this journal belongs to: everyoneas above so below, as within so without: to notice such things......

This journal belongs to:

If found:

As a reward: $

Everyone

Please readThe possibility of ‘ways of knowing’, 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


As Above so Below, as Within so Without: To notice such things... Page 3

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?

Kim Fox Page 4


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.



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?

Kim Fox Page 6


This is one version of how this research inquiry unfolded:

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.

‘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



Statement of Authorship

Figure 8. , MY-MIECAT Journaling

I hereby declare that everything you find within the pages of this thesis has originated

from me in response to the requirements of fulfilling the MIECAT Masters in Arts by

Supervision. Where I have included work (including images) from other sources, you

will find documentation that acknowledges and appropriately references these sources.

Unedited texts from my personal journals are illustrated as follows:

I want to set an intention for this group...

I have made a deliberate choice to capture journal images as they are, with spiral binding

visible where possible. I consciously want to stay present to the ordinariness of this

process and to my belief that anyone can do this.

Kim Fox

11/03/2011

Kim Fox Page 8


Acknowledgements

To You, Reader – whoever you may be, I thank you from my

heart for reading this work. Without you ever as my focus in these final stages, I could

not have done this. I trust that if this research paper has landed in your hands for some

reason: then it is for you in some way. May you enjoy the read.

To my employer, Principal of Mill Park Heights Primary School,

Mrs. Deborah Patterson: You have believed in me. Your belief in the value of this research has

extended beyond words. You have enacted the value you’ve held by arranging timetables,

sessions, budgets and meetings so that I could complete my Graduate Certificate and

Masters at MIECAT. I wish now that the fruits of our efforts may ripple out to continue

touching those in education. From my heart: thank-you.

To the participants: Irene, Cecilia, Laurelle, Sarah and Elizabeth

there are no words... From within came your willingness to open and explore multi-

modally. You found the courage to look, listen and create. Your honesty with self and

other was inspiring. You ‘showed up’ in each session, with such integrity. I am indebted to

you for your trust in the process. You showed respect, compassion and empathy towards

yourselves, each other and your commitment and vulnerability throughout our shared

search for meaning still humbles me. Without you there would have been no inquiry, and

there would be no ripple effect reaching out and touching those you encounter. Feel my

eternal gratitude – being with you, inquiring with you, circle of women, has changed me.

X



To Dr. Warren Lett, thank you for your vision in co-founding

MIECAT and for your voice which although challenging me at times, somehow knew just

what to say – and what not to say.

Dr. Jan Allen, also one of the founders of MIECAT, you are like

an owl, seeing with acute accuracy in the darkest of night. Thank you for helping me to

learn to see in the dark when I got lost along the way, guiding me to navigate through self

created deception – you live the MIECAT values, ever present, reflecting me back to me.

Sue Pratt, thank you for being a clear signpost early in the

journey when I was still grappling with the emerging topic for this research inquiry. Your

clarity and direction helped me place my feet on a path that has changed my life.

Andi Breen, quietly you have walked beside me as supervisor,

being present to my journey through this inquiry and supporting me with your mastery

of the English language... (Do you notice only three dots?) Thank you for being like the

mother bird – ‘hoofing’ me out of the nest and watching from close enough, yet far enough

away to allow me to learn how to fly.

Kerry Kaskamanidis – for being my MIECAT companion as I

discovered, faced, came to know, ‘met’ and embraced the many women in my house... no

words...

Kim Fox Page 10


Joan and Lizzie, our little tribe met from the very beginning

of this Masters course. What a joy to sit in circle with you every other week to make art,

make sense, and make fun by just playing! The ‘cauldron’ brewed the best Sencha Tea that

warmed my belly as we worked. I am so grateful for the way we embraced the ‘surrender

factor’ through the process, fossicking through Oracle Cards for timely inspiration,

sharing music and stories as we continued through the MIECAT way of Inquiry. Thank

you for helping me to see the light!

Yarn and Danni, with one another we have experienced the

struggle that it is to emerge through this Masters journey. Together, like lotuses we have

pushed through the mud, reached out and supported each other in the process of our own

emergence. The heart you bring to your work renders me in awe of you both. Heartfelt

thanks for the cups of chai, the dancing, the hugs, the fortnightly driving across the city

to gather, the shared offerings of nourishment both physical and emotional. Thank you

so much for the raucous laughter in those moments when things were getting way too

serious for their own good! For the ‘Byronic’ (Bay) moments of candle lighting with the

intention of getting each other through, my heart sings. I have felt seen, heard and been

held by your support. It has been truly a privilege.

Amanda: You companioned me through moments of this

inquiry, offering intuitive artistic intersubjective responses that opened my eyes to new

knowing... Then, as I pushed hard up against the edges of my formatting expertise in the

final stages of this process... you manifested, like a ‘happy accident,’ skilfully navigating

your way around this entire document. You worked with each page, arranging images and

text so that it would be a gift for the reader. Thank goodness for you. Thank you.

X

x



To beautiful Liz O’Byrne, one whom I feel honoured to call

‘friend.’ You have been my journaling companion for ever so long now and with every New

Year that emerges; my love for our shared ritual grows. Thank you for your wisdom, your

unconditional love, your artistic brilliance and your formless presence. Thank you for

being my eyes when I couldn’t see (literally), reading me countless articles and readings

about everything from ‘Qualitative Arts-based Research’ to ‘Listening from the Heart’.

Darling Liz, how blessed I am to know and love you.

Kimmy, Bronnie, Freddie, Terrina, Clare and Dianne, in all of

the years we have been friends, each of you have been there for me in moments when I

have most needed someone. Your voices speak practical wisdom. You gracefully cut away

that which is unnecessary. I feel your love and care for me. For your time, your presence,

your brilliance, guidance and true friendship, thank you.

To the two precious human beings who happen to have

manifested as my daughters in this lifetime, Kiara and Zoe. No arrangement of words

could even touch the gratitude I hold for you both in my heart. Kiara means ‘light’, Zoe

means ‘life’: you are, you are, you just are. More than anything, I thank you for ‘choosing

me.’ What a dance this life has been already, and still we move together, loving one

another ‘all the way to the moon and back again and beyond’. You have danced (or been

dragged) along this path that I chose to travel for the past 3 years and it has meant that

you have had to move with and around me and ‘my study’. Beautiful earth angels, you are

my greatest teachers. Feel my love and gratitude.

x

X

Kim Fox Page 12


To all those amazing humans who teach with open eyes, ears,

minds and hearts, thank you for contributing to human flourishing. I hope you realize

how important you really are...

Figure 9. , Contributing to human flourishing, watercolour and pencil on paper, A5

And finally to every student who has inspired me to be more

present to what I see and hear as I look and listen I thank you. May the fruits of this study

ripple out to make a difference in your worlds. May you be seen and heard with the eyes

and ears of presence, compassion and empathy as you encounter yourselves and others

at school and throughout your lives. Thank you for reflecting back to me my own inner

voices – and for teaching me to ask you what you need, rather than my trying to ‘manage’

or ‘teach’ you anything. Thank you for relating with me multi-modally, dropping from

head into bodies again and again to access that which isn’t yet known: your courage to

learn makes me so grateful that I became a ‘teacher’. Thank you for teaching me that when

we are more fully present in our interactions with one another we learn more than we

could have hoped for.

Figure 10. From Little things, big things grow



Table of Contents

Introduction: A door opens in the ‘House of Changes’ 18

House of Changes – a poem by Jeni Couzyn 19

The law of ‘The House’ meets ‘The Law of Correspondence’ 20

Inspiration impacts on a school yard tale 23

A choice: Opening eyes and ears in order to notice such things 26

The more light there is, the more I can see 27

An Invitation: You’ll find the Key Inside 29

‘We Meet’ in the Middle 30

‘We Meet’ the Researchers 32

‘We Meet’ the Research – A Nine Week Overview 33

‘We Meet’ the Multi-modal Journal 38

Journal as: A Powerful Companion 40

Journal as: A landing place – a place for grounding 41

Journal as: A meeting place – a place for connection 48

Journal as: A holding place – a place for ‘containing’ over time 52

Journal as: A place to return to – a place for reflection and meaning-making. 56

Kim Fox Page 14


Figure 11. What to bring?

The Ocean of Inquiry: Becoming the Diver 60

Methodology: The how of inquiring into human experiencing 61

The Questions: Of Knowing, of Perceived Reality and of Value 62

The Paradigms: What kind of Research is this? 63

The Procedures: An Emergent Process 64

Being present to experiencing 65

Multi-modal Representation 66

Phenomenological Description 68

Reduction 69

Bracketing 70

Staying with resonance and dissonance 72

Re-experiencing 74

Intersubjective Responding 75

Intrasubjective Responding/ Indwelling 76

Clustering and Titling 77

Temporary Approximations to meaning 78

Dear Reader,

As we prepare to dive into this next section together, I

invite you to bring the following: You, as you are, right

now; an attitude of ‘openness’; a willingness to be with

the unknown; a willingness to be attentive to what is

present...



Amplification 79

Mapping 80

Depictions 83

Essence Statements 84

Working towards Themes and Patterns of lived experience 85

Creative Synthesis 86

Ways of knowing lead to ways of being 87

Navigating deep waters 90

Moments of Synchronized Swimming – Above and Below the Surface 92

When in deep water– take a buddy 97

Hey Look! Listen! Can you feel that? We’re Swimming Within a Circle! 105

A Circle of One’: A rich space for learning 107

A Circle where values are learned through experience 112

A circle of Presence 113

A circle of Relationship 114

A circle of Openness 115

A circle of Curiosity 116

A circle of Emergence 117

A circle of Inclusiveness 118

A circle of Courage 119

Kim Fox Page 16


A circle of Trust 120

A circle of Safety 121

A circle of Allowing 122

A circle of Honesty 123

A circle of Empathy 124

A circle of Intuition 125

A circle of Respect 127

A circle of Compassion for Self and Other 128

A circle of Integrity 129

A circle of Responsibility 130

A circle of Iterative Reflexivity 131

A circle of Gratitude 132

A circle of Understanding and Being Understood 133

A circle of Intersubjectivity 134

A circle of Becoming 135

‘Relational Being’ in the Wider World: A word from ‘Above 136

A word on Action Values in Ways of being with Self and Other 136

A word of caution from ‘Mindful’ 137

A word on Values Education, Inquiry Approach

and Australian National Curriculum 139



A word on Emotional Intelligence and Efficacy

for ‘Emotionally safe Schools’ and Social Intelligence 141

A word on Relational Being in Education 144

The Ripple Effect: Nurturing our future 145

Where One Door Closes 169

Another Door Opens 172

References 173

Appendices 177

Table of Images 177

The Emerald Tablet: The key to Above and Below 180

Kim Fox Page 18


Introduction: a door opens in the ‘House of Changes’

On the following page you will find the poem, ‘House of Changes’– written by Jeni Couzyn

(1978). I have chosen to represent the poem multi-modally, in the hope that as you read

through this research paper, references to this ‘house’ will signpost to something familiar.

Experience the reading with an image as part of ‘the picture’, beginning at Number 1,

progress through the various rooms until you have met those who dwell within...and

without.

Figures 12 & 13. Keys & Opening Doorways



3. On the stairs, glossy and determined

is Mindful. She’s the boss, handing out

punishments and rations and examination

papers with precise justice. She keeps her

perceptions in a huge album under her arm

her debts in the garden with the weedkill

friends in card-index on the windowsill of

the sittingroom and a tape-recording of

the world on earphones which she plays

to herself over and over assessing her life

writing summaries.

6. In the basement is Harmful. She is the keeper of weapons the watchdog. Keeps

intruders at bay but the others keep her locked up in the daytime and when she escapes

she comes out screaming smoke streaming from her nostrils flames on her tongue razor-

blades for fingernails skewers for eyes.

2. Nearest the door ready in her black leather is Vulnerable. She lives in the hall

her face painted with care her black boots reaching her crotch her black hair

shining her skin milky and soft as butter. If you should ring the doorbell she would

answer and a wound would open across her eyes as she touched your hand.

5. Upstairs in a white room is my favourite. She

is Equivocal has no flesh on her bones that are

changeable as yarrow stalks. She hears her green

plants talking watches the bad dreams under the

world unfolding spends all her days and night

arranging her symbols never sleeps never eats

hamburgers never lets anyone into her room never

asks for anything.

House of Changes

(a poem by Jeni Couzyn)

1. My Body is a wide house

A commune

Of bickering women, hearing

their own breathing

denying each other...

7. I am Imminent live out in the street

watching them. I lodge myself in

other people’s heads with a sleeping

bag strapped to my back. One day

I’ll perhaps get to like them enough

those rough, truthful women to move

in. One by one I’m making friends

with them all unobtrusively, slow and

steady slow and steady.

4. In the kitchen is Commendable. The only

lady in the house who dresses in florals - she

is always busy, always doing something for

someone: she had a lot of friends. Her hands

are quick and cunning as blackbirds her pantry

is stuffed with loaves and fishes. She knows

the times of trains and mends fuses and

makes a lot of noise with the vacuum cleaner.

In her linen cupboard, newly-ironed and

neatly folded, she keeps her resentments like

wedding presents – each week takes them out

for counting not to lose any but would never

think of using any being a lady.

