IMPORTANT: You should have received a laminated copy of the Feelings & Needs Inventory in the mail—please keep this with you during class sessions and all practice times. We’ll refer to it often! If you misplace it or forget to bring it, you can also access the PDF version under the “Materials” tab above as a backup.
Required Reading:
- Nonviolent Communication: A Language for Life, through Chapter 1: “Giving from the Heart.”
- Handouts: “Role Differences & Responsibilities” and “Status Differences & Responsibilities” (see Materials tab here or in the “Dimensions of Power” module).
While reading, notice what stands out. Reminder: we will spend a little time each week connecting as a group with the readings, including handouts.
Practice:
- Complete online course modules up to Class #2 and STOP there!
- Empathy Partners: We will assign these this week, and begin practice after class 2.
- Building Awareness: Practice catching yourself in a “Jackal” moment, and turn your giraffe ears inward to practice self-empathy by getting curious about your feelings and needs. See if you can discover what part of you is having the Jackal experience. Is it a protector part, or perhaps an exile? How do you sense it in your body? What do you notice about how you feel towards the part and/or how it feels towards you?
- Watch the video below: Joanna Macy’s telling of the Prophecy of the Shambhala Warrior.
Consider:- How might we apply the lens of Right Use of Power to this story?
- What work is the Shambhala Warrior responsible for as they awaken to the dimensions of power—in our intimate relationships, as well as in our communities, our culture, and our world?
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How might this story be used as a “spiritual bypass” if it is not considered from the perspective of power-consciousness?
