“Through the practice of empathic listening and learning to monitor one’s own emotional reactivity, we develop our “witness consciousness”. This perspective allows one to move out of reactive patterns as one gains awareness of ones own triggers.”

~ Lori Austein, Way of Council trainer ~

My Journey with the Way of Council

My first experience in Council was the summer of 2010 at O.U.R.Ecovillage in Shawnigan Lake. It was led by my teacher, Lori Austein, a senior trainer from the Ojai Foundation in California. We were a group of ~15 people from very diverse backgrounds, gathered in a circle on the hard-packed earthen floor; backjacks for support and cozy wraps to keep us warm. In the center of the circle was a beautiful altar filled with evocative treasures from the Earth and a center candle to represent fire such as our ancestors gathered around to tell stories of their day.

I was decidedly nervous; worried about what I would say when the talking piece came to me.

The talking piece circulated in a clockwise direction around the circle. Everyone who spoke sounded so insightful. The closer it came to my time to hold the talking piece, the more I fretted: What will I say? Will I make a fool of myself? Such feelings of isolation and self-consciousness are social conditionings that harm us all and need to be undone. It’s a practice, this learning to let go of what does not serve our authentic selves and to trust that what we offer is what is needed in the circle.

After sitting in Council for 13 years, relishing the tender companionship of my mentor, Lori, and other stellar beings who sit in Council with me, I know that being in Council means to live in Presence every moment. Through Council, I’ve learned to trust the process, to listen with full attention and to witness the deeper layers of meaning that every person, and more-than-human being, threads into the voice of the circle. The circle needs all our voices to amplify collective wisdom; the path that heals separation within and between all members of Earth community.

Lineage of the Way of Council (Ojai)

Council practice can be traced to the League of the Iroquois and the native peoples of the Plains and Southwestern Pueblos.  It has emerged in contemporary form in the Native American Church and in traditional Hawaiian Culture.  Reference to council can even be found in classical Greek literature.  It is strongly present in the Islamic world, in Quaker meetings, extended family gatherings and many contemporary techniques of group dynamics.  

Zen teacherJoan Halifax first introduced Council to the Ojai Foundation as Director there in 1980, having encountered the process years earlier in her exploration of native cultures.  It now flourishes at the Foundation as an integral part of the programs there.  The Ojai Foundation’s exploration of council was inspired by a variety of the above influences, the greatest influence of all being simple teachings that arise from living close to the land in places of power and beauty, and honoring the spirit of ancient ceremonies without any pretense of being traditional.   ~ Ref. The Way of Council by Jack Zimmerman and Virginia Coyle ~

Intentions and Agreements

Council is an ancient way and modern practice of listening and speaking from the heart, with roots sourced in the natural world, spanning diverse cultures and religions. It offers safe space for compassion and empathy without the confines of hierarchy or judgement; all members of the circle are equal. Sitting in a circle, telling personal stories from our own experience, we each speak about, and attentively listen to, the feelings that arise from the stories we tell. In this way, we come to better know ourselves, one another and our place in wider Nature. Collectively, Council reveals the greater wisdom of the circle.

Council is guided by 4 simple intentions:

Speaking from the heart ~ speak from personal experience rather than generalized opinions that can easily slip into blame 

Listening from the heart ~ hear the stories that are shared, without judgement or rebuttal, with care of attention that empowers the speaker 

Being lean of expression ~ be as concise as your story allows, getting to the heart of the matter, though with respect that some stories need more time to evolve. 

Spontaneity ~ speak intuitively, without rehearsal or preparation, trusting that each voice is part of the larger “voice of the circle”. 

And two agreements:

Respect for the talking piece,

and a shared agreement of Confidentiality.

The Way of Council consciously undermines a dominant paradigm that separates us from one another (human and more-than-human), and monetizes our living Earth for profit.

This is a relational way of being together in the world; a kinship of *Interbeing.

* Interbeing is the beautiful term coined by Master Thich Nhat Hanh, that illustrates the interrelatedness of all life.