It seems the weather today is not yet convinced which set-up it wants to provide, be it the moisty greyish, the dry white or rather the fresh and shiny blue. Anyways, latest when the smooth vibes of a morning playlist by our DJ Roy are waving through the Rotundan, everything is alright. We walk the space, we feel ourselves, we look around, greet, shake each others hands, elbows and knees. We tune into the third day the jazzy way, move and groove, and feel the waves consciously inside out. Today we gonna ride them.
Soon the air smells like a Collective Story Harvest and yes, we see twelve storytellers appearing out of the waters and standing in the inner circle. After short trailers, the first FOMO (fear of missing out) can be felt within the room. But life is choice, so few moments later the twelve brave companions have their host, harvesters and a witness at their side.
What happens then is for someone who is experiencing this for the first time, almost extraterrestrial: it’s the creation of a story multiverse. All over the place own story entities are rotating and electromagnetic fields vibrating. Each one is different in its elements and its dynamic, but all are driven by the same cosmic laws of opening up and letting hearts speak and listen. Astonishment, joy, anger, fear, admiration, sadness, compassion, vulnerability, trust. How deeply can one be moved, how deeply touched by another life? How much healing can happen, when humans share their humanness. How much love can your heart bare? Puh, time for Fika.
But this cannot be over yet. Luckily a Collective Story Harvest Café pops up, and all the roles gather together and reflect the learning experience in an iterative way of co-creation. Finally all perspectives share their main three insights. Each of them one could easily sell as a postcard, like “Courage is to stay true to your own heart” or “ When you are vulnerable and pure, the real magic occurs”. Collective wisdom in action. Surprisingly this got even sweetened by an all of a sudden emerging trio performance: clarinet, guitar and a Russian seed blossoming up to a colourful flower. What did we just constate about occurring magic?! Another, Puh-moment and time for lunch.
Weather has decided: it’s an amazing sunny spring day. And - what a co(creational)incidence - the schedule says, it’s now the time for a silent Solo Walk. Primetime with oneself in nature and the nature in oneself.
After returning back to the circle, a new, forward-pushing wind arises and the Knowledge Activation begins. Again, we can see courageous persons stepping into higher spheres. This time they are either AoH-experienced facilitators or trainers of other concepts and offer generously their knowledge. ‘The 8 Breaths of Design’, ‘the Art of Invitation’, ‘when to use which method’, ‘Sociocracy’ are just some out of a rich variety and again the FOMO monster occurs in some minds. But take it easy, at least there are two slots of sessions.
Afterwards, we gather back in the circle and get a Design from Harvest teach, juicy and lively, dancing between theory and and example of practical application in Australia. All interesting, but yet “the mind enjoys the most when it has a task”, so in that manner we move onwards to the Design For Wiser Action.
For the third time that day new surfers of change arise and speak up: project owners pitching a project that will be realized in the near future and who are grateful for any design assistance. From a reforestation project with kids, to an international Convention on Youth Education, to enhancing empathy in medical students curriculum, to a mindset shift of 150,000 IKEA employees, to the survival strategy for a small German village, to an UNESCO biosphere protection project, to a 12 hours experiential dialogue on digital stress, to a 2,5 hour slot to enlighten scientists about the power of storytelling - damn, yes, there is so much to do in this world - RIGHT NOW! So forget the FOMO monster (it turned into a little puppy that moment!), choose and let’s get started - time is precious! The room feels like a collective roll up of sleeves and rubbing hands. Around 3-4 “co-designers” gather with the project owner around a table, having the DFWA template in poster seize as their centre. Only 10 minutes left, but time is anyways opportunistic, especially when present beings co-create presents for the future. To be continued, tomorrow's frame is set. And now, let it rain. let this container of energy be grounded. And so it does, in the collective check-out of the day. Time for the Gala dinner.
So what more to say? Or rather not to say? A father dancing in the empty space with his baby in his arms. A spontaneous co-creational clap performance after Mary-Alice and Tracy's dining speech, a great and global open mic session...waves of connectedness are raving into the night.