Talking Circle History, Teachings, and Guidelines
The Talking Circle Teachings were prayerfully passed on by Elders Abe Burnstick, Dakota/Cree, and Eddie Belrose, Cree, at the Sweat House Lodge in Corvallis, Oregon, in 1975. The Sweat House Lodge was the first Alcohol and Drug Treatment Center to use the Sweat Lodge as a recognized treatment modality.
At the same time that these beloved Elders prayerfully shared the Teachings of Talking Circles, they also shared prophecies that are now being fulfilled.
One of these prophecies foretold, in remarkable detail, the coming of the internet. At the time, we could not fully understand what they were speaking about. The Elders told us that when the “Everywhere Spirit was made physically manifest on Mother Earth,” we should use this sacred gift in a good way.
They said that when this happened, we would be able to speak with and see someone on the other side of Mother Earth. They also shared other details about digital technology and the internet that we could not comprehend at the time. When I became a Professor at the University of Lethbridge in 1980 and first encountered a mainframe computer, I knew exactly what they had been speaking about.
These Talking Circle Guidelines have now been shared for more than 50 years by those who learned at Sweat House Lodge, as well as by other spiritual relatives taught by Uncle Abe and Uncle Eddie. Uncle Abe and Uncle Eddie were themselves taught by Elder Raymond Harris, Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho, from the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming, in the late 1960s.
These Talking Circle Teachings have been shared across Turtle Island and beyond. They are now widely used far beyond our Indigenous communities, extending into many sectors of the wider world, including the business community.
Time and history will tell this story in greater detail as the Indigenous Healing Movement continues to expand and deepen across Turtle Island and beyond.
Written Talking Circle Guidelines
In 1986, these Talking Circle Teachings and Guidelines were shared in writing for the first time in our Four Worlds’ Sacred Tree Curriculum Guide. They are shared below.
Talking Circles are important for creating a safe space where everyone can share their feelings, perspectives, and experiences with others. This process helps people build trust with one another and develop emotional and empathic understanding.
The following guidelines help ensure that Talking Circles create a safe place for sharing, listening, and exploring different points of view without criticism or judgment. This process also strengthens our understanding, appreciation, and respect for perspectives other than our own. Moral and ethical issues can also be raised in a Talking Circle and addressed without offending or harming anyone.
Whatever is shared in the Circle stays in the Circle. Complete confidentiality is fundamental to the Talking Circle process.
People are free to respond however they wish, as long as they follow these guidelines.
All comments should be addressed directly to the question or issue being explored, not to comments made by another participant. Both negative and positive comments about what anyone else in the Circle says should be avoided. Simply say what you want to say in a positive way. Speak from the heart.
Only one person speaks at a time. Everyone else listens nonjudgmentally to what the speaker says. Some groups find it useful to have a clear way of indicating who has the floor. Going around the Circle systematically is one way to do this. Another way is to use an object, such as a stone or talking stick, which the speaker holds and then passes to the next person in the Circle.
Silence is an acceptable response. No one should ever be pressured to contribute if they do not wish to share. There must be no negative consequences, however subtle, for saying, “I pass.”
At the same time, everyone must feel invited to participate. Processes should be built in to ensure that a few vocal people do not dominate the discussion.
For example, no one speaks twice until everyone in the Circle has been given the opportunity to speak once. An atmosphere of patient, non-judgmental listening usually helps quieter people feel safe speaking, while also helping more vocal participants moderate their sharing. Going around the Circle systematically, inviting each person to participate simply by mentioning each name in turn, can be an effective way to balance participation.
It is often better to hold Talking Circles in groups of five to nine people rather than in a large circle. In smaller groups, everyone has time to say what they need to say without feeling pressured by time.
The group leader facilitates the discussion by acknowledging contributions in a non-judgmental way. This means avoiding comments such as “good comment” or “great,” which may be seen as comparisons between contributions. The facilitator may also clarify comments when necessary, for example, by saying, “If I understand what you’re saying, you’re…”
No comments that put down others or ourselves are allowed. The group should establish an agreed-upon way of signaling the speaker when this occurs. Self-put-downs include comments such as, “I don’t think anyone will agree with me, but…” or “I’m not very good at…”
Speakers should feel free to express themselves in whatever way feels comfortable: by sharing a personal story, using examples or metaphors, making analytical statements, or speaking in any other respectful way.
Some groups have found it useful to encourage participants to focus on consciously sending the speaker loving and compassionate feelings. In this way, listeners support the speaker and avoid tuning out or focusing only on what they will say when it's their turn.
Source: Excerpted from The Sacred Tree Curriculum Guide, produced and copyrighted by The Four Worlds International Institute, 1987.
“Talking and Healing Circles” have now become our current “Circle Around the Fire for Daily Sharing” and are a key component of our Indigenous Healing Movement across the Americas. In fact, the most universal archetypes among Indigenous peoples globally are the Sacred Circle and the Sacred Tree. Both are key symbols and noetic integrators of the Indigenous Healing Movement.
Other related Indigenous Healing, inter-spiritual, and inter-cultural unity movements, inspired by dedicated, principle-centered, culturally respectful Indigenous spiritual and community leaders, have also been dynamically unfolding with increasing unity across Abya Yala and beyond. I have personally participated in, witnessed, and experienced these Indigenous Healing Movements very closely during the past 58 Winters.