On our journey into the desert the other day, Frank Ansell the aboriginal healer, and I did not know where we were going. Instead we stayed aware to the present moment, listening to the rocks, trees and breeze- staying open with the senses, allowing the mind to rest its opinion on where we should be going and what we should be doing.

Thus, in the still moments, arose a feeling to head up a dry, white sandy creek bed columned by miles of river red gums. As we rounded a bend of high cliffs of red granite a strong tingling sensation arose. Looking up, there, glistening in the sun was the diamond spray of fresh spring water hurtling 100 meters over a cliff in the midst of this dry, rocky terrain. We tracked through the scrub to its base, at which was a pool of clear, permanent water.

The stillness was compelling and we sat in silence. We began to reflect on the meaning of wisdom, particularly as Frank and I will be involved in a post conference retreat on aboriginal wisdom for the upcoming Spirituality in Leadership and Management conference “Wisdom at Work.” Download Detailed Program Information: Journey into Aboriginal Wisdom.

Wisdom, (according to water hole philosophy!) is the ability to be totally present in the moment where we are in touch with the multiple energy fields of sensory information of sounds, visual impressions, taste, feeling and touch which are within and around us. If we are unaware of them and stuck in our own thoughts and feelings , we may not be able to pick up on the sensory information around us that is necessary to make a wholesome “common sensory” decision or, put simply, to survive in the desert. When all the senses are alive and awake there is a deep inner knowing – an intuitive body felt sense of what action to take.

Perhaps wisdom indeed is ‘common sense’ – still, clear seeing with all the senses wide open. Rocks, trees and the breeze on dry white sandy riverbeds know about wisdom, and, when we are silent and still, we can learn from them. It is the land that heals us.

Coaches, facilitators and therapists gathered in Sydney(organsied by Gisela Wendling, www.liminalsonglines.com) to  explore how ancient, indigenous wisdom and healing practices can assist  leaders and  modern organisations searching for more wholesome ways of being at work.  Frank Ansell, traditional aboriginal healer (nungkari) from Alice Springs and Sue Gregory, leadership coach, have been exploring the intersecting edge of healing and coaching. They were invited to facilitate an experiential session and there  were many questions.

As  leaders, facilitatots and coaches, how can we combine the pace of  “being” as we “do” in the world?   How can we heal inner blockages that hold back our personal  potential or hold the the workplace in a frozen, choking grip of stuck beliefs? How can we dissolve tensions  and  bring our minds and hearts to a balanced, compassionate way of being in the midst of life’s hectic activity?

Using ancient practices of song and smoking ceremonies, since the dream time the nungkaris have worked directly with vibration to settle the minds and bodies of people who are stressed or in pain. Their skills helped establish the resilience of the people to survive extremes of desert heat and lack of food in droughts. Frank described the traditional role of the nungkari  in aboriginal communities, who used the skilled art of intention to balance both individual’s health and the wellbeing of the community .

Principles of these practices are very relevant to a stressed modern world marked by extreme busyness, hectic schedules and constant pressure. For example, thoughts and emotions have a vibrational quality that one can learn to feel. If we check in with ourselves regularly we  can sense  whether our human energy field (that is, the space immediately around us) is agitated or calm and flowing. When we are agitated other people may experience this as a sharp, tingling sensation, heat, or anxiousness. When we are more relaxed the quality of the vibration is smoother and more harmonious.People are attracted to this vibrational quality and want to be around us.

This same vibrational quality of vibration or “atmosphere” can be felt when walking in the door of an organisation. The  feeling of a place can give us  hints about the quality of the culture. If the vibrational quality is “sharp ” or “prickly” then there may be a toxic toxic feeling where people’s body’s close  up in protection, shutting down stunting communication or forward strategic direction. When we become skilled in using our intention, we can learn to use our minds to change our own vibration to  a more wholesome state – one  that is calmer, more open to and adaptive change. Not only this, influencing change in our own  vibration will have a ripple effect on  the vibration of others in a process known as entrainment, thereby helping the work place as a whole. This is why the “presence” of leaders, facilitators and coaches is so important.

When we learn the ability to monitor and change our  vibrational state we become more resilient. This gives us more ease  for  leading others and creating organsiations where the cultural feel or vibration is one of flow and cooperation, rather than toxicity and stuckness.

To demonstrate this how this can be done , Frank sang ancient healing songs that supported people to slip into  a vibration of profound stillness.  He also showed the group how he uses bush medicines to  enable to people to change their vibration to being more relaxed and  balanced. Sue provided a modern interpretation which provided participants with skills to take away.

The day session finished with a smoking ceremony. Smoking ceremonies have been used since millenia to “clear the spirit”, enabling people to feel refreshed and renewed through the letting go of stuck thoughts and tired, stagnant energy. In the modern world, nungkaris are asked to offer “smokings” in homes and work places to clear built up, congested energy, leaving the building refreshed and reviatlised.

Some of the attendees chose to have an individual healing session with Frankafter the event to experience for themselves a a traditional aboriginal healing.

Members of the CEO Leadership Forum are today asking how their style can support the emergence of people’s contributions to their organisations for long term sustainability .

