Seven Whispers: A Spiritual Practice for Times Like These
 

Seven Weeks with Seven Whispers
This study guide, an introduction plus seven pages of week-by-week facilitation suggestions, is designed to follow the chapters of The Seven Whispers, A Spiritual Practice for Times Like These, by Christina Baldwin (New World Library, 2002)

Download the study guide now
[Ten pages/36K, Adobe PDF format, obtain the free Acrobat Reader here]

Intention: to provide a framework for people to get together and experience a meaningful conversation about their own spiritual insights and practices using the book as a chapter-by-chapter conversation starter.

Commitment: seven weeks, or sessions, are suggested to build trust and comfort. This conversational series may be experienced as a cycle complete in itself, enjoyed as the basis for starting an ongoing group, or held within an already existing group. Plan for about two hours each week, allowing time for greeting and leave-taking. NOTE: Several things need to happen in session one and session seven that may require more time so it may be helpful to schedule these meetings to be half an hour longer than the others.

Potential Settings: book groups, writing groups, churches and other religious settings, spiritual direction groups, spirit-at-work teams, conversation cafes, libraries, neighborhoods, potluck suppers and living-room circles with friends and families.

Please refrain from alcohol before or during the gathering as it impairs the ability to listen and speak with intentionality. It's helpful to negotiate arrival and departure times and whether or not (and if so how) newcomers will be welcomed during the seven weeks.

Size: you can follow this study guide by yourself, journal writing the responses; or do it with one other as a way to know a partner or friend more deeply; or call any size group up to about 12. (Any larger and it's hard for people to have enough time to speak, and for listeners to hold the amount of story. If you have lots of interest, suggest that several groups gather at the same time.) Seven people in a group is a nice size as it offers each person the chance to host one meeting and one chapter.

What you need to hold these conversations: Copies of Christina Baldwin's book, The Seven Whispers, Listening to the Voice of Spirit, (New World Library 2002) and people who are reading it; a comfortable setting with privacy and quiet; someone to serve as host (may rotate time by time). If your group chooses to write the weekly reflections, everyone will need paper and pens or personal journals.

The quality of conversation is served by creating a simple interpersonal container for receiving each other's insights and stories. Each member of a conversation contributes to this quality by listening attentively, speaking intentionally, and tending to the well-being of the group as well as their own well-being. The host should prepare seating so everyone can see each other. A circle is highly recommended. Please put a simple focusing object in the center of this space: a candle, flower, or object from nature will serve.

To begin, the host may light the candle and remind people of the agreements for this conversation. Agreements may be adapted to meet the needs of the group, but suggested agreements are:

To shift from social/greeting space to listening/speaking in intentional conversation, the host calls for a moment of reflection, which may be silence, a brief reading from a chapter, or the instructional theme.

Suggested formatting of the time: adapt to meet your own needs and interests.

• Check-in using a talking object so every voice is gathered and no one is interrupted (about 10 minutes). In check-in, a person offers a brief statement of how they are and what they bring to the circle.
• Pause and address the reflection in writing or silence (about 5 minutes if meditating, 15 minutes if writing).
• After reflection, another round of talking piece council invites members of the group to share stories and insights(this round may take 30 minutes). A talking piece designates the person holding the object as the speaker and the rest of the group is the listener.
• After this round, a period of dialogue with the talking piece resting in the middle will elicit less structured conversation (about 30-45 minutes). This dialogue can be started by the host reading the suggested questions and the group choosing one or two to focus on the for session.
• The group may also wish to explore meditation, prayer, or creative arts.
• Check-out with a talking piece round so every voice is honored in leave-taking (10-15 minutes). Make whatever arrangements need to be made for the next session.

Some of these terms, and the circle format, may be unfamiliar. For more complete information on calling people into receptive listening/speaking space using the circle, see the free downloadable Basic Circle Guidelines, and also the booklets and Christina's book, Calling the Circle, The First and Future Culture, all available here on the PeerSpirit web site.

Download the study guide now
[Ten pages/36K, Adobe PDF format, obtain the free Acrobat Reader here]