Concentrated Symposium script 2.0

Note From Facilitator:

The version of the Awakening the Dreamer Manuel I started off using was the V-1 version. The V-1 Manuel reflects many months of dedicated work from a team of brilliant humans. What you see before you does not reflect that kind of time or attention to detail. It is not meant to replace the full manual.

It does represent an outline of a “condensed” version of the Symposium that was developed out of necessity by a number of facilitators over several months and has proven to be very effective in a short amount of time. For the record, when I started facilitating I thought it was impossible to present a symposium in less than four hours. Because of the amazing opportunities to bring the Symposium to a broad, enthusiastic, young crowd, and the demand to do it in 3 hours or less, we were forced to be creative and my doubts were proven wrong.

By shortening or removing many of the video elements, and trimming the facilitation time, we were able to leave in a high percentage of interactive dialogue within our time constraints. This allowed a powerful organic energy to shape each symposium, and the amount of wisdom that has come out of the participants has been astounding. This version won’t work for everybody, and it won’t work every time, but it can work powerfully under the right conditions.

Lastly, I want to note that this version was not developed by re-writing the script, but by internalizing the script so facilitators could speak from the heart and in the moment without reading from a book. The demand to put it down on paper came after from those who wanted to learn what we did. I hope that whoever gets hold of this script does the same for this version and the longer script, so the Symposium can continue to adapt and evolve.

Enjoy!

-Greg Reinauer

Script and Notes for delivering a 3 hour Awakening the Dreamer Symposium

General Tips:
* Trust the wisdom of the group! The entire reason a shortened symposium is possible, is that the participants already know this information, whether it's intuitively or explicitly. If you trust that the participants will make the right connections, say the right things, get out what they put in, you can save so much time explaining things. It's better to let a participant say something you want people to hear rather than saying it yourself.
* Hold a spaciousness of time. No matter how short you have, you must not feel rushed. This can be hard, but it's crucial. Practice letting go of comments you want to make, video segments, or even whole sections, rather than trying to rush everything to get it all in. You won't save any time by rushing. You will only sacrifice the impact of the sections. You won't save time.
* Be aware and flexible.Every group has different needs, every symposium has different obstacles and quirks. Relax, adjust. Trust that it will all work out, even if it is not what you planned.
* Work as a team. More facilitators/support team + More communication = Less time wasted
* Time yourself! If you are responsible for presenting a section in a certain amount of time, time yourself! Make sure that when you practice it with the timer, that you really envision yourself doing it live. Be as spacious as you would want to be, imagine any distractions that might slow you down, allow appropriate space for transition times, and make sure you are UNDER time not on time.
* You can always remind people to be brief and concise with their thoughts and even take the time to explain why. Never do so out of frustration or anger. Doing it in advance will save you time. If you are doing popcorn shares or going around a circle, you can tell them in advance that you will remind them to be brief at a specific point (after 5 shares). This way when you remind in the middle of a longer sharing section, the person you made the reminder after doesn't feel singled out.

* Take some time to familiarize yourself with the script and notes below!
* Relax.Focus.Enjoy.

Special thanks to Greg Reinauer for assembling this collective wisdom making the Concentrated Symposium accessible to the trained & untrained facilitator body.

Thanks to: Zo Tobi, Greg Reinauer, Praween Dayananda, Mark Schwaller, Mark Dubois, Adam Rogers, Sarah Murphy, Melanie Chopko, Isa Roske, Jon Love, and everyone else who contributed to the development of this version.

Special thanks, as well to Mark Schwaller, along with Adam Rogers, Dave Collacutt & Emily Smith for making the shortened video segments accessible to those experimenting with the Concentrated Symposium.

Script:

color key:

Dark blue indicates Live Presenter remarks

Black indicates notes for presenters

Shading indicates optional material

Red indicates Audio Visual element/data on screen

Green indicates interactive exercises

Medium blue, italicized, indicates logistical information or comment to Presenter

Pg 1 of 24

I WELCOME & INTRODUCTIONS

> Welcome (4 minutes)

LIVE PRESENTER (or Host):

Welcome to the Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream Symposium! We’re delighted you are here.

(Sentence about weather/location/setting/date/starting time as appropriate.

If being introduced by hosts, hosts introduce selves briefly; speak how today’s Symposium came into being and briefly introduce Presenters).

