The Power of Circles
During my time in the desert, I wrote this:
“Circles have been a special part of the last 16 years for me. Circles represent the sharing that happens, no matter what level you are, in an ESD class. Or an ESD trainers meeting.
Or just about any program that happens at El HaLev.
We believe in circles. We believe in the power of no real beginning, and no real end. That as long as we are together, we are together in the circle. There for each other. Listening. Sharing. And giving space to stories that are, many times, never shared until that moment, in that circle, with that group of people.
People who understand what healing listening is about. People who know how to make space for hard stories, and for triumphant ones too!”
So of course, I’ve brought my love of circles into the MyPwr App.
In traditional martial arts classes, students stand in a line, with the highest-ranking student on the end closest to the door, ready to defend and protect the class if necessary, and the newest, least experienced student on the other.
That works for martial arts, but Sensei Wendi Dragonfire was the first to figure out that in ESD, we needed something more egalitarian.
And who doesn’t love the visual of a circle?
The MyPwr App is a tool that can be used in the privacy of our own homes. Users can complete the twenty-one lessons on their own.
If that’s what somebody chooses to do because it works for them, great.
But one of my favorite components of the app is that nobody has to go through the journey of the twenty-one lessons alone. Users will have the opportunity to join support circles, and interact with and learn from with other users and experienced ESD instructors.
Those support circles, both general and interest-based, are where a good portion of the learning, if not the majority, will take place.
No beginning. No end. No rank.
Just community and support.
What do you think makes circles so powerful? Tell me about the circles you're part of, and how they've influenced your life.
