Newsletter Archive

Community News & Events

CircleAnywhere, the world’s largest online Circling group which is now under management by Jordan Allen and the Austin Circling Studio, has a new high-level training / certification program called Level Up. Way to go, Jordan!

Peter Benjamin’s Connection Institute is also starting a new certification program, specifically targeted towards developing facilitators in European time zones, and is therefore very affordable. Their online platform is also growing, with 3 or more events per day now.

The Circling Institute has a beautiful new website and some great new free training, How to turn any conversation into a life-changing event and Courageous Conversations

There are several new online A/R groups (at least new to me — I will be adding them to the book and the website). Check out:

• Authentic Relating Go (Montreal, QC)
• Evolutionary Relating (Australia)
• Circling Cornwall (UK)
• Let’s Be Authentic (Philadelphia, PA)

Please let me know if I am missing anything important!

And finally, my own Developmental Circling offer has been very well received. All the events have been super-inspiring and there are two private circles forming in January. There will be one final intro event in January before the new circles start, on Saturday Jan. 9, 2pm EST.

It’s a great pleasure for me personally, by the way, to see more and more Circling and A/R training organizations starting to present A/R as a developmental practice. To the extent that emotional intelligence is, nowadays, the greatest predictor of success and happiness, it stands to reason. I find Jordan’s offer (above) especially eloquent on that topic.

From my two new blogs…

What to do during the endless days and hours of this last terrible year? Eat, watch TV and write blog posts! I have been pulling my weight there. Many of these are intensely personal, others are just for laughs or entertainment.

If you like, please comment and/or subscribe!

“You know you are a writer when”: writing and coffee addiction jokes
I am trying to locate an old joke but did not succeed. It goes something like (very roughly paraphrased): You haven’t slept for 24 hours. The room is spinning around you. You have enough caffeine in your blood to kill a horse. But you won’t stop what you are doing. […]

Marco’s 3 Noble Truths
[Note: this article is a continuation of How to talk to the voices inside your head]. The approach I am about to describe, attempts to make the very tricky balance between compassion (empathy) and wisdom (or discernment, accurate and sober self-perspective, ultimately emotional intelligence). I would call this approach, simply […]

How to talk to the voices inside your head
We all have them. For some of us, it’s a single insistent voice. For others its more of a cacophony of voices, rising and falling according to the flow of the day and whatever perceived “success”, or lack thereof, we are having in the moment. Some of the voices are […]

Best classic movies, documentaries and TV series of 2020
Despite the tragic scarcity of parties and the sad state of dating, there is some good news: I have noticed a sharp uptick in the quality of television this year. Here is a list of my lifetime favorites. I especially like documentaries, given my desire to learn something in the […]

The year 2020 in review (oy vey…)
I have been silent on this list for so long, I don’t even know where to start… so I will start at the end and go backwards. I left Asheville in October and hit the road in my new outfitted truck, named “Bubble”. How that came about is its own […]

Relational Leadership, Part 2: How I learned to be less of an asshole.
In part 1 of this article, What is Relational Leadership, I shared some ideas about the nature of emotional intelligence. In this part 2, I get more personal, of how I discovered the Authentic Relating movement and what happened to me there. It’s an embarrassing story. It’s quite a long […]

What is Relational Leadership? (some embarrassing reveals)
This is a very personal article, especially in part 2 where I speak of my own failings (you can skip to the juicy parts directly in Relational Leadership, Part 2: How I learned to be less of an asshole). I hope to illustrate my belief, that most of us learn […]

How to learn chess by playing your phone against your computer (with Arena and Stockfish)
I have discovered a new addiction (oy vey — just what I needed ): playing chess against my phone. But since I have no chance at all on a new game against my phone (I believe even phones play grandmaster level these days — yikes), what I do is […]

Donation-based Developmental Circling intro on Sunday Dec. 27, 2-3:30pm EST

I am offering a  Donation-based Introductions to Developmental Circling on Sunday Dec. 27, from 2-3:30pm EST. Register on EventBrite.

