The Way of Council| A Narrative Inquiry Exploring Council as a Spiritual Path

• Main Author: Castillo, Leonalda
• Language: EN
• Published: California Institute of Integral Studies 2017
• Subjects: Behavioral sciences|Spirituality|Native American studies
• Online Access: http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10280267

<p> It is well documented that the heart has a particular way of thinking; an intelligence critical to human evolution and, in particular, to a revolution in human consciousness. However, the truth remains: despite humanity&rsquo;s deepening intuition and recent evidence regarding the heart&rsquo;s wisdom, most people in Western cotemporary culture have not been taught how to listen and speak from the heart, let alone how to follow their hearts (Childre, Martin, &amp; Beech, 2000). The Way of Council (Zimmerman &amp; Coyle, 2009) is a process that teaches us how to listen and speak from the heart. The current study investigated this process as well as the lived experiences of people who self-identified as carriers of Council. The study&rsquo;s aim was to portray the carriers&rsquo; reality as anchored by the intention of carrying Council as a spiritual path.</p><p> The narrative participatory approach designed for this study drew upon organic inquiry characteristics to translate the textures of Council Carriers&rsquo; lived experiences into a clear understanding of carriers&rsquo; reality. Between November and December 2014, 12 participants (including the researcher) engaged in a number of activities, such as one-on-one interviews, sharing a space in an online platform for a 3-week period, and participating in 2 online Councils. These Councils served to collect much of the data through the heart-felt sacred storytelling this process promotes. Council&rsquo;s intuitive way of responding to stories was core to the three-dimensional process of analysis that led to the study&rsquo;s findings.</p><p> These findings suggested that The Way of Council reminds people how to relate to others in a heart-centered way and, therefore, to learn to be human beings. This way of relating is facilitated by Council&rsquo;s invitation to tell stories and to follow the heart&rsquo;s soullike, all-accepting energy. While not generalizable, these findings contribute new insights regarding a Council Consciousness and how Council provides people today with a level of experience that bridges the gap between native and contemporary paradigms. These findings also encourage the implementation of Council conversations at all societal levels in order to transform humanity&rsquo;s ways of thinking and relating.</p><p>