Figure 13(b). House of Changes

Kim Fox Page 20


The Law of ‘The House’ meets ‘The Law of Correspondence’

Figure 14. Eye of God

I love the way inspiration often originates from the most unexpected places. On the quest

to know what this Masters Inquiry would be about, there were two crucial influences. To

begin with, in the search to know myself, Couzyn’s poem, ‘House of Changes’ affected me

in a profound way. I was curious to learn about those ... who live within the wide house

of my body, that commune of bickering women, hearing their own breathing, denying each

other. I became aware of how some of these women thrive at centre stage, grabbing the

microphone, needing to be seen and heard, at home in the spotlight. I discovered others

deeper within who were harder to see and hear, playing hide and seek, wearing masks.

As I looked and listened through emergent inquiry, an initial knowing about myself and

those women in my house became clear:

The more present I become in my noticing, the more I can face

and sit with those aspects within me which I encounter. This enables me

to meet myself and my needs and experience what integrity feels like.

(Excerpt from Journal, 2009)

House of Changes



That which is Below corresponds to that which is Above, and that which is Above,

corresponds to that which is Below, to accomplish the miracles of the One Thing

Emerald Tablet 5000 BC

The second profound source of inspiration for this inquiry came from the ‘Law of

Correspondence’ as recorded on the Emerald Tablet by Hermes Trismegistus. It refers to

the concept that the microcosm and macrocosm are reflections of the one thing: What is

above is below and what is within is also without. When I consider this possibility, I feel a

deep resonance on a cellular level. This Hermetic principle is the foundation of the art of

Alchemy.

The longer I sit with both of these sources of inspiration, the more curious I feel about

the apparent link I can see between the two. At the micro level (within) I know myself as

a collection of many voices. This coupled with the principle of: as above so below: as within

so without, transmutes my experience of being in the world.

+ =

Figure 15. , Start of Synthesis

For me:

House of Changes + The Law of Correspondence = A new way of seeing the world

Kim Fox Page 22


Here you hold a thesis which takes this curiosity into an educational context: my daily

work context. The focus within this document is not to make claims as to the legitimacy

of ‘The Emerald Tablet’ because there is much debate about this. Rather, this research

genuinely inquires into the micro and the macro with transparency: to ‘see’ and ‘hear’

what may become ‘known.’

Come with me into the school-yard and I’ll show you how all of this looked early on within

a real context:

Figure 16. Off to school...



Inspiration Impacts on a Schoolyard Tale

Hi, I am a student at

Mill Park Heights Primary School.

You can call me ‘K’.

For some reason I don’t feel so well...

I attempted to manage K in the classroom situation,

She was always feeling sick and craving medical attention –

Often warning of potential vomit: urgency in her eyes and manner,

I worried about her digestive tract – which turned into a case of trying to distract her

From her ‘illnesses’ and to engage her in the Arts,

Annoyed and frustrated with her behaviour – I wasn’t ‘teaching’ her from my heart.

I avoided her pleas for attention: felt separate and disconnected,

Then, I read Jeni Couzyn’s, ‘House of Changes’ and was deeply affected.

Soon on the playground, K and I shared a profound interaction,

As I really saw and heard her, it transmuted our connection.

Experiencing her as an outer reflection from inside ‘my house:’

As Above, so Below, as Within, so Without!

Kim Fox Page 24


She said she couldn’t breathe when she spoke at the start,

I could finally hear her with an open heart.

I looked straight into her eyes, from my bended knee –

And ‘saw her’ as though I was looking at me.

Figure 17.

I told her that even though I may not always send her off to ‘sick bay’ I needed her to know

that I believed her. I felt my tears come as I saw my own 7 year old inner child in front

of me. I remembered the pain of feeling exactly like K when I was a child and suddenly

understood: compassion within and without: Empathy.

(Gently)

What is it that you need?

No one believes me... No one believes me, (crying)

‘X’ just tells me to go away, and when she’s away, ‘Y’

gives me a really mean look like they think I’m lying

(sobbing now). My mum doesn’t even believe me...

(Looking her in the eyes

and lightly touching her arms):

K, I believe you.

(Sobbing much more deeply now...)



I asked her if she trusted and believed herself. She nodded at me through a flood of tears. I

told her that there were two of us in this world who knew her pain now and that as long as

she remembered to trust herself and believe herself then she would know her truth. (As I

spoke these words, I really felt as though I was speaking with the younger version of me

who had desperately needed someone to believe her). She nodded and started breathing

calmly again. We openly hugged on the busy playground and off she went.

That afternoon, in Arts class, K was calmer, more attentive, engaged and somewhat more

at peace than I had ever seen her before. I also felt peaceful. A couple of days passed by

and at recess as I was running to the staff room, I heard a call: Hey Ms. Fox, and turned

around to see a beaming K skipping with a rope, waving at me. I stopped running, became

present, smiled and asked her how she was. She brightly gave me a wink and a smile and

then the thumbs up which resonated for me as a shared understanding of ‘We know!’ In

terms of my connection with the poem about the House of Changes, I felt something shift

in my way of seeing that day. Ahhh – making friends with those women, who live in my

house, reflected back to me through those I encounter in the outside world... slow and

steady, slow and steady.

Figure 18. , Coming home to me, acrylic and marker on canvas

Kim Fox Page 26


A Choice: Opening Eyes and Ears in order to Notice such things

If I really listen with an open heart,

I have the chance of seeing the whole of someone, on a number of levels.

An open heart, like an open door, lets in light and banishes the darkness

of misunderstanding.

And the more light there is, the more I can see.

(Leong, cited in Seymour, 2008, p.66)

Figure 19. The more I can see

Understanding my world as but a reflection

Each cohort of students, a unique collection,

Every class – a ‘group’ voice, yet made up of many

Seeing and hearing each child in a new way,

Look at you, I see me; listen to you, my voice I hear,

With presence and openness my world becomes clear...



The more light there is, the more I can see

A monumental shift in the way I have come to see and hear those I work with daily has been

the impetus for this Masters Inquiry with MIECAT (Melbourne Institute for Experiential

and Creative Arts Therapies). Being employed as a creative arts teacher, I wondered what

could happen if other teachers who I worked with, openly inquired into their experience

of looking at and listening to their inner and outer worlds. Would they come to know

something more of themselves? Would their knowing impact on how they relate to their

colleagues and students? With new insight, what might that mean to us and to those we

are privileged enough to encounter?

All Heuristic Inquiry begins with the internal search to discover, with an

encompassing puzzlement, a passionate desire to know, a devotion and commitment

to pursue a question that is strongly connected to one’s own identity and selfhood.

The awakening of such a question comes through an inward clearing, and an

intentional readiness and determination to discover a fundamental truth regarding

the meaning and essence of one’s own experience and that of others.

(Moustakas, 1990, p.40)

Kim Fox Page 28


‘As I shine the light of inquiry within, a new way of seeing opens up for me’

Figure 20. , Light of Inquiry– Within and Without, pencil on paper, A4



An Invitation: You’ll find the key inside

Figure 21. , An Invitation to Meet in the Middle

Meeting in the Middle

NOW

As long as it takes

A circle within the

Ocean of Inquiry

[email protected]

Please bring your Multi-modal journal...

Kim Fox Page 30


We meet in the middle

Dear Reader,

You are invited to step with me through an opening into a ‘meeting place.’

Having been employed in Education since 1988, I have become fluent in the

‘language’ that belongs to its culture: so specific to ‘the field.’ On the other hand,

I am also literate in the language of MIECAT, with its own particular terms

detailing procedures and processes related to ‘shared making of meaning’

through Creative Arts Therapies...

Figure 22. , Through the middle– I see, pencil, fine-liner and watercolour on paper, A5



No matter who you are or how you may work– be it as an Educator, a Creative

Arts Therapist using the MIECAT Approach, or in a totally different field– I

write this thesis for you. Hand on heart, as I sit and type these words (with the

other hand...) my intention is to write in a language that is clear and plain, in

the hope that you may receive something that you need, even if you don’t know

what it is yet...

So from this ‘space in-between’, I tell you a story about ways of being. Six

women, teachers, entrust themselves to the process of opening their eyes

and ears in order to look and listen with curiosity. They share this process of

meeting with one another for three hours each week. Their co-inquiry officially

continues for nine weeks.

By bringing presence to their experiencing, and using the arts to inquire into

this multi-modally, they see and hear things that change them. These changes

in their ways of being– ripple out and keep rippling to touch those in their

worlds... our world.

Figure 23. AMANDA WOODFORD, The Ripple Effect, ISR, pastel on paper, A2

Kim Fox Page 32


We meet the Researchers

Rather than know us by name through this thesis, we felt to be identified through resonant

images. These images were arrived at through using the internet to search ‘key words’

from our initial inquiry session together. As you continue to read, you’ll find these images

surfacing time and time again wherever data is included relating to any of us. Being writer

of this research, I smile at the privilege of introducing you to five co-researchers who

inquired alongside me as we opened to look and listen. They are:

And then there’s me– ‘imminent’, continuously breaking through into a new way of

being in the world, emerging, becoming.



We meet the Research – A Nine Week Overview

Here you find a brief weekly outline of what we did when we gathered to inquire. The

MIECAT Procedures used are only named in this section. Clear, more in depth definitions

and examples of these procedures used are situated in the Methodology.

Week 1 Outline:

Focus – ‘Opening’; intro to basic MIECAT Procedures

What it looked like:

• Initial Introduction – sitting in a circle; creating a ‘safe space’ in which to inquire

• Clarifying purpose/ aims/ intentions

• Sharing expectations/ concerns/ feelings

• Discussing basic MIECAT Procedures

• BEING PRESENT TO EXPERIENCING: Receiving a ‘package’. Sitting with and

being as present as possible to your experience of receiving, holding and opening

this package

• Automatic Writing in response to experience: ‘Openness is...’

• Sharing and recording ‘Key Words’ for one another as we look and listen

• Creating Representations of our experience of opening

• Sharing representations and offering one another embodied

Intersubjective Responses

• In closing:– identifying key moments and reflecting on any meaning emerging

• Homework: Re-read Automatic Writing and highlight key words/phrases...keep

looking and listening and journaling what you see and hear...

Kim Fox Page 34


Week 2 Outline:

Focus – Attention to looking and listening– being present to experiencing; Multi-modal,

arts-based inquiry


• In a circle– initial ‘check-in’ – (I recorded ‘Key words’)

• Sharing data from Week 1– discuss content/ confidentiality/ ethics re: print-out

for each participant every week

• Sharing of emergent knowings and key words/ phrases from last week’s automatic

writing

• Each recorded key words for one another as they described their week’s

experiencing and ‘noticing’– and offered verbally descriptive Intersubjective

Responses

• Phenomenological Descriptions of two representations which emerged in journals

during the week

• BEING PRESENT TO EXPERIENCING: Independently going on a sensory walk

in silence. Taking a camera. Being as present as possible to experiencing: really

looking, listening, touching and smelling etc. as you walk... Noticing anything

that holds energy for you– either resonant or dissonant- anything you are curious

about– Photograph as you notice...

• Silently journal and create a representation of your experience (as participants

were creating, I roved and interviewed each of them about their experiencing and

noted what I noticed– bracketing in and out)

• In closing– back in a circle: “What is it that I think I know now?”

• Choose another Oracle Card

• Homework: Using photos from the walk, create a representation in your journals,

noticing any connections between the images and your knowings...



Week 3 Outline:

Focus – Immersing in the emergent; Guided meditation/ visualization; Multi-modal

representation; looking for connections


• Sitting in a circle– ‘check-in’; check data; look for alignment/discrepancies

• Torrential rain downpour– out into it bringing presence to the experience

• Key words; Clustering all key words to date and layering over life experiences

• Noticing any patterns/ connections? Shared photo representations

• Offered Intersubjective Responses

• GUIDED MEDITATION

• Creating Representations of visualization and experience of meditating

• Share essence with one another; Homework: Keep journaling

Week 4 Outline:

Focus – Exploring different modalities; phenomenological description; Inner responding


• Movement: warming up the body parts to music

• Presence as we move through the space

• Interacting with the ‘other’– using feet; hands; whole bodies

• In a circle– checking in with our own bodies – What is present for you right now?

• Represent in a movement sequence and share with group

• Group reflects/ mirrors back then offers key phrase as description

• CHANGING MODALITIES: Focusing on energy that it took for you to create your

movement sequence– generate a visual representation of this

• I observed the participants in their art-making and offered simple descriptions of

what I noticed

• Sharing representations with one another– in pairs, make a phenomenological

description of one another’s representation

• INNER RESPONDING in journals using Automatic writing; keep journaling

Kim Fox Page 36


Week 5 Outline:

Focus – Companioning; identifying voices; relational ‘otherness’


• From classrooms, choose 5 objects with which you have some relationship– either

resonant or dissonant

• Create a representation...an installation using your 5 objects; being present to

your experiencing in the making; placing the objects in relation to one another

• Write a depiction of the experience of choosing and representing

• Share installations; (I companion each participant as they share)

• Identify what objects may say if they had a voice; to whom?

• Offer back key words of what was seen and heard as each participant was

companioned

• Intersubjective responding for one another

Week 6 Outline:

Focus – Bracketing in and out; listening to intuition; Multi-modal inquiry


• Using intuition to open a book to any page as a stimulus

• What do we think we now know, bracketing in what has emerged from working

with voices last week? Any connections to other areas of your life?

