Deep Discovery Conversations Training

TRIBE IN TRANSITION TRAINING IN DEEP DISCOVERY CONVERSATIONS

This is an invitation to experience and practice the skills of Deep Discovery; to co-create a vibrant cell of soul friends evolving together; and to enhance your presence and clarity as a catalyst for community transformation.

BEGINS THE FIRST WEEK OF MAY, ENDS LAST WEEK OF JUNE. Dates and times to be confirmed once the groups have formed.

The experience: Imagine a conversation with another person in which you are both “in flow”. You’re exploring something you’re both passionately interested in and neither of you has a need to be “right” or to be the one who knows. Instead, you are giving each other your full attention and appreciation, you’re listening for what most inspires you and building on that; you’re weaving threads of meaning together into something more interesting and full of potential than anything either of you could create alone. You feel moved, excited, expanded, focused, absorbed in the present moment.

Now multiply that by six and imagine having that same conversation with 11 others who all bring in their own unique viewpoints in a collaborative way, all appreciating and being inspired by one another.

This is the kind of deep discovery soul cell I am envisioning us co-creating together.

Transferable skills: Now imagine a difficult conversation you are having with an individual or group in your daily life – within your community or organisation or with your partner or family member. Imagine that instead of getting reactive or defensive, when the conversation heats up, you can stay centred in yourself, in presence and awareness. Instead of trying to shut the other down, or prove your point of view, you are able to step back and give them space to speak; to really consider their point of view and even appreciate them. Imagine walking away from that conversation knowing you have made an ally out of an adversary and maybe, everyone involved has been able to make a small shift of perspective, so that the margin between “I’m right and you’re wrong” has decreased. Imagine that shift spreading into other contexts, changing systems ….how would our world be different?

If you approached all conversations as an adventure of discovery, even the difficult ones, what would change?

Conversations can be a vehicle for transformation

I’m sure you know how inspiring and uplifting the right kinds of conversation can be and how essential they are to our progress. On the uncertain ground of transition and transformation upon which we walk, meanings are constantly evolving. As consciousness transforms, our perceptions of reality shift – we begin to see in new ways, understand in new ways, think in new ways, behave and act in new ways. To be able to share and explore these shifting experiences and realities with like-hearted others, supports us all to stand on more solid ground together and to feel more confident

Conversations between peers can be a powerful vehicle for bringing the light of insight and understanding into our relationships and communities. None of us has all the answers – even the most esteemed teachers – instead we each hold a piece of the truth, a unique perspective which is necessary for the growth of the whole. When we hold conversations intentionally, in a spirit of exploration and curiosity, the truth sits in the centre between us, awaiting discovery. And when we speak authentically, listen attentively and with respect, and hold a deep space for the truth to unfold into, remaining unattached to any position but simply being present and open… then, bigger, more inclusive realities are revealed and the group becomes an alchemical vessel – a charged energetic, conscious field in which insight, healing, integration, meaning, creativity and higher consciousness can emerge and grow bright.

Since the egoic mind, which we all have in common, is deeply conditioned to judge and defend against difference, the suspension of judgment takes practice, patience and commitment. This is one of the most valued gifts I see Deep Discovery offering. Imagine a relationship, a community, a world, in which egoic judgments were forever suspended and we live from unity consciousness constantly. How would the world change? To attempt this is really to bring spiritual practice into the social domain. It’s the practice of valuing and choosing a higher, more inclusive consciousness because we know serving the greater wholes of which we are part is the evolutionary path for humanity and that none of us can survive alone.

What does conscious relationship mean to you? Where in your relationships are you challenged to stay present, open and responsive?

Deep Discovery Conversations offer a simple and powerful method which can be used in one-to-one relationships, with small or larger groups, in many contexts, for developing attitudes and skills which will:

Turn any conversation into a rich and satisfying adventure of connection and co-creation,

Open a space of possibility where the new can emerge,

Create a fertile container in which to grow and harvest community wisdom,

Enable the all-important shift in consciousness from “me” to “we” – from egoic self-interest to knowing we are each a part of, and here to serve, much greater wholes and a bigger purpose,

Invite inspiration and awaken the impulse to joyful, experimental action.

Yet the simplest practices can be challenging because they cause us to un-do old conditioned habits and limiting attitudes. Like meditation, Deep Discovery calls for a state of presence and deep attentive listening which requires us to let go of everything we thought we knew and to enter the unknown in beginner’s mind; not in the solitude of the inner world, but together in animated conversation.

