Here is some of what I’ve come to know about my companioning learning edge/s + strengths, how I’ve come to know this, + how I intend to integrate these new knowings in service of ongoing refinement of my practice.
Fellow MIECAT (co)-companion/inquirer/creator/facilitator(s)
(Saaro, Tamar, Heidi + Elysa) consented to sharing any +/or all key moments/ISRs/transcripts/expressions/jokes :-)
GENERATIVE CONVERSATIONAL PROCESSES
I’m engaging with Anderson’s (2007) musings on the heart + spirit of collaborative therapy.
The “story ball” concept resonates, where the companion enters “...the relationship as a learner…want(ing) to learn and understand the client from the client’s perspective and preferences.” (Anderson, 2007, p. 47).
I imagine tuning in with an inquirer - expert in their own stor(y/ies) - as they describe themselves + we sink into improvisational/non-verbal/curiosity-driven/playful/risky participation/collaboration/experiencing/witnessing.
I envisage a spirit of (co/un)-learning alongside moments as they unfold.
Through past experience/feedback I know I’m comfortable fostering this type of generative “withness”.
Many of the words/phrases Anderson uses align with my understanding of my companioning strengths + I note these down. (Figure 1.1)
Anderson goes on to describe notions of being public with inner thoughts (Figure 1.2).
Figure 1.1: Emma Byrnes, Being Public with Inner Thoughts, 2025, Still photo of keywords.
Figure 1.2: Emma Byrnes, Keywords, 2025, Still image of Harlene Anderson (2007) reading with overlay of digital text.
Suddenly I realise I’d been making sense of Anderson’s references to conversation as embodied + non-verbal.
Leaving no room for actual words!
The “monologic voices” concept stops me in my tracks, reuniting me with the stuckness I identified in the last unit.
The one where using my voice was so difficult.
Where I had such entrenched patterns of staying quiet; words often felt trembly; my overarching value of interdependence was compromised + there was no “withness”.
I reflect how this pattern sometimes feeds into aspects of my (co)-companioning/inquiring/creating by not offering spoken words through fear of being silenced; in case I center myself; or say the wrong thing in disservice to the unfolding.
But how can I be attuned to others if I’m feeling muzzled?
Despite being on a journey towards integration of these stuck patterns, little time has passed since Unit 5 + I haven’t had many opportunities to flex these vocal-cord re/awakenings.
But as (co)-companion/inquirer/creator, I don’t want to be ensnared in monological inner/outer talk.
Instead I wish to affect + be-affected-by a criss-crossing, collaborative, call + response flow + invite a deepening of “responsive understanding” (Bakhtin (1981) as seen in Anderson, 2007, p. 50) by making (some/more-of-my) private thoughts public.
I understand this as my learning edge.
Endeavouring to be more intentionally present with, attend to + linger in/around feeling into some of the dis/comfort of voicing/speaking/languaging with my (co)-companion/inquirer/creator(s).
I choose the term NAMING-UP for these nuanced noticings.
EMPIRE SPEAKS THROUGH ME
Understanding that learning edge/s are multifaceted + process-oriented, another crucial aspect of NAMING-UP fits into/around my understanding of the power + privilege/s I hold on unceded Wurundjeri land + the ways empire speaks through me + thus always in conversation/present with/in my (co)-companion/inquirer/creator(s).
I note that, much like learning edge/s, “…all identities are complex and multifaceted…” (Reynolds, 2014, p. 2) + acknowledge my inconsistencies in speaking to this complexity with/in my (co)-companioning/inquiring/creating practices.
I draft an imperfect acknowledgement. (Figure 2.1).
Figure 2.1: Emma Byrnes, An Imperfect Acknowledgement, 2025, Still image of trees on Wurundjeri Land with overlay of digital text.
LENTICULAR NOTICINGS
Equipped with fresh inklings around NAMING UP, I create an expression of myself as an emerging practitioner + journal some observations.
(Figures 3.1, 3.2).
Figure 3.1: Emma Byrnes, Access Point for inquiry - Generative Conversational Processes, 2025, Series of still photographs.
Figure 3.2: Emma Byrnes, Journal entry: Lenticular Leanings, 2025, Closeup still photo of Morning Glory flower weed with overlay of digital text.
BE RECEPTIVE TO THE TEACHINGS OF YOUR SHADOWS
We’re invited to move around the learning space, playing with notions of pace/size /shape/sound/listening/voice.
Quietly NAMING UP through description, I feel how this process allows me to orient myself.
