Weaving the Word in Circle

Weaving the Word in Circle practice is based on the exchange of knowledge that is shared from the heart, with sweet word and rooted in the feeling-thinking, thus sharing the knowledge of the wise community, connecting diversity in unity towards collective actions.

Some ideas to practise Weaving the Word in Circle

Inspired by the ancestral social technology of the Word Circles of the original peoples of Abya Yala, we have created spaces for conversation with wise people, on the exchange of local, regenerative, intercultural and bioregional knowledge, generating a cross-pollination between local actions of ecosocial transition in the territories and the dissemination and rapprochement of realities as a contribution to the paradigm shift in the face of the civilisatory crisis.

This practice consists of introducing participants to the talking circle methodology as an effective tool for communication and relationship building based on active, empathetic and participatory listening. A specific topic is chosen and the guardians and/or knowers are invited to share their experience. There is a talking stick that invites participants to bring their contributions to the weaving.

From ancestral principles, to weave community and unify actions, one has to sweeten the word and think beautifully. The act of listening harmonises, creates connection between participants even if they come from different cultures, ranks or genders, the circle generates a real participatory democracy, where diversity is woven into unity.

The practice invites us to concretise actions at the end of the circle and trains us to listen and communicate, as well as to make decisions and co-create in commUNITY. This is why the circle of words weaves a harmonious and dynamic interrelationship between human communities and nature.

You can use the below resources to become more skilled at this. Explore them at your own leisure:

Webinar PPT

Kuku y Rob - Abya Yala - PT Tejiendo la Palabra en Círculo

Google Docs

Youtube series

• Inspiring Stories
• Let's Speak about Transition in Colombia
• Let's Speak about Transition in Latin America

Videos

• Los siete círculos de la palabra - Oralidad
• El círculo de palabras: Una herramienta única para la comunicación y la educación
• Círculo de palabra con sabedoras y sabedores mayores mhuysqas, 2014
• Conversatorio 'Círculo de la Palabra'. Centro Nacional de las Artes de Colombia
• Dr. Arturo Escobar, Tejiendo El Pluriverso Congreso Latinoamericano de Etnobiología, 2015

Articles

• "Reinterpretando las civilizaciones: de la crítica a las transiciones" by Arturo Escobar
• "El círculo de la palabra, tecnología ancestral e intercultural en la comunidad Yanakuna" - Popayán Cauca
• "Círculos de Palabra - Raíces de la Tierra"
• "Círculo de palabra: pedagogía del Laboratorio de Pensamientos, Naturaleza y Cultura", Revista Antares Uniminuto

We encourage you to:

• Learn and practice deep, active and empathic listening.
• Learn about the weaving of the pluriverse, in order to understand how the word is woven, how actions focused on a common purpose are manifested.
• Integrate cultural and creative practices in the circle, methodologies that are specific to or inspired by the people of origin, such as dance, song, food and the word stick.
• Find the place of nurturing and nourishing in community. Dialogue in the circle provides fertile ground for opening the heart and remembering that each being is important to sustain the fabric of life, sharing the word on the basis of equality, mutual respect, active and empathetic listening and the meeting of knowledge in the service of life.

Check out Abya Yala website and socials (Instagram, Facebook)

We stay in touch through the Practising Transition space in the Transition Movement Virtual Platform.

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