[Dialogue] Ritual Phrases # 2

[steve har]

Back in the old LENS Seminar spirit conversation days Rick
Laudermilk's coaching was as I remember:

"Ask the question around the table. Write down what people say. Notice
that almost everything starts out, especially with University trained
people with an abstraction. After everyone that chooses to speak. Tell
them you are going to read back the list. Invite people to return to
their own words as they go buy in the list and give an example or
short personal story. Invite someone to actually tell their personal
story listen for and encourage personal details like names, colors,
sounds, locations. See if you can get 3-4 people to tell juicy, short
- especially funny stories so people connect with them and really
"get" the story."

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I don't know if you can do this in a text-thread.

Wondering if there are a couple of interesting stories that someone
might share about Ritual Phrases -- maybe 2-3 paragraphs, say a 100
words absolute max.

Can anyone share a short-short story that begins: "There I was [in abc
location] and [xyz]...

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Here is the 1st Round of Ritual Phrases # 1
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Ken Fisher Before GARO there was GARP. Bev and Hugh Parker of Winnipeg
came back from Summer '66 with 'GRP'. With index fingers crossed in
front of you as an 'X', say ....Good Approved Received Possible

Bill Schlessinger:  God is dead, Go to bed! What memory fails to
recall imagination invents!

Jim Wiegel:For most of a year, I had to go around with the gong and
wake him up.  He gave me a 3 minute window:  earlier than that, he
would go back to sleep.  later than that, he did not have time to get
dressed and would go back to sleep. What great times!!!

David Walters: There was also the morning wakeup ritual that started
withh gong or cow bell. Which was folled at times by an irre3vernt
response by order youth.

Ken Gillgren: Not sure about the pre-school rituals, but I think your
second question refers to a quote by African-American poet Henry Dumas
that I first noticed during the Town Meeting campaign: "We have a
journey to take and little time; we have ships to name and crews."
Even if this doesn't answer your question, I still love the quote.

Joyce Bonafield: Place to stand ....the Eternal Now.  (Tillich) Past
is stamped "approved"

David Walters: There was also one that went like: These are the times.
We are the people.

Lee Early: Seems like "life" is a bit too limited.  I recall the first
word is "ALL" is GOOD

Ellie Stock: Life is good. I am received. The past is approved. The
future is open. We stand in the matrix of the X between the no longer
and not yet.

Beret Griffith: My RS-1 recollection. GARO: All is Good, The Past is
Approved, All is Received, The Future is Open.

Sunny Walker: I am received.  Plus, of course, all is good. One song
went: Good news, all is good. Good news, all is approved. Good news,
all is received. All is possible. Seems like the chorus was: It's the
Word of Life, you are received (3x), that's the Word, the Good News.
Not sure re preschool ritual.

David M Dunn: The one I most remember from my first days at the West
Side was someone?s response to ?Christ is Risen,?  - Yeah, but he had
3 days!!

David M. Dunn: Burna and I still use a daily table ritual that we
learned from Del and Justin in the late '70s: a: All moments, all
events, are part of our sacred pathway. b: Now is our point of power.
a: All is well. b: All is well. a: [Let us eat this meal on behalf
of?] There have been times when we glared at each other across the
table, times when we rolled our eyes at the juxtaposition of events
and ritual, and others when we laughed or shook our heads at some
absurdity in the moment. We have always been deeply grateful for the
Word in the words that are always a saving grace. Del and Justin,words
can not express my gratitude for this simple, life giving ritual.

Paul Schrijnen: Some of our colleagues went around saying: "You are
the greatest". What a fine thing that is, was and will be.

Del Morell: The one I most  remember from my first days at the West
Side was someone?s response to ?Christ  is Risen,?  - Yeah, but he had
3 days!!

Larry Philbrook: Some still do. I just had a group from the UN sing
I'm the greatest this afternoon

Landolphe D’Aquin MD:I recall:  The future is open.  You can decide.
That's the way it is.  Be it so.

David M. Dunn: GARO: All is Good, The Past is Approved, All is
Received, The Future is Open. All is good?I am received. Yes? (The
universal and the particular.) David

Wayne Nelson: Was that an information question?

Jim Baumbach: "Grapes and peas, do as you please" Too much time spent
with the Emergency Generators (EG)

Paula Philbrook: My family's first sojourn we were greeted in the
morning by Joe Slicker "Feet on the floor"

Tracy Longacre: I must say that this Easter, as I arose at 4am for our
5am service, since I am currently living in community, I  remembered
our wake up ritual "Praise the Lord, Christ is Risen. He is risen,
indeed." and marvelled at the well-honed ability of many to respond
with utter clarity while still fully asleep.

Don Bushman: I too remember the same response coming from Bill's door.

Bill Schlessinger: What marvelous memories we develop in our later
years! So creative!

Del Morrell: Thanks so much, David, for sharing a memory I had
forgotten.  The ritual is one I still use personally, in similar
words, but had forgotten that it is also a great one for that meal
across from those closest to you.  Thanks for reminding me of its
value in building and maintaining important relationships to one
another, and to all those of the earth, seas and skies.

--
Steve