I document through photographs + later journal.
(Figures 4.1, 4.2).
Figure 4.1: Emma Byrnes, Drawn Towards the Light/Shadows/Reflections, 2025, Still photos.
Figure 4.2: Emma Byrnes, Journal entry: Be Receptive To The Teachings Of Your Shadows, 2025, Still photo of shadow in stairwell with overlay of digital text.
FORGIVE ME IF I’M A LITTLE CLUMSY
The group articulates our Collective Care intentions.
I’m prompted to consider how folks can support me going forward + write the following: (Figure 5.1).
Figure 5.1: Emma Byrnes, A Little Clumsy, 2025, Still photo of biro lettering on notebook.
Being verbally reflexive is challenging for me.
I question if my chosen words will be detrimental/misunderstood rather towards what’s unfolding.
I generally prefer processing time before offering something reflective.
But I want to honour a childhood part seeking emancipation from second-guessing + “relate beyond desired for coherence, purity and perfection” (D’Emilia, Andreotti, & GTGF Collective, 2020).
I feel safe-enough with/in the group + this feeling has magnified via the countless intersubjective moments shared together.
I’m more inclined to take risks with NAMING UP, knowing these folks have my back.
Therefore relief comes from realising that clumsy is ok for now.
I think about future (co)-companion/inquirer/creator(s) + the importance of first collectively structuring safe-enoughness together.
VOCAL OVERZEALOUSNESS
We begin our first rounds of inquiring/companioning.
As companion, I set a playful tone but I sense I’m bringing a vocal overzealousness, as we quickly fell into a back-and-forth interview-type dialogue.
Saaro doesn’t feel the same dissonance towards this wordy loop, announcing she liked the flow.
But I noticed I was centering my needs over hers, wanting to shift away from “uncomfortable” wordplay towards my comfortable “multimodality-mode”.
Eventually we drop into mutual embodied sensing + I verbally bracket in something that lands in service to her inquiry.
For me, this second attempt at vocalising feels less laboured + in flow.
Trying to conquer my learning edge in one fell swoop through intense dialogue on Day 1 may have been a bit much!
I journal + mark the shape of the unfolding (Figures 6.1, 6.2).
Figure 6.1: Emma Byrnes, Journal entry: Companioning With Saaro, 2025, Still photo of Handwritten Notes with overlay of digital text.
Figure 6.2: Emma Byrnes, Shape of The Unfolding #1, 2025, Still photo of ink marks on paper.
MICRO-ADJUSTMENTS
A potential for discomfort emerges when I’m inquiring with Saaro but rather than verbally checking-in, I make a subtle energetic shift.
Later during our debrief, she noted that she’d felt my micro-adjustment + liked that it was non-verbal.
I journal more on the unfolding + mark its shape (Figures 7.1, 7.2).
I love Saaro’s micro-adjustment concept + consider how NAMING UP could be a series of micro-adjustments (tying into my improvisational strengths) rather than always using words.
However, it's Day 1 + I still want to try stretching myself away from the risk of inner dialogue by trying some out!
Figure 7.1: Emma Byrnes, Journal entry: Inquiring With Saaro, 2025, Still photo of Handwritten Notes with overlay of digital text.
Figure 7.2: Emma Byrnes, Shape of The Unfolding #2 2025, Still photo of ink marks on paper.
I’M NOTICING
We’re invited to partner-up + nominate a “leader”.
I lead first with Tamar + choose a billiard ball to engage with.
The concept is that while I lead, we both keep contact with the ball + take turns to outwardly describe our experiencing, using the phrase:
“I’M NOTICING….”
It requires sustained focus + subtle energetic shifts.
Sometimes, despite being “leader”, Tamar needs to momentarily fill my role to keep the ball in play.
Other times it’s easy + play-full.
There are moments needing concerted effort as we reach a physical edge + both hold that tension.
Occasionally we drop the ball, laugh/sigh + start-over.
A magic occurs in this “being-with”.
At-one-with-the-ball + each other.
I observe how descriptive words flow.
I hear myself say: “I’m noticing that I’m noticing!”
I’m reminded of the “story ball”.
WORDLESSLY
I’d imagined I’d be stretching my vocal cords into new territory today, then realise this inquiry format is a wordless one.
We’re attuning to emergent non-verbal resonance + taking risks to communicate/connect/play/express.
AKA - my happy place!
Perhaps leaning into multimodality might NAME UP in other ways?
