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What we’re about

Authentic Relating Toronto: Where relating is ART

ART offers events, workshops and courses involving Authentic Relating, Intersubjective Meditation (aka Circling), and Dialogos.

Our intention is to deliver cutting edge practices and experiences that afford us (as individuals and a society) to address our various perennial problems. Sometimes we deliver this intention through a one-of casual drop-in community-style event, or a purpose-focused, closed-group fellowship, multi-month growth-oriented course.

Regardless of the type of event, we use a general underlying framework that affords growth and transformation through addressing what are known as 'states of consciousness', 'structures of consciousness' and 'shadow work'.

While most of our spaces focus on what is known as 'participatory knowing', meaning our events tend to be highly experiential and interactive and through practice we can expand this area of knowing. Some offerings also work on one or more of the other three 'ways of knowing', such as our perspectival (through integration and theory), propositional (theory) and procedural (trainings) ways of knowing.

What is Authentic Relating?
For us, Authentic Relating is a practice of 'authenticity in relationship' (any kind of relationship - familial, professional, intimate, etc.) Here the practice of 'authenticity' is moving more and more towards an outward expression that more accurately reflects our inner experience.

Therefore, as we're all at least a bit different, and we're practicing, there isn't really any 'right way' on how to relate.

Our spaces tend to allow participants to drop trying to come off a certain way, to explore/appreciate whatever arises, while allowing ourselves to 'mess it up'.

For many of our spaces, if we can manage to cultivate even just 1% more connection, transparency, and aliveness in our interactions, we're walking-the-walk.

Though, it's also understood and/or accepted that trying to be authentic all the time is (ironically) inauthentic to many of us.

You can read more about Authentic Relating on our website at authenticrelatingtoronto.com

What is Intersubjective Meditation (ART Circling)?
ART Circling is an organic, in-the-moment interpersonal process that’s equal parts art form, meditation, and group conversation — all designed to allow a visceral experience of connection and understanding of another person’s world, celebrating who and where they are right now.
It’s practicing using our genuine curiosity to better understand and become a connoisseur of another person’s world though present moment awareness while breaking through the assumptions and projections we have about each other.

Different than sitting on a meditation cushion by yourself, Circling is a relational practice. And though it works exquisitely in intimate relationships of all kinds, it can be applied in ALL areas of life because it’s so organic, non-analytical, effective, and fun.

You can read more about ART Circling on our website at circling.ca

What is Dialogos (Dialog-OS)?
In this case, Dialogos references a 'state' we can experience through dialog.

Dia = through, Logos = the word.

ART offers various practices that would be considered Dialogos Practices, practices in which the presence of the 'logos' may be experienced.

Merriam Webster defines Logos as 'reason that in ancient Greek philosophy is the controlling principle in the universe' and while that may sound a bit too new-agey or 'spiritual' to some ears, you can just as easily describe it as the experience of something like a 'collective flow state'.

An experience of getting into 'right relationship' together with whatever has our attention (usually the here-and-now/present moment of the connection between us).

You can read more about Dialog-OS on our website dialog-os.com

Some more about ART
ART has been running events, workshops and courses for over a decade now and in some of those years we have run over 100 in-person sessions within the calendar year.

You can use this group to stay up to date with future offerings once they are posted (online and in-person), or you could sign up for our newsletter on our website at http://circling.ca and there usually get a heads up on upcoming events before the events go live on meetup. Just so you know, we average 1-2 emails per month and you can, of course, unsubscribe at any time.

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