Description

Creating a container can perhaps best be thought of it in terms of spirit, which doesn’t lend itself to definition or specificity. To many it’s the embodiment of the intention and the purpose that was set.

"If you think of holding space as being in the center of the wheel, it’s being in the center and holding the energy of what’s both inside the bounds and outside; it’s magnetic – you draw in what’s most coherent to the intention."
(Margo Adair)

At the same time, it's also very practical, with a large element of creating a container referring to the psychic and physical conditions within which the group meets.

Instructions & Variations

• 75% of this is energetic and feeds/seeds the Morphic Field, 15% is verbal & 10% is material
• Timing - Announce clear starting and ending times, although "Holding the Container" can extend beyond ending times especially in multi-day events - caring for transitions of people coming late and going early – what’s going on at the boundaries
• Invite Beauty – create a centerpiece | pay attention to the Power of Place, environment and setting, be in nature or where you can see nature whenever possible
• Make sure the accommodations are comfortable, that there are enough chairs, the temperature is right, the windows can open, there is food and drink available, etc.
• If some people don’t seem to be engaged, don’t ignore it, breathe into the leak and help it move through - Holding the Container implies a responsibility for the Energy Flow and a connection to Neutral Attention Out
• Create initial unity through a common act – chanting or a moment of silence, reflective meditation, lighting a candle. Ritualize the beginning. Let people know what to expect – if they’re going to be called on, etc.
• Setting clear Norms & Ground Rules in order to create a culture. Use Ant Rules – simple instructions that lead to self-organizing systems, like Open Space uses
• Build trust
• Seating arrangements and the energy flow in the room/s are important – sitting in a circle or around a round table sets up a different intention than sitting in rows or sitting at rectangular conference tables.
• There may be occasions where we need to make space at the boundary for people to be half-in and half-out.
• “It’s not just you.” The group needs to allow the facilitator to hold the space and loyalty to the holder of the space can be created.
• The facilitator may create engagement by asking for help from others to hold the space.
• Creating a container is based out of a deep relationship of shared trust with the culture. There is a responsibility to investigate the culture in which the container is to be built in order to have the necessary cohesion & context
• Establish a clear contract between facilitator/host and client as a pre-condition for creating an effective container

Cautions and Caveats

Absence

• Boring, sterile environment. Lack of focus, disorientation. Lack of safety. People tend to drop out or not be engaged fully when the container is not held well (if no one is not engaged, is that a matter of there not being adequate holding of the container?)
• The timing is "off" - you consistently run out of time or find yourself interupting the flow when something powerful is trying to be born

Learning Edges/Questions

• What creates a leak in the container, and what catches and repairs that leak?
• What are the design criteria for creating a container in different situations? What’s always involved, and what are the variables for different intents?
• What needs to happen before the event to create the container, and what is the follow-up after the event that keeps the container intact if that is the desire?
• Creating a container may look different in every culture, so how do we establish a container when not in our root culture?

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