Sit here with me.
I want to tell you
the stories of your
ancestors.

Make sure you are comfortable–
this is a long story
and it must be told slowly,
exactly as it was given.

This story goes back
a long, long way
and I will tell it to you
the way it was told to me.

You must learn to tell it too.
Some of it is heroic,
Some of it is sad.
Some of it is funny, some hard to hear.

Once told
this story
will explain
you.

We have told this story
to our children from the beginning of time.
You must tell it to your children.
Don’t leave anything out.

Every word the same.
That’s how we call
the old ones back
to live with us forever.

© Patrick O’Neill 2010. All rights reserved

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• 

A Visionmaker always sees wherever they are as the only possible place to begin a journey of meaning. He or she accepts the present moment as the place of power. Manifestation can only occur in the here and now.

This also means accepting present circumstances, no matter how daunting, and facing them squarely. “If only things were different,” is not a principle of Visionmaking. When we stop resisting the present, we begin to see it for what it is–a departure point rather than a prison cell or a torture chamber.

When you see the present this way, you also begin to see its possibilities. The ever-present “now,” wherever it is, is always the right place and the right time to meet Destiny.

Starting anywhere requires us to initiate action. “We are the children of our deeds,” says an old Spanish saying. It suggests that by starting anywhere we transform ourselves through action. Initiating action creates a partnership with Desiny in generating a path of heart and meaning rather than expecting one to be there. That is entitlement not enterprise.

Many people are all talk. They yak and yak and never act. Others put off to tomorrow what can be captured only in the moment. Still others are rendered impotent by thinking about things rather than doing them.

A Visionmaker is action-oriented. He or she acts from the heart, remembering that each step brings us closer to Destiny.

© Patrick O’Neill 2010. All rights reserved

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• 

Align your ears
to the truth.
Listen carefully
to every word.
The voice of the heart
cannot be imitated,
has no scheme,
seeks no advantage.
It is neither silky nor cunning.
You will hear this voice
once your own desires
are tamed.
Then your ears
can open to wisdom.
Listen for the modesty
of plain talk–
straight, simple and direct.
Though in short supply
immediately,
you will recognize
the cadence.
Know that you are never
seduced
by anyone
but yourself.

© Patrick O’Neill 2010. All rights reserved

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• 

I am in San Francisco this week attending an unusal gathering of visionaries and leaders in organizational development looking at what is emerging in the field and what we might do together that would be meaningful and make a difference.

So far, not much is emerging on the “to-do” list that is tangible other than the reassurance that we are all out there fighting the good fight in some way, shape or form. Perhaps that’s enough?

As I reflect on my career so far, I like to think that more has been accomplished than simply greasing the wheels of enterprise. Seeds have been planted, dreams have unfolded, meaning has been struck, and some suffering has been alleviated.

I have also been the recipient of many gifts from the people I have worked for and with over the years.

If work is the great crucible of creativity then I give thanks for the opportunity it has provided to discover, develop and practice expressing my gifts in the world with the intent of leaving things a little better than I found them.

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• 

Recently we held the second of four Visionmaker programs, The Vision of the Heart. It was well attended, with many of those who took Vision 2010 returning for the second installment. These programs were quite different and the remaining two programs will be as well.

The feedback has been very positive for both offerings. “Life altering,” has been mentioned as a positive outcome from the work so far.

The Vision of the Heart focussed on Angeles Arrien’s model of The Four-Chambered Heart. Anatomically, the heart has four distinct chambers and in some traditional societies, these chambers have been recognized with visionary functions.

The full, open, clear and strong heart are the home of vision. When we are full, open, clear and strong-hearted, we can see what has heart and meaning.

If the heart becomes half, closed, filled with doubts, or weakens, it becomes difficult to see who or what is most important to our happiness and well-being.

The Vision of the Heart program focussed on unburdening the heart and reclaiming our visionary compass. We worked with practices of reflection, dialogue, time in nature, ritual and journeying as the access points to seeing next steps in personal leadership, relationships, work and community involvement.

Our next offering is The Cycle of Visionmaking, September 25, 26 in Toronto. The Cycle of Visionmaking program will feature the central practices of vision work. You are most welcome to join us, whether you have participated in other workshops with us, or if it is your first time. The groups are friendly and inclusive.

For more information, please visit our website at www. extraordinaryconversations.com. I hope to see you there.

© Patrick O’Neill 2010. All rights reserved

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• 

Poundmaker
beating a black ash log
with a four-pound hammer
making splints from the wood.
Why did that grandfather
teach you to make baskets that way?
Poundmaker
beating that log
for seven days straight.
It has yet to disappear.
I asked you for mercy on day four.
Couldn’t see straight
or remember what I was doing.
Sound bouncing off the mountains
ringing through the trees,
and around the lake,
settling in my skull.
Why do you do it?
Reading the story of the land, you say,
and listening to the spirit of the wood.
Damn you, Poundmaker,
and damn your four-pound hammer,
beating the daylight
out of that black ash log.
Why must you weave your baskets
from the flesh of the past?

© Patrick O’Neill 2010. All rights reserved

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