Session 3: Exploring the Courage & Renewal Touchstones for Creating Trustworthy Space

February 4, 2023 // 9am-11am ET

Join the session here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81788771047?pwd=ZE41TnZwTVRVUFhrUDZqYUpzcFhuUT09

Meeting ID: 817 8877 1047

Passcode: 452564

“One of the gifts we are given in a circle of trust is a chance to see how abnormal violence is. Here, under conditions that evoke “the better angels of our nature,” we experience our innate capacity to honor, not violate, the identity and integrity of others. And we witness the remarkable things that can happen — within us, between us, and beyond us — as we learn to relate to each other that way.”

– Parker J. Palmer

Session Overview

In session three, we’ll dive deeper into how we create trustworthy space with the help of the Courage & Renewal Touchstones. Facilitators of Courage & Renewal programs use these Touchstones to define clear boundaries in a Circle of Trust retreat, the kinds of boundaries that create trustworthy space for the soul. While these Touchstones define how we relate in a retreat, they can be adapted to support any relationship, workplace, community, or other group where we want to honor the integrity of the individual and build relational trust. We’ll have time to reflect in smaller groups on the questions below.

In advance of the session we invite you to:

• Review and reflect upon the Touchstones. While we’ve gotten familiar with these over the past two sessions, this week we’ll be focusing on them more deeply this week.
• Watch this video, Dadirri, produced by the Miriam Rose Foundation. Miriam Rose Ungunmerr Baumann is a renowned Aboriginal Artist and Educator who is dedicated to creating bright and fulfilling futures for Aboriginal children and youth. We encourage you to do some of your own reflection on what comes up for you as you hear her words. We’ll have time for some small group sharing on your reflections during the session. You can learn more about Miriam Rose, the people and history of the Nauiyu community, dadirri, and the work of the Miriam Rose Foundation at www.miriamrosefoundation.org.au.
• And watch this video with Parker Palmer about the ways in which different forms of violence show up in our lives. In learning to honor the integrity of our own souls and the souls of others, we can bring the touchstones to life in our everyday settings.

Questions for Reflection

How have you created space for the deep inner spring of others? What gifts have you received from doing so? What’s challenged you?

Which Touchstone(s) come most naturally to you and how has that shown up in your life?

Which Touchstone(s) are most challenging for you and how are they challenging?

“A small circle of limited duration that is intentional about its process will have a deeper, more life-giving impact than a large, ongoing community that is shaped by the norms of conventional culture.”

– Parker J. Palmer