• SILENT WALK– Group blindfolded/ eyes closed– one leader (eyes open) to lead

using only sound

• On ‘clap’ group stops; opens eyes; leader points to a space and embodies a

movement sequence to non-verbally represent what is present for them now

• Group witnesses; offer back a key word/phrase and a gestural ISR (take turns to

lead and to follow)

• Artistic Representation of this experience; share;

• Group offer ISR using sound to give voice to an aspect of the representations

• Homework: Keep journaling



Week 7 Outline:

Focus – Staying with the emergent– resonant/ dissonant; reduction; clustering; titling;

moving towards approximations to meanings


• Companioning in response to an emergent experience

• Sitting with journals and taking time to sit with all data generated so far...

• What is it that you have come to know so far about your ‘above’, ‘below’, ‘within’

and ‘without?’

• How does this show up in your art making?

• How else have you come to know this?

• Form clusters of key words from re-visiting your journals and give each cluster a

title

• Represent these clusters and titles in your journals as a further reduction

Week 8 Outline:

Focus – Mapping to themes; cycles; opening and closing; knowing and not-knowing;

sitting with dissonance and ‘stuckness’; how do we want to be now in our lives with

what we know?


• Circle– Touching base with what we now think we know, how these knowings

came to be, and how we would like to be in our lives (within and without) with

what we now think we know...

• Cycles– natural. Opening and closing...

• Making connections and honouring and listening to all the voices that surface in

our outer worlds...and inner...

• How to be with those voices which are challenging/ frightening/ not happy...

• Mapping to themes

• Content in process

• Sharing

Week 9 Outline: Focus – Closure. Celebration. Gratitude... Sharing a meal together.

Kim Fox Page 38


We meet the Multi-modal Journal

In sitting with all of the data that was being generated in this research, I moved through

quite a process before I could clearly see the thread that connected it all. I had gone

home each week after our research sessions together, and meticulously typed up the

data, flourishing with images and noting my own inner responses to what had occurred.

Together, the participants and I revisited the data to ensure we were happy that we had

captured the essence of our on-going co-created meaning-making.

At MIECAT Supervision I sat with ‘data galore’ and journals sprawled out all around,

feeling as though I was in so deep that I may drown. I held the precious details of each

participant’s personal inquiry through the research; along with the group data of the co-

inquiry. I engaged with my own multi-modal journals– pages overflowing, holding my

personal inquiry as key-researcher. The Journal connected my inquiry through MIECAT

supervision and life in general– inside and out... Treading water kept me on the surface,

bombarded with so much information that I couldn’t seem to move very far with any of

it. It was exhausting just attempting to keep my head above water.

Then, things shifted, (as they always somehow do for me when working with the MIECAT

Procedures.) I began to cluster key words and images to try to further reduce and come

to some sense of it all... The more I immersed myself, diving into working with all of that

data multi-modally, the more my own journal pages became clear signposts. The moment

surfaced, where I could see that the multi-modal journal was, literally and metaphorically

at the centre of each cluster. It was right there before my eyes all along– totally central to

this whole inquiry.



Figure 24. , Journal– central in this research

The ‘Multi-modal’ Journal became the place where our inquiry was documented using

creative arts.

Journal as a meeting place Journal as a

holding place

Journal as a place to return to- for reflection and meaning-making

Journal as a place for containing over time

Journal as a place for connection

Journal as a landing place- a place for

grounding

Kim Fox Page 40


Journal as – A powerful Companion

Dear journal, you have become a ‘place’ for many things: a place to

land; a place to meet and connect; a place to hold ‘knowings’ and representations

over time; and a place to return to, where I can reflect and where meaning can

be formed, informed, re-formed and transformed. You faithfully companion me

as I continue to search for and come to make meaning.

Looking beneath the surface, I see that you and I are not so different. I have

come to land in my body. I have been able to meet and connect with previously

unknown parts of me and with others. I have held knowings, been held in my

growing and being, and have been reflective in the process of coming to know,

multi-modally, in new ways. (Excerpt from Journal, July, 2010)

Figures 25–27. , Landing, Connecting & Reflecting, pencil, pastel and fine-liner on paper, A5



Journal as – A Landing Place: A place for grounding

Consider the verb ‘to land’. For me it conveys the sense of grounding, arriving somewhere

after travelling and reaching some sort of stillness before moving once more. Curious

researchers, my colleagues ‘landed’ in the inquiry space together with me for the first

time and we shared experiencing. Here, the multi-modal journals became an integral part

of the picture for each of them.

Peter Gabriel’s song, ‘Open’ (1989) from the album Passion: Music for the Last Temptation

of Christ, flowed through the airwaves and ‘our journey officially began– six women

sitting in a circle.’

In the centre, I placed five packages. The choosing called for a trusting of the participants’

intuition and a ‘going with’ whichever they felt drawn to. I invited the women to ‘be

present’ to their experience of looking and listening as they sat with and opened their

packages. They noticed thoughts, feelings, and felt-sensations; anything that came into

their awareness. While the music played, my intention was to allow them the opportunity

to be as aware as possible of this experience of opening.

Without speaking, we then engaged in a process known as ‘automatic writing’ or ‘stream

of consciousness’ writing, by responding to the initial starter:

Openness is...

Kim Fox Page 42


Below are some images of our opening together in Week 1:

I watched you open these packages. Inside them were journals for each of you, some pastels, pencils and magazines. There was something for you to hold on to (on the outside and on the inside). Yet still I had no idea of how much the journal would become the place for your artistic representations to touch down. (Excerpt from Journal, August, 2010)

Figures 28 – 32. , Openness is...



Ponderings and approximations to meanings would find their way

inside these journals. Photos, clippings from newspapers and magazines that

caught your attention along with little mementos collected throughout the

journey would transform the blank pages into representations of ‘moments’

from your emerging inquiry. Outpourings of what you thought you knew or

had a hint of, and even those things that were still elusive, all – like seeds, got

planted within the pages of the journals. Some lay dormant, while others were

nurtured, sprouting into meaning. (Excerpt from Journal, January, 2010)

As this research unfolded, I watched; I listened and I also ‘journalled’ my experience.

Figure 33. , A Multi- modal Journal: A Landing Place, collage, pen and pastel on paper, A5

Kim Fox Page 44


These images are of Week 2 journal representations. They show participants’ experience

of walking with presence to what was seen, heard, felt, sensed, noticed...

Figures 34 & 35. and , The Multi- modal Journal: A Landing Place,

collage, pencil and pastel on paper, A3



Below are some images of Week 3 journal representations relating to moments of

experiencing during the research inquiry:

‘A significant moment from

a guided meditation – being

present to what I saw...’

‘What I notice in my inner

and outer worlds, lands in

my journal as an artistic

representation’

Figures 36 & 37. and , A Multi- modal Journal: A Landing Place,

watercolour, collage and pastel on paper, A3

Kim Fox Page 46


The experience of walking with presence within the research rippled out into the world of

teaching. The images taken during this experience then landed as a representation in this

participant’s journal.

Figure 38. , The Multi- modal Journal: A Landing Place, collage, A3

Dear Reader, I am wondering if at this point you are thinking that

you need to have artistic talent to inquire like this. I believe that this process

of journaling in a ‘multi-modal’ way is accessible and possible for everyone.

It flourishes when our thinking mind sits back and trusts, allowing present,

intuitive body-knowing to become the auto-pilot: ever guiding us along the

pathway that is uniquely our own, programmed to get us safely home.

Figure 39. Homing pigeons



‘It’s glorious,’ she said. ‘Shall we land?’

‘I think so. What does your intuition say? What are we trying to find?’

‘What matters most.

’I nodded.

(Bach, 1988, p.130)

Through shining the light of inquiry within, a key was uncovered that led us to journaling

as a meaningful way of coming to know.

The journals became the connective thread through which new ways of being in the world

could ripple out and make a difference, touching others.

Figures 40 & 41. , You’ll find the key Inside, and Journals and Ripples, pastel on paper, A2

Kim Fox Page 48


Journal as– A meeting place: A place for connection

Figure 42. , Journal as: A meeting place: A place for Connection, watercolour on paper, A3

I experienced you as you connected with deeper aspects of yourselves

while engaging in the art-making process across the modes. You also connected

with one another, as we shared, relating with each other in the exchanges.

(Excerpt from journal – Session 3)

Figure 43. for , A meeting place: A place for Connection, pastel on paper, A3



Through multi modal journaling, an experience of ‘being with’ [different modalities of

expressed art were] created...The active, rhythmic and consistent connection allowed me to be

seen, recognized, and understood as the person I was, and the person I was becoming (Howard,

1993, p.409). We found that using journals creatively each week allowed us to make

connections in the way Howard describes.

Through this process, meaning was co-created. We inquired deeply within ourselves and

with one another, allowing more connections to be experienced within and between

members of the research group.

Through this journaling together we found a new way of meeting ourselves and each other

and shared moments of being met. Using the MIECAT Procedures throughout the inquiry

(see Methodology) we became part of each other’s journey. Consciously choosing to be

present, we created art in response to our experience of the other, with and for the other.

The most explicit connection in this process was with the actual journals themselves.

Somehow, this practice of exploring ways of knowing multi-modally had us clinging to

them during the week, often finding, texting or emailing one another to share emergent

moments of significance that had surfaced between research sessions. Relationships were

forming in many ways and the richness and strength of these forming connections was

becoming evident to other colleagues as they observed from outside the group.

Kim Fox Page 50


‘Trying to always listen to my station– my

thoughts, my feelings, how and who I want

to be. Sometimes the station can be hard

to find or may be fuzzy. Once I find it, I am

at peace with myself and everyone around

me. Don’t forget the beauty of it...’

– Journal excerpt, Week 4

Figure 44. , ‘Tuning-in to myself, I connect to what I

know’, collage, A3

At one; balanced; in tune with things...

By being in tune with nature– you become

in tune with yourself.

– Journal excerpt, Week 6.

Figure 45. , Connecting to Self and Other through

Multi-modal Journaling, pastel on paper, A3



A gift...seemed especially

meaningful... Our hearts

are connected.


Figure 46. for , Connecting

to Self and Other through Multi-modal

Journaling, pastel on paper, A4

Reconnective moments

Peace within

Timeless

Home


Figure 47. , Connecting to Self and Other through

Multi-modal Journaling, collage and pastel on paper, A3

Kim Fox Page 52


Journal as – A Holding Place: A place for ‘containing’ over time

Lett (2001) suggests that to inquire with another multi-modally, takes us from our ‘inner

experiencing into our interactive responding’. He describes this way of being as one where

we ‘try to represent that knowing which is in process of experience, and which, when

transacted into representation (in this case through journaling) give form to potential

meanings’ (p.350). Representations were ‘expressive manifestations of inner complexities’

(Lett, 1992, p.15). By inviting the inquirers to experience this process multi-modally,

it allowed the emergence of doorways and ‘modes of access and entry which enable(d)

penetration of the not quite known’ (Lett, 2001, p.350). As we experienced multi-modally

without trying to influence any outcome and just focussed on the shared experience of

representing significant ‘moments’ of awareness, the journal began ‘holding the space’ for

whatever would emerge.

Within the pages of the journal...

holding places... doorways... some open

with easy access and yet others, still

closed, guarding that which is not quite

known...yet...

These containers, like little pigeon holes,

help me organize what it is that I think I

know, and clarity emerges...

–Journal excerpt, Week 7

Figure 48. , Bringing it all together, pencil and

watercolour on paper, A5



Figures 49 & 50. , A holding Place, collage, ink, pencil, pastel on paper, A4

As this creative process continued, things started to take shape from page to page, then

were arranged and kept safe for future access. Some journals were organized in ways that

were easy to navigate, whilst others erupted spontaneously all over the place.

What was recorded within the journals extended beyond the individual researcher.

Offerings from co-researchers in response to our sharing were also held here. It was a

multi-modal version of our story of being with ourselves and with one another through

this inquiry.

Space for tears within the open pages of

this book; eye-see; bright light shining

through to arms outstretched...open wide

enough to hold it all...

– Journal excerpt, Week 3

Figure 51. , Being Held, collage,

pastel and pencil on paper, A3

Journal excerpt, Week 8

Kim Fox Page 54


Open...where? How? How can I get there?


Questions held for further inquiry from the

beginning of the inquiry...

Figure 52. , Being held, pastel on paper, A3

In listening to yourself...your head has to

STOP– so you can really hear yourself...not

necessarily in words...listen to your heart-

soul frequencies– listening to your soul you

tune in and catch yourself. Listen to what

you know. Be in it!!! The net of ‘life itself’–

as within so without. (Given response

held for later reflection and inquiry)


Figure 53. for , Being held,

fine-liner and pastel on paper, A4



This response to a movement was held

and later became significant for further

inquiry...

Figure 54. for , Being held,

pastel on paper, A3

Flowers starting to open; going deeper into

the forest... words and images held within

the journal

Figure 55. , Being held, collage,

pencil and pastel on paper, A3

Kim Fox Page 56


Journal as – A Place to return to: A place for reflection and meaning-making

Re-visiting the pages of our journals opened us up to the emergence of new knowing that

arose via new perspectives. Being able to come back and ‘be’ with images and entries from

a different vantage point, having lived and experienced beyond the moment when entries

were created, enabled us to make new meaning. Some representations were re-formed as

meaning took on a new shape. ‘Reflection on experience suggests that life is an interactive

process and ongoing dialogue between perspectives, a global personal ecology between

many participants. This principle applies to our relation with other people and cultures as

well as images.’ (McNiff, 2004, p.83)

In being reflexive with this

journal image of a double hand-

print, a knowing surfaced about a

patterned way of being of mine...


