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Purpose: To get acquainted, discuss purpose, create a safe space and begin to form deeper connections among participants. Length: 4.5 hours Preparation for the opening circle: Each group member is asked to bring one fact they have learned about climate change and an object or photograph that is important to him/her and that relates somehow to her/his connection with the Earth. Each member should review at least one of the websites on “The Great Turning” (see p. 10). Participants are also invited to bring food to share for a potluck meal.
The first session should be facilitated by a member of this new Earth Circle who is familiar with the concepts, goals and purpose of the group, with assistance from another participant who is recruited and briefed ahead of time.
Welcome and Agenda Review – 15 minutes
The facilitators welcome the group members, go over necessary logistical information, including awareness of the house/meeting space issues – bathroom, food, video, cell phones, beepers, composting, recycling, etc. Then, the facilitators review the agenda.
Opening inspiration piece – 5 minutes – Recommended - Melissa Etheridge music clip, "I Need to Wake Up" from An Inconvenient Truth.
Table of Shared Meaning/Personal Introductions – 50 minutes
One way to begin is to create an altar by spreading a special cloth on the floor/coffee table with a candle, preferably in the center of the circle. The facilitator can light the candle to begin and explain the exercise. If needed, the facilitator can go first to model the introductions.
Each person introduces him/herself (name and where they live), places the object they brought in the center and shares something about it while reflecting on the question: “What in your own life’s experience has brought you to this Earth Circle?”
Ground rules for the opening circle:
- Time is divided equally, with the facilitator signaling when it is time to wrap up (a bell or a shaker works well for this)
- Short silences after each sharing provide time for reflection (it’s best not to rush).
- People can go in order around the circle, passing if they are not ready to speak.
Agreements – 20 minutes
The facilitator introduces the concept of group agreements that will support the group’s process through the entire cycle of the Earth Circle sessions.
The facilitator shares the following sample agreements, asks how people feel about them, and what additions or changes they’d like to make. It will help the group if the facilitators post the agreements at each session and make a point of reminding group members of them when needed.
Sample agreements:
- To maintain confidentiality of personal sharing. Personal sharing/stories are assumed to be confidential (that is, not to be repeated outside of the Earth Circles), unless the individual expressly states otherwise.
- To be mindful of judgments as they arise and put them aside in order to listen deeply to one another and to create an environment of safety.
- To honor differences and cultivate curiosity.
- To allow each other the time to express thoughts and feelings without interruption.
- To communicate concisely in order to honor each person’s wish to participate.
- To push ourselves beyond our patterned, habitual responses.
- To make our best effort to arrive prepared and informed for each meeting.
- To discipline ourselves to begin and end our meetings on time.
- To share leadership in upholding and enlivening agreements.
Share a meal together – 45 minutes
People bring food to share. Suggested question for reflection during the meal: "When did I really start to pay attention to the climate change situation? What stories, events, noticeable changes made me take notice?
Pass around the Earth Circles Contact Information sheet to collect emails, phone #s, names of groups participants belong to, and work they do. A sample is located at the end of the workbook.
Brainstorm on where we are with the global climate change crisis – 15 minutes
Invite the group to sit with a question such as, “The issue that really has my attention right now about climate change is…” Then have a go-round with each person stating a short phrase (or a few words). The facilitator writes each phrase on newsprint and posts it.
(A brainstorm, for those who aren’t familiar with this term, is a process whereby group members throw out whatever ideas come to mind on the designated topic, without worrying about whether they are the “best” ideas or not. If possible, the ideas are captured on a large sheet of paper posted on a wall or an easel, and The point is to just get people’s brains fired up and get a lot of ideas down on paper in a short time. Afterward they can be edited and grouped.)
The concept of despair and empowerment – 20 minutes "Our experience of pain for the world springs from our inter-connectedness with all beings, from which also arises our powers to act on their behalf. When we deny or repress our pain for the world, or treat it as a private pathology, our power to take part in the healing of our world is diminished… Unblocking occurs when our pain for the world is not only intellectually validated, but experienced."
The facilitator reads this quotation and reminds participants that Earth Circles provide an opportunity to share deep feelings about the present condition of our world. To share our pain for the world is a way to unblock the energy of that pain, empowering us to take part in the healing of our world.
The facilitator then invites participants to pair up, with each person taking four minutes to share his/her responses to the brainstorm - their feelings, images, deeper concerns - while the partner listens. The facilitator will signal when four minutes have passed, so the partners can switch. Then the group comes together again to share as a whole.
