The Center for Courage & Renewal hosts a listserv for facilitators of Courage to Teach and other Circles of Trust. Carol Kortsch is a fellow facilitator and her book was lauded on the listserv as a MUST READ, so that's what led me to order it and read it.
It takes a very typical (for Courage work) weekend retreat and describes the experience through the eyes of several of the participants. The author takes very difficult subject matter -- describing something so ethereal and personal -- and makes it accessible. It's a very interesting way to elucidate the Courage work. While these circles of trust are deeply personal and reflective, the human experience is universal. This book really proves through various characters, "the more personal, the more universal."
I found the book particularly interesting as a facilitator because the author describes so well the uncertainty that I often feel in leading this work. She also offers beautiful and descriptive language that describes very difficult concepts like soul, community, trust, and those ephemeral feelings of self-understanding and struggle. She also describes the fear and trembling that participants feel in silence, in community, in Clearness Committees, etc., for the first time.
I'm wondering if this book would enhance someone's retreat experience because they would know what to expect...or if it would detract because the bar would be set so high! I don't know...the people in this story make remarkable progress in a very short time...not sure how realistic this is! Have I had life-changing experiences in a circle of trust? Absolutely! Does it happen every time? Not for me...so I wonder about that. Perhaps it would enhance a person's readiness. Perhaps it would encourage them to be as honest, open, and as authentic as possible. And maybe it will broaden the audience for this kind of inner work--that would be a good thing!
