Four Questions of Preparation

Four Questions of Preparation

First articulated by Joanna Macy. Adapted for online practice and submitted by Sarah Nahar. Please acknowledge the source when you use any of these practices.

These questions can be used as a stand-alone practice, though are strongest when placed in the “Dwelling in Deep Time” station of the spiral.* Give credit to Joanna Macy for first articulating them during a retreat happening the same weekend as Donald Trump’s inauguration as US President. They were used again by over 200 people in 15 co-facilitated 2-hour online mini-spirals in November 2020, during the height of the Coronavirus pandemic and US national elections that year. The initiative to popularize these four questions again in 2020 arose through Mordechai Liebling and Sarah Nahar, co-conspirators in Tzedek Lab: A Network dedicated to undoing racism and antisemitism. The full co-facilitation guidance script for those 2-hour mini-spirals can be requested by contacting Sarah.

May this guide support you as you find your own language to assist participants in knowing deeply that they are their ancestors’ gift to this moment, and that they are future ancestors. 

Italics for facilitator’s notes. Written for one facilitator. Can easily be co-facilitated.

Method

Four Questions of Preparation

a facilitator’s guide

We are now moving from Perceiving in New/Ancient Ways to the station of the spiral called Dwelling in Deep Time: Reconnecting with Past and Future Generations. We have been reminded that we are part of an interconnected web of life…an interconnected web that is confronting the interlocking systems of oppression, challenging the pillars of power through many different (inter)actions in defense of life, transforming the foundations of dominant society, and shifting consciousness and values.

Interlocking systems of oppression subject our daily experience in this web to frenetic speeds. This can threaten to sever our felt connection with past and future generations, reducing the ability to commune with the ancestors and future beings that are always present and seeking to guide us. The media cycles and technologies demand decisions made at lightning speed for short-term goals. They frame this moment as a unique and dangerous one, and while it is special, it is not disconnected from what has happened before. And the choices made today will impact many generations to come. (Pause) Dwelling in Deep Time allows us to breathe into the reality that (slowly) We are our ancestors’ gift to this moment, enjoying life and being in service to future beings. (Emphasize) You are your ancestor’s gift to this time. You are carrying gifts from them that can help you flourish now, even when it is hard; even when it is very, very hard. We will dwell in deep time and retrieve these gifts. (Pause)

[One minute/60 seconds to breathe together, eyes closed if desired]

Facilitator action during the 60 second breathing, or afterwards: Divide the group into small groups of 3-4 people each. Facilitator needs to decide if this will be done through a combination of journaling and sharing or just sharing. It is written here as if it is done verbally only. If journaling, give people 3-4 minutes per question, then put them into groups of 3-4  to share their reflections; alternatively, you can directly put people into groups of 3-4 and give them 2-3 minutes per question. The journaling will happen simultaneously and the sharing will happen consecutively. Groups of 3 if you have 24-27 minutes or groups of 4, if you have 32-35 minutes for the exercise.

This exercise is called “The 4 Questions of Preparation.” You will be in groups of 3 and each of you will share your answers to a sequence of questions, 2 minutes per question. While one person is answering the four questions in a row, the other two will be in silent listening with you, holding presence. I will prompt you when to switch to the next question, and then later, when to switch to the next person in the group. You can speak in any language. Before you go to your groups, I (or the co-facilitator) will read all of the questions. I invite you to just let them wash over you. Don’t plan your answers, just listen. After a few more thoughts, I will put them in the chat. You can copy them at that point. I will also be broadcasting them to each room, so the question will be visible at the top of the room.

1. What are your gifts from your tradition, lineage, teachers, fair that have prepared you for this time?
2. What are your gifts from the earth that have prepared you for this time?
3. What are your gifts from your visions, dreams, calling, and intuition that have prepared you for this time?
4. What are your gifts from the work, leadership, experiences you have had that have prepared you for this time?

As you’ve heard, these questions will talk about how you are prepared for this moment. (pause)

It’s counter-intuitive because most don’t feel prepared. 

Honestly, even the preppiest, most prepared, prepper of preparation isn’t really prepared for a moment of such intensity of lifel îbeing on planet Earth, in this country or otherwise. We shouldn’t have to prepare for multi-system collapse created by a few at the expense of the many, created by humans and the expense of other species. No.

