The Listening Arts E•Newsletter

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April 9, 2023

Happy Easter, happy Passover, happy rebirth of Springtime…

Lots of turmoil and busy-ness in my life at the moment, preparing for upcoming transitions this fall… serious de-cluttering in anticipation of finding a housemate. I plan to be away for the upcoming academic year, as a visiting fellow in Cambridge, MA….

In the midst of all that, there are some very interesting events coming up soon, on April 12 and April 19, that I wanted you to know about -- great people doing wonderful things in the wider world. More on those below... yet first, I’ll begin with:

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Deep Listening, starting within

Recently I felt drawn to a friend’s concern about how endless the journey of healing seems to be. After decades of working on the legacy of their own developmental trauma, they were wondering if there is an end in sight -- or, if we might be better off releasing the chimera of full healing, to work on acceptance instead.

In response, I mused on my ongoing unlearning of the “myth of perfection” – whether it’s “full healing” from our childhood traumas, or achieving “full enlightenment” in our spiritual path. And how instead, we can choose the path of learning to be more compassionate toward ourselves, just as we are right now…

which, in the paradoxical way that life has, can end up deeply supporting our ongoing growth! So, this “deep listening” work, of offering gentle compassion to our own selves….

What I’ve found here, as with so many “inner listening” practices, is how helpful it can be to do this work with a listening companion, whether coach, therapist, or lay person. And so I want to acknowledge how grateful I am, to be part of Joanna Lindenbaum’s learning community – she’s the one from whom I first heard the phrase “busting the myths of perfection”. If you’d like a taste of her work, here’s a podcast where she being interviewed on the topic of Jungian Shadow work. ​

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Deep listening in organizations

Given that my background includes peer coaching, I was delighted to come across Richard D. Bartlett’s work on "Microsolidarity ”, helping people engage in community-building by creating "structures for belonging". This is applicable in various contexts, including business, non-profits, and worker-owned collectives.

Meanwhile, at the Co-Intelligence Institute , some of us have started a small mutual-support group. This is not one of our public offerings, but instead, a small group prioritizing renewal and regeneration for those of us who work together regularly.

At the same time, we want to share what we learn from this with others, to encourage the growth of more peer-to-peer support in various kinds of workplaces. So I will keep you posted!

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Deep Listening in collaborative governance

I'll start with Claudia Chwalisz' wonderful essay, “ A new democracy defined by joy, agency, dignity, wonder, and being in relationship ”. In it, she mentions the practice of “looping" or reflecting back our understanding of what someone else has said. This practice can support us in working skillfully with conflict, and also helps create “deliberative spaces that can engender a sense of openness, curiosity, and ability to be surprised.”

The facilitators of the Citizens’ Assemblies in Austria, whom I interviewed for my doctoral work, were full of stories illustrating the reality of this possibility. In the course of that research, I came across a particular definition with which I greatly resonated: "deliberation as the practice of imagining shared futures together". This kind of practice is much needed in this world, and it’s also something for which deep listening is key.

And so I am delighted to have learned about practitioners in the UK who are developing the Collective Imagination Practice Community . Their launch event will be this April 12th.

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Deep Listening across divides

Yet another delightful discovery has been the work of Julia Roig and the Horizons Project. Their inspiring essay, Exploring Narrative Practices for Broad-based Movements in Contexts of Democratic Decline , offers an overview of their research on "Collaborating Across Differences to Reduce Authoritarianism."

In pointing out how narratives that delegitimize others can be so harmful, and calling for better alternatives, Roig and Savage remind us that: “When people feel heard, they open themselves to reflection, consider alternatives to their own perspectives, and better engage in ways that build trust and deepen relationships.” Yes, indeed! We know this from experience...

I highly recommend the Horizons Project's monthly newsletter,"The Vista ”. Their recent webinar “ Unlocking Collaboration Across Difference ” can be accessed on You-Tube, and they will be offering another webinar on April 19, “ Bridging Towards a Just, Inclusive, Pluralistic Democracy ”, with john a. powell of the Othering and Belonging Institute, among others.

Ok, that’s it for now… these are some of the inspiring signs I see, springing up all around, offering hope and possibility… amidst everything else that is also present.

With deep appreciation,

Rosa

Rosa Zubizarreta​
​DiaPraxis.com​

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