My companion is Tamar.
I think of the “story-ball” experience we’ve so recently engaged with/in + that allows for a pre-understanding that “we’re noticing together”.
Tamar wonders where I’d like my inquiry to begin.
There’s no hesitation.
I return to the part of the space with the endless sky, the earthiness below, the reflections, the illusions, the perceptions + the low hum.
Where my shadow spoke to me of the potential to mourn/compost/ferment myself.
Once I began, there seemed to be a type of spoken-ness through checking in with my senses + by foregrounding multimodality.
Letting materials lead the way + allowing my noticings to dialogue with them.
As if my learning edge was mingling with my strengths.
I journal + take pictures (Figures 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 8.5, 8.6, 8.7, 8.8).
Figure 8.1: Emma Byrnes, Journal entry: Inquiring With Tamar, 2025, Still photo of Clay Splotch with overlay of digital text.
Figure 8.2: Emma Byrnes, Stain-less/full Steel Bowl, 2025, Still photo of clay in bowl.
Figure 8.3: Emma Byrnes, SPLOTCH!, 2025, Still photo of clay on floor.
Figure 8.4: Emma Byrnes, Risky Smears, 2025, Still photo of Cupboard + Clay.
Figure 8.5: Emma Byrnes, Locating Myself Through Touch, 2025, Still photo of clay Handprints.
Figure 8.6: Emma Byrnes, Filling The Gaps 2025, Still photo of clay on Cupboard Door.
Figure 8.7: Emma Byrnes, The "I'm Noticing" Ball 2025, Still photo of green billiard ball covered in clay.
Figure 8.8: Emma Byrnes, Locating with Materials, 2025, Still photos of inquiry.
RELOCATE + RETUNE
I companion Tamar outside on a walking inquiry.
We agree that being free from MIECAT’s walls allows us to relocate, retune + sink into “something extra” that exists outside the “institutional structure”.
I NAMED UP (both verbally + non-verbally) throughout their inquiry + discovered these offerings resonated with/for them.
This gives me more confidence/ease to risk greater vulnerability around reflexivity + yielding more fully into the collective conversation.
I take photos + journal. (Figures 9.1, 9.2)
Figure 9.1: Emma Byrnes, Journal entry: Companioning Tamar, 2025, Still photo of Gestural Ink Mark on paper with overlay of digital text.
Figure 9.2: Emma Byrnes, Touching The Scar, 2025, Still photos of Tamar's inquiry (used with permission).
WALA IS LIFE
We acknowledge Country by listening to Wala is Life (Allara, 2022) - a multifaceted song incorporating water’s sacredness alongside commentary on the profiteering government that ab/uses natural resources.
I float through the room embodying a watery-ness + underfoot I step on a blue felt ball from the Collective Care installation we’d made together as a group (Figures 10.1, 10.2).
I pick it up, tuning back into the notion of ethics + safety.
I’m not just an individual floating around but am floating in the larger body of water with the safe-enoughness of the group alongside me.
Figure 10.1: Emma Byrnes, Wala Ball, 2025, Still photo of felted ball in hand.
Figure 10.2: Emma Byrnes, Wala Is Life, 2025, Still frame screen captures of ALLARA, live in Meanjin.
MAYBE I’m a MAYBE?
Do you want to be companioned today?
Do you feel safe enough to be companioned today?
From the perspective of your lineage do you want to be companioned?
Yes? No? Maybe?
Immediately I thought No.
But then switched to Maybe. From certainty to uncertainty.
I notice how good it feels to be a Maybe + let the feeling wash over me.
“Forget being either or, be both and more and moving” (D’Emilia, Andreotti, & GTGF Collective, 2020).
Ultimately, this time, I decide to go “solo” which for me means foregrounding + saying Yes to multimodality, to be companioned by the materials + the sacred land we’re on.
The land that holds me. The land with the eternal hum.
I NAME UP how much I appreciated having choice + further explore the concept of Maybe + fluidity towards positionality when creating a self-portrait (Figures 11.1, 11.2).
Figure 11.1: Emma Byrnes, This Is Mwe, 2025, Still frame photo of Self Portrait Expression.
Figure 11.2: Emma Byrnes, Dear Co-Inquirer/Companion(s), 2025, Still photo of Self Portrait Close Up with overlay of digital text.
COLONIAL GAZE VS THE INTERSECTIONAL LENS
I come to the solo inquiry with two posters (Figure 12.1) - the eurocentric, heterosexist, binary COLONIAL GAZE + the more fluid INTERSECTIONAL LENS.
