Hoarfrost

On long winter walks, hoarfrost always stops me in my tracks – it serves as a rare visual reminder of the invisible temperature, humidity and air currents appearing at just the right rate for these unique, feathery crystals to form.

I had an experience designing a session with a dear colleague that seemed to present the precise conditions for my own crystalline qualities to come to life – as if out of thin air. A lived reality of those invisible forces interacting to support my becoming.

I had unknowingly raised my hand to facilitate something that was held precious, something that wasn’t so easy to entrust to someone else. It felt delicate… in the way that hoarfrost melts at the slightest touch.

We were discussing a session on Purpose. My friend shared how he usually facilitates the session, I shared how I might approach it, and as new perspectives emerged, it’s as if the cold air currents started conveying humidity at just the right rate: we were actively wrestling, but not against each other. We were wrestling for each other and for the group. Though we didn’t know where the conversation would take us, we knew there was a deeper understanding for us both to uncover, a more beautiful way to invite our shared purpose in. 

Next thing we knew, hoarfrost had formed. We had co-created a design, imbued with our original approaches, but new entirely. And in the process, we also accessed a deeper sense of trust and collaboration between us. We arrived at a depth that allowed mutual hidden potential to come to light.

In that moment, we together embodied the flow of letting go and letting come. And just as hoarfrost always does, the beauty of the moment stopped me in my tracks. This time, overcome by the hope and care we held for our shared purpose, a purpose that would extend far beyond our interaction. 

“The quality of results achieved by any system is a function of the quality of awareness that people in these systems operate from. In three words: Form follows consciousness.”

– Otto Scharmer