Guidelines For Use

Accepting Our Invitation…

An Inquiry. We designed the Rapture Robe as a gateway into a larger conversation. Our research reveals a diverse array of perspectives and points of view.

· What effect do these revelations have upon you?
· What do you believe is happening in these times?
· What do others believe?
· What effect do these beliefs have upon your daily experience?
· How do you talk with those whose beliefs differ from yours?

As you ask yourself these questions, we offer a suggestion for a way of being or an attitude that will facilitate openness and acceptance for yourself and for others.

“Curiosity is the orientation of a learner, a return to awe, wonder, interest, and engagement. Curious inquiry is asking questions before reacting; questions encourage participation. It is not about reacting to people and situations with judgmental statements that obscure what others are thinking and extinguish their contribution. This is inquiry with sincerity, genuine interest, and the intention of discovering the wonder of others’ input, insight, and wisdom.

The absence of curious inquiry over time generates resentment and resignation. Trust is eroded and with it commitment, contribution, and loyalty. By contrast, curious inquiry is about questions that allow others to engage in dialogue that is respectful and genuine rather than experiencing interrogation. And, curious inquiry is about revealing reality, stripped of illusions and assumptions that lead to idealized and usually unsuccessful control. Artful listening is listening beyond the mind’s ability to interpret words. It is listening with the heart, learning to appreciate the emotions and passions of another. A person practicing artful listening accepts the truth of another’s view without abandoning one’s own truth." from Janet M. Harvey, (A Guide to Getting It: Powerful Leadership Skills, 2002)

Starting from the point of view of curious inquiry and artful listening, we offer three different sets of simple guidelines for engaging the larger conversation. We encourage you to review and experiment with the methods described below. First we invite you to begin the inquiry with yourself. Then we offer an approach for a conversation with a partner and other loved ones. Later, as you feel bolder, try the methods designed for conversations with friends and with your extended community.

Individual and Partner Practice. Before you have a conversation with someone else, it is useful to sit down with the Rapture Robe box in a quiet place and ask yourself some questions. You may want to write down your answers for later reference.

- What happens in you when you open the Pearly Gates on the box?
- What do you feel when you hear the celestial music?
- What do you know about the Rapture?
- Do you believe in the Rapture?
- If you are one of the chosen ones, what happens to those who are left behind?
- What would you do if you were the one left behind?
- Have you thought about the End Times?
- In your imagination, what happens in the End Times?
- Is the earth alive to you? Are you part of it?
- How are you an expression of God?
- How do you understand God or Spirit?
- If we were in a time of spiritual transformation, what would we be transforming into?
- What vision do you have for what you would like to see on this planet?

Let these questions and the pages of this website take you on a journey of discovery into what you believe. Explore where your beliefs come from. Question what these beliefs mean for your future and ask yourself what choices you have.

If you would like to take this journey with a partner, we suggest the following guidelines:

1) If possible, have both people answer the questions for themselves first, taking enough time to really explore. Again, it is preferable to write your answers.

2) With your partner, find a quiet space and an uninterrupted time where you can ask each other the same questions. You may want to take one question at a time or a series of questions, asking the question and hearing your partner’s written or spontaneous answer.

3) For a first round, try not to comment on the answers. Be curious. Appreciate--without argument, judgment, discussion or evaluation--that this is a different person who may see the world in a different way from you some of the time.

4) After both people have spoken, you may want to discuss your answers and go back and forth in a conversation. An alternative is for one person to be the questioner who asks a series of questions, probing more deeply into the partner‘s beliefs before changing roles.

5) Close with some appreciation for each other and for yourself for being willing to engage in deeper inquiry.

Conversations with Groups. Sometimes you’ll have people over and a conversation around the Rapture Robe will emerge. Or you might want to purposely invite friends and neighbors to have a dialogue around the Rapture and the Rapture Robe. You could even take the Rapture Robe to a café and get a conversation started among strangers.

   Council. There are many technologies for having a more formal conversation where everyone gets to share their truth and be heard. The simplest of these is Council, where you sit in a circle and each person speaks, one at a time. Similar to the partner process, the person speaking holds a talking piece (an object from nature, something sacred to you, or could be the box itself) and speaks spontaneously from the heart, saying what is true for oneself and being lean, i.e. saying what is necessary to say, but not more or less. Others are silent, listening from the heart. The talking piece is passed around until everyone has spoken. You may want to go another round.

It often helps to have an intention for the Council such as:

* To understand each other better
* To hear all points of view, or
* To appreciate our diversity

Some people light a candle as a way of shifting from social conversation to more sacred conversation.

Focalizing questions like any of the above are also helpful: What does the Rapture mean to you or bring up in you? What would it mean if we were in the End Times? How would we know? What would we do?

"Council is the practice of speaking and listening from the heart. Through compassionate, heartfelt expression and empathic, non-judgmental listening, Council inspires a non-hierarchical form of deep communication that reveals a group's vision and purpose. Council offers effective means of resolving conflicts and for discovering the deeper, often unexpressed needs of individuals and organizations. …Council is about our personal and collaborative story." http://www.ojaifoundation.org/Content/council_intro.php

Conversation Café. A process that incorporates council and adds a few more basic guidelines is Conversation Café. Conversation Cafes can be held anywhere—in your livingroom, church or literally at a cafe with strangers—on any relevant topic that has meaning to the participants. From the Conversation Café website http://www.conversationcafe.org/ here are the simple guidelines.

   Café Agreements. Everyone who participates in a Conversation Café is asked to agree to a set of guidelines that set the tone of the gathering. Agreements for a great conversation:

* Open-mindedness: listen to and respect all points of view
* Acceptance: suspend judgment as best you can
* Curiosity: seek to understand rather than persuade
* Discovery: question old assumptions, look for new insights
* Sincerity: speak for yourself about what has personal heart and meaning
* Brevity: go for honesty and depth but don't go on and on

   Café Process Preparation. The host will have nametags, paper and pencil (for note taking), an object (something symbolic or just handy) that is held by the person speaking, and optionally a centerpiece (a Conversation Cafe table tent or a mini checkered table cloth for quick identification, or a candle, flower, etc.).

   Welcome. The host welcomes everyone, states the theme for the café, reads the agreements, sets an ending time, and maybe calls for a moment of silence to relax, reflect and become open.

   Round one. Each person speaks in turn, going around the circle once. Each person holds the talking object while they speak. During this round, everyone says their name and speaks briefly about what is on their minds regarding the theme. Anyone may pass if they don't want to speak. Everyone is asked to express fully yet succinctly, allowing time for others to speak. No feedback or response is given.

   Round two. Now that everyone has been introduced, the group goes around the circle again. If someone wants to respond to another's remarks, they can do so in their own turn. Each person holds the talking object. To allow more time for conversation, keep remarks brief, possibly just naming the theme or subjects you want to delve into more deeply. Again, no feedback or response is given.

   Spirited Dialogue. Now the conversation opens up and people can speak in no particular order. This conversation will take up most of the time. If there is domination, contention, or lack of focus, the host may suggest that the group again use the talking object. Keep in mind the agreements.

   Closing. A few minutes before the end of the Café, the host will ask everyone to go around the circle again, giving each a chance to say briefly what they are taking away from the conversation.

         How do I listen to others? As if everyone were my Master speaking to me his cherished last words.- Hafiz