.
One of the things that make a Wisdom Circle different from an everyday discussion is the Native American custom of a “talking stick” or talking object. The actual purpose of the talking object is to focus our attention on listening to the individual who is speaking. This honored process teaches us to practice slowing down, silence the outer and inner noise, open our hearts, attentively and lovingly listen, completely bring our focus to another, actively be in the moment and fully present.

The basis for the guidelines are simple and supportive:

• Only the person holding the talking object speaks
• We speak honestly from the heart.
• We listen patiently and empathically.
• We allow and respect silence.
• We keep personal information confidential

With these guidelines in mind, the Wisdom Circle is a powerful tool for our personal and spiritual growth.

The Ten Constants (As adapted by the Wisdome Circle Organization)
These constants create a safe environment that allows participants to tap their innate capacity relate to each other in a context of wisdom and compassion.

1. Honor the Circle as sacred time and space by doing simple rituals to mark the beginning and the end. A ritual creates a shared sensory experience and demarcation from ordinary life. Light a candle, for example, or take a moment to breathe deeply. You can be as creative as you want.
2. Create a collective center by mutually agreeing upon a topic or intention. A question is usually a useful way to frame the topic. Make a physical center in the middle of the circle.
3. Ask to be informed by our highest human values such as compassion and truth, by the wisdom of those who have gone before us and by the needs of those yet to be born. One person can speak for the group, or each person can do a personal invocation.
4. Express gratitude for the blessings and teachings of life. Acknowledge and honor our interdependence with everything in the Web of Life. In silence, or by taking turns, give thanks for those things great and small whose gifts enrich and nourish you.
5. Create an environment for full participation and deep truth telling. Allow each person to speak without interruption or cross talk. Use an object that may be passed around the circle or taken from and returned to the center. Respect a member’s right to silence. Keep everything confidential.
6. Listen devoutly and serve as compassionate witness for others in the circle. To be an effective witness requires paying attention to what is being said without interpreting, judging, or tying to “fix” or rescue the person speaking. It also means a willingness to discover something about yourself in the stories of other people.
7. Speak from the heart and direct experience. When you are moved to speak, do so thoughtfully and with care. Avoid abstract conceptual language, and stay in touch as much as possible with your feelings. As this capacity develops, you may be moved to share those feelings and to say difficult things without self-judgment and without blaming others.
8. Make room for silence to enter to allow reflection, for meditation, for feelings to surface and for a sense of the sacred to emerge as the group proceeds.
9. Empower each member to be a co-facilitator of the process. Encourage each other to give voice to feelings of satisfaction or discomfort with the group’s process. If desired, designate a different person to be the circle-maker each time-readying the setting, initiating the opening and closing rituals, and facilitating a consensus on the topic.
10. Commit to an ongoing relationship with each person in the circle so as to engender trust and caring among members. Extend that caring to other people, to the Earth and all her creatures by practicing capacities developed within the Wisdom Circle in daily life.

To check for dates and locations, go to Scheduled Events.