Sitting with representations

in my journal over the first

four weeks, I came to see

and know things differently...


Figures 56 & 57. and , Journal as a place to return to, pastel and fine-liner on paper, A3



We stumbled across points of entry that led us deeper into the inquiry.

Figures 58 & 59. for , Looking again, what do we see?, ink on paper, A3

Kim Fox Page 58


Dolphin has been significant

throughout my journal, my

life... in revisiting this image– I

noticed something emerging

which held great meaning

for me... I lightly outlined that

which was already there... Do

you see?

–Journal excerpt, week 6

Figures 60–62. , adaptation of ISR upon noticing..., fineliner and ink on paper, A3



This reflection enabled ‘A-ha’ moments of significance as we looked and listened to

see and hear what was already there yet previously hidden.

As I look reflectively, I see

something that looks like me...

Looking again, I notice things

that were there that I hadn’t

really seen before

Figures 63 & 64. , Cycles, fine-liner and pencil on paper, A4, collage, A4

Kim Fox Page 60


The Ocean of Inquiry: Becoming the diver

Figures 65 & 66. Ocean of Inquiry; Ways of Knowing

What began as a collaborative search around the seabed of meaning,

emerged into experiencing ways of being more fully present with ourselves

and one another using multimodal journaling. This knowing surfaced after

quite a few changes in perspective. (Excerpt from Journal, September, 2010)

Working in this emergent manner with the MIECAT Procedures ensured that our knowing

‘showed up’ time and time again through the different modes of inquiring.

In coming to know more of what the research was really about, these ways of knowing

helped us gain clarity and ground our understanding. Initially, we were focussing on what

was discovered through looking and listening. But through the process, we realized

that being present to the experience affected ‘the ways we were in relation with

ourselves and one another. ’Thus, ‘Relational Being’ became our focus. The use of

our multi-modal journals in those relationships opened points of access to what

really mattered to us.

This ‘big picture’ informed the development of the processes and methods applied, as

outlined in the following section.



Methodology: The how of Inquiring into Human Experiencing

with Others

The subsequent pages include an overview of the methodology: the principles and

procedures of this MIECAT inquiry. I have framed this section in three parts:

THE QUESTIONS: of Knowing, of Perceived Reality and of Value

In considering the questions, ‘What do I think I know?’; ‘What might I do with what I think

I know?’ and ‘How do I want to be with that in my life?’ I have illustrated concepts that

influenced the way we worked with these questions throughout our inquiry together.

THE PARADIGMS: What kind of Research Inquiry is this?

Locating and orientating this research within the broader paradigms was a multi-layered

process. In this section, the research has been visually represented. As we identified the

ways in which we inquired with one another, our methodology linked with specific writing

about the various paradigms.

THE PROCEDURES: An Emergent Process

The tools we used to make our inquiry are defined, outlined and illustrated using images

generated throughout this research. I am choosing to include Lett’s definitions from the

Glossary of MIEACT form of Inquiry (2008) alongside examples from data specific to this

inquiry. The choice here is to speak both languages within the same context, giving a

fuller picture of how the procedures were engaged with as we brought presence to our

experiencing.


Kim Fox Page 62


Figure 67: ‘Methodology: The Questions’- Fox. K

What do I think I know?

(Epistemology)

What might I do with what I think I know?

(Ontology)

How do I want to be there in my life?

(Axiology)

What is the nature of reality?

...the becoming self

Somerville. M. (2007)

Worlds and people are what we

meet, but the meeting is shaped

by our own terms of reference

Heron and Reason (1997)

...experiential encounter with the

presence of the world is the ground

of our being and knowing.

Heron and Reason (1997)

4 ways of knowing:

• Experiential

• Presentational

• Propositional

• Practical

Heron & Reason (1997)

Our way of being with these

questions, through the inquiry,

shaped the Methodology by

using the MIECAT Procedures

How can I contribute to

human flourishing?

...expressing living

knowledge in practical

service to people’s lives.


What is intrinsically

worthwhile?

What is of value?





Figure 67: ‘Methodology: The Paradigms’- Fox. K

The Paradigms: What kind of research inquiry is this?

Post Modern, Emergent,

Qualitative Arts-based

Participatory

Auto-Ethnographic

Heuristic

Phenomenological, Existential Inquiry

We initially engaged with

the question; immersed

ourselves into the topic; let

things incubate, dwelt within;

experienced moments of

illumination; explained and

developed our knowings; and

brought everything together

in a creative synthesis

We searched: deepening and

expanding our knowledge

We grew in self awareness and

self knowledge along the way

Adapted from

Moustakas, C.

(1990)

Our methods were

integrative, multi-modal,

exploring multiple, new

and diverse ways of being

in the world.

Adapted from Finley, S.

(2008)

We ‘engaged in artistic ways

of knowing, doing and being...

transform(ing) perception

into an experience and

experience into perceptions,

complicating things in the

process.’

(Springgay. S., Irwin. R. L. &

Kind. S. 2005)

We looked at and listened to what was actually there

Adapted from :

Moustakas, C. (1994)

and Spinneli. E. (1989)

We explored our particular way of

seeing life, the world and ourselves

We used the MIECAT Procedures

throughout the inquiry

I initiated this research inquiry with teachers whom

I work with. The inquiry was conducted within our

work context - Co-researchers, inquiring together

with me as writer.

We joined together, inquiring collaboratively ‘in

relation with the living world’

We came to know through experience: directly encountering

one another, empathically resonating, attuned to yet distinct

from the other. We came to extend on our experiential

knowing though the presentational aspect of symbolizing

through many artistic modes. This was deepened through

conceptualizing, articulating our knowings. We became skilled

through our inquiry, acting and being differently, contributing

to the flourishing of those in our worlds.

Adapted from: Heron,

J. & Reason. P. (1997)

Kim Fox Page 64


The Procedures: An emergent process

Considering the questions around what we thought we knew, what we wanted to do with

what we thought we knew, and how we wanted to be with that in our present lives, we used

The MIECAT Procedures described below in an emergent process to inquire into our

experience of looking and listening.

Spiralling in, out and around, up and down, this process unfurled: incorporating

practice in the following:

Figure 69. , Non Linear, silk on paper, A3

Creative synthesis

Intrasubjective respondingIndwelling

Intersubjective Responding

Re-experiencing

Staying with resonance and dissonance

Being present

Multi-modal representation

Phenomenological Description

ReductionKey words and phrasesPoints of accessClustering and Titling

Bracketing (in) and (out)

Working towards themes and patterns of lived

experience

Mapping

Depictions

Temporary Approximations to

meaning

Essence Statements

Amplification

The Paradigms: What kind of research inquiry is this?



Being Present to Experiencing

‘To be as fully present as possible to (ourselves and) others, to what is taking place in (our)

own inner experiencing, and to the content of ... developing relationships is important...

to allow the feeling interaction carried within the content of ... dialogue, to enable (us) to

resonate and feel intuitively attentive to both (ourselves) and... others. This (is) the most

important information for understanding, as a guide to meaningful inquiry. When the

sense of being fully present is experienced, the other feels heard, felt and understood, and

is usually able to stay with the emotions as cues to what is important in his/(her) search

for personal meaning.’ (Lett, 2008, p.3)

We chose to bring conscious awareness

and attention to the unfolding moment

within our lived experiencing

Figure 70. , Being Present to Experiencing

Kim Fox Page 66


Multi-modal Representation

‘Humans want to understand and give meaning to the forms of experiencing that arise in

them, in a variety of modes...When sensations are allowed into awareness and attended

to... (this) enables more developed forming, in order to explore their meaningfulness. This

might be in response to smell, touch, sound, idea, image, impinging emotion, and bodily

feeling states. Every time feeling energy is given representational form, experiencing

becomes more coherent and is available for mental activity. Whilst verbalisation is the

most recognised form of representation, it is not necessarily the most common, since much

internal experiencing given representation is in other modes such as feelings, images,

sensing, feeling, many of which are not given verbal form, but may provide a continuous

level of non verbal inner activity and flow of information. Thus much representation is in

multimodal forms, which play a significant role in the representation of mental activity

and the activity of inquiring into the meaningfulness of experiencing given form.’ (Lett,

2008, pp.9–11)



We expressed our experiencing:

visually (through painting, drawing, collage, photography, journaling,

constructing installations);

sonorously/orally (through vocalising sounds, the spoken word);

kinaesthetically (through gestures, dance, movement, embodiment of

experience, dramatic enactments);

linguistically (through writing poetry, narrative, automatic and acrobatic

writing) and

musically (through singing and playing music).

Multi-sensory forming was used throughout the inquiry

Figure 71. , Multi-modal Representation

Kim Fox Page 68


Phenomenological Descriptions

‘The task of stating exactly what is seen or heard in a representation, is called description.

This may be to describe what is seen in a visual work, what is seen in a movement or

gestural phrase, what is heard in an instrumental or vocal representation, restating

exactly what has been said, and similarly in all modes. It is an exacting task, the purpose

of which is to allow the representation in its own form to be seen accurately, without

interpretation. It clarifies what is there to be experienced and enables recognition of the

phenomenon itself. It is also the first step in making sense of things.’ (Lett, 2008, p.6)

Watercolour; thin; grey; ridges; fine lines

twirling; vertical marks; horizontally;

flowing thick lines; start at a central

point; deep red; randomly; green; showing

beneath the paint; shades of blue; blend;

fade into nothing; mass of colour; brown;

earthy; deep green blob; swirling lines;

thicker lines that taper off; not been

touched.

We stated what we saw and heard in the

representations before we attempted to

make sense of them, looking and listening

as if for the first time

Figure 72. , Phenomenological Description, watercolour, pencil and fine-liner on paper, A3



Reduction

‘The search for the heart of an experience often leads us to find ways to reduce the array

of assembled representations to their core or essential meanings. Reduction to essence

may lead to identification of themes, which seem to hold the structure of meaning.

Alternatively, reduction may be achieved in focused visual, movement or brief poetic

forms or vocalisations. These might be assigned titles, to convey the core meaning. But

reduction is an essential part of making sense of experiencing in exploration; in whichever

modes of knowing the core meanings are made...Key words are the first form of reduction

and involve focusing inquiry towards signification or meaning. Words, feelings, images

and sensing may be extracted from any form of multimodal representations. These may

be collected into clusters on the basis of their sensed connectedness to shared meaning.’

(Lett, 2008, pp.9–10)

We worked to make sense of our experiencing, accessing essential meanings of representations by reducing to key words, phrases and images, essence statements and worked towards identifying themes.

Figures 73 & 74. , Reduction to key words and phrases, acrylic and marker on canvas, pen on paper,

A4

Kim Fox Page 70


Bracketing

‘Choices about what to say and how to respond...are constant. These choices differentiate

what (we) feel... or think... or somehow allow... to be offered (bracketing in) from that which

(we) retain... unstated, in whichever mode (bracketing out). Bracketing is predominantly

a conscious choice. This moment of responding shapes (our) interactions, as well as the

course of (the) inquiry...’ (Lett, 2008, pp.3–4)

I continued to attempt to put aside

assumptions and personal biases

in service of the other in their inquiry

Figure 75. , Bracketing Out



‘Bracketing responses arise from a sense of awareness about what will be helpfully

appropriate at a given moment, such as a question, a clarification, reflecting a key word

or feeling. It also manages (our) ability to stay with the tide of reciprocal experiencing,

so as to avoid interpretation, bringing favoured opinions or judgments into play, to allow

the inquiry to proceed as it seeks construction of meaning within the experiential data.

It is also an integral part of the idea of being present to the other, in their exchange of

subjectivities.’ (Lett, 2008, pp.3–4)

There were moments when

we chose to include personal

material in service of the other

in their inquiry

Figure 76(a). , Bracketing In, collage, A3

I chose to mention this to her

at the time

Figure 76(b). , Bracketing In (detail), collage, A3

Kim Fox Page 72


‘Staying with’ Resonance and Dissonance

‘Resonance (is) the experiencing we feel within ourselves, when we feel really connected

to the other... like an embodied reverberation, a powerful non verbal feeling of being

with the other within ourselves. This is not just an empathic feeling for the other, but

a recognition of our own feelings happening in the interaction between us. What we do

with this resonance is a moment of choice: maybe of silence, or maybe of improvisation,

or possibly, of risk, and of bracketing in or out. Resonance has a broad range of feeling and

may include dissonant as well as positive or neutral engagement...Staying With, allowing

the other participants to be fully present generates a sense of reciprocity and of mutual

responsibility for what happens in... (the inquiry). There is no particular fixed order of

procedure in the experiential arts inquiry. The procedures of the inquiry are frequently

submerged in the process, just as they may be identified and suggested as a way forward.

How the participant stays with or retreats from aspects of the dialogue is as important as

the content itself. (We try) to stay with whatever the others present, because the content

and the process carry cues to meaning not to be discarded, but allowed to be explored

and stayed with. Deciding that we know better and redirecting the dialogue is often an

intrusion that leads us away to what we think may be important but prove not to be, to

the other.’ (Lett, 2008, p.11)



We tuned into feelings of connection and discord in our experience

with and of ourselves, one another, our world

Figures 77 & 78. , Resonance, lipstick, fine-liner and pencil on paper, A5 & A6

Figure79. , Dissonance, pen and pencil on paper, A4

Kim Fox Page 74


Re-experiencing

‘Experiencing is continuous and never complete or finished. At times choices are made

to allow oneself to go back or return to prior experiencing, in order to extend, reshape,

understand, complete or stay with something that has sufficient energy, importance and

interest for them to continue. This re-entry may be made through any mode of knowing,

any representational system, and alone or with others. This concept also carries the

notion that many fragmentary pieces of experiencing may connect into higher levels of

coherence when re-experienced and made some sense of. It is an essential way of reaching

the possibility of understanding lived experience.’ (Lett, 2008, pp.10–11)

We stayed with

and re visited our

representations and

internal experiencing

to allow questions and

meanings and new

knowings to emerge.