The open space session began with a review of self organising systems as a means to create more involvement of staff and stakeholders, as opposed to the traditional top down hierarchical systems often imposed by external regulators.

The CEO group is exploring questions such as “How can social media networks help?  How can we broadly network in the community? What mechanisms can we employ to increase the level of volunteers? How do we instigate change effectively in light of imposed change? How can we enable people to see change as opportunity? “How do we get more staff “connected” and participating? What are the key elements of sustainable organisations?”

Creating a culture of trust was seen as a huge contributor to gaining active participation where people embrace change. Setting the scene with clearly defined expectations and constantly working to these was identified as means to moving  through natural resistance and influencing the grapevine positively.

Creating a plan for change and providing leadership – breaking the change  into key components, developing  communication strategies, creating communiques, and involving people on the floor so they own the process and sustain the organisation were noted as important parts of the strategy.

Currently members of the Forum, who are from the aged care care sector and Carers Tasmania, are discussing issues such as the introduction of the Poisons Act , the need or leadership skills at all levels of the organisation as an enabler of change. Each came up with shared actions to support each other and their paths forward, riding the challenges within their industries. These leaders operate in an environment of conflicting requirements of 3 levels of government and the needs of the people they provide services to – all natural chaos theory – the ideal environment for self organisations systems that support sustainability.

Laughter, bubbling energy, and people feeling as fresh as when they arrived. How many 4 day conferences finish like this?

Marilyn Cavanagh welcomed participants to the day by “opening the space”. This term describes the way a facilitator engages participants and explains how the forum “works”. Participants were enthralled with Marilyn’s natural grace and presentation skills. Impossible to believe that this was Marilyn’s first time! We were presented with a taste of nature, a reflective moment and a healthy dose of inspiration. Participants breathed in the fragrant odor of Pintye Pintye, a healing herb, which brought a lift to the room – refreshing and energising participants.

Right now some people are moving around in the open space technique of moving from group to group like the natural flow of butterflies and bees… cross pollinating each other’s ideas and actions. Connie on the other hand is being a wonderful “billabong”… still, calm and reflective.

Other participants are busily posting sheets on the action plan wall – planning who is going to do what and when… who is going to meet with whom… what the next steps are for the First Nations Education Advisory Body- all for the purpose of engaging parents in schools – part of a DEEWR iniatitive to help Indigenous parents and community members to get involved with schools and education providers.

The forum has included Joanne Watkins, Jude Macy, Terry Presley, Rayelene Middleton, Connie Craig, Dave Ezard, Marlene Chisholm, Kayleen McDonald, Marilyn Cavanagh, Stan Coombe, NArelle Knox,, Monte Karena, Darren Johnson, Wendy O’Brien, Deanella Mack, Maree Hayes, Emma Kefford, Kahlia Preece, Rochelle Fielding, Diane Impu and Rona Graham.

Participants at this PACE Governance Learning Forum are “firing on all cylinders” and this “passion with responsibility” will touch the future… First Nations families will be empowered to improve student learning through our ideas and actions.

How do Indigenous parents and community members engage education providers? How do we create energy for change? Right now a group of parents and community members from all over Alice Springs are passionately involved in a 4 day, open space Governance Learning Forum.

Day one kicked off with an inspirational talk by Darren Johnson who described his experiences as an Indigenous Chairperson of Braitling school council. Then participants set the agenda for the day and got to work debating questions such as:

“How can Aboriginal parents be more engaged in schools?”

“How can parents become more confident to enter schools and engage with school staff in relation to their children’s learning?”

These questions along with a thousand others are being discussed and funnelled down into actions using “Open Space” techniques.

The Open Space process was developed by Harrison Owen who, after a year organising a conference, was told that the coffee breaks were the best part. Now its used by the World Bank, in peace talks in the Middle East, in Australia for corporate business as well in remote desert regions for Indigenous people’s planning actions for care for country.

Owen noticed that when people were able to self organised they accomplished more and were more efficient. He watched this process of natural self organisation during an initiation ceremony of young boys in Africa and adopted the principals for meetings. It has proven so effective that CEO’s use it for strategic planning in Wall Street.

Think of budgerigars flying in and out of a gum tree – they “talk” to who they want to talk to, when they want to, till the conversation is done – then they move on to where their interest and energy takes them. Imagine being able to do this at a meeting and compare that to the last long “Committee” meeting you attended. Open Space creates time for laughter and enjoyment and leaves participants energised, not “energy sapped”.

Back to our Forum… Participants create agenda items based on the topics or issues that they are passionate about. These topics are then discussed in small groups at organised times and fed back into the larger group for action planning.

Right now, the small groups have just joined together and are sharing stories of country, consulting with elders, and how culture can nourish mind and soul in education as well as inform curriculum, attitudes and actions. And in a few minutes this group will turn its attention to what we will do in the next few days and weeks.

Come along and be a part of this exciting event – drop in for the hours you can make it! We are at the Oasis All Seasons Resort on Gap Rd – Wed 24th and Thurs 25th – 9 am till 2:30 and we’ll provide morning tea and lunch.

Stay tuned – the energy, enthusiasm and passion of the attendees is exciting. Be prepared to be surprised!