Exploring the Integral Life website
while utilizing the
Focused Integral Group Discussion
San Diego Integral has become a member of Integral Life ( https://integrallife.com/ ).
At our next meeting we’ll explore the Integral Life website to see what it offers us in the four dimensions of our lives.
We’ll look for content that we can explore as individuals and as a group in a future meeting.
We’ll learn what content is available to address our relationships, spirituality, and inner life and ways to approach our work life, local and global community.
An emerging focus of Integral Life is Integral Life Practices (ILP) with many new offerings that are now free. Titles included are ‘What’s Beneath Your Anxiety?’ by Integral Life, ‘Profound Connection’ by Diane Hamilton, ‘Death & Dying’ by Andrew Holecek, ‘Loving Completely’ by Keith Witt, ‘Discover Your Type’ by Helen Palmer, ‘Always Already: The Brilliant Clarity Of Ever-Present Awareness’ by Ken Wilber.
Active members of San Diego Integral will have access to the username/password for the Integral Life website.
After this exploration of the website Tom & Larry will use selected material to expand the development of the Focused Integral Group Discussions (FIGD). The FIGD was a promising format begun in our February 2017 meeting. San Diego Integral is pioneering this format to explore the potentials of the collective We. A description of this format follows below.
Focused Integral Group Discussion
Format Description
A Focused Integral Group Discussion (FIGD) is a meta-structuring format developed by SDI where we briefly switch into an agreed upon process to facilitate We Space. The objective is to collectively feel deeper into any topic and promote a causal state experience. A Focused Integral Group process is “running in the background” until a salient moment rises that we want to explore.
I. This moment is identified by the “moderator” who will help maintain focus.
II. Moderator Feedback
The moderator judges content and provides real time feedback according to these six criteria. To avoid interrupting flow the moderator will use 4 cards (1-4) to provide feedback as to the quality of the input. At our inaugural meeting the moderator did not provide real time feedback to allow the development of familiarity and comfort with the process. Nevertheless, the desired intention was achieved with the awareness of these rankings. They are
1 * on topic/flow
2 * worthwhile/stipulated
3 * worthwhile/premature
4 * worthwhile/off topic
5 * tangential/off topic
6 * did not respond/off topic
Rankings of individual input are in descending order of quality toward the stated purpose.
Participants adjust or maintain a line of thought depending upon moderator feedback. For example, if the moderator indicates, worthwhile/stipulated, the point has been acknowledged or accepted and the group moves on. If content is judged worthwhile/premature, the group continues current exploration until it is time for this addition. All /off topic contributions are dropped and the moderator will bring the discussion back on to focus. The group commits to adjusting input to achieve flow. Persistent /off topic rankings by a moderator suggest that an individual is not suited for a focused discussion.
III. Format
There will be 3 periods of a Focused Integral Group Discussion. Two during the presentation and one after the presenter finishes. As mentioned, the moderator will identify a moment of flow and stop the presentation. A FIGD consist of 3-8 minutes of formal flow followed by 5 minutes of discussion. We learned in the inaugural meeting of FIGD that significant flow was indeed achieved during discussion. Formal flow is distinguished by a focus upon the specific content and participation is more tightly defined. The moderator will signal the end of formal flow indicating the beginning of discussion. Discussion is more wide open but still attempting to maintain flow consistent with the six criteria above.
Thank-you for helping us experiment with developing the WE space.
DIRECTIONS: From Rancho Santa Fe Road, turn onto El Camino Del Norte. Go 6⁄10 of a mile, then turn Left onto Val Sereno. When Val Sereno dead ends at Via de Caballo, turn Right. At the dead end cul de sac, turn Right at a large wooden sign with house numbers and follow the narrow extension down the hill. At the bottom of the hill, turn Left. My half of the townhouse is at the end, 3197, double green doors.
Parking is limited. One car can park in front of my end of the duplex. One car can park to the right of my duplex neighbor. Three cars can park in the guest slots before the townhouse. The rest of you will have to park at the top of the hill before the wooden sign and then walk down the hill. I suggest that you bring a flash light to return up the hill to your car. Sorry for this inconvenience.
If you get lost, call Anne’s home phone, 858-759-9215. See you soon.
You can also call Eloy at 760 522-4679.