I call this expansive space of authentic meaning-making, the soul field, others have called it “the we space”, the resonant field, a space of coherence, emergence or “presencing”. Throughout the world, and in many different contexts, people are experimenting with group methods which tap into collective intelligence and harvest community wisdom, bringing together leading edge consciousness practice with inspired action for cultural transformation.

My Invitation to you

I am inviting you to join me, in an on-line group of around twelve people, over nine weeks, for an inquiry into, and an immersion in, the art of Deep Discovery Conversations. You will also have the opportunity to invite practice partners from your local community so that you can ground the practice there. This promises a richly satisfying experience; a set of transferable skills to enhance every area your life; and a practice which will develop your presence as a catalyst for transformation in your communities.

“At last, someone has taken up the massive challenge and thought through the complexities of understanding an essentially human approach to change the paradigm within which we all live. The e-books are a delight to read and meeting regularly for the practices has highlighted the importance of personal clarity and bringing the heart into play. It builds momentum and has kept our fires burning.” Nikhil, participant in Tribe in Transition,

How this work has evolved and my mission

For me, exploring and co-creating from this space of deep, soulful resonance, is one of the most exhilarating gifts life offers. I first discovered how life-changing presenceful conversations can be thirty years ago when I trained, and then worked, as a gestalt therapist. Conversations, which transport people into new territory with excitement and ease, whetted my appetite for something more, beyond the therapeutic arena. I’ve always been an agent for community empowerment and, around the turn of the millennium, I began to experiment with bringing community groups together to explore what happens when we sit in presence and track the emerging creative threads of thought wherever they lead us. At first I really didn’t know what I was doing, other than following my intuitive sense there was something life-changing to be discovered. The results were unpredictable and less than perfect, but people kept showing up and I realised there were many others also questing for this “something more”. Over the following years I joined inquiry groups through a network called the Heart Politics Movement and, once again, my excitement at the exploratory large group processes in which I participated, stimulated my longing to learn about, and contribute to, this emerging field of transformational learning. In 2006, I met my soul friend and co-creative partner, Woods Elliott, who also had a passion for these excursions into the growing edge of consciousness. We shared hundreds of hours of deep and creative conversations which fed both of us, and our mission to co-create A Whole New World. Over the last six years I have participated in large, global on-line transformational communities and also run my own online and local programmes, including the Tribe in Transition Programme. I truly believe Deep Discovery Conversations, widely practised, could, like other practices that have gone before – such as Non Violent Communication, Re-evaluation Co-counselling or Mindfulness – have a meaningful contribution to make to the co-creation of a new paradigm culture sending ripples of hope into the mainstream culture. This is my mission.

Imagine a relationship, a community, a world, in which egoic judgments are suspended and we live from unity consciousness. How will the world change? What does this make possible?

My latest e-book, Deep Discovery Conversations: Awakening Community Wisdom for a New Era, and the training I am offering you, are based on the Deep Discovery method Woods invented and enjoyed back in the 90’s, and which we later refined together.

“I have come to believe an actual discovery zone or site exists in every mind, where all the important discoveries of our lives are made. It specializes in uncovering the new insight, the sudden brilliant or simply novel breakthrough of thought and perception. “In”sight, the exactly right name, the perfect solution; the source within us which knows more than we do. Here we can travel out from ourselves and our ordinary views, and into a larger collective pool of extended knowing. Intuitively, the word alignment seems to be involved; alignment with a much greater source of wisdom outside myself. I try to remind myself to get out of the way, so something greater than me can come through, and instead to be a creative midwife to that bigger knowing.” – Woods Elliott

I have identified 17 Essential Attitudes and Skills for Deep Discovery Conversations and these will form the basis for our inquiry and practice. You will have a chance to explore these through reading the e-book, in on-line conversations with me and a soul cell of 12 people, and through local practice triads.

Here is what I am offering you:

The e-book, Deep Discovery Conversations: Awakening Community Wisdom for a New Era, takes you step by step through the 17 Essential Attitudes and Skills, why they’re necessary and the results you can expect. The e-book also offers questions for inquiry and includes many other voices from this growing field of consciousness-in-action;
Participation in a small, intimate learning group of no more than 12 participants;
Five bi-weekly online meetings (60-90 minutes) in which we will explore and discover together how we can use this practice to transform our lives
Four bi-weekly 90 minute practice session in triads with additional guidance so that you can get the best from the practice.
Four recorded meditations on mp3, to help build the resonance of the group and enhance the triad practice.

