LISTENING CIRCLES

Nice to meet you, my name is Irit 😊
I’ve been hosting listening circles for over seven years now.
The listening circle as a concept,
taught and is teaching me to invite more perspectives
in addition to those I already have in me.

It is a way that develops a different perspective
about relationships, about the world and about speaking and listening
in a deeper manner that creates a reality which reveals a more
open heart, compassion, caring, unity, forgiveness, openness,
greater flexibility along with inner listening to the whispers of the heart,
in relationships of any kind – between me and myself,
between me and others/family/community/the world.

Each circle-At a specific moment
is unique and there is no one like it

It is impossible to have the same experience twice,
life does not grow out of the past,
The entire universe was born in that moment…
and the moment after that.. and the one after that..
Each moment is created, in the present and in its being.

From my heart to your heart,
Sincere love only 🤍
Irit Oz

The listening circle method allows for the development of deep listening to ourselves and others and the adoption of close communication that strengthens both speaker and listener.

The method emphasizes listening without judgment and criticism, speaking truthfully and authentically and seeing the other with acceptance and respect.

Practicing the art of speaking and listening from the heart is a very important skill and it is acquired. Meaning, it can be practiced and developed.

It is a skill that encourages honesty, helping us build new communication patterns in relationships, family, work and community, as our hearts learn to remain open and compassionate.

The listening circle method is based on the narrative approach of life stories, with their help, a new presence, spontaneity and a sincere and authentic channel of communication are opened between the participants, its origin comes from ancient culture, in which the circle was the center of life, within it the person was privileged to feel belonging, and to be a part of the whole.

Through listening to the stories that resonate as reflections in the soul of the listener, deep insights emerge about their life and the way they see others, a process that allows a person a potential for transformation and healing that brings more connection and expansion from the heart to the heart, and remembering our common humanity.

The circle helps us to soften, bring compassion to ourselves, to others, helps to consciously develop speaking and listening from the heart, invites us to get out of our heads and judge less, to see human beings under nationality, gender, religion and race.

In this sense, there is something completely cosmopolitan here, and therefore its influence is very great in situations of multiculturalism/opinions/shades and in any other situation, including in this complex period.

Generous listening is the connecting thread and every story is the story of all of us,
Each story evokes something different in us and therefore in the simple and naked truth, the division does not exist and there remains a diversity of viewpoints and not only…

You practice it over and over through the listening circle and stories like training in a gym.
There is something simple in the circle, yet full of power and presence that connects and opens the heart along with the support of the four intentions that give us order and direction through the time of the circle.

In the end, as we train in listening circles, we will learn to develop the ability to speak and listen from the heart, including the trust of the four intentions – all this and more, certainly allows us to develop this into an art and turn it into a natural and beneficial way that will pass and flow into life in every interaction we have.

The circle is suitable for any person of any age, for each group respectively so that the circle will serve the group according to its goals and according to its characteristics, the place, the time and more…

*This is not a therapeutic practice.

There is an invitation here to inner work on the qualities of a human being and thus I learn to reduce judgment on myself and others and accept things as they are, without labeling, identifying, expressing an opinion, reacting and everything that creates division that always creates hierarchy.

You-I, I have/you don’t have, so and so…good/bad, etc.

The practical art of the listening circle invites us, to still remain openhearted, despite the beliefs and translations of our mind that include thinking in polarities and judgments.
It is an art that must be practiced.

The word guidance means that it is group guidance in the sense that there is a group process here and not in the sense that someone is guiding and other are guided.
There is really no guidance on where to go and in which direction…
By only existing in the present moment, here and now, the magic happens.

The role of the professional facilitator is mainly to enable – to be present and committed to what is happening at this moment instead of trying to make the circle “successful”.
They constitute a “servant” of the group and lead the process while also participate at the same time – “wearing two hats” – a unique challenge for the method.

They use not only words but also silence, movement, games, non-verbal communication and other tools that help authenticity to be expressed in all its manifestations.

Experienced facilitators are a “reflections” in the sense that after the end of the circle the participants are less impressed by them and more by the feeling of consolidation, the common connection, the heart that opens and the “wisdom of the circle” that was discovered and belongs to everyone.

In this period when the division of “you/me/them” is stronger than ever, arguments, lack of real listening, hatred, groups, objections, emotional confusion, mental confusion, lack of patience and tolerance, feelings of insecurity and uncertainty in the body and more, this has a direct effect on us, feeling of our internal stability shaking and huge changes occurring, both inside ourselves and between us and the people around us and the world.

Today more than ever the qualities of the circle are necessary for us!

In the listening circle, we learn to listen to what is present within us spontaneously, to discover it again and again, thereby also strengthening the connection to our inner listening, to our inner anchor.
Over time, this opens up our ability to express ourselves more fully, clearly, deeply and create empowering communication that connects and strengthens the speaker and the listener.

In addition, the circle provides mental flexibility, self-investigation of values, formation of a model for sharing, and direct and honest communication in an equal way between different people.
The listening circle reminds us of being part of a community, an affiliation group, and provides security and inner peace.

We all need this, an embracing and respectful tribalism.
Don’t we?

The rationale behind the 4 intentions is to emphasize:
How I talk and not what I’m talking about
This is the foundation.

To this end, there are four intentions that support us throughout the entire time of the circle and then later in life.
The four intentions come from the will of the heart to remain open and therefore are not rules or regulations.
Even when I speak or listen, I keep in mind the 4 intentions, which are the foundation
for communication in all relationships.


The four intentions:

1. Speaking from the heart –
Speaking in the first person, speaking authentically,
honestly and bringing full self-expression in the moment.

2. Generous listening from the heart –
Listening by suspending judgement/criticism/opinion,
listening fully and sincerely to the story itself.

3. Spontaneity –
Full presence in the here and now, in the speaker and in the story itself.

4. Speak “lean” –
Lean speech – focused, sensitive to group size and time,
concise and to the point.

Listening circles can be adapted to each group.
Work, Family, Relationship, Children.

– Feel free to contact us for more details –

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