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Relational Inquiry: Seven-Years Practicing Seven Relationships Digital Commons @ CIIS International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive 9-1-2019 Relational Inquiry: Seven-Years Practicing Seven Relationships Gregg Lahood The Centre of Relational Inquiry Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.ciis.edu/advance-archive Part of the Philosophy Commons, Religion Commons, Somatic Psychology Commons, and the Transpersonal Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Lahood, G. (2019). Relational inquiry: Seven-years practicing seven relationships. International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, 38(2), Advance publication. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Commons @ CIIS. It has been accepted for inclusion in International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ CIIS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Relational Inquiry: Seven-Years Practicing Seven Relationships Gregg Lahood1 The Centre of Relational Inquiry Byron Bay, NSW, Australia Greetings from Byron Bay—what follows is a postcard version of a seven-year cycle of relational inquiry retrospectively nicknamed The Rainbow of Desire. I outline our practices, explore five basic fields in our approach to new paradigm research, and present an updated version of my seven relationships model as a heuristic for understanding and participating in relational inquiry. As a contemporary spiritual expression, with roots in the Greek-Socratic tradition of research, and informed by Gestalt practice (not psychotherapy), this account may also be of value for persons interested in further Gestalt-transpersonal inquiry, research, and learning. Keywords: relational inquiry and spirituality, cooperative inquiry, new paradigm research, gestalt practice /we report on a long-term, independent, relational seats, there is no heavy-handed religious imagery inquiry in Byron Bay, Australia, that we have (the artwork depicts birds and bees) and with an Icalled The Rainbow of Desire.2 In the account that evolving altar at the centre (adorned with jars of follows, I first introduce and ground our relational honey), the space is well suited to the work of co- inquiry in a place, explore a few precursors, and creative transpersonal research. give a potted version of a working cosmology. In the The term “re-search” is used somewhat second section, I offer an account of the person’s loosely here and refers to the experiential study of place in that cosmos (the cosmopolitan) and “what is” (as in phenomenology). It is a noticing describe the group’s weekly attunement practices. of self, other, and group climates while remaining Then, I outline our longer inquiry immersions with open to things sacred and at times the intentional an account of “the five-directions” we have rowed sacralization of the present moment and each our inquiry boat in (with statements from other boat other. Relational inquiry has a root in the ancient rowers). Our highly informal seven-year research Greek world where research (zetesis); investigation project has been distilled into a heuristic account3 and inquiry (skepsis); awareness, presence of mind of seven-relationships with which to complete the and attention (prosoche) to what we do and say postcard. This “harvest” may act as a sort of practical at every moment fostered acting in full awareness. wisdom and guide for the would-be initiator of These cultivated a meditational or therapeutic2 relational inquiry groups and those interested in attitude which harnessed the dangerous passions, cultivating relationship-based spirituality. remembranced the good things, developed self- The inquiry operates from our home, which mastery, a virtuous character, and finallyWisdom — has a large lounge-room permanently dedicated to an elusive transpersonal quality (Hadot, 1995). the practice. We are only five minutes' walk to long, Precursors to sacred research include beautiful beach where we often end up talking to the venerable Buddhism with its “science of mind,” which sea, kissing the sky, hugging the dunes, and caressing teaches that beneath our passions, aversions, and the horizons (of eternity at times). Comfortable and attachments we have access to an inner wellspring of colorful, with cushions, futons and couches, yoga- compassion and kindness. Another forerunner would RelationalInternational Inquiry Journal of Transpersonal Studies, Advance38(1), pp. Publication 1–30publicationInternational Journal of Transpersonal Studies 1 https://doi.org/10.24972/ijts.2019.38.1.1https://doi.org/10.24972/ijts.2019.38.1. be Sufi mystical orders with their “science of the • Are willing to learn the method with a heart,” nafs (egoic self), and search for compresence “beginners mind” or withness. For the Sufis the “Heart” refers to the • Are into embodied, relational, and person- deepest realm of human awareness. Aware and to-person spiritualty conscious prior to our more thinking mind, the Heart • Are, more or less, free from guru worship is the seat of intelligence and intentionality (Chittick, and other spiritual projections 2000). Thus, to speak of heart-centred research is to • Can manage a dialogical relationship with allude to our innermost awareness and the process of others freeing attention from ingrained psychic habits. • Are willing to make decisions together as a We re-search ourselves in relation to others spiritual practice in an exploration of the phenomenology of authentic meeting, or what happens to the climate when we Relational inquiry is, by no means, psychotherapy,3 take coordinated action together, usually in ritual or nor does it have much to do with Eastern religion dramatic form. It is by no means formal research and and the path of no-self where “desire” is linked the best I can do regarding “findings” is to include to suffering and existence (i.e., the idea that doing some statements from participants who share their away with desire ceases suffering and relational experience of the group and what they have found. vulnerability; see Mathews, 2003). Rather it has I asked current participants to write whatever they more to do with self-other-world regeneration wanted to. All were rather celebratory, which is also (see section on seven relations below). I do not how I feel about what we do. call myself a psychotherapist, although I have 8 Generally, people include or exclude years of formal psychotherapy training, 30 years of themselves based on personal preference and facilitating assorted transpersonal workshops, and I motivation (i.e., hidden, calculated, opportunistic, do offer a reflective and helping inquiry relationship narcissistic, or predatory use of the group inevitably to persons (in or out of the group) who want one. has led to impasse; whereas openness, curiosity, While the many subjects-at-hand deserve a book- fascination, authenticity, or humility seem to sized account, I will limit this account to a basic unfold a more generous experience). Invitations outline, a postcard or snapshot, if you will, of our generally come through friends, word of mouth, collaborative therapeia.4 or are sometimes made through email or social media. A current invitation claimed that we were Divergence from Cooperative Inquiry “an open-hearted gathering exploring the contours elational inquiry is a Gestalt-informed5 variant of of relational spirituality and relational awareness.” RJohn Heron’s (1996) and Peter Reason’s (2003) In our world of practice, awareness is the primary cooperative inquiry (Lahood, 2013), and it differs research method—for without awareness, action from cooperative inquiry because of this relational- research would be impossible. That is, action cycles Gestalt-practice influence.6 Moreover, our weekly must be undertaken with heedful, mindful open meeting is, by no means, a full-blown or formal awareness, and therefore, cultivating awareness is cooperative inquiry although it does get nearer to the meta-method from which action cycles emerge this on longer immersions as we enact and reflect on (cf. Heron 1996). Our Heart-centred meeting is for several planned action-cycles. These immersions, those who: naturally, nourish the ground of the weekly group. Wednesday evening is more of a relaxed inquiry, • Have a strong interest in the spiritual a creative encounter-process, and support for an dimensions of everyday life ongoing exploration into primary personhood • Have done significant emotional-therapeutic (see below) through attunement and engagement: work on our early wounding personal, interpersonal, and transpersonal. • Have insight and are willing to examine I learned the method of cooperative projections inquiry while exploring “charisma” (defined here as 2 International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Lahood “embodied, responsible, aware presence-in-action”) forms of neo-shamanism, self-appointed wizards, by participating with John Heron in the “Wavy aikido, surfing, men’s work, Tai Chi, sweat-lodgers, group” (as it was called) from 1996 to 2007, and Chinese medicine, equine-therapy, astrology). especially in several 5-day charismatic inquiries with The point being, there was no common research him as facilitator-participant (see Heron & Lahood, orientation or therapeutic culture in the “ground” 2008). There were also yearly 3-day interpersonal of our group that had skill in managing unfinished house-cleaning meetings, collaboratively run. I business and projective material. We have had to have also learned a great deal by initiating and create some
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