Introduction

Social conventions in the conventional world are part of the invisible architectures that shape the outcomes of the collective. Same seed, same tree... same conventional architecture, same conventional outcomes. People are usually not aware that the very way they engage conversations through social codes totally determines the outcomes of the conversation.

The 6 agreements below represent a shift from conventional architecture to a new architecture, i.e. a new way to manage conversations. The aim of this new architecture is to attract wisdom. With a little practice, participants will quickly experience the manifestation of descending wisdom, through them as individuals, and through the group as a whole.

Note: these 6 agreements have been shared in the article "Collective Bodhisattvas".

The Six Agreements

Agreement 1: take a deep full breath before speaking

This breath has many virtues. It helps participants let go of their vital selfish urge to keep a grasp on the conversation. They can surrender to what is willing to emerge from the center and enjoy the richness of it. Participants offer time to themselves to journal their inner process, especially those that are not mental (physical, emotional, higher consciousness...). What has just been said is deeply listened to and 'breathed in', the person who just spoke before is acknowledged. Participants move from reaction (responding, taking the floor) to creation (inviting creativity through emergence). Interestingly, each time one speaks right after someone else, leaving no space for breathing and creativity, there is ALWAYS a mechanism taking control somewhere in the lower self.

Agreement 2: speak to the center

Speaking to the center (physical center of a group in circle, or experienced center in a global collective) rather than to a particular person allows the emergence of the whole, because participants decide to give birth to it. Participants are asked not to engage sub-group conversations in the midst of the collective process. Side conversations can take place in other spaces.

Agreement 3: listen to the center

Listening to what is willing to manifest from the heart of the group and voicing it also contributes to the emergence of the whole. It is a special mode of listening that connects us to others.

Although speaking and listening to the center may look a little artificial at first, it helps shift the whole dynamics of the group into a transpersonal context.

Agreement 4: don't take the floor, have it offered

Because time is a scarce shared resource, participants are invited to use it moderately. Notice that in groups where people interrupt one another or respond without leaving space, time is grabbed the same way a prey is being torn up in the wild : the strongest, the most agile, the fastest, the craftiest gets the better share. In such cases it is the vital plane is the driving force. Having the floor offered is like being seating around a table, with dishes being kindly served and shared. It creates a entirely new dynamics.

Agreement 5: speak from personal experience

Sharing personal experience rather than general theories invites boldness, vulnerability, trust and compassionate relationships. When speaking form theory not only is the person separated from his/her original experience, but it places a screen between him/her and the others. A person about to speak is invited to check whether what is about to be said is a true generality, or if it hides some personal story. Stories have the virtues of myths: they carry emotions, multilevel life experiences, cosmologies, vibrations... A much richer universe for a group to share.

Agreement 6: invite silence

Any participant can ask for silence at any moment. Some of the agreements might be broken by other participants (old habits usually come back fast), or the person may need silence for personal reasons. Conversation gets immediately suspended, people enter into silence for one minute. It offers the space to explore the current context in a deeper level, journal what just happened, explore emotions, needs, sense of emergence in the group, etc. Once the minute is over the person who asked the silence is free to explain why. Not giving the reason is perfectly acceptable and shouldn't be interpreted as a way to censor the conversation. Conversation can then resume, it often starts with a new dimension.