Yet, here we are. In the midst of not feeling prepared…here we are. We are our ancestors’ gift to this moment. We carry with us gifts from them. (Pause) All of our ancestors, the things that happened to them, the good, the difficult, the chance, the structural, the horrific, the humorous–what they had to survive…all of these allow for some type of preparation. That is different than saying that everything happened for a reason, I am saying all of that provided a preparation. A preparation where you can notice and experience the world around you. A preparation to share and shift perspectives. So even if you don’t feel personally prepared, today, at this moment, if you get underneath that and surrender to the cultivation of deep time, the gifts will arise.

Here are the questions coming in the chat, and you will be moved to breakout rooms now (if in person, groups move away from each other in the room so that they have the ear-space, and can hear the other people in their group but not other groups).

Put this in the chat (if online):

1. What are your gifts from your tradition, lineage, teachers, family that have prepared you for this time?
2. What are your gifts from the earth that have prepared you for this time?
3. What are your gifts from your visions, dreams, calling, and intuition that have prepared you for this time?
4. What are your gifts from the work, leadership, experiences you have had that have prepared you for this time?

The person who does the broadcasting has to really concentrate!! Below everything in this script is the breakdown of the broadcasts. Use a timer, and also send each message twice, one about 5 seconds following the next, so the broadcast banner stays up longer.

When they return, say a strong transition sentence for them to land. Thank you for being present to one another. It is important to remember that we do this work of Dwelling in Deep Time and Reconnecting with Past and Future Generations because we are future ancestors. 

From here, either do the Seventh Generation/Double Circle exercise or another one from this station, or let people know we continue around the spiral to the next stage, which is “Going Forth” because if the impact of this workshop ends when we close the Zoom, it will have only partially completed its purpose. We all return to our lives, and the “Going Forth” section of the spiral allows us to return to them with greater insight and compassion. We also return to our daily work knowing there are others, others who are in it together with us.

If people want to share out, you can have them do so after they journal a bit, or as a chat waterfall, or short verbal share out of their learning about their gifts.

If doing this online, here is what you will copy and paste into the BROADCAST bar at the top.

Copying and Pasting the Main Exercise. We suggest you cut it from a copy that you make of this document (Ctrl or Apple Key + X) so that you don’t accidentally send the same question twice.

Person 1 Question 1  –  What are your gifts from your tradition, lineage, teachers, family that have prepared you for this time?

Person 1 Question 2  –  What are your gifts from the earth that have prepared you for this time?

Person 1 Question 3  –  What are your gifts from your visions, dreams, calling, intuition that have prepared you for this time?

Person 1 Question 4  –  What are your gifts from the work, leadership, experiences you have had that have prepared you for this time?

Thank you Person 1. Person 2 get ready! 

Person 2 Question 1  –  What are your gifts from your tradition, lineage, teachers, family that have prepared you for this time?

Person 2 Question 2  –  What are your gifts from the earth that have prepared you for this time?

Person 2 Question 3  –  What are your gifts from your visions, dreams, calling, intuition that have prepared you for this time?

Person 2 Question 4  –  What are your gifts from the work, leadership, experiences you have had that have prepared you for this time?

Thank you Person 2. Person 3 get ready! 

Person 3 Question 1  –  What are your gifts from your tradition, lineage, teachers, family that have prepared you for this time?

Person 3 Question 2  –  What are your gifts from the earth that have prepared you for this time?

Person 3 Question 3  –  What are your gifts from your visions, dreams, calling, intuition that have prepared you for this time?

Person 3 Question 4  –  What are your gifts from the work, leadership, experiences you have had that have prepared you for this time?

Thank you Person 3. Thank each other and close with your group. Return to the main room when you are ready. 

Then click close all rooms.

* Dwelling in Deep Time as a station on the spiral has grown out of the work of the Anti-Oppression Resource Group, as well as Coming Back to Life: The Updated Guide to the Work That Reconnects. Located between Perceiving in New/Ancient Ways and Going Forth stations of the spiral, it helps to reinvigorate kinship networks and heal cross-time relationships that have been severely damaged by the cisheternormative, white supremacist, corporate capitalist, US-centric, Christian hegemonic, settler-colonial, patriarchal, petrochemical poisonous industrial growth society of death.