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Coalition For OneVoice
A follow-up report by Jane Hughes Gignoux
Last Spring FIONS Board member, Emily Squires, presented a one-page statement, "Reaching for a Voice", that called into being a coalition of representatives from spiritually-centered groups to explore ways to support efforts towards societal transformation. Emily made the point that small groups alone have little power but, by coming together into one large coalition, the power of that collective might, in fact, make a difference. After several sessions, this group, (eleven people from five groups, four being members of the FIONS Board), crafted a mission statement:
OneVoice is a coalition of organizations united to form a collective power with a mission to consciously connect, strengthen, and support activities that reflect an evolution of consciousness toward an enlightened society, the nature and details of which are presently unfolding.
In August, the Steering Committee for OneVoice convened 45 leaders and members from other groups and organizations for an evening of World Café dialogue to begin to expand this initiative. The Committee held a similarly-sized brainstorming and planning evening in September as preparation for a large public gathering on October 15 called Passion to Connect. When Deepak Chopra heard about this planned meeting, he asked if he could attend. Since two members of the Steering Committee are "students" of Andrew Cohen, founder of What Is Enlightenment?, Andrew agreed to participate as well. Journalist Judith Martin offered to moderate a dialogue between the two. Other individuals and groups offered to participate. The Steering Committee designed a flyer announcing the event, which was emailed to members of participating groups.
An impressive beginning
Spirit New York, a large Westside night club, offered its space to OneVoice. Emily, winner of five Emmy awards for directing, directed the event. We gathered 25 volunteers to greet, register, seat, and guide the attendees, and members of the Steering Committee contributed many hours to make this an outstanding evening. Participants came from diverse ethnic and cultural communities and were of all ages. As people arrived, they were encouraged to register their contact information with two registrars who entered it directly into a database. There was a $10 admission fee to cover expenses.
Visionary artist Alex Grey lent several of his large paintings to be hung in and around the space transforming the environment to one suggesting infinite possibilities. Barry Manilow in Las Vegas, heard about Passion to Connect through a former member of his group in New York and offered his inspiring song, "One Voice" to be played at the event. Alan Steinfeld was Master of Ceremonies.
With over 700 people present, Passion to Connect opened quietly with the sound of three large gongs resonating throughout the space (The Himalayan Voices), followed by a meditation offered by Swami Ramananda, President of Integral Yoga in New York. Voicepoint, then performed a Rumi poem about inclusiveness using a subtle mixture of music, voice, and movement.
Judith Martin took the stage to moderate a stimulating dialogue between Deepak Chopra and Andrew Cohen. They agreed that there are four key qualities necessary for those committed to affecting a paradigm shift in consciousness — courage, passion, creativity, and ecstasy. As a metaphor for our time, Deepak shared the astonishing story, taken from biology, of how "imaginal cells" in decaying caterpillars inside their chrysalises come together in small clusters to help bring forth the transformation into butterflies.
There followed three rounds of World Café dialogue, which I facilitated. For most of the attendees, this was their first encounter with the Word Café format and they loved it! For those standing, we invited them to engage in "water cooler conversations." People were eager to address the three questions. (Before introducing the third question, I read the OneVoice Mission Statement, which was enthusiastically received.)
What brings you to life? What is your passion?
How can this community help all of us to bring our passion into being in order to affect concrete change in the world?
Looking backwards from 2012, what is one thing that the Coalition for OneVoice has created?
Alex Grey spoke about his efforts to create a community in New York city through his art and the events he sponsors at his gallery, CoSM (Chapel of Sacred Mirrors) on the fourth floor, above Spirit NY. He invited everyone to visit his gallery before leaving. Two members of the Steering Committee spoke about next steps for OneVoice, inviting people to register with their contact information and come to the next event on November 15.
Fred Johnson from Florida concluded the afternoon, sitting on his box-like drum, belting out a rap that incorporated the ideas and themes that had been voiced during the event. Everyone participated by clapping and following his lyrics. Seven hundred people were on their feet, the "joint was jumping" — thus Passion to Connect came to its rousing conclusion. People were still hanging out an hour later.
During the month between the two public OneVoice events, the Steering Committee collated the data that had been collected and explored various options for creating a website that would be "user friendly" allowing people to stay in touch with one another.
Where do we go from here?
On November 15, about 150 people gathered in a circle to continue the conversations begun a month earlier. The evening was opened gently by the Dzieci Theatre Group inviting everyone to join them in a simple harmonic welcoming chant.
People then gave feedback about their experience of Passion to Connect. Most comments were unabashedly enthusiastic. After a brief briefing on Shared Leadership - ways for all to take responsibility - and a reminder of the OneVoice Mission Statement, people broke into groups of six to address the question:
What can we do as a collective power to make a difference, a conscious change in the world around us?
Scribes captured on flip charts the reports from these groups. This section ended with a ringing cry for addressing global warming from "Uncle," a visiting Inuit shaman from Greenland who sees the ice pack in his native land melting and poised to fall into the sea causing unbelievable damage around the world. Uncle's evident rage was unsettling to many but prompted a number of dialogues and healing conversations at the conclusion, as well as subsequent deep reflection by some towards awakening to new ways to take personal responsibility in the world.
The final portion of the evening — far too short in length — consisted of self-selecting groups convening to brainstorm about some of the major themes and initiatives that had been invoked. These focus groups were asked to share contact information, choose a point person, and a scribe. While many people found the evening encouraging and entirely worthwhile, some were overwhelmed or distracted by the chaotic nature of this kind of process.
The Dzieci Theatre Group closed the evening by gathering in a circle for a harmonic rite of toning accompanied by rhythmic arm gestures. Once again, many people lingered to continue their conversations.
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Coalition For OneVoice |
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