
(photo by makelessnoise)
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Heart
The capacity to serve the group's needs, with minimal distortion caused by internal disturbance. Arises from connection with Source or a wider perspective, rather than being snared in one's own ego.
Description
The Taoists are particularly adept at describing the experience of being a Clear Channel, as in this passage from the Tao Te Ching (Mitchell translation):
"Giving birth and nourishing,
having without possessing,
acting with no expectations,
leading and not trying to control:
this is the supreme virtue."
How counter this is to our conditioning as individuals in the United States today! The whole model of leadership for Americans is one of controlling a pyramid from the top down. Where we are taught to put our own needs first, other cultures are more attuned to the needs of the collective. The broader cultural shift in that direction is sometimes referred to as moving from a dominance to a partnership society, or from "power-over" to "power with."
Anyway, getting back to a practical basis as regards this pattern for group work, if you are facilitating a group conversation and you get stuck imposing your viewpoint on the group, subtly steering the conversation toward your personal preference, or worrying about your performance, it's going to get in the way of effectively serving the group. If that happens, you need to find a way to restore your focus to the needs of the whole. It can be as simple as realizing what you've done and letting it go, or you might invoke a personal practice, ask for a moment of silence, or share with the group transparently what just came up for you.
As we go through life, we all experience hurts and traumas, major and minor, that affect our ability to be a Clear Channel. Thus most people need some kind of personal practice in order to clear out the accumulated gunk and get clear enough to do a good job facilitating from a neutral place. As the Tao Te Ching puts it:
"Do you have the patience to wait
till your mud settles and the water is clear?
Can you remain unmoving
till the right action arises by itself?"
Examples
The Religious Society of Friends, better known as the Quakers, emphasize the importance of being a Clear Channel for everyone in their "Meetings for Worship for Business," not just the "clerks" (facilitators). Note that Meetings are typically open for attendance by anyone, not just the members.
Related patterns (what this pattern points to)
How related
Many people find having a Personal Practice essential to their ability to serve as a Clear Channel.
Being a Clear Channel enables one to offer Neutral Attention Out and Hologram.
Other patterns that mention or point to Clear Channel
Resources
Tao Te Ching, by Lao Tzu, c. 500 years BCE. Many versions available, my personal favorite is by Stephen Mitchell (Harper Perennial, 1988).
Other
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Stage
Stories
In each of these cards is a story about group dynamics that relates to "Patterns+*tform" (add your own stories on Anonymous+Stories):
I see this pattern (as named — Clear Channel) applying more broadly:
What makes for a clear channel between the group and what we're calling source or spirit?
What makes for clear channels among individuals (facilitators and other participants) in a group?
What makes for a clear channel between any individual and the whole group?
What makes for a clear channel among a group's subgroups, or among the larger wholes that a group may be part of?
(In addition to the inquiry about the facilitator's connection to source and to the group, which seems to be what's explored here so far.)





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