We wrote accounts

of lived moments of

experiencing in order

to clarify the meaning

they held for us

Figure 80. , Re-experiencing, collage, marker on paper, A3



Intersubjective Responding (ISR)

‘The dialogue which takes place is always a complexity of inner feelings in both

participants, a sense of what can and can’t be said just now, the feeling of what is alive

in the moment, and the resonances connected to bracketing in or out. Whichever events

are current– talking, drawing, moving, crafting– there is a resonance to these forms of

being together. It is from this and the interaction of this resonance to available forms

of earlier, connected feeling, that the intersubjective responses are given...Some such

responses are reflective and considered, whilst others are spontaneous and intuitive,

but however they are formed , they are delivered as a felt resonance to the form of the

interaction that lies between the participants. Intersubjective responses may be given in

uni-modal or multimodal representations. Despite such a complexity, there is a strong

line of intersubjective dialogue connecting the participants, usually felt, which searches

for connection and understanding, and which is fundamental to whatever meaning co-

construction is taking place.’ (Lett, 2008, p.8)

We connected with one another

and expressed our resonances

in the form of representations,

offering them in service to the

other and their inquiry.

Figure 81. for , Intersubjective Responding, watercolour on paper, A3

Kim Fox Page 76


Intrasubjective Responding/ Indwelling

‘When we maintain a focus on attentive and active listening, we have a variety of inner

responses. These might range from accessing the feelings or images of our own similar

or overlapping experiences, to emotional responsiveness to those or to the material and

feelings attached to what is being presented by the other.’ (Lett, 2008, p.8)

We attended to our internal

experiencing around our own

material and that of the other

as we inquired together

Figures 82 & 83. , Intrasubjective Responding / Indwelling, collage, pen and pencil on paper, A4

We really sat with aspects

of the inquiry that held our

attention



Clustering and Titling

A form of ‘reduction’– (see definition) in getting to the heart of our experiencing.

We assembled key words,

images and phrases into

groups: these held some

connective thread of

resonance. We labelled these

groups.

Figures 84 & 85. and , Clustering and Titling, pencil, fine-liner and marker on paper, A3

Kim Fox Page 78


Temporary Approximations to Meaning

‘Meaningfulness in experiencing is constantly occurring in... (multi)modal dialogues. The

understanding of something at different levels is an indication of effective inquiry and

shared meaning making. Meanings are usually not absolute, but are built upon as the

process of understanding continues over time. Meaningfulness may be experienced as a

felt sense, an intuition, a logical thought or idea, an emotion, the identification of a value.

The possibility of building on meaningful experiencing is assisted by its significance being

marked in the modes of its occurrence, verbal or other modal. Making sense of things

in lived experience is the major idea in meaningfulness. Meanings are not sitting there

in pre-existent form: they are co-constructed in this form of companioned inquiry into

experiencing. Understanding our patterns of lived experience is very useful to the co-

constructions of personal meaning.’ (Lett, 2008, p.12)

The sense that we made

along the way was never a

final destination: meaning

continued to shift, adapt and

change as we continued to

cycle through the inquiry

Figure 86. , Temporary Approximations to Meaning, collage, ink and marker on paper, A4



Amplification

‘When an aspect of experience comes into focused awareness , a desire to understand this

more fully may lead to opening up to wider and deeper explorations of it. This is usually

multimodal in various ways, and essentially allows connected events, feelings, images

and remembrances over time, to emerge into the arena of experiencing for exploration,

consideration and reflection. This enlarges the scope, feelings and content of the life

experience story under consideration.’ (Lett, 2008, p.3)

Figures 87–90. and , Amplification, installation,

pencil on paper, A3, watercolour and pastel on paper, A3

We changed the format of representations, intensifying and magnifying in order to come to know in new ways

Kim Fox Page 80


Mapping

‘When a topic or theme is of interest, there is a procedure through which it can be

represented in mapping form so as to reveal its functioning in the life of the person. The

topic or theme is placed in the centre of a large page. Around it, at the extremities are

placed the key words of the inquiry: What, How, When, Who, Where, Emotion, Values,

Conflict, What do we Know? , What might we do with what we know? , How to we want to

be there? This inquiry asks questions to be considered about what happens in the context

in which the theme is active. It yields a depiction of the functioning of that theme in one

or more contexts or with different people present, and so on. It brings into awareness

the emotions, values and conflicts that may be attached to the activity of the theme. It

also leads to consideration of the big questions about knowing, doing and being, and

the preferred choices to consider about that aspect of living. Themes can sometimes be

stated quite clearly without mapping, but the mapping allows deeper understanding of

how it works in ordinary life and how it exists in a contextual pattern of experiencing.

Themes can also be drawn, or found in enactments and reflective dialogues or in embodied

explorations. Themes are the structures of our patterns of lived experiencing.’ (Lett, 2008,

p.9)



Figure 91. , Mapping, pencil and marker on paper, A3

Kim Fox Page 82


We came to clearer knowing

through mapping lived

experience. This was navigated

in terms of what happened;

how and when it happened; who

it happened with and where;

which emotions, values and

values-conflicts were present:

A depiction was then generated;

leading to approximating what

it was that we then thought we

knew and how we wanted to be

with this in our lives now

Figures 92–94. , Mapping, pen and

marker on paper, A3



Depictions

‘When the participant reaches a point in (his/) her inquiry, which includes steps that

lead (him/) her to consider the question, What do we think we know? , s/he may write or

represent in a multimodal way, a statement about what s/he knows at this point. The data

from which s/he writes it might include (his/) her description, key words, amplifications–

reduction and essence statement, from which s/he constructs a statement depicting

(his/) her current level of understandings. A depiction can be constructed at any time in

the inquiry, when it is thought useful to put all the elements of the inquiry together to

see what sense is being made at that point. In ...research, a number of cluster depictions

can be combined to make a creative synthesis.’ (Lett, 2008, p.6)

Figure 95. , Depiction, pastel and marker on paper, A3

Kim Fox Page 84


Essence Statements

‘An essence statement attempts a reduction to the heart of the matter under consideration,

in its most succinct possible form. The statement, in whichever mode, holds the

quintessential sense of meaningfulness, at that time. This is often expressed in short

poetic form, such as couplets or haikus, or in visual forms or as enactments. Whatever the

forms chosen, they have a succinct, summary sense of the core of something meaningful.’

(Lett, 2008, p.7)

We attempted to get to the heart of our knowings about our lived experiencing

through reduction to an essence statement.

Figures 96 & 97. and , Essence Statements, pen on paper, collage, pencil on paper, A3



Working towards Themes and Patterns of lived experience

‘In the inquiry into personal meanings, all forms of personal representation are built

around core ideas or themes, which function in their lived experience. Themes are

structures around which patterns of being are built. They can be distinguished from

topics, such as anxiety or happiness, which can be inquired into to find the themes that

hold this pattern of experience together. So a theme in achievement anxiety might state:

when I face being tested about what I know, I become shaky and my mind goes blank. The

theme is stated in the way in which it functions. There may be a number of connected

themes in any pattern of being. A pattern will be a repeated way of being in a significant

part of one’s lived experience. We probably have a limited number of major life patterns,

which tend to define our ways of being. These patterns can evolve and change over time

and adapt to contexts and understandings of lived experience.’ (Lett, 2008, p.12)

As we inquired across modalities, we came

to know some repetitive ways of being and/

or feeling presenting to us through diverse

experiences

Figure 98. , Finding repetitive ways of being, ink and pen on paper, A4

Kim Fox Page 86


Creative Synthesis

‘Groups or clusters of key words often lead to a synthesis that holds the major elements

of meaning structures in a passage of the inquiry. Clusters of related words, feelings,

thoughts and images may be reduced to titles and themes and become the basis for a

creative synthesis of an experience.’ (Lett, 2008, p.9)

Aspects of our inquiring

culminated in creative

synthesis

Figures 99 & 100. , Creative Synthesis, collage, marker on paper, A3



Ways of knowing leading to ways of being

We are all students and teachers. I often ask myself,

‘What did I come here to learn, and what did I come to teach?’

(Hay, 2000, Wisdom Cards.)

As researchers, our ‘quest to know’ had us teaching and learning throughout this inquiry.

More than anything, we taught and learned about relational being through presence

to each other. Heron and Reason (1997) tell us that from a participative worldview, ‘a

knower participates in the known, articulates a world, in at least four independent ways:

experiential, presentational, propositional and practical’ (p.280). By being rigorous in

our awareness of the interplay between these ways of knowing, our subjectivity becomes

‘unclouded’ (p.280). Within this research, this quest to know started with a willingness

to participate.

As illustrated in The Procedures, our knowing came first through embodied feeling and

experiencing (Experiential). What emerged from the experiencing led to multi-modal

forming through the arts (Presentational). It was these presentational forms that were

born of experience that then guided our use of language to conceptualize and articulate

the known (Propositional). Finally knowing was able to ‘show up’ on a practical level

(Practical). The practical, was the culmination of knowing through the previous three

modes and we began to enact this in the world. We started living it: with each other within

the group; with our colleagues within the educational profession; with our students within

our classrooms; and with those in our lives beyond our professional context.

Kim Fox Page 88


This ‘knowing’– enacted in the world– is supported with accounts and illustrations found

within the section of this paper titled, ‘The Ripple Effect.’ The words of W.B. Yeats in, A

prayer for Old Age (1935) resonate with me as I consider, ‘God, guard me from the thoughts

I think in the mind alone, He that sings a lasting song – thinks in a marrow bone.’ Taking

this concept beyond self and out into the world, as has been the way through this inquiry,

I feel a deep connection to that which Evan Thompson, Professor of Philosophy points to

when he writes:

Human consciousness is not located in the head, but is immanent in the living body

and the interpersonal social world. One’s consciousness of oneself as an embodied

individual embedded in the world emerges through empathic cognition of others.

Consciousness is not some peculiar qualitative aspect of private mental states, nor

a property of the brain inside the skull; it is a relational mode of being of the whole

person embedded in the natural environment and the human social world.

(Thompson, 1999, p.1)

Diving into the ocean of inquiry took us below the surface, where the many mountain

ranges and trenches of the seabed were revealed. We encountered extraordinary deep-sea

creatures along the way. The undersea landscape was complex and to navigate through

these unchartered waters was both scary and exciting. Certain things emerged to keep

us afloat when we needed buoyancy, and others helped us get right into the trenches

when we needed to go deep. What was really helpful was the way we travelled through

these waters of uncertainty. This we came to know as ‘intrinsically worthwhile’ (Heron

& Reason, 1997, p.286). Our exploration taught us about axiology, the value of being,

about ‘what it is about the human condition that is valuable as an end in itself.’ (Heron &

Reason, 1997, p.286) This ‘experiential encounter with the presence of the world (became)

the ground of our being and knowing.’ (Heron & Reason, 1997, p.276)



The route was in no way linear.

Figure 101. , Navigating Unchartered Territory, pastel on paper, A3

Kim Fox Page 90


Navigating Deep Waters

Inquiring in such depth with my co-researchers generated an extraordinary volume of

data between us. When this research began, I imagined that somehow the documentation

would be a story of what we all saw and heard in our quest to bring presence to looking

and listening... Yet, the more I focussed on where I thought we were headed, the more I

felt I had been caught in a tidal rip, being tossed about, being pulled under with all of our

data.

Working with the MIECAT Procedures during supervision sessions led me back to an

ISR that I had received from a colleague very early on in this inquiry. When I received

it, it related to the ripple effect that this research was having for me. My colleague had

intuitively represented five pebbles creating ripples in water, which I saw as relating to

the five participants in my research.

Interestingly, as I re-visit this image in my own multi-modal journal,

another image comes to mind. It is the ‘Wood between the Worlds’ in the story

of ‘The Magician’s Nephew’ by C.S Lewis (1955) which is full of pools that lead

into other worlds. I now come to know this image of the ‘Ripples’ in a new

way. I see each ‘pool’ leading deep into the personal world of each different co-

researcher. I realize now, that to tell you six stories in enough depth to honour

each within this research, would be to compromise the ‘whole picture’ of our

ways of relating as we navigated together. (Excerpt from Journal, October, 2010)

Wherever possible and appropriate, raw data that emerged in our inquiring and journaling

has been included to illustrate our connected process and findings.



Figure 102. AMANDA WOODFORD, , Ripples become pools, digital adaptation of ISR

So, like the characters in Lewis’ story, we each entered into a different world: But unlike

Lewis’ story, which focuses on the worlds at the bottom of each pool, our story is about

how we navigated our separate pools, together. The journals created within the research

were our Logbooks of the journey, our experiences and observations: all the details of our

experiencing were artistically held. As we revisited the data collected, seeing new things,

(like where the winds and the currents helped or hindered us at different times) it was

clear that our ways of being with one another through this was paramount to the inquiry.

