more of the same?

Written by Niek | 30 January 2012

In my editorial of January 12th (CCI Aotearoa 2012 is over!) I shared my vision on several CCI meetings I attended the last years. And their impact for me. So I shared also my recent vision on CCI (for now), because 'I want to live in peace with my past, my present and my future'. Before I go into two recent reactions of readers, I want to adapt a way of expressing from the Tauhara Retreat Center in New Zealand. They say: ' Tauhara is the expression of an unfolding vision'. And I want to adapt that expression by stating: 'CCI is an expression of an unfolding vision'. And the vision is: 'that CCI is a way of living in peace with the past, the present and the future in a non authoritarian environment, respecting everybody and anything'.

 By arriving home (January 17th), I received an email from Brussels saying: 'I've just read your latest contribution (January 12th), with news from the CCI in NZ and agree with your insight: coco is 'to intensify my awareness of living'. I'll share this with the Brussels cocoers.'

In reply I answer about our experiences in New Zealand: 'We visited also John Heron and Barbara. John is still enthusiastically busy with co-creating, seeing it – in my understanding - as an extension of co-counseling in the CCI way of evolution, with mutual respect to everything (including one self) and in a non authoritarian environment.

I self am triggered by the idea, I wrote back, 'that, 'starting to think: to do something on what bothers me', is already a creative thought/action. So creativity plays in my view a major role, also in CCI co-counseling, while mostly the discharge is connected with a painful experience in the past. In this creative view (in a non authoritarian environment, and with respect to everything): the result of the discharge is in fact the liberation of the creative energy, blocked by that painful experience. So discharge is much more connected with, and a result of a conscious decision to create 'something', than of the painful blocking experience itself.

creativity

In reply to this 'statement' I received on January 26 from Brussels an email asking me to add the following lines on what I earlier quoted above from them. It is called:

'Thoughts on the creative process and discharge:

this is in itself a creative thought/action. Such creativity can play a major role in CCI despite the fact that discharge is connected more with a painful experience in the past. However this process, if effected in a non-authoritarian environment, can give rise to discharge freeing up creative energy hitherto blocked by that painful experience'.

I welcome this wording! And realize at the same time, that this is just a part of the whole. The whole is not only for me 'the unfolding vision' to be aware and creatively open for change. But to be also, critically about what the outcome may be of it. In general the aim is: 'to live in peace with my past, present and future' as an answer on the question 'why we do this all'. In practice it means, that we do it all – in my vision - 'to intensify my awareness of living'. And this all by a continuing personal holistic exploration'.

second reaction

A second reaction comes from the USA. It says: 'Thank you so much for providing continuing connection with CCI events around the world, most recently NZ. I'm especially drawn to your latest expression of your reason for devoting your energy to CCI, 'Making peace with the past, the present, and the future'. It's a beautiful expression of the potential of CCI co-counseling.'

In an earlier reaction the same person wrote on December 1st, 2011, 'I've enjoyed spending time with your recent articles – two of them I've rewritten in my own words to help me hold onto the thoughts that are most meaningful to me. This latest one I have just skimmed through, a first reading. I look forward to spending more time with it when my schedule permits. 'Mindfulness' is a subject that particularly interests me. So, please know, I for one truly appreciate your thoughts and the work you do making them available through the cciwns website.'

more of the same?

Part of this all is the result of my observation, not only at the last attended CCI international meeting, when we are paying attention to our so called 'culture setting'. This culture setting is in fact far more – in my experience - a very useful reminder, how we act, than an answer on the question why we act, and by what conditions. The answer why we do this all is – for me - : because we want to live in peace with our past, present and future, by intensifying our awareness of living. The conditions of that personal exploration are: a non authoritarian environment in which we are respectful (to everyone and everything) in charge. So in fact we create the conditions for this process.

In that exploration process we are invited – in an holistic way - to try out and look for new approaches. It looks to me, as if this all is especially developed for a change of what is bothering us, or what are 'old habits' (patterns). So it looks – and is in fact – contra productive, to introduce 'more of the same' by an approach that is especially designed for changes! Any way no 'more of the same' without mentioning why we do so!

The result of this 'statement' leads in my view, almost automatically, to the metaphor that we, within CCI, are all on the same 'way', traveling in the same train, and for sure not necessarily being in the same carriage. And that needs to be respected in a loving and accepting way, being free to change from carriage whenever we like!

This metaphor and this wording of why and by what conditions this approach works, may be helpful to bring  this CCI approach further into the world!

(see also: documentation/definitions/the core of CCI, and on the front page 'CCI stands for')