As you may know this Symposium was created by The Pachamama Alliance, although it is not about The Pachamama Alliance. Pachamama is a word in the Quechua (Ke-chwa) language of the Andes that some translate as “Mother Earth,” but which more accurately includes the sacred presence of (the)Earth, the sky, the universe, and all time.

Let us tell you a little about ourselves:

  • (As I said,) my name is …
  • Like most Symposium presenters I’m a volunteer, and I’m not necessarily an “expert” in all the areas we’ll be covering today. But I care about these issues and I do this because … (Presenter share very briefly, and offer co- Presenters an opportunity to say a few words of self-introduction.)

(Optional: Introduce the community group you are a part of, the team you are working with or the organization that is sponsoring this Symposium, and say what else is happening in the community that the group is working on – such as other Symposiums, or a Symposium every month, or Be the Change Circles.)

Consult Notes for Presenters, Part B of this manual, for more background on the

following topics:

*Introduce other Presenters *Other Symposiums in area

Thank you very much for being here. We are really glad to be able to share in this experience with you.

  • We’re going to go until approximately (time); part way through we’ll take a short break.
  • If at any point you need to use the bathroom, please quietly go as you need to. We do ask, however that you try to stay for the whole program if possible. This Symposium is a journey with different steps along the way, and to experience only some of the steps can seriously detract from the overall experience.
  • If at any point you can’t hear, please raise your hand.
  • I’d also like to invite everyone to turn off your cell phones and pagers now. (Make any other announcements re: the meeting room, location of rest rooms, etc.) Thank you!

> Open Sacred Space/Remember a Time (4 minutes)

Before we begin we'd like to take a few moments to fully arrive and settle in. If you'd be willing, please lower or close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Notice your breath coming in (breath in)and going out (breath out).Notice any distracting thoughts that are pulling your attention away from this room. Many of us arrived here in a hurry, taking precious time out of our busy lives. For the time being, please take those distracting thoughts and put them on a shelf until our time here is through. Find yourself becoming fully present in this place you have chosen to be at this time.

Now remember a time, maybe from your childhood, when you felt close to nature. (Start nature sounds if you choose)Just allow some image from your memory to float into your consciousness, of a time when you were in nature and you felt safe...and connected...like you belonged...and that you fit in.... See if you can recall what you saw...the sounds...the smells...and how you felt... Allow yourself to feel gratitude for this memory and all that it means to you. (pause) Thank you.

> Dyads (5 minutes)

As you return to the room please find the person sitting next to you and acknowledge their presence. You are going to have your first of many opportunities today to meet and connect with those around you. When listening to your partner, or someone sharing to the group today, please give your full attention and listen with your heart, making eye contact if possible. Try not to worry about what you might be about to say yourself. When it's your turn to speak, please speak spontaneously and from the heart, putting aside any internal judges that might come up.

You're going to have about a minute each to share your name, in one or two sentences what occupies you (not necessarily what your job is, but how you choose to spend your time), and what you are feeling grateful for at this moment. Remember there will be many more chances to share later today, so for now try to get right to the essence of what you want to say. The person with the shorter hair can start, and I'll ring the bell when it's time to switch partners.

(Ring bell after one minute.)

Okay, first person, please finish up. Great. Thank you.

Now switch.

(Ring bell after another minute.)

Thank you. Don’t worry, we’ll have many more chances to connect with each other today, but for now please bring your attention back to the front of the room.

> Purpose…Blessed Unrest (4 minutes)

To start out let’s look at what the purpose of this Symposium is.

The purpose of the Symposium is to create an environmentally sustainable, socially just, and spiritually fulfilling human presence on this planet; recognizing that these are not separate issues but 3 interrelated aspects of one profoundly interconnected whole. We believe that this can only be achieved by opening our hearts to the pain for the world that connects us all, and converting that pain into power.

We hope that everyone in this room leaves today in a state we call Blessed Unrest. Blessed Unrest is a state of mind and a state of heart where you are continually aware of what's going on in the world around you, and you refuse to close your eyes to it. By remaining awake and open to the crisis time we are living in, and all of the pain that comes with it, we are able to connect with our greater body of life on this planet. Because the pain we are feeling is not for ourselves but for other humans, and other living beings on this planet, it is proof of our compassion and proof of our interconnectedness. And once we tap into that, we have access to the unlimited power, creativity, and opportunities of the human race. In blessed unrest we have the ability to act powerfully and authentically to create a better world.

> The 4 Questions (1.5 minutes)

Today we’ll be examining four key questions:

(Bring up poster of Flow; post in a place where it will be visible throughout.)