In our continuous navigation from the surface to the depths and back again, even in the

moments when it was too dark to see the compass, we had what we needed to move us to

new understanding.

Figures 103 & 104. Navigating to new Understanding

Kim Fox Page 92


Moments of Synchronized Swimming: Above and Below the surface

Figure 105. DANIEL MCCULLOUGH, Synchronicity

Seeing implies detachment. Looking implies attachment. Looking is with the eyes.

Seeing is with the whole being... It is when I can see myself without interpretation

that the magic of being, the pure wonder of existing is revealed.

(Roth, 1998, p.144)

Dear Reader, bringing presence into looking and listening in both

realms of ‘above’ and ‘below’ has had me pinching myself in wonder at the

reflective nature of ‘within’ and ‘without.’ I want to tell you a little more about

having lived with congenital cataracts and astigmatism since birth. I literally

saw everything blurred, through a cloudy lens. My every-day experience

included feeling/sensing along with seeing, due to limited depth perception. I

had been told that my ‘condition’ was not conducive to surgery, as the cataracts

lived in the ‘baby layers’ of my eyes. Reluctantly, I accepted this as my reality.

There was still so much that I couldn’t see clearly.



This perception presented throughout my journals.

Figures 106 & 107. , Struggling to See, collage, A4, pastel on paper, A5

Strangely, the more I opened my eyes in order to notice the within and without

of my world, the more I started to see... in more ways than one.

By coincidence, one day I wandered past a store opening for ‘Spec-Savers’.

‘Would you like a free eye test?’ was the offer from the spruiker.

This chance occurrence led within a few weeks, to an ‘Intra-ocular Lens

Replacement’. This procedure has literally transformed my way of seeing! My

eyes have been opened in a new and unexpected way... I can now see colours

like I had never imagined: clarity beyond words... Rain falling, freckles on faces

of friends, butterfly eggs on leaves, spider webs revealed new depth and beauty

everywhere I looked. Skin! I didn’t know how brilliantly textured we all were! I

felt as though I had somehow been transported to ‘Pandora’, James Cameron’s

Utopia in the movie, ‘Avatar’. Being able to see in this new way opened my eyes

to be able to see what was there, all along. I felt as though the clarity within,

with which I was starting to see, was now being reflected without... It seemed

that those ‘four ways of knowing’ were alive and well.

Kim Fox Page 94


As I flicked through my journals, I was amazed again to see that everything I had discovered

was there all along...

‘Our life is our art’

(Lennon, cited in Ubuntu, 2008, p.28)

Figures 108–112. , Know what is in front of

your face, collage, fine-liner and pencil on paper, A5



And still the knowing deepened:

‘I dream my painting, and then I paint my dream’

Vincent van Gogh

Figure 113. , I see

through, pencil, watercolour

and fine-liner on paper, A5

I had created this image at the beginning of the year as a representation of a

dream I had, where I passed through the eye of a flying eagle into a whole new

world. Endless openings then emerged for me to pass through. They were also

in this eye-like shape. In the dream, I was passing back through the mothers...

As I was explaining this to someone, I put my hands together to make this

shape using my thumb s and forefingers...

Figures 114 & 115. , ISRs received during Group ‘Super-Vision’, pencil and fine-liner on card, A8

Kim Fox Page 96


When I looked back at this description of a multi-modal ISR received at the beginning of

the year, I was yet again, bewildered at the uncanny alignment of ‘above’ and ‘below’...

Figures 116– 118. , ISR received during Group ‘Super-Vision’



When in Deep Water: Take a buddy

Not alone in this deep ocean of Inquiry, I watched those swimming alongside me (my

colleagues, co-researching in the group) dive deep into their own knowings and ‘unknowns.’

Navigating the depths wasn’t always easy for any of us.

Figures 119. , It goes so deep, pastel, pen and marker on paper, A3

Kim Fox Page 98


If you can experience my unique nature and simply describe what you see in me,

you will begin to feel emotion within yourself.

Articulating my feelings will help you experience yours

(Mc Niff, 2004, pp.92–3)

Figure 120. , Courage to Let Go,

pastel on canvas, A3

Art cannot bear senselessness. Art offers an avenue for the exploration and expression of

otherwise incommunicable aspects of ourselves.

(Howard, 1993, p.394)

Figure 121. for , My Story of

Heart, watercolour and marker on

paper, A2



Connections: Whoever reflects recognizes that there are empty

and lonely spaces between one’s experiences

(Bruner, 1979 p.60)

Figure 122. for , When in deep

water- dive..., glitter on paper, A4

...the purpose of this activity is wholeness of being, integration, insight into meanings of

shadowy experience.

(Lett, 1993, p.16)

Figure 123. , Dive, watercolour

and pencil on paper, A6

Kim Fox Page 100


This becoming–other begins with the assumption that as humans we are in a continual

process of becoming... (and) this becoming-other, born of the space in-between,

is ...the condition for generating new knowledge.

(Somerville, 2007, p.234)

Art frees us from the forms of

instrumental knowing... and...

nourishes itself, so that having

sensed connectedness one is

compelled to seek more of it.

(Bruner, 1979, p.73)

One ought to be patient towards

all that is unsolved in your heart,

and try to love the questions

themselves liked locked rooms and

like books that are written in a

very foreign tongue

(Rilke, 1903, p.35)

Figures 124 & 125. , 2 become 1 and Touch, pastel on paper, A4, A3



The term ‘understanding’ thus refers to both person and process,

to both self and relation

(Orange, 1995, p.5)

Figure 126. , My Time Starts Now, collage, marker on paper, A3

Kim Fox Page 102


Figure 127. , The Voice of the Tree speaks to me, watercolour, pencil and marker on paper, A3

In ‘Engaging the Imaginal Other...[we] experience depth and meaning by

staying with the characters of imagination, letting them speak, reveal themselves,

and emerge according to their respective natures.’

(McNiff, 2004, p.86)



Figure 128. JAN ALLEN, Shaping the shadows...within and without, ISR, A4

Kim Fox Page 104


Figure 129. , Eye’s wide open, watercolour, pencil and fine-liner on paper, A2

So with eyes wide open we explored this amazing space that was the ocean of our own

meaning making. As we inquired, we came across some familiar currents that repeatedly

pulled us back to old patterned ways of being. Some of these were surface currents, while

others were thermal currents that ran deeper. There were moments of wonder as brilliant

giants of the deep came into sight. Sometimes we were caught by surprise as a ‘stonefish’

or ‘peacock flounder’ (masters of camouflage) seemingly appeared out of no-where! At

times, when we went really deep, it was a bit scary: so dark, cold, that even the fear of

death loomed as we lingered at the mouths of caves that seemed as though they would

surely swallow us up. What we learned, however, was that when we really tuned-in and

were fully present in this space, things started to change...

Figure 130. , Something Different, collage, A3



Hey Look! Listen! Do you feel that?

We’re Swimming Within a Circle!

Figure 131. , All in one circle, silk on paper, A3

‘... in the experience of art, we connect by a grammar of metaphor,

one that defies the rational methods of the linguist and the psychologist’

(Bruner, 1962, p.74)

Somehow through this way of inquiring together we came to know that ‘We are not alone.’

As we ventured through the various zones of the ocean, inquiring as we went, a highly

attuned space opened up. The forming of this space was intangible: not nameable as a

moment in time, it was more a frequency, emerging as day does from night. It wasn’t

just our equipment that privileged us to this space, nor was it our specific co-ordinates.

There was something about our collective focussed intention, our commitment to inquire

together with the value of openness that enabled this phenomenon to be experienced. We

were in a circle of crystal clear reflection: a ‘Circle of ONE’.

When you are holding all this knowledge inside– you see the ocean like it..(is) this living

thing...Nothing written, it’s all inside of us.

(Eyles, 1994, pp.21–2)

Kim Fox Page 106


This circle that emerged had something to do with values. I want to clarify here that I’m

not referring to a list of qualities that we try to teach or learn through conceptualizing:

inquiring like this we discovered that we didn’t actually learn values through the mind; we

had to experience them to understand them.

When education is sensitive to relationship, we realize that in terms of future well-being,

‘we are all in it together.’

(Gergen, 2009, p.269)

Even trying to articulate this as I type, I find myself dropping from the

Sunlit Zone, deeper again. It is here that I sense that I will need my eyes and

ears wide open to navigate skilfully to show you how it looked, as we were

gracious in being with the fully human in ourselves and in the other.

Figure 132. Finding you = Finding Me



A Circle of One: A rich space for learning

The following section is in honour of the circle of women ‘in my

house’: the participants. I offer a poetic response in an attempt to capture the

essence of the space that emerged as we gathered, tuning in to ourselves and

to one another. Using our combined key words and excerpts from the raw data

found within the journals of our search for meaning, I have created Wordles

– word clouds that use our words to visually depict the journey shared each

week. The more frequent the use of each word, the larger it is depicted. May

I touch the process with the Integrity with which it was shared and may you

glean a sense of how it was for us when values were experienced as living.

Figure 133. , Circle of ONE,

Kim Fox Page 108


Being present to our experiencing, we inquired together each week, looking

into and listening to what was able to be seen, heard, felt and sensed... Each

week we noted key words and phrases from our observations. These have been

represented below, in ‘Wordles.’ Selecting a few key words from each, I see...

‘Open, see, experience journey... description– really see, experience the

significance of the moment.’

Figure 134. , Wordle Week 1




‘See, just hear... much time... moving, reaching, gathering...heart and body

way...’



Kim Fox Page 110


‘Something really different, experience one heart, sense, tune-in, feel one

love...beautiful.’





‘A sense of things, emerging, knowing voices now.’



There was lots of ‘knowing’ by week 8... The final week (week 9) was a week of

closure. I chose not to record key words during this session.

A Circle where Values are learned through Experience


Kim Fox Page 112

A Circle where Values are learned through Experience

The collection of journals that were created during this inquiry illustrated a journey where participants

experienced what it felt like to be held in a circle of living values. I carefully used the MIECAT

Procedures as I considered each page of every journal- describing, reducing; sometimes amplifying

through movement; bracketing, reflecting...eventually arriving at what felt like the essence, the heart

of our ways of being with one another. The creative synthesis includes a series of Haikus, three for

each of these enacted values, which you will find on the subsequent pages.

A circle of inclusiveness

A circle of presence

A circle of relationshipA circle of courageA circle of safety

A circle of understanding

A circle of curiosity

A circle of openness

A circle of integrityA circle of integrity

A circle of respect

A circle of empathy

A circle of emergence

A circle of responsibility

A circle of honesty

A circle of intuitionA circle of intersubjectivity

A circle of compassion for self and other

In being in circle together, we find that there is room for the shadows...

A circle of iterative reflexivity

A circle of allowing

A circle of becoming

A circle of trust

Figure 141



A circle of Presence

A sentence, a pause,

Or a facial expression

A gesture, a thought

Feel– local level

Simply aware: consciousness

It’s happening NOW

I attend to you

Wholly, I’m bracketing out

That which serves you not

Figure 143. , A Circle of Presence

Kim Fox Page 114


A circle of Relationship

We meet, face to face

ONE: in our humanity

Connection is real

Affected I am

As I interact with you

Wherever you are

Giving, receiving,

Transforming in the process

Here we are: Thank-you

“What is REAL?” asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near

the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. “Does it mean having things

that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?”

“Real isn’t how you are made,” said the Skin Horse. “It’s a thing that happens to

you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY

loves you, then you become Real.”

“Does it hurt?” asked the Rabbit.

“Sometimes,” said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. “When you are Real

you don’t mind being hurt.”

(Raiten –D’Antonio, 2004, p.5)



A circle of Openness

Shape-shifters are we

Accepting uncertainty

Connected you, me,

By intricate webs

Process orientation

When we are meeting

Desire to know more

In reaching out, I touch you

Understanding grows

Figure 144. , A Circle of Openness

Kim Fox Page 116


A circle of Curiosity

Feeling unsettled

We don’t see as we have done

I engage with you

Emptying myself

Of what is known, to allow

What might become known

Experience flow

Intrinsic motivation

Persistent looking

Figure 145. , A Circle of Curiosity



A circle of Emergence

The becoming self

Irrational and messy

Humans unfolding

Embodied doing

And undoing, transforming

We are on the edge

The edge of what was:

Like butterflies from cocoons

Push through into new

Figure 146. , A Circle of Emergence

Kim Fox Page 118


A circle of Inclusiveness

Figure 147. , A Circle of Inclusiveness

We collaborate

Searching together, a team

Negotiating

Co-creation in

Effective relationships

Communication

Participation

Mutual knowings emerge

A place for us all



A circle of Courage

We’re vulnerable

Moving into not quite known

Exploring what is

And deeper we dive

Feared emotions emerging

Staying with what is

Process is product

Willingness to lose our way

To find what matters

Figure 148. , A Circle of Courage

Kim Fox Page 120


A circle of Trust

Not just solutions

You hold the space for my growth

A resonance felt

Self protective masks

Diminish as I reveal

I feel you hear me

Our intimacy

Accessing our emotions

I feel you just here

Figure 149. , A Circle of Trust



A circle of Safety

We can face what is

Heaviness of our being

No analysing

Bound by ritual

I know this way of being

Being in, for, with...

