As Above so Below…

184 Pages·2011·4.19 MB·English

This journal belongs to: Everyone
Please read
If found: The possibility of ‘ways of knowing’,
As a reward: $ leading to new ways of being...

‘Opening one’s eyes may take a lifetime.
Seeing is done in a flash.’
(De Mello, 1988, p.1)
Figure 1. MELISSA SHEMANNA, Sacred Union, oil on canvas

As Above so Below,
as Within so Without:
Emerald Tablet, 5000 BC
To notice such things...
Figure 2. ZOE FOX, I see you, acrylic on canvas
Kim Fox
As part requirement for a Masters of Arts by Supervision
Melbourne Institute for Experiential and Creative Arts Therapies

‘Opening one’s eyes may take a lifetime. Seeing is done in a flash.’
Abstract
I want to set an intention for this group... that I serve you by providing
a space where you feel safe, where you feel seen, where you feel heard, and
valued. I thank you for being courageous enough to journey with me into our
experience of looking and listening – where we can hopefully come to make
some meaning that will make a difference... to ourselves... to the world...
(Excerpt from journal – Initial Intention in Session 1).
We see and hear all the time: – Or do we? What would happen if we were to take the
ordinary experience of looking and listening and bring attention to that experience? I
wonder if St. Thomas was onto something when he said, ‘Know what is in front of your
face, and what is hidden from you will be disclosed to you. For there is nothing hidden that
will not be revealed. And there is nothing buried that will not be raised’ (cited in Robinson,
1990, p.Oxy. 654.27–31). Feeling curious, I am interested as to how to ‘know what is in
front of your face.’ Born with congenital cataracts and astigmatism, my fascination with
seeing clearly has been to date, a life-long personal inquiry. The title of this paper speaks
to opening eyes and ears to what we notice in both our outside world (above the surface,
or without) and our inside world (below the surface, or within).
Figure 3. , Where are you?
As Above so Below, as Within so Without: To notice such things... Page 3
‘Opening one’s eyes may take a lifetime. Seeing is done in a flash.’
I am currently employed to ‘teach.’ ‘Teaching,’ more than anything has taught me about
Relational Being, where, ‘what takes place in the classroom is our achievement together...
a communal creation.’ Like Gergen (2009, p.241), I see, ‘education... as a process for
enhancing participation in relational process.’
This Research Inquiry was conducted within an educational context at Mill Park Heights
Primary School in Melbourne, Victoria – the largest Victorian Government School on one
campus in 2010. Educating more than one thousand enrolled students from Grades Prep-
six during 2010, Mill Park Heights Primary School employed ninety-six staff members at
the time of writing. In the School Strategic Plan it states that ‘our core purpose is to develop
a community of actively engaged learners through the provision of a stimulating, relevant
and flexible curriculum that enhances the personal growth, academic achievement and
wellbeing of all; to become effective members of a global society.’ (Patterson, 2011, p.1)

Figures 4 & 5. and , Enhancing personal growth, collage, pastel on paper, A4
My intention was to inquire with the value of openness alongside teachers. We would
search into our experience of looking at, and listening to both our inner and outer worlds.
Through being part of this qualitative, arts-based research inquiry, participants would
have opportunities to look and listen in order to discover what was present for them. I
looked to explore our experiences using multi modal journals. I hoped to use this process
to investigate possible relationships within and between aspects of these worlds. I wanted
to explore and reflect on meaning that may be discovered/ uncovered along the way. I
invited participants to inquire into what was able to be seen and heard in their lives,
where they could consciously choose how they wished to be with their own findings.
Kim Fox
Page 4
‘Opening one’s eyes may take a lifetime. Seeing is done in a flash.’
This inquiry was conducted within a professional context. I wondered if through
exploration of the data generated, doorways may open that could lead us to reflect on our
teaching/ leadership practice. Thus, like a deep sea diver exploring unchartered waters it
was, and still is my sincere intention to contribute to human flourishing by initiating this
journey into the unknown.

Figure 6. , Delving into the Ocean of Inquiry, collage and pastel on paper, A2
The nature of this inquiry was multi-layered: I was key researcher – observer of the over-
arching process and also co-participant, inquiring into my own experience of above and
below: within and without alongside others. As we embarked on this journey of inquiry, I
undertook to approach this search for meaning with transparency.
How did we perceive aspects of our inner and outer worlds as we co-inquired? How did I
see and hear those participating in this inquiry? How did I experience myself in relation
to the participants as they inquired into themselves and aspects of their worlds?
As Above so Below, as Within so Without: To notice such things... Page 5
‘Opening one’s eyes may take a lifetime. Seeing is done in a flash.’
This is one version of how this research inquiry unfolded:
‘Hmmm’ – Initial choice
to open our eyes and ears
‘Ooohh’ - Seeing and
hearing ourselves and
each other in new ways
‘Aha!’ Coming to know
in new ways
‘Mmmm’ – Coming to ‘be’
in new ways
‘Ahhhh.’ Rippling out to
reach those we encounter
Figure 7. , A multi-layered Research, pastel on paper, A1
We came to learn that this process led to profound change in our ways of being with
ourselves and our world. It enabled us to know that as we bring presence to opening our
eyes and ears we can consciously choose to look and listen. We found that this allowed us
to see and hear in a different way, and we made more meaningful connections within and
without. As our exploration deepened, our relationships deepened. Here the experience
of feeling seen, heard and valued was shared.
Kim Fox
Page 6