If you have already experienced Circling, you know how powerful it can be for getting into connection with people. Developmental Circling builds on the fundamental Circling practice in helping you to build a team, a tribe, a dependable support network. And who can’t use that, these days?

Developmental Circling looks pretty much like any other type of Circling, with the exception that we pay more attention to time constraints, like to hear everybody’s voice at each round (especially check-ins, aliveness round, and check-outs), encourage the sharing of developmental goals, and prefer to run them in private (committed) groups. This introduction is, obviously, not a private group, but we will try to model the structure for you. This includes breaking out to the optimal group size if necessary, which is 6 participants. The room will be locked 5 minutes after the hour, so don’t be late.

More information at http://circlingguide.com/developmental-circling/. The intros are a “taster” for the closed groups which are now forming, but are designed to be a full, nourishing experience. If you think you would like to be part of a private group, review this link and then book a free appointment with me.

This event will be led by Marco Beneteau, author of the Circling and Authentic Relating Practice Guide, and associates. To be notified of future events, please subscribe to the website www.circlingguide.com, or like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/circlingguide/

In this issue of the Circling Guide newsletter:

1. Developmental Circling — groups forming now
2. Being Social (hot-seat game) next Friday, Dec. 18
3. ART International offers 50% discounts to Level 1 and Level 2 training through the end of December
4. New books by Jason Digges and Sara Ness!

Developmental Circling groups forming now (donation-based)

After 4 years of organizing and leading private circles for my friends and community, I am expanding the offer to the community at large.

What is the idea of Developmental Circling?

To make deep changes in our lives, and to grow in wisdom and discernment as relational leaders, we need ongoing support from people who know us. If you are reading this, you probably know that Authentic Relating practices are extremely powerful for creating connection, and from there transformation. The problem, is that authenticity is scary and A/R can be triggering. Ironically, it is by moving through the inevitable triggers and metabolizing those lessons, that real growth is achieved.

Developmental Circling happens in small, closed groups of people who are committed to their own development, and to the development of the group as a whole. It is also (usually) very fun.

Groups are by-donation with a suggested contribution of $15 per session ($60/mth). However, it’s more important to me that you show up, than that you show up with cash.

To find out more review Developmental Circling – Logistics. If you like what you read, book a 20-30 minute get-acquainted call with me.

Being Social (hot-seat game) next Friday, Dec. 18, 6:30pm EST

A “Being Social” is a group format my ex-wife Rebekah created based on our shared experience running an intentional community. It’s basically a hot-seat game with a few delightful twists that are best experienced directly :-). Being Socials welcome questions around love and sex, and encourage participants to get to know each other personally.

Register here. I will be co-leading this particular session. Cost is $10.

ART International offers 50% discounts to Level 1 and 2 courses, through December 31

ART International is offering 50% discount coupons to their fabulous The ART of Being Human, Level 1 and Level 2, 6-week courses. Coupon details here.

ART International has delivered the Level 1 Course to spiritual seekers in Bali, jail inmates in Colorado, executives in New York City, and men and women from all across the social, cultural, economic, and political spectrum, of all ages and nationalities, on four continents. Universally, participants report profound and lasting transformation in all aspects of their lives. The course speaks in the shared language of human connection, and is designed specifically to include everyone in the practice of Authentic Relating, no matter what path they’ve traveled in life.

I may very well be attending a Level 1 myself! Once again, coupon details here

New books by Jason Digges and Sara Ness!

Jason Digges from ART International just published new book, Conflict = Energy: The Transformative Practice of Authentic Relating. The book gives a compelling introduction to the Authentic Relating movement (the “why” of it), a library of A/R games and practices, and a set of  real-life situations in which these practices will prove valuable. As such, the book will be useful to both beginner and experienced practitioners.

And Sara Ness has yet another publication (how does she do it?), called Relating Languages, which is a kind of typology of conversational styles. Have you ever been at a party in which you have a conversation that feels totally flat  to you one minute, and another conversation the next minute the feels so alive? This book might help you understand why, and what you can do about it. It is available, along with a bunch of other valuable books, at the Authentic Relating Manuals page — and all by donation!