Immersed in other

Feeling you’ve got me, right here

I am not alone

Figure 150. , A Circle of Safety

Kim Fox Page 122


A circle of Allowing

Figure 151. , A Circle of Allowing

Attending to you

I meet you without judgement

Staying with what is

John Vance Cheney said,

The soul would have no rainbow

Had the eyes no tears

Permission ‘to be’

It’s not granted– it’s just there

Room for the shadows



A circle of Honesty

Not always balanced

Sometimes a need for something

To find inner peace

As I am, you are

Knowing that it moves along

Open to my truth

Not always pretty

When I’m honest with myself

Liberation comes

Figure 152. , A Circle of Honesty

Kim Fox Page 124


A circle of Empathy

Figure 153. , A Circle of Empathy

Open heartedness

A visceral sensation

Opening doorways

Seeing the beauty

Recognizing each other

I see you, I do

In every person

Essence of humanity

Now do you feel that?



A circle of Intuition

Following our gut

Reawakening to now

Reverberation

Gathering felt sense

Out on the borders of known

Yet here, deep within

Tuning in, we feel

A wisdom in our bodies

A depth of knowing

Figure 154. , A Circle of Intuition

Kim Fox Page 126


[Intuition and Journaling]I noticed something strange about the book.

‘These pages don’t have numbers on them, Don.’

‘No,’ he said. ‘You just open it and whatever you need most is there.’

‘A magic book!’

‘No, you can do it with any book. You can do it with an old newspaper,

if you read carefully enough.

Haven’t you done that, hold some problem in your mind,

then open any book handy and see what it tells you?’

‘No’

‘Well, try it sometime.’

(Bach, 1992, pp.49–50)



A circle of Respect

We are dancing through

Resonance and dissonance

We see each other

Listening, we hear

Voice of the human, being

In its many forms

I feel your support

As you accept me as me

Mutuality

Figure 155. , A Circle of Respect

Kim Fox Page 128


A circle of Compassion for Self and Other

Figure 156. , A Circle of Compassion for self and other

To recognize you

A human being in pain

And see it is me:

But for grace of god

A connection much deeper

Than surface swimming

We know the abyss

All the way to the trenches

Though do not name it



A circle of Integrity

Steadfast, staying true

In complete service of heart

In the face of you

Mirrored, I see you

Staying true to your essence

Safely, we journey

Knowing the pure joy

Although challenging at times

The feeling of real

Figures 157 & 158. , A Circle of Integrity

Kim Fox Page 130


A circle of Responsibility

We all hear the call

A willingness to respond

Out in deep waters

I’ve got you, you say

With me in my suffering

Heavy medicine

With me in my fear

You’re not going anywhere

Able to respond

Figure 159. , A Circle of Responsibility



A circle of Iterative Reflexivity

Scrutiny ensues

Repeatedly stepping back

Looking again, fresh

What might we know now?

Reflecting while living it

Inner dialogue

Look back at ourselves

Absorbing, understanding,

A two way mirror

Figure160. , A Circle of Reflexivity

Kim Fox Page 132


A circle of Gratitude

Humbled, hand on heart

Feeling the privilege it is

To exchange moments

Appreciation

Only a number of breaths

Here, we have shared some

The Blessing it feels

Experience another

As fully human

Figure161. , A Circle of Gratitude



A circle of Understanding and Being Understood

Figure162. , A Circle of Understanding and being understood

Musicians, of sort

Improvising in the now

Creating music

Meaningful glances

Unpredictable forming

Flowing together

Adapt in that space

To ourselves and to other

Meaningful making

Kim Fox Page 134


A circle of Intersubjectivity

Content in process

Moving beyond our stories

Touch each others’ worlds

What might we offer

As a response that is shared

To land or to miss?

From the inside out

Our inquiry takes on form

It’s co-created

Figure163. , A Circle of Intersubjectivity



A circle of Becoming

“Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,” he asked, “or bit by bit?”

“It doesn’t happen all at once,” said the Skin Horse. “You become. It takes a long

time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp

edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of

your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in your joints

and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you

can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”

(Raiten –D’Antonio, 2004, pp.5–6)

Figures 164 & 165. , Becoming

Kim Fox Page 136


‘Relational Being’ in the Wider World: A word from ‘Above’

Figure166. Relational being makes the world go round

A word on Action Values in ways of being with Self and Other

Values are the preferences we hold about our ways of doing and being.

They indicate our preferred way of being between options and may be expressed

automatically in a behaviour or as a result of choices we seem to make.

(Lett, 2008, p.13)

When values are expressed as behaviours, Allen refers to them as ‘Action Values’ (2004). We

saw in the previous section how these presented within the circle of relationship that was

our inquiry: this ‘circle of ONE’. Through this research, I have come to strongly believe in

the transformative power of process that encourages the emergence and identification of

these Action Values. I feel this is something that would be worthwhile exploring further.



In service of rigour and transparency, I need to hand the microphone over to ‘Mindful’

who wants ‘a word.’ In my House of Changes, she is very efficient, good at her job and

crystal clear about boundaries. (Refer again to Jeni Couzyn’s poem for a full personality

profile!)

In actual fact, this ‘word of caution’ surfaced when it became known to me that someone

in my life was quite challenged by my approach to teaching. I initially felt confused and

quite misjudged– misunderstood. But as I sat with these feelings, my perspective shifted.

‘What if this person was an outer reflection of one of the women in my house?? Who

would she be? If she is me– what am I trying to tell myself through her concerns? And so,

would you please welcome to the stage, ‘Mindful.’

She needs it to be acknowledged that there may well be those who feel that as educators,

we have no business swimming around in this Ocean of Inquiry: that the dangers far

outweigh the benefits and that we are not qualified to deal with these dangers. What if

this way of working opens up old wounds for students, unlocking pain and trauma? When

relating to others within our work context, the ethical question that must be asked is,

‘Just because we can explore these spaces of personal and social inquiry does that mean

we should?’ I see and hear her concern, and thank her for voicing the responsibility we

have to ourselves and one another in our co-created search for meaning in our lives.

This responsibility is not to be taken lightly. I certainly do not advocate a process that

inadvertently has us as teachers swimming around, mindlessly flipping lids off treasure

chests that may indeed be Pandora’s Box. Nor do I recommend that we actively go seeking

out the monsters of the deep or digging for anything for that matter. This process is

an artistic inquiry into what is. It is that simple: being present to what is. Yet it is not

easy...

A WORD OF CAUTION FROM: ‘MINDFUL’

Kim Fox Page 138


And then a strange thing happened.

For where a tear had fallen, a flower grew out of the ground...

(Raiten –D’Antonio, 2004, p.102)

Here we are again at this ‘Meeting in the Middle’ that we started with in this paper. When

traditionally ‘difficult’ or ‘tricky’ issues emerge (as they do when we have a heartbeat),

all care must be taken to allow what is there to be felt and expressed safely. Again, the

more comfortable we are in being with the fully human in ourselves, the more we are able

to be with it in one another. There are specific skills needed to inhabit and navigate this

territory. The haikus in the section relating to the ‘Circle of ONE’ outline ways of being

that enable our responsibility to be enacted. It is in the expressing of these many values

as behaviours that we can meet and hold one another in our humanness, and enrich one

another’s lives. My knowing (grounded in experience) is that: to nurture the emergence

of these inquiry-based ‘Circles of ONE’ is both implicitly and explicitly valuable within the

context of Education and beyond.

You will never be able to escape from your heart. So it’s better to listen to what it has to say.

That way, you’ll never have to fear an unanticipated blow.

Coelho, 1993, p.136

Figure 167, Listen to your heart

To contribute to greater harmony, a person’s consciousness has to become complex.

Complexity of consciousness is not a function of only intelligence or knowledge,

and is not just a cognitive trait – it includes a person’s feelings and actions as well.

Csikszentmihalyi, 1993, p.207)



A word on Values Education, the Inquiry Approach and the Australian National Curriculum

The National Framework for Values Education in Schools (2005) is a commitment by the

Australian Government to support its schools in broadening their approaches to bringing

values to life. There is much written of the ‘Double Helix Effect’ (Lovat & Toomey, 2007),

where Values Education is intertwined with ‘Quality Teaching.’ I see the intricate balance

that it takes to implement a planned systematic program within schools, whilst nurturing

and maintaining the heart of the experience. Lovat and Toomey (pp.141–2) state that the

importance of helping children identify feelings of emotions and find language to express those

feelings at an early age provides a foundation for Values Education. They then cite Cohen et

al, (2006) by quoting, a recent study [which] found that journaling about one’s values for as

little as 15 minutes each morning reduced the achievement gap between Afro-American and

white Grade 7 students by 40%! How do we bring this to the masses without ‘franchising’ or

losing that real connection to the original intent?

Figure 168. , The Balance of how to be

Kim Fox Page 140


Inquiry-based learning supports that learning is found to be more meaningful when

driven by a desire to know. As I sit with the Arts component of the new Australian National

Curriculum Initial Advice Paper (2010), I see alignment here between within and without

yet again! I understand that:

Students study and learn these art forms [Dance; Drama; Media Arts; Music and

Visual Arts] through the following experiences, which are the organising strands of

the Arts curriculum:

• Generating

• Realizing [making real]

• Responding

Engaging in and experiencing the Arts involves two orders of creative fusion:

we perceive the Arts through three dimensions: physically (through the senses),

cognitively (through the mind) and affectively (through the emotions) within

three contexts of meaning: the subjective world of personal experience; the

relational world of others and the society we experience; and the objective world

of objects, processes and people which lies beyond our direct experience.

(Draft Shape of the Australian Curriculum: The Arts. ACARA, 2010, p.3)

It astounds me that this research inquiry has organically connected all of these elements

through a relationship born simply from bringing depth of presence to experiencing and

working with the MIECAT Procedures into the educational context.

Figure 169. YARN SULLIVAN, Emergence and Exploration



A word on Emotional Intelligence, Social Intelligence and Emotional Efficacy

for ‘Emotionally Safe Schools’

In speaking about Competence Modelling, author and psychologist, Daniel Goleman (2007)

states that it takes both cognitive and emotional capacities to produce competence. In

his speech to Google employees, he challenges the emphasis placed on the quantitative

evidence of intellect, explaining the neuroscience and psychology behind Emotional and

Social Intelligence and their significance to how we flourish as humans. He speaks of

the importance of self awareness around what we are feeling and why we may be feeling

it and also argues that in learning how to manage our emotions, we can transform our

relationship with them, and with those in our lives. Many schools of thought are in

alignment here.

‘Emotional efficacy means that in the intersubjective encounter,

all participants value and attempt to understand and name their own and others emotions,

to appropriately express and regulate these according to the demands of the situation

and to resonate and be empathetic to others.’

(Allen, 2004. p.56)

Figure 170. ALEX GREY, 2002, Interbeing, oil on wood, 24 x 24 inches

Kim Fox Page 142


When quoting an Italian-based research on ‘Mirror Neurons,’ Goleman reports (2007)

how our brains are designed to connect with the social brain of the other, attuning

and regulating according to the internal state of the other. He speaks of the tacit non-

verbals that are the emotional sub-text to every human interaction. My mind reels at the

implications of this for our everyday interactions with one another in our work contexts.

By becoming more emotionally intelligent ourselves as teachers, we do actually relate

in a more meaningful way with our students, inviting them to have more meaningful

relationships as well.

I am curious to see how our focus as educators shifts, as we learn to further explore the

role of emotional intelligence in education.

Figure 171. and CLARE BARRETT, Practice, collage, pen on paper, A4



All learning has an emotional base

(Plato)

Below is an image created as a response from a student of Mill Park Heights Primary

School. She was partnered with another student in an inquiry into feelings associated

with a ‘whole class’ issue being explored in class.

Figure 172. “C”– aged 9 years, MPHPS student, Emotional Efficacy, pastel on paper, A4

Kim Fox Page 144


A word on Relational Being in Education

Finally in this section, I want to look deeper into Kenneth Gergen’s (2009) ideas

related to Relational Being. Looking at Education as a Relational Key, he proposes that,

‘because all knowledge is a communal creation, education is more fruitfully conceived

as a process for enhancing participation in relational process.’ (2009, p.241) Taking up a

range of relationships (i.e. between teachers and students; among students; between the

classroom and the world outside...) he explores ‘practices that link excellence in education

with excellence in relationship’ (p.241). Interestingly, he believes that ‘education is not a

process of producing effective individuals; it is one of fostering processes that indefinitely

extend the potentials of relationship’ (p.243).

His philosophy resonates with me deeply. He frames this co-creation in what he names

as ‘Circles of Participation.’ I feel like I’m swimming in the Twilight Zone as I see the

alignment of Gergen’s perspective with how this research inquiry has been presented.

Gergen goes into great detail about the interconnectedness, potential and limitations of

our relationships within Education. I hope to explore further, in particular the possibilities

of using Multi-modal journaling as a companion to this multi-relational process.

All that is meaningful to us as human beings derives from this process. All that we take to be

real, true, valuable, or good finds its origin in coordinated action.

(Gergen, 2009, p.31)

Figure 173. , Fusion between person and world, pastel on paper, A3



The Ripple Effect: Nurturing our future

Figures 174 & 175. The ripple effect: Nurturing our future

Some of the most brilliant, creative people I know did not do well at school.

Many of them didn’t really discover what they could do–and who they really were–until

they’d left school and recovered from their education.

(Robinson, 2009, p.9)

Now that we have had a brief look at some of what the wider world has to say on the

philosophies of Relational Being, Values Education, Emotional and Social Intelligence, I

would like to offer you a closer look at the flow on effect of this inquiry at a more local level.

...at what’s been happening in the worlds of co-researchers at Mill Park Heights Primary School since this inquiry.