The group will meet over nine weeks, throughout May and June. This first training is by invitation. Those of you who accept my invitation also have the opportunity to invite two others, who will also participate in the whole programme and make up your practice triad, offering you the opportunity to ground the practice in your local community. When inviting please consider the following pre-requisites all participants need:

Substantial experience in groups
An appetite for in-depth exploration
Experience with, and resources for, doing your own shadow work: clearing resistances, reactivity and limiting mental and emotional habits
The ability to be in a state of presence and a willingness to contribute from the authentic self
Curiosity, an open mind and a readiness to engage with the practice as it is given for the duration of the course
An interest in how we evolve consciousness, co-create a new paradigm culture and become successful transformational catalysts in our communities – whatever that means to you.

If, like me, you are making a conscious transition from the old paradigm culture and consciousness to the new; you’re freeing yourself from external forms of power, and from inner feelings of separation, helplessness and reactivity, and embracing a more holistic world view with inter-connectedness and co-creativity at the heart; if you are interested, not just in surviving this transition, but in engaging with evolutionary intelligence and becoming a maker and a shaper of your world – this programme will support and inspire you.

“My work with Rose in her Deep Discovery process has been one of life’s unexpected, totally serendipitous portals into greater self-awareness and spiritual deepening in me. I’ve been on my own conscious evolutionary journey as a ‘soul having this human experience’ for most of my life. The extraordinary way Rose has woven together thoughts, ideas and new possibilities for human be-ings has helped me shift into an expanded state of conscious awareness. To me, Deep Discovery is a quantum leap forward – for our species and for each of us – as we navigate our way through this incredible Shift on planet Earth…The Triad I was a part of loved this process so much we’ve continued to meet together regularly, long after Rose’s ‘official’ program ended. Deep Discovery, and Rose, continue to be deeply and dearly important to me and my work evolving, and serving humanity. If you’re reading this now, you’ve been invited into a transformative, life-changing process – personally, I highly recommend you take the leap… Dancing within deep discovery. ”

– deb svanefelt, Sound Healer, participant in the Tribe in Transition Programme.

The Commitment

I’m looking for people who will make a wholehearted commitment to this programme. If you are attracted to join me, I ask you to commit to:

Read and reflect upon the contents of the e-book before sessions;
Fully participate in all four group sessions and all four practice triad sessions;
The course fee is £100 or NZ$200. When you bring in two others, the fee for each of you reduces to £77 or $160. I prefer the fee to be paid in full before the programme begins and I will send you payment details when you contact me to express your interest.

I have made this as inexpensive as I can for this first programme because I know many of you who I’m inviting do most of your community work for little or no financial return. There are always some people who simply have no money to pay for courses. If this is you, and you are keen to participate, please contact me and we’ll have a conversation. Similarly, if you are financially abundant, please consider paying more to support another. Thank you.

JOIN ME NOW for the Deep Discovery Conversations Training by simply sending me an email

And, if you’d like to read more:

Deep Discovery Conversations are a whole person/whole system approach to relationship, group, organisational and community empowerment and offer opportunities to engage with collaborative change processes in order to:

Express the wisdom within and between us and bring into being our highest visions of what is possible in our individual lives, our relationships, families, businesses, communities, country and global family.

Discover a common language to describe and express our experience of living on planet Earth at this time; to move beyond our current beliefs and assumptions about life and find shared meanings for our existence.

Encourage and support authentic forms of co-creative leadership and Earth stewardship in all contexts and at all levels of responsibility.

Unlock our collective transformational capabilities and help midwife the birth a new culture of peace on Earth.

They can be used for:

CONSCIOUSNESS PRACTICE – exploring our experience of inner states, expanding into higher, more inclusive, more visionary states of consciousness and finding a common language and shared meanings for our understanding of consciousness, how it is evolving through us and how we can bring it into form.

EXPLORING CREATIVE IDEAS AND PROJECTS – holding a free space of inquiry for one another in which each participant can suspend limitations and access their most creative, visionary ideas.

FINDING COMMON MEANINGS AND SOLUTIONS FOR SHARED DILEMMAS AND PROBLEMS WITHIN RELATIONSHIPS, ORGANISATIONS, COMMUNITIES AND BUSINESSES – allowing differences and diversity to emerge in an open, non-judgmental environment; building community with shared values and intentions; arriving at a natural synthesis of ideas and organic solutions to shared problems.

BUILDING INCLUSIVE COMMUNITIES IN WHICH DIFFERENCES CAN BE HEARD AND ACCEPTED, DIVERSITY CELEBRATED AND THINKING ADVANCED – recognizing the power of deep conversations to draw out our hunger for community and the intrinsic unity consciousness that dwells within the heart.