I’m reminded of Gorski + Goodman speaking of how (2015, as cited in Timothy & Garcia, 2020), “cultural competence” looks “...at cultures through perspectives replicating the colonial gaze over the ‘other,’ …an ‘essentialising tour’ that present specific populations as if they were monolithically homogeneous across time and space” (pp. 1–2).
This inquiry doesn’t feel solo.
There’s an understanding I’m (co)-companioning/inquiring/creating with forces greater than just me.
Once again I choose clay. Or does it choose me?
I’m reminded of the resistance to NAMING UP + sitting with the discomforts of my immense, unearned privileges; of the risk of centering myself + subsequently getting it all wrong + inflicting harm.
Who am I to be so complicit in the separation of our collective be-ing?!
I clock all of these privileges + despite understanding my on-going, never-to ease work/worth is in undoing this...it sometimes feels so clunky.
I don’t want to silence that discomfort.
In service of be/coming a better companion, I wonder if, rather than seek validation I need to let this discomfort compost + ferment.
To stop seeking coherence.
I stick with descriptions of my experiencing as clay + water lead the way. (Figures 12.2, 12.3, 12.4, 12.5, 12.6, 12.7, 12.8, 12.9, 12.10, 12.11, 12.12, 12.13, 12.14, 12.15, 12.16, 12.17, 12.18, 12.19, 12.20, 12.21, 12.22, 12.23, 12.24, 12.25, 12.26, 12.27, 12.28, 12.29, 12.30, 12.32, 12.33, 12.34, 12.35, 12.36, 12.37).
Figure 12.1: Emma Byrnes, COLONIAL GAZE vs INTERSECTIONAL LENS, 2025, Still photo of Unit 6 Preparation Work - hand painted on paper with mixed media collage elements.
Figure 12.2: Emma Byrnes, Day 3 -Description of Unfolding Solo Inquiry #1 , 2025, Still photo of Clay and Ink on Paper with overlay of digital text.
Figure 12.3: Emma Byrnes, Solo Inquiry #1, 2025, Still frame photo of Posters + Clay on Laminated Cupboards.
Figure 12.4: Emma Byrnes, Solo Inquiry #2, 2025, Still frame photo of Materials.
Figure 12.5: Emma Byrnes, Solo Inquiry #3, 2025, Still frame photo of Materials.
Figure 12.6: Emma Byrnes, Solo Inquiry #4, 2025, Still frame photo of Suspended Clay Particles in A Water Bowl.
Figure 12.7: Emma Byrnes, Solo Inquiry #5, 2025, Still frame photo of Materials.
Figure 12.8: Emma Byrnes, Solo Inquiry #6, 2025, Still frame photo of Materials.
Figure 12.9: Emma Byrnes, Solo Inquiry #7, 2025, Still frame photo of Hand + Materials.
Figure 12.10: Emma Byrnes, Day 3 -Description of Unfolding Solo Inquiry #2 , 2025, Still photo of Clay in Plastic Mould with overlay of digital text.
Figure 12.11: Emma Byrnes, Solo Inquiry #8, 2025, Still frame photo of Water on Floor.
Figure 12.12: Emma Byrnes, Solo Inquiry #9, 2025, Still frame photo of Balls On Clay Paper.
Figure 12.13: Emma Byrnes, Solo Inquiry #10, 2025, Still frame photo of Materials.
Figure 12.14: Emma Byrnes, Solo Inquiry #11, 2025, Still frame photo of Materials.
Figure 12.15: Emma Byrnes, Solo Inquiry #12, 2025, Still frame photo of Materials.
Figure 12.16: Emma Byrnes, Solo Inquiry #13, 2025, Still frame photo of Materials.
Figure 12.17: Emma Byrnes, Solo Inquiry #13, 2025, Still frame photo of Materials.
Figure 12.18: Emma Byrnes, Solo Inquiry #13, 2025, Still frame photo of Materials.
Figure 12.19: Emma Byrnes, Day 3 -Description of Unfolding Solo Inquiry #3 , 2025, Still photo of ink + clay on paper with overlay of digital text.
Figure 12.20: Emma Byrnes, Solo Inquiry #13, 2025, Still frame photo of Materials.
Figure 12.21: Emma Byrnes, Solo Inquiry #14, 2025, Still frame photo of Materials.
Figure 12.22: Emma Byrnes, Solo Inquiry #15, 2025, Still frame photo of Materials.