Open Sentences I: Gratitude – 45 minutes The facilitator will explain why we do this exercise – the importance of gratitude:
"We have received an inestimable gift. To be alive in this beautiful, self-organizing universe - to participate in the dance of life with senses to perceive it, lungs that breathe it, organs that draw nourishment from it - is a wonder beyond words. And it is, moreover, an extraordinary privilege to be accorded a human life, with this self-reflexive consciousness which brings awareness of our own actions and the ability to make choices. It lets us choose to take part in the healing of our world." Expressing gratitude for this gift is an important step in participating in transforming and healing our world.
The open sentences format of this activity is adapted from Joanna Macy's work. To begin, the group breaks into pairs, preferably of people who do not know each other well. Members of the pair sit facing one another; one will be Partner A and the other will be Partner B. Both will do the same exercise.
The facilitator then reads the beginning of a sentence, and Partner A repeats and then finishes the sentence, speaking for two minutes. Partner B is silent and listens carefully. The facilitator keeps track of the time and alerts everyone when the two minutes are almost over. The facilitator then reads the next sentence and the process is repeated. When the set of questions is completed, the facilitator invites a moment of silence. The partners then switch, and the facilitator reads the unfinished sentences again, one at a time, while Partner B talks and Partner A listens. When this round is complete, the pair can take a moment to acknowledge and appreciate each other's willingness to share.
Here is a list of open sentences for this exercise: - Two things about life on this earth now that I am most grateful for are. . .
- A place in my childhood that was magical or wonderful to me was. . .
- A natural place in my life now that inspires and nourishes me is. . .
Break – 15 minutes
Can we move nations and people in the direction of sustainability? Such a move would be a modification of society comparable in scale to only two other changes: the agricultural revolution of the late Neolithic and the Industrial Revolution of the past two centuries. Those revolutions were gradual, spontaneous and largely unconscious. This one will have to be a fully conscious operation, guided by the best foresight that science can provide—foresight pushed to its limit. If we actually do it, the undertaking will be absolutely unique in humanity’s stay on the earth.
--William D. Ruckelshaus, first EPA chief, as cited in Scientific American, September 1989
The Concept of the Great Turning – 15 minutes The Great Turning is a term used to describe the shift from our present military-industrial, consumerist, unsustainable society, which is on the road to catastrophe, to a life-sustaining civilization.
Three kinds of positive actions are needed to bring this about: - Holding actions to slow the damage to the Earth and its beings;
- Analysis of the structural causes and the creation of structural alternatives;
- A shift in consciousness.
Discussions of the great turning and the three kinds of positive actions are available at these websites: The facilitators will lead a discussion about the Great Turning.
Group logistics – 15 minutes Group process, buddy system, homework - Make decisions about facilitation process
- Agree on when and where the group meets (hopefully the time will already be set up before this meeting, but a review is often helpful)
- Set up the buddy system so members can pair up with someone they do not know well or at all
- Facilitator explains the homework, the workbook, the CCC website, http://climatecrisiscoalition.org/
Evaluation – 15 minutes Invite participants to take a moment to notice what their thoughts and feelings are about the process of this first Earth Circle Session. Invite a short go-round of comments.
Homework – 15 minutes 1) Watch the following videos as a group or in pairs: 2) Do your Carbon Footprint using any one of the following tools: Share your findings and reflections with your buddy.
3) Sign up for the Climate Crisis Coalition Newsfeed, http://www.climatecrisiscoalition.org/ or Grist, http://www.grist.org or any other climate-focused newsfeed online. Check this newsfeed frequently.
Special planning for SESSION IV, which will focus on understanding our local resource management and the impact of climate change on our region. It would be helpful to invite either an expert from the community to discuss how global warming will affect the community and how we might plan for that or someone who works for government and will have responsibility for dealing with issues such as increased flooding, drought, or the spread of disease. Take a few minutes to talk about any ideas people have about resource people to invite, and then find two volunteers who will take responsibility for lining up a guest for the fourth session, or who will take responsibility for researching climate change impacts in your region. They will be charged with responsibility for coming up with a plan for Session Four.
Closing Circle – 10 minutes - Facilitator thanks everyone for participating.
- Each person in turn picks up the object they brought and names a quality they see in it that would be helpful for the healing of the Earth. For example:“This stone is enduring; we need a lot of endurance as we work to heal the Earth.” “This photo reminds me of tranquility and quiet in nature, and reminds me that we all have to take time to be quiet and replenish ourselves as we work on healing the Earth.”
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