Posts tagged with "orientation"

Orientation Re-visited

On the 25 May we had our last Natural Change day at the Scottish Book Trust.  So, I have been thinking about orientation and endings.

A definition: orientation

Pronunciation:/ˌɔːrɪənˈteɪʃ(ə)n, ˌɒr-/

Noun [mass noun]

• 1 the action of orienting someone or something relative to the points of a compass or other specified positions
• [count noun] the relative position or direction of something
• Zoology the faculty by which birds and other animals find their way back to a place after going or being taken to a place distant from it
• 2 a person’s basic attitude, beliefs, or feelings in relation to a particular subject or issue
• 3 familiarization with something
• (also orientation course) chiefly North American a course giving information to newcomers to a university or other institution

I am struck again by this definition.  I am struck by the circularity of our journey.  What of my ‘basic attitudes, beliefs or feelings in relation to this particular subject or issue’, in relation to Natural Change?   This process has been a deep one.  It has been an affective journey for me.  Feeling my way into knowing, feeling my way into understanding is what I am doing and will continue to do over the weeks, months, years to come. I feel the effects every day in small ways and where this may lead is becoming clearer every day.  For me, the process has been akin to the idea of ‘consciousness raising’ pioneered by early feminists.  Once the scales have been removed from the eyes, it is difficult to imagine seeing the world any other way.  Ecological consciousness is no longer a lens through which to view the world, but the eyes you see with.  I feel as though I see the world with new eyes.

We do a focussing exercise in pairs.  Dave has asked us to think of our ‘big’ intention, our ‘life’ intention.  It feels an onerous task to me!  Surprisingly, my intention emerges with startling clarity and the focussing time gifts me with another powerful image to carry: “I need to keep finding holes in the ice.”

A definition: end

Noun

Pronunciation: /ɛnd/

• 1 a final part of something, especially a period of time , an activity, or a story:
• 2 the furthest or most extreme part of something
• 3 a part or person’s share of an activity
• 4 a goal or desired result

The circle is a little smaller than when we began last September. We stand shoulder to shoulder and take a moment to think of the others. We take a step back.  We take another step back.   We are separate. We smile at one another, conscious of what we have shared. We hug each other. We have found our way back after being taken to a place distant from here and on our return have found ourselves changed.