Journey of Consensus

Co-creating together as one family, we adopt ‘consensus within the circle‘ as the way of functioning. In going around the circle where everyone may express themselves, we honor each point of view and respect the path each one is on. Through adopting consensus, higher consciousness and awareness reveals itself for all to see, feel and touch. Our consensus circle is a vehicle for all to come aboard and be lifted into new ways of being, evolving us towards a higher truth of the whole.

The concept of consensus as we apply it may be different than how some people understand it. Our journey of consensus is a journey of the heart; consensus for us means to feel (sensus) together (con). Such way of consensus implies three requirements:

1. listening to inner guidance: I connect with and follow my soul’s path
2. self-expression: I communicate what is in my heart and soul
3. feeling of oneness: I am part of all and all is part of me

And a journey it is! Each one is asked to prepare oneself to contribute to a heartfelt consensus process.

It starts with opening up one’s heart. To go on our consensus journey, you are called upon to go in your own inner heart and step into the realm of togetherness, leaving behind the world of separatism created by the ego-mind. Sometimes this brings up fears, doubts, defense mechanisms, insecurities, emotional wounds, uncertainties, withdrawal, anxiety; all results of being attached to old thought-forms. “Feeling together” is the best antidote for releasing and healing those patterns. You need to have the courage and dare to step into this ‘loving space of togetherness’ where we are all one. This makes you vulnerable, yet it is this vulnerability that represents the strength of our consensus. It allows the force of love to flow amidst us. This process of vulnerability is each one’s first homework. If you don’t see to this beforehand, the whole journey of consensus will be pulled into your personal process, and instead of a discovery journey for the best choice in alignment with our vision, the journey becomes a healing work for your individual evolution.

From this feeling of togetherness, the sense of trust is awoken; trust that we are all on the same journey of manifesting our vision in the best way. This process requires a second homework: Is my concern the manifestation of our shared vision? Or, am I more interested in an expression of another vision? This question is very important to be honestly answered. No answer to this question can be a wrong answer. If your concern is the manifestation of the group’s vision, you can enter into the journey of consensus. If your concern is more towards another vision, the journey of consensus will deviate into a process of discerning where your real interest lies.

Out of respect for yourself and the group, it is better to do this homework first and in-depth before even considering participating in a consensus-journey. Take your time to discover if you can embrace the vision of the group; if that vision is in alignment with your heart’s essence and resonates with your deepest aspirations. It has to be total. You cannot embrace it halfway, because sooner or later this will engender a conflict between the group’s vision and your own. When totally embracing the group’s vision, your personal vision becomes part of this bigger vision. By consenting to the necessary steps for its manifestation, your personal vision will be taken care of.

The third homework involves the ability to focus on the concept, freed from any past or present emotional and/or mental limitations. This aspect is quite a demanding homework. It requires inner work on your feeling patterns, and an understanding of their influence on your actions and reactions, as well as on your thoughts and perceptions. If you are tangled up in emotional issues linked to a mental concept, it is impossible to journey on an honest discovery for consensus. Like a leak in a bucket, unresolved emotional incidents are wounds that will drain the love energy of the group. Sometimes this entanglement can become a huge emotional wave overwhelming the whole group, and wash away the real concept of the consensus item. To avoid this risk, it is critical to sincerely inquire if some personal problems are pulling you into an emotional state that overtakes your thinking and overloads everything with your ‘reality’. No consensus can take place in such an environment, and the whole process will become an unraveling of your emotional and/or mental entanglement.

When you find yourself in a loving space of togetherness, concerned about the manifestation of the vision and free of personal issues, you are ready to integrate the fourth homework: listen with wonder to every idea as an important input to arrive at a consensus. Without the first three conditions, this fourth approach is not possible. It takes some practice to listen openly; different methods can be brought into play like using a talking stick, or talking one by one going around the circle. Whenever you feel tense, anxious, frustrated, agitated, worried, impatient, angry, apprehensive, separated, unable to share, lonely, abandoned, ignored, excluded, etc. it is time to check if some aspects from the first three ‘homeworks’ need some attention. Sometimes some assistance can be helpful; many different tools exist to facilitate that process. It is important to be honest with yourself. Sometimes out of respect for the group, it is appropriate to first concentrate on yourself before participating in consensus.

That brings us to the fifth homework: consensus requires a level of trust, trust in yourself, trust in the others, and foremost, trust in the Guiding Force of the Vision. Journeying towards consensus is a treasure hunt for the best choice. That choice is somewhere and it is fun to search for it. We know it exists and we trust we will find it. We acknowledge that this process is far bigger than our conscious mind can grasp and we recognize its magic and innocence. We comprehend that whoever is present at the consensus circle is called to be there, and acts for the wellbeing of the vision and the wellbeing of the whole group. We are open to the unexpected explorations that can show up, allowing wonders to take place that will permit our consciousnesses to journey towards consensus.

This journeying introduces us to the sixth homework. When going on a trail with a family we don’t ask the three-year-old to carry the picnic bag for the whole group. We spontaneously value the difference between the child and the parent. Their input for consensus on what to bring will not be equal; the child recognizes the respectful quality and competence of the adult who will carry the bag. In the same manner, consensus esteems an innate respect for an intrinsic ‘expertise’ as an inner acceptance of a natural ‘esteem’. This intrinsic quality recognition and natural esteem can only express itself in a trusting and loving environment. Only love can unveil and reveal the true authenticity of each one. And only love can harmonize those differences into a happy dance of co-creation.

To participate in this dance of co-creation, we call upon the seventh homework: living in your Space of Love. Holding our origin and quintessence in love, we believe that what really and only matters is to be in that love. It is more than ‘I am in love’, it is a state of loving consciousness that is practiced, nurtured and fostered at every moment.