Why I'm so Inspired by this Work
And how more men can get involved through our month-long course starting on November 5.
There are still a few places left for Power to Relate, the course for men looking to practice skills for better relationships, that I’m co-facilitating with Daniel Simpson online each Sunday this month, starting on November 5. For more details, click here.
Resonant World #50
In the foreword to Maps to Ecstasy: The Healing Power of Movement by Gabrielle Roth, Angeles Arrien writes that in many shamanic societies, if you came to a shaman or medicine person complaining of being disheartened, dispirited, or depressed, they would ask one of four questions:
When did you stop dancing?
When did you stop singing?
When did you stop being enchanted by stories?
When did you stop finding comfort in the sweet territory of silence?
Arrien writes:
“Where we have stopped dancing, singing, being enchanted by stories, or finding comfort in silence is where we have experienced the loss of soul. Dancing, singing, storytelling, and silence are the four universal healing salves.”
I love the sense of symmetry and completeness conveyed by the number four.
And I wouldn’t presume to question Arrien’s taxonomy of healing salves.1
That said, I wonder if we could add a footnote on the power of deep listening.
Though listening deeply to another person is one of the most effective, freely available medicines we have in our possession, it’s not a skill that most people tend to spend much time learning, or consciously working to hone.
After more than two years of immersion in the work of Thomas Hübl, where I have listened — and been listened to — with a depth and consistency unique in my experience, I feel a strong calling to support more people to develop this capacity, particularly men. (Resonant World #12).
That’s one of the main reasons I’m teaming up with Daniel Simpson to launch a new month-long online course for men, starting this Sunday, called Power to Relate.
We’re going to share practical tools to support you to:
Get clearer about how you feel
Recognise your triggers — so they don’t control you
Listen at a whole new level
Find the courage to say “yes” and “no” — and really mean it
Speak from the heart and share yourself more freely
Embody more of who you really are
We already have an international group of men committed to the course, but there are still a few places left if you’re interested.
Inner Space
In his new book Attuned: Practicing Interdependence to Heal our Trauma—and our World, Thomas writes that we can begin to connect much more deeply with another person when we pay more attention to what’s going on inside of us:
“As you listen attentively to a colleague, friend, partner, or acquaintance, you can lend part of your attention to the condition of your inner space and what’s happening there. How open and relaxed do you feel as you listen? Do you have room inside you to welcome their words and feelings…? What sensations show up inside you as you communicate? It is about taking in the other person’s words and allowing yourself to be touched by what has been shared.”
In the various courses I’ve taken with Thomas, including most notably the Timeless Wisdom Training, a two-year immersion in healing individual, ancestral and collective trauma, which concludes in December, I’ve grasped the power of listening with a whole new level of depth.
This kind of deep listening practice is a big influence on Power to Relate. Daniel and I learned on our last four-week men’s course a year ago how much can happen in a short time. I have a feeling that this new course will deliver some seriously deep and lasting shifts.
More details on dates, times, logistics and pricing at the course page.
And here’s Daniel and I giving a flavour:
Practicalities
Our small-scale group meets on Sundays via Zoom (Nov 5, 12, 19 & 26, from 7:00 - 9:00 pm, UK time).
There will be “homework” between weekly sessions, with ongoing discussions in a private WhatsApp group.
We also share helpful resources on a dedicated website, including videos with practical guidance.
In exchange for the above, your investment — along with your presence — is £175.
Book here.
A Must-Read on Healing Collective Trauma
For anyone who found some value in Resonant World #47, where I documented my latest experiences of large-group processes to heal collective trauma through the Timeless Wisdom Training, I highly recommend this account from fellow student Claude Terosier, a great friend of Resonant World, who writes so powerfully about her work with legacy of colonialism, slavery and racism. (Resonant World#30; Resonant World #36)
Writing this newsletter, I have just discovered that Angeles Arrien wrote a Tarot handbook! Readers: That’s on my Christmas list. You know where to find me.