Slide - Text Slide of the Four Questions

1. Where AreWe?

First, using consensus data from experts, we’ll look at where we are in relation to creating an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, socially just human presence. It will take some time, but it will provide an important foundation for the rest of our work together.

2. How Did We Get Here?

Second, how did we get into this situation? What are the root causes—not just the surface behaviors—that got us here? What happened??

3. What is Possible for the Future?

Given all of that, where does that leave us? What’s happening at this time in history? Is another future really possible?

4. Where Do We Go From Here?

In some ways this is the most important part of today—How does all this affect you and your life, and our lives as a human community?

LIVE PRESENTER:

Let me give you a little background on how the Symposium came to be. The Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream Symposium arose in response to a request, a “call” that came from an intact, indigenous dream culture in the Amazon region of Ecuador and Peru, the Achuar (Ah-chwar). Here’s a short video clip about the Achuar and their request that we “change the dream” of our culture.

VIDEO: SHORTENED PACHAMAMA STORY

> Explanation of the Symposium + Prophecy of the Eagle and Condor (3 minutes)

Script:

In response to the request that came from its indigenous partners, The Pachamama Alliance created this symposium: Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream. It is offered in hundreds of venues across North America, Europe, Australia, and around the world.

This response to the call from the Achuar people to change the dream of the modern world is consistent with an ancient indigenous prophecy—the Prophecy of the Eagle and the Condor.

According to some ancient indigenous legends that go back millennia, the Eagle is the bird which represents societies that are very materialistic and very human oriented. And the Condor represents more spiritual societies and ones that feel more integrated with their environment.

And so this legend said that every five hundred years, we go through cycles, and the last cycle began at the end of the 1400’s, roughly the time of Columbus. And it was predicted that during that cycle, the Eagle would dominate, but within five hundred years, that cycle would start to change, and the Eagle and the Condor would fly together in the same skies.

We believe that every human being can integrate what these two worlds each have to offer, without minimizing the value of either. So everyone can benefit, not just indigenous people, but all people, everywhere.

And in fact, we’re seeing that happen today. And we’re seeing it happen through organizations like The Pachamama Alliance, where the Eagle and the Condor are dancing together in one sky.

The opportunity of our work together is to bring these two worldviews into balance and harmony in ourselves, in our communities, and in our culture --- what has come to be known as the Eagle way of creativity, the intellect and the mind, and the Condor way of spirit, reverence for nature, and the opening of the heart. It's out of this union that a whole new future is possible.

II WHERE ARE WE?

> Intro to Where Are We: EMPHASIZE innermost response vs. intellectualizing (2 minutes)

Slide - Where Are We? Four Questions, first one highlighted

The first of the four questions we’ll be looking at today is: Where Are We?What is our current situation in relation to these three fundamental concerns: environmental sustainability, social justice, and spiritual fulfillment here on Earth?

All the information we’re offering you today is the consensusof a vast majorityofthe widelyrecognized experts.

Much of this information may be new to some of you, and it may be old news many others in this audience. No matter what your level of knowledge on these subjects, we invite you to try to experience what you see and hear as if for the first time. Often the more familiar you are with the reality of this world crisis, the more numb you become.

The point of the Symposium is not to have a debate or discourse on the facts, but to open our hearts to our emotional reactions as we bare witness to what's happening on this planet. Remember, the more we allow ourselves to feel during moments of despair, the more power we will have to act together to create a new world, so let it in as deeply as you can.

Please keep in mind that this section is the first part of our journey, not our final destination! The rest of the Symposium is designed to leave you in a place of grounded possibility, hope, and action!

We begin by asking "where are we?" in terms of environmental sustainability.

>Video- Shortened: Environmental Sustainability

> Personal reflection(1 min), 1min (x 2)dyads (5 minutes)

(Pause)

Take a breath; in fact take a few deep breaths. This can be pretty difficult to confront and let in. Please remember: this is one stage of the journey; we aren’t going to leave you here. But let’s take a few minutes to be withwhat we’ve just seen and heard, and to let it in as deeply as we can.

>Moment of reflection:Please, if you would, lower or close your eyes for a moment. Notice your breath coming in (breath in) going out. (Breath Out)(Pause)And now just sit quietly, noticing how you are feeling, right now. Not what you are thinking necessarily, nor what needs to be done about it—there’s time for that later. For now, see if you can allow yourself to just feel. (Pause for about 30 seconds.)