Wisdom Circles: A Guide to Self-Discovery and Community Building in Small Groups

by Charles A. Garfield, Cindy Spring, Sedonia Cahill

At a time of increasing loneliness and individualism, Wisdom Circles provides an outline for creating your own spiritual, social, and/or consciousness-raising group. The authors--Charles Garfield, psychologist and the author of Peak Performers; Sedonia Cahill, director of a group that helps people become more spiritual; and Cindy Spring, founder of the Wisdom Circles organization--describe a structured setting in which people can meet regularly for whatever purpose they choose: getting to know each other better, sharing personal and social concerns, or just offering mutual support and healing. You'll find guidelines to help participants create rituals to begin and end a session, agree on a goal or discussion subject for each meeting, create a safe and confidential environment, and allow each member to "co-facilitate" the gathering. There's also information on dealing with problematic members, such as those with psychological problems or those who are too narcissistic or rigid in their beliefs to participate in an open, wide-ranging dialogue. Whether you're looking for ways to improve an existing group or are considering starting your own gathering of supportive friends, Wisdom Circles will help you get started; the group itself will tell you where to go from there.

Genres: Nonfiction, Spirituality

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Courtney]

Some good advice, a little touchy-feely hippie even for me at times.

[Nichole]

Great book for help with starting your own circle. Lots of good ideas.

[Barbara Shine]

I'll be re-reading soon to deepen my understanding. A great concept with many practical applications in problem-solving and healing ourselves and our organizations.

[Michael Drake]

Wisdom Circles is a practical and informative handbook about creating, facilitating, and sustaining community circles. I highly recommend this book.