help at the Ojai Foundation in Ojai, California. On this spectacular land I was introduced to the Way of Council. To meet in Council is to gather in a circle with 4 intentions:
~Speaking from the heart
~Listening from the heart
~Being of “Lean Expression”
~Spontaneity
…and of course confidentiality. These intentions uphold the integrity of the group while also eliciting “…an experience of true community, recognizing that each voice needs to be heard, that every person has a gift, a story to share, a piece of the whole. How do we remember all our relations, embrace differences, and find our own voices, while opening to others? It seems more than ever an essential time in our nation and around the world, to awaken this deep relational heart-mind.”*
The roots of council practice extend our of respect and reverence of First Nations and indigenous cultures all over the world. Recognizing the strength of community and respect within those communities, Council is now widely used in a variety of modern settings such as schools, prisons and intentional communities as way of healing, decision-making and mediation.
I became a Council facilitator in late 2019 before the world shut down with the New England Council Collective. As we hopefully climb out of the hole of those pandemic years, I am thrilled to start offering this deeply nourishing practice as a way or reconnecting with our selves and with others in this divisive world surrounding us. Please stay tuned for in-person and visual offering of Council practice.
The offering of Council feels like returning to my foundation and the sacred space Frank held for me and so many others. It is truly an act of love.
* because they said it better than me The Way of Council