New Gaze - New World

Talking circle.

Day 1

While everyone was busy preparing their rooms for the night, Aziz's voice was heard "...Workshop! ... " Calling everyone to join the talking circle. 

 Four fingers between the horizon and the height of the sun indicated that there was about an hour left before sunset. Everyone took their places under the white sail forming a circle. Already certain habits were being formed. 

Saida declared the circle open. "To begin with, we are going to do an apparently simple exercise. We will recall all the activities and events that have taken place since the last circle by going back in time. Responses poured in from the floor. 

"We have just prepared our rooms... 

- We had our first teaching... 

 - We have been walking all morning, 

 - We've been walking all morning.

 - No, there was the briefing before... 

- Breakfast... 

- The night. 

- No, there was the folding of the rooms first 

- The evening meal... 

- The last talking circle. 

- Who wants to speak?"

Isabelle raised her hand and the microphone moved towards her from hand to hand. 

"My name is Isabelle. This morning when I woke up, my view of everything that happened to us changed, the imprisonment I felt yesterday was transformed into gratitude for the chance we had been given. So I shouted to anyone who would listen that I wanted to stay. I'm sorry if I woke up some of you... Om." 

"My name is Olivia, walking in the desert, alone with myself and the desert, was a beautiful experience for me, nothing to do but walk, no distractions, no accountability. Just being there, fully... Om." 

"I am Karim. This afternoon Liam told us about synchronicities. As I researched the synchronicities that have occurred in my life, I came to wonder if they had anything to do with fate. 

Liam spoke up. "That's a beautiful observation. It's an answer you'll have to answer for yourself: Have synchronicities ever forced anything upon you?" 

Karim smiled, and with a teasing pout added, "Thank you Liam, it seems I now have a thought for tomorrow's walk... Om."

"Thomas - Yesterday Pierre Duchemin told us about the 8 stages of evolution of humanity. What exactly was he talking about, will we have a teaching on this? - Om. 

Saida answered, "Pierre was talking about the 8 stages of evolution of the dynamic spiral, it is one of the tools that we will teach you in the next days. 

Thomas continued, "We are..." Saida interrupted him to remind him to speak only in his own name, in the first person. "I'm sorry - I'm here as part of a training course initiated by my company, I expect to be taught within my professional framework. But it seems to me that synchronicities go beyond that - Om."

Liam replied - "Do the petals of the Flower of Life stop at your office door? Are you another person at work and in your private life? Indeed, synchronicities know no boundaries, they manifest in all areas of life. But they only make sense to you, and you don't have to communicate them to anyone, so the boundary between private and professional life does not arise."

"My name is Arthur, I think the concept of this training centre is great, I feel good here. I don't know any of you, and yet I have this amazing feeling that I know you - Om."

"I am Thomas, will I have the opportunity to put into practice what I have learned? - Om."

Saida replied, "Thank you for the question. We could describe the flavour of ice cream to you for hours, but only when you taste it will you experience it. The same is true of our teaching, so we will create opportunities on walks or at other times for you to work alone or in groups to absorb and experience these teachings.The circle continued for just over an hour and each person took turns expressing their feelings or asking questions. 

Saida was satisfied, the tensions felt the day before had eased, the teachings brought their share of questions and reflections, and everyone participated in the experience. When the talk was over, the circle was closed by a tablecloth and everyone honoured the evening meal consisting of the daily barley soup and a vegetable stew. The meal ended with some dates and tea and coffee. 

The day before, Aziz had explained to everyone that the digestive systems could be compromised by drinking water directly from the wells as the nomads naturally did. He had therefore recommended that the trainees drink water that had been boiled beforehand.

Then, as they had already done the day before, each one had also filled one or more flasks with hot water which could be quietly cooled during the night to be drunk the next day during the day. In the same way, finding one's room in the night and not getting into the wrong bed was a difficult task, and each one lit a "novena", a candle that lasts 9 days, placed in a coloured tube on top of the dune closest to his bed. Thus, it was enough to remember that one's bed was the red candle framed by the green and yellow ones to quickly find one's bed. Gradually, the usefulness of all the objects that made up the strange list that everyone had received before the trip became clear. Everything had been carefully prepared and nothing was useless. 

 Finally, everyone easily reached their rooms under the starry sky, tired, but also happy with the day.

It was not long before sleep overcame the most resistant.