Supplies List Suggestions:
Paper and pen, water and/or tea.
60-90 min training
What is the role of a Circle Guide?
Your role as a guide is much like being a guide in the wilderness. We think of the prompts as a way to keep us on the trail and prepare for changing terrain. We are not responsible for our participants healing or the content that they share. It's between them and nature. (What is the landscape the circle will be journeying to? How does the terrain evolve? Watching the river and knowing it’s features)
You have curated prompts that are appropriate for building authentic connections. Allowing for emergent wisdom to rise up. The circle solves it’s own problems.
Tools that we invoke as guides: Self care and compassion, grounding ourselves, awareness of matching pictures, levels of responsibility, D-Tool (read the clearing script).
Participants Perspective
What happens in the circle from a Participant's Perspective? They arrive to the circle potentially feeling anxious, fearful of being put on the spot → the medicine of the circle can transform this to a feeling of belonging and healing thru the power of storytelling. From their perspective our prompts are random. There is not much introduction. Sometimes they don't even know who the circle guides are.
Circle Guides Perspective
What happens in the circle from a Guide’s Perspective? (Presence, self-compassion, trust in the circle) You have spent time asking yourself what the circle needs? Using the Five Elements chart, developing prompts to create easeful progress, deciding who will deliver a prompt, how you will deliver it, curating your story telling response and debriefing afterwards.
Phases of a Circle
Phase One Prompts
Quick Hello, Here we are (Elders)
- Bring a quote or song lyric that has meaning for you?
- What is one of your superpowers?
- What is your favorite season
- What rituals do you use to connect you to a season?
- What is a quote/lesson from an elder?
- Share about a time you shared/prepared a meal with an elder?
- What is a food or a drink you love?
Phase Two Prompts
Tell me a story, I want to know more about you
- What is something you are afraid of outdoors?
- Tell a story about your name?
- Tell a story of a time when something caught fire? Share a story about being around a fire?
- Share a story about a time you were lost?
- Tell a story about a date that left you scratching your head in confusion (or laughter)
- Share a story about who has influenced you in your profession/life?
- Share a story about looking at the sky?
- Share a story of something you grew to love?
- Share a story about fixing something?
Phase Three Prompts + Reflection
Why are we here? Purpose
- Why are we here?
- What breaks your heart?
- How have you been misunderstood in: School/home/relationships/ work/life?
- What disrespect have you witnessed?
- What is something you don’t readily reveal about your relationship patterns?
- Have you ever judged someone for making a bad decision/unhealthy pattern? Reflection: Tell me about a moment when someone held space for you?
- Who or what can you depend on?
- What harm has the community done towards you/organization?
- What would it feel like if life eased up on you? (This could be a Reflection)
- Who or what have you let into your life? (this could be a good reflection)
Phase Four Prompts
Closing the wound and going back to the “real world”
- What is the pearl that you carry with you?
- What is something the circle process has given you? (This can also be used as a phase one question on a 3 or 4the circle)
- What is one intention for the day?
- How do you replenish yourself?
- How do you celebrate your achievements?
- What does it look like to be nourished?
- What is a gift the earth gives you?
- What are your two best qualities?
- What is one thing that is true about you?
- What is a quality or talent you have?
- What does offering forgiveness look like?
- What is another word for _____?