Figure 12.23: Emma Byrnes, Solo Inquiry #16, 2025, Still frame photos of Materials.
Figure 12.24: Emma Byrnes, Solo Inquiry #17, 2025, Still frame photos of Materials.
Figure 12.25: Emma Byrnes, Solo Inquiry #18, 2025, Still frame photos of Materials.
Figure 12.26: Emma Byrnes, Solo Inquiry #19, 2025, Still frame photos of Materials.
Figure 12.27: Emma Byrnes, Day 3 -Description of Unfolding Solo Inquiry #4 , 2025, Still photo of coloured pencils in glass jars with overlay of digital text.
Figure 12.28: Emma Byrnes, Solo Inquiry #20, 2025, Still frame photos of Materials.
Figure 12.29: Emma Byrnes, Solo Inquiry #21, 2025, Still frame photos of Materials.
Figure 12.30: Emma Byrnes, Solo Inquiry #22, 2025, Still frame photos of Materials.
Figure 12.31: Emma Byrnes, Solo Inquiry #23, 2025, Still frame photos of Materials.
Figure 12.32: Emma Byrnes, Solo Inquiry #24, 2025, Still frame photos of Materials.
Figure 12.33: Emma Byrnes, Solo Inquiry #25, 2025, Still frame photos of Materials.
Figure 12.34: Emma Byrnes, Solo Inquiry #26, 2025, Still frame photos of Materials.
Figure 12.35: Emma Byrnes, Solo Inquiry #27, 2025, Still frame photos of Materials.
Figure 12.36: Emma Byrnes, Solo Inquiry #28, 2025, Still frame photos of Materials.
Figure 12.37: Emma Byrnes, Solo Inquiry #29, 2025, Still frame photos of Materials.
INTERNAL + EXTERNAL STRUCTURES
I’m feeling a pull towards the lenticular - to notions of queering, tentacularity, non-linearity, de-binarising + transversality - towards both internal + external structures.
I notice a phrase stuck on the wall of our Collective Care agreement which resonates for me:
“Choosing to interact with the “structure” in a different way”
I name up thisresonance to the group.
Using my voice in this way by offering reflexive namings to the collective now feels less uncomfortable.
I notice how it's helping coalesce desired futures towards my learning edge into something more tangible.
PLEASE TOUCH
After the weekend, I notice signs attached to my inquiry:
“WORK IN PROGRESS - PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH”.
I cross out “DO NOT”.
I think of how, we are all + will forever be, “works-in-progress”.
How “being-with” (co)-companion/inquirer/creator(s) + touching earthy, watery terrain has allowed me to traverse my vocal range with curiosity + attention.
I later cluster some of the sentiments from the unit towards how I would like to (or not) touch +be touched as (co)-companion/inquirer/creator (Figure 13.1).
Figure 13.1: Emma Byrnes, Deeply Touched, 2025, Still photo of keywords.
DIFFERENT ANGLES + INTENSITIES
The access point for my last round of (co)-companion/inquirer/creator(ing) with Heidi, is touch, + begins with a jabbing-finger-action that leads towards considered risk + play-full emergence in a plastic tub.
We squirt + “touch” the water, using spray bottles that allow for different angles/intensities.
Slowly adding various elements that float, intersect + sub/merge with other material aspects.
I’m feeling more relaxed about offering up verbal noticings + notice resonance also grows in the multimodally rich space between words. Conversation flows as we engage side-by-side.
There’s also silence, knowing glances, some “what-do-we-do-now?”s. (Figures 14.1, 14.2, 14.3, 14.4, 14.5, 14.6)
Figure 14.1: Emma Byrnes, Transcript from Debrief with Heidi #1, 2025, Screen-capture of digital text.
Figure 14.2: Emma Byrnes, Transcript from Debrief with Heidi #2, 2025, Screen-capture of digital text.
Figure 14.3: Emma Byrnes, Transcript from Debrief with Heidi #3, 2025, Screen-capture of digital text.
Figure 14.4: Emma Byrnes, Ready, Steady, Spray!, 2025, Still Photo of Spray Bottles + Water Tub.
Figure 14.5: Emma Byrnes, Jab, Spray + Play, 2025, Still Photo of Me Taken by Heidi.
Figure 14.6: Emma Byrnes, Jab, Spray + Play, 2025, Still Photos of Unfolding Inquiry - Multimodal Elments in Container.
