TRANSFORMATIONAL SPACE from "Yoga and the Quest for the True
Self" by Steven Cope
A
transformational space is an environment made up of webs of
special kinds of relationships, safety, freedom and
challenge; a training environment.
Qualities of effective
transformational spaces:
1. They create a quality of refuge.
A place away from the ordinary demands and identities, a
place where it`s understood that "The beginning of wisdom is
the acknowledgement of our own ignorance."(Socrates) We are
encouraged to empty ourselves of our posturing, being the
one who `knows`. We must not be full if we want to be
filled, teacher or student. There is a deep kind of safety
in knowing that we are going to be accepted as we are.
Letting go of pretense is frightening, so there is a ritual
of entry that creates a zone of safety carefully set apart
from other aspects of our lives. REGULARLY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT
A PROCESS OF REBIRTH IS HAPPENING AND IN NEED OF PROTECTION.
2. They create safety through constancy in relationship.
A special relationship is created in which THE MENTOR IS
CONSTANT, RELIABLE, NONABANDONING, AND NONREACTIVE TO THE
STUDENT. This allows the student to experience not only the
parts of herself that are already owned and acknowledged but
also parts of herself that are currently hidden and
disowned. In this safety the student can experience her
magnificence as well as her limitations. Sharing these
discoveries with a reliable and constant home base promotes
maturity. THINK LOVE, ADMIRATION, TRUST.
3. They encourage creativity and experimentation.
Out of the box thinking...new ways of being... The daily
activities of life are seen as a stage on which to act out
the drama of human development and maturation. Selecting the
processes for life's activities is more important than
outcomes.
4. They are organized around "transitional objects" that
are constant and reliable.
During transformation certain objects, people, places can
become charged with meaning and for a time even become
symbols of transformation itself. A baby's blanket or a
special symbol or a piece of jewelry; Buddha often used the
image of a boat to describe the role of meditation as the
boat that carries us across the river of delusion, the river
of suffering. After it takes us across, we can discard it.
The boat is not the opposite shore, only a vehicle. Yet,
while in midstream we must cling to it for dear life.
5. They do not deify these transitional objects, or
themselves.
THE BEST SPACES RECOGNIZE THAT THE PRACTICES AND SYMBOLS OF
TRANSFORMATION ONLY SERVE TO SET INTO MOTION AND SUPPORT THE
NORMAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE HUMAN BEING. The glory, as it
were, is given to human nature, or to God, or to the soul,
and not to the transformational environment itself or any of
the leaders. It is our inherent human potential that is
sacred. Teachers are not perfect or all knowing. TEACHERS
SHOULD REPRESENT OUR OWN HIGHEST NATURE AND SHOW US HOW TO
EVOKE OUR ESSENTIAL HUMANNESS. Even the most powerful guides
are understood to be transitional. They must, finally, set
the student free to be herself.
6. They provide us with a way of finding out who we are.
The best environments avoid telling us who we are. They
support us in finding out who we are by providing techniques
and practices that give us full, direct, and immediate
experiences of ourselves. THE BEST TRANSFORMATIONAL SPACES
ARE CONCERNED WITH TRUTH AND CLEAR SEEING, AND PROMULGATE
NOT DOCTRINES OR BELIEFS, BUT WAYS OF EXPLORING REALITY
DIRECTLY.
7. They do not have to be perfect.
'Good-enough' will do. The intoxicating idealism of thinking
there is a 'perfect way' only promotes delusion and a kind
of grandiosity that is counterproductive to the maturing
personality. It ignores the limitations, vulnerabilities or
the dark side in us all. The very moments we're closest to
change are often times we're vulnerable to giving ourselves
away to a promise of perfection, the family we never had.
8. They are open to, and support other paths to
development.
"Every mature human being must have more than one church".
The best spaces help support any other learning or
self-expressive processes in which the student was
previously engaged, helping musicians become better
musicians, deepening one's faith in one's own religion,
adding proficiency at many levels. Be wary of any space that
claims exclusive rights to our time, energy or money.
A Transformational Space
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