Talking Circle Comes to Sober Living by the Sea
To complement the traditional 12-step treatment philosophy and wide variety of eclectic therapeutic processes, Jay and Lisa have been known to broaden the horizons of the men and women in treatment by exposing them to Native American rituals. We have written previously about the drum circles and "Journeying," today's entry is about the Talking Circle.
On June 12 we had a gentleman named David W. come do a Traditional Native American talking circle with the clients.
How a Talking Circle Works
Everyone sits in a circle and the conductor of the circle will generally sit in the East. A token, such as a feather or a 
special talking stick, is passed clockwise around the circle. As each person receives the token, they may speak for as long as they wish, including addressing a topic brought up by another in the circle. When they have finished, they pass the token along. If someone does not wish to speak, they simply pass the token. The token may go around several times. After everyone has had the opportunity to speak as many times, the conductor ends the circle.
The type of circle we had was based on the topic of the 3rd step. We all spoke of our belief or lack of in a higher power and acknowledged our strengths and weakness. We then set our intention to grow and heal where we were lacking. It was a very powerful ceremony.
3rd Step of AA: Made a decision to turn our will and our lives our to the care of God as we understood Him
David is probably the most humble man I have met on my spiritual path and also the most powerful. What does that say about humility? :-)
- Lisa M
Talking circle