COMPLEXITY OF CUMULATIVE NOTICINGS
The inquiry continues, becoming thick with layers of resonance of our before/during/after journeys throughout the inquiry, the unit + beyond.
Heidi’s material explorations suddenly collapse unexpectedly into the tub.
I sense she’s experiencing dissonance + take the opportunity to name it up.
“HOW ARE YOU FEELING?” I ask
“UNCOMFORTABLE” she says “WHAT ABOUT YOU?
“EXCITED” I say, feeling resonance towards this “...vessel of information…there’s things…moving through me and connecting to me…(and I’m) feeling connected to a larger sphere of something.” (Geller, 2012, p. 100).
Without any more words we continue playing + “being-with” the tub.
Her discomfort has somewhere to be, without us hyper-focussing on it.
She’d previously identified play is how she feels safe when she “feels-seen-like-that”.
And knowing her propensity for play, I understood my excitement might have containment in the tub + therefore was less likely to overwhelm her.
Our states-of-being could co-exist while we jostled around together, side-by-side, locating ourselves through contact with earth, water + the resonance of cumulative emergence.
Perhaps the tub might offer a place for her discomfort to re-constitute?
Later we both agree the whole experience was beautiful + tender.
And the seething receptacle of delicious, co-created ambiguity held the complexity of our cumulative noticings without disintegration.
Then I notice a new Heidi/Em co-created SPLOTCH on the window - earth + water further queering + de-binarising the reflected structure.
Encouraging lenticularity.
I collate imagery, create a 3D Gaussian splat + further into sense-making through collage.
(Figures 15.1, 15.2, 15.3, 15.4, 15.5, 15.6, 15.7, 15.8, 15.9, 15.10).
Figure 15.1: Emma Byrnes, Co-inquiry with Heidi #1, 2025, Still photos.
Figure 15.2: Emma Byrnes, Co-inquiry with Heidi #2, 2025, Still photos.
Figure 15.3: Emma Byrnes, Co-inquiry with Heidi #3, 2025, Still photos.
Figure 15.4: Emma Byrnes, Co-inquiry with Heidi #4, 2025, Still photos.
Figure 15.5: Emma Byrnes, Co-inquiry with Heidi #5, 2025, Still photos.
Figure 15.6: Emma Byrnes, The Colonial's Getting Complex, 2025, Still photo.
Figure 15.7: Emma Byrnes, Birds Eye of It All, 2025, Still photo of Expression from Co-Inquiry.
Figure 15.8: Emma Byrnes, There's A New Splotch In Town,2025, Still photos of Clay + Water Spray On Window.
Figure 15.9: Emma Byrnes, Re-Assemblage-Ing, 2025, Screen captures of 3D gaussian Splat arranged as a digital image.
Figure 15.10: Emma Byrnes, De-Essentialising Required, 2025, Collage + Digital Mixed Media.
WHAT HAVE I COME TO KNOW?
This unit began with the understanding my learning edge lingers in a stuckness around using my voice.
The risk was that if unattended, I might become detached/unresponsive + “...ensnared in monological inner and outer talk” (Anderson, 2007, p. 51) - both towards co-inquirers/companions/creators + towards what I see as my lifelong endeavour to unsettle + de-essentialise dominant paradigms of power + privilege.
So I foregrounded descriptive multimodality, named things up + yielded/embraced/celebrated/offered the potent gift of generous attention whilst sinking further into my propensity + strength for improvisational, non-verbal, curious, play/risk-full participation/collaboration/experiencing/witnessing.
Consequently, in my companioning practice I now understand that resonant/relational/reflexive conversations grow in:
the courage to offer ourselves up even if our voice feels clumsy
taking the risk of saying the wrong thing
sharing the thrill of a kairos-induced moment in a rain shower
letting the low hum of elemental forces lead the way
the type of messy play where you’re not aiming to win + you make splotches
a series of non-verbal micro-adjustments
jostling around in murky containers of curiosity + complexity
reaching out + touching our collective “scar”
co(con)structured safe-enough spaces with ethics of love/care
acknowledging + checking-in-with ever-changing + fluid positions/locations
being with + looking at systems/structures from different angles + in new ways
tenderly holding someone’s “story ball” + saying:
“Hey, I’m noticing…”
To further integrate these edgy knowings, I’ll be resonating with the hum of the malleable earth + allow myself “...to be guided by a metabolic intelligence. Enable neurogenesis and…Be water.” (D’Emilia, Andreotti, & GTGF Collective, 2020).