Such gratitude to the students (and their parents) who consented to the use of artwork to be included in this next section. Thank-you for sharing your ‘knowings’ with us! In alignment with confidentiality, identities of individual students are withheld in the following section.

Figure 176. , Take a Closer Look, collage, A5

Kim Fox Page 146


This Masters Inquiry has been extensively supported by many within the context of Mill

Park Heights Primary School. From the outset, Principal, Mrs. Deborah Patterson has

kept open communication throughout the process, watching those involved enter into

the research fully.

From: Patterson, Deborah A Sent: Mon 25/01/2010 8:37 AM

Subject: RE: Masters Research Inquiry 2010

Hello everyone

Kim, as you know you have my full support with this project. I am so glad some of the staff here also feel that way and are willing to support you with the outcome. Throughout my 33 years in Education I meet staff like you. They have great ideas, they are genuine and they sincerely care about other people and more importantly students. The staff who are supporting you also from here at MPHPS are also caring and supportive staff.

Where this eventually goes i.e. the benefits etc to those participating, the students and the school will be aninteresting path, something that I will enjoy watching. I read a quote from Maggie Tabberer over the holidays and it reminds me of you.

“Doors shut, others open – All I have is the guts to walk through the door”

This quote reminds me of you and the staff who are on this path. You see something that is worthwhile pursuing. The idea of investigating an ‘emotionally safe’ school environment gets my support.

While I cannot actually participate please keep me in the loop on a regular basis and let me know what I can do to support you further.

Deborah Patterson

Principal

[email protected]

Ph: +61 3 9436 8866

Try our website at www.millparkhtsps.vic.edu.au

(D. Patterson, Personal communication, January 25, 2010)



Dropping ourselves, like pebbles in this vast ocean of inquiry has indeed made some

delightful sounds and ripples. As shifts, and new ways of being occurred within the official

parameters of this Research Inquiry, our work and personal lives have been impacted by

the flow-on of those ripples. It has been astounding to witness the way this ocean has

taken these new ‘knowings’ out to touch others in ways unexpected. The impact on each

participant has been uniquely personal, with some ripples transforming inner landscapes

profoundly. For others, the effects rippled out to alter realtionships with friends, family

members, colleagues and students. Others again saw the effect of this transformation

reach out as far as to create new cultures within their classrooms. Some students at Mill

Park Heights Primary School have now also become fluent in the language of multi-

modal journaling. By bringing more presence to their own experiencing they are finding

ways to make more meaningful relationships at school: both with their teachers and one

another.

I have included some excerpts from journals along with other accounts that have occurred

since the initial opening of the official Research Inquiry.

Kim Fox Page 148


Some examples of the ways in which this research has rippled out to touch others within

the school community are:

Figure 177.

It’s the day after our first session of ‘opening.’ I see that one of you

have tapped into a great surge of anger that is ready to be heard. Synchronicity

had the three of us aligning co-ordinates this afternoon, in a way that couldn’t

have been orchestrated more perfectly if we had tried. In that tiny office, our

three-way companioning occurred. I reflected back using description, key

words, ISRs reduction and amplification with both of you, beautiful women.

Courageously, you navigated a pathway through to a place where ‘rebuilding’

could occur. Truly magic. Truly a privilege. (Excerpt from Journal Entry)

At the very beginning of the research, residual

conflict between two of the participants was

causing much emotional turmoil between

them.



In coming to the end of our research inquiry together, we officially gathered in a circle

for the last time... Reflecting on what we had come to know and how we had come to be

through the inquiry, we reduced to the following creative syntheses, using what was there

in front of our faces to illustrate how we were now in our lives with our knowing: We used

our journals.

Participant said:

The Ripple Effect has been largely internal for me... deep shifts in my way of

coming to know more of who I am, and profound change in how I am with

myself.

I have connected with certain students in

more meaningful ways. I am able to sit with

their challenges more comfortably having

come to know and embrace those aspects

of myself. I feel more connected.

Kim Fox Page 150


Listening to my key words

reflected back to me has been

invaluable in my search for

meaning

Not needing to share it with the world...

something really personal. I am changed. I

see myself differently now, with Eyes Wide

Open. I feel grounded. This impacts on my

world by the way I am with me now.

Figure 178–180. ,The Ripple Effect, collage, pastel on paper, A3



Participant said:

I feel like for me it’s all been about making connections. There is a special bond

now within the group, but this is flowing on to other staff members and the

children...

We have music as our extra language

now... the kids love seeing us share that

connection as we spontaneously ‘play’ at

school. Music and singing everywhere...

to the office staff...we even sing the

Attendance Roll in class now!

It is something so implicit... I feel like there

are all these little threads overlapping,

going on in the school, enmeshing in such

a positive way, like a dream-catcher...

Figures 181–183. ,The Ripple Effect continues..., pencil on paper, collage, A3

Kim Fox Page 152


Participant said:

I have really been able to choose different ways of being with myself and my

colleagues at work. Speaking my truth and knowing my worth has impacted on

my relationships. I am listening to my heart now, and more accepting of those

aspects of me that I have judged harshly for so long.

The use of journaling has impacted on my

way of being with my kids in class. We have

used art making as ways of responding to

critical events in other students’ lives. We

have offered this art as an Intersubjective

response.

Mapping has really helped me identify my

own values and communicate clearer with

my students when issues arise that impact

our everyday relating. In exploring self

compassion, I am more accepting of the

fully human in my students

Figures 184–186. , Ripples keep on Rippling...,

collage, pastel on paper, A3



Participant said:

Slowing right down, I am now really seeing each student as more than someone

on my roll to teach, assess and report on. My whole way of being with them is

different. We even do a guided visualization at the end of each class now: the

students LOVE it!

I am seeing from my heart

now, not my head and I am

noticing so much more,

within and without. My

whole approach to teaching

has shifted. We are all more

connected with one another.

So many opportunities now

to bring presence to what

it is that we are doing. The

music: it is there, creating a

space for it all to happen in.

I’m taking everything slower

which informs my whole life

in a new way.

Kim Fox Page 154


I make time for me now, and for all which

is important to me in my life... and it feels

wonderful!

Figures 187–189. ,Slowing to really feel the ripples,

ink on paper, collage, pastel on paper, A3



Participant said:

The first experience that I introduced to the students was a walk around the

school-ground in silence. They were to focus on their senses of touch, sight,

hearing and smell and explore the playground by feeling, listening and looking

at it in as different a perspective as possible.

Kim Fox Page 156


When we returned to our

class they responded to

this experience by drawing

with pastels to the sounds

of my meditation music.

The children became

engrossed in their work

to the point that they were

mostly unaware that I was

videoing that first of many

sessions in expressing

feelings through art.

Figures 190–192. , Rippling out to reach students, watercolour on paper,

collage, A3, pastel on paper, A2



The sharing of their work was very

powerful and emotional. Most students

had made an emotional connection

through the music and the artwork.

This activity quickly became part of our

weekly program. The children looked

forward to it and were always eager for it

to happen (and still are).

We have a social skills program at our

school so I incorporated the values from

this into our weekly session of art based

around meditational music. The change

in the students has been evident as we

now base our behavioural decisions on

connections to our feelings. This has

been a powerful change in managing

the classroom climate. These children

respect and care for each other. When

we have any issue we draw about our

feelings and try to empathise with other

members of our class. The sharing of

ideas and feelings is always a respectful

time and frequently leaves me with the

feeling that I am truly honoured to be

with this group of students.

Figures 193 & 194. Being Present and using Multimodal Journaling in the classroom

– Relational Being, pencil and pastel on paper, A3

Kim Fox Page 158


I have come to the

awareness that I have

not really experienced

the full potential of the

students I have taught

previously. This approach

has deepened my

understanding of each

child as well as changed

my approach to teaching

them. We have a shared

experience now.

Figures 195 & 196. , ‘We have a shared experience now’– student and teacher, collage, A3



Figures 197–199. Emotional Response – ability, pastel on paper, A3

Kim Fox Page 160


One of the most powerful sessions occurred when a student with Asperger’s

Syndrome wanted to share his story with the class. The children listened with

great interest and compassion. The art responses to his talk were full of feeling.

I invited our principal to see their drawings as I was so proud of them.

Whenever our class have any event to deal with or to celebrate we do so through

our journaling. I journal alongside them: it is a whole class process.

Figures 200–202. I see you: Art Speaks, pencil and pastel on paper, A3



Figures 203–205. I see you: Art Speaks, pencil and pastel on paper, A3

Kim Fox Page 162


Figures 206 & 207. Eye’s Wide Open- The Next Generation!, pencil and pastel on paper, A3



Apart from this experience with my class, during a lunch time each week, I

took a small group of girls who had been having difficulties playing together in

the yard. Rather than have them “punished” for bad behaviour, I hoped that the

same journaling to music would help them see the good in themselves and in

each other and so help them in the future when they were playing in the yard.

These girls never hesitated to attend these sessions and have changed attitudes

towards each other and myself. We have the bond of journaling and respecting

and caring for each other. They now play in the yard in a more thoughtful

manner.

Figures 208 & 209. Calm and What’s deep inside..., pastel on paper, A3, pencil on paper, A4

Kim Fox Page 164


Figures 210 & 211. Emotional Efficacy and Experience Colour, pencil and pastel on paper, A3



As a follow on from these examples, told me of the most recent

ripple effect to reach out to a student at the time of writing. When she asked

her class to be present to their week’s experiencing and to choose moments

to represent, she noticed one student looking quite ‘stressed’ as he scribbled

a dark cloud round and round... She was aware that she held curious energy

around this young man’s response. When the opportunity came to share, she

quietly inquired with him. He shared that he was really frustrated as they

had started learning about division in Numeracy that week. Quite a capable

student, he felt upset with himself that he ‘didn’t get it.’ Staying with that, she

used description to objectively see and hear him, checked the key words from

his week, and then bracketed in that she was so glad she knew now how it

was for him. They found a different way to be with that division! She was so

delighted that this emerged, as the making of art to represent his experience

gave her an access point to connect with him in his emotions. This may have

been harder to access via the old way of being.

Figure 212. Points of Access to what matters most, pencil and pastel on paper, A3

Kim Fox Page 166


Ripples keep rolling on and on in the

context of my life.

On a daily basis, some small shifts in

ways of being look like:

In teaching, I find myself more trusting

of the process of being with what is, and

willing to stay there. I allow experience

to ground knowledge, dropping from

head to body-wisdom whenever

appropriate and possible.

Figures 216–217. , Rippling out to touch those in my world... our world,

collage, pencil and fine-liner on paper, A5

Figures 213–215. DANIELLE VON DER BORSCH, Rippling out to touch those in my world... our world,

collage, pen on card, A8



Dropping into and naming my feelings

is something I do differently now.

When conflict arises, staying present to

emotions helps us navigate to the value

underneath that is being compromised...

this alone has transformed my teaching

as the focus is not on right or wrong: it

is on what matters most – what it means

to us...

Figures 218. , Rippling out to touch those in my world...our world,

collage, pencil and fine-liner on paper, A5

Through sharing my journals with students I work with, I have been astounded

at the number of them who have been inspired to create their own journals at

home, and work with them in a similar way! I am privileged to have students

bring them in on a regular basis to share theirs with their peers. It seems that

they have found a meaningful tool which connects them to themselves and

others multi-modally!

As the owl opens his eyes all night to the moon,

We live as the great one and the little one

This love between us goes back to the first human –

It cannot be annihilated.

(Kabir, as cited in Bly, 2004, p.53)

Kim Fox Page 168


I have come to know the value of silence in

a new way through this inquiry. Marking

the Attendance Roll in my daily classes

has become an opportunity to for me to

drop into presence as I silently regard

each student, non-verbally , checking in,

exchanging waves, seeing one another

and being seen.

I am deeply grateful to be able to experience the shifts in depth of relating

that have occurred with both colleagues and students. Exchanges feel more

present, and more meaningful. I feel so privileged to be living and working in

our world in this new way

Figure 219. , Silence, watercolour and pencil on paper, A5



Where one door closes:

Bringing it all together. What is it that we think we know now?

We shall not cease from exploration

And the end of all our exploring

Will be to arrive where we started

And know the place for the first time

Figure 220. One door closes (T. S. Eliot, 1943, p.49)

Dear Reader, in opening eyes, ears, minds and hearts we noticed that the

way we navigated through the vast expanse of inquiry allowed the opening

up of another dimension in our relating with self and other, where we could

experience being fully present to being completely human.

In the process of opening, we came to notice familiar voices, speaking to us

through the mouths of the ‘other.’ We came to notice that what we saw ‘out

there’ was often reflective of what we came to know inside ourselves.

Kim Fox Page 170


We experienced the pain and fear of separation, yet came to know the truth

of our connection much deeper. We noticed that as we learned to face and

embrace our unique diversity, we could really be at home with that which is

the same within us all.

We noticed that the more we came to know multi-modally, the more our

ways of being in the world shifted, and rippled out to touch others we

encountered.

We noticed that the qualities of being that allow us to be fully present are

experienced as living values. In our ‘Circle of One’ they were known to be:

curiosity; openness; responsibility; emergence; integrity; respect; empathy;

honesty; intersubjectivity; intuition; compassion for self and other;

attentiveness to the shadow; iterative reflexivity; allowing; becoming; trust;

inclusiveness; safety; courage; and relationship.

Our emotions, we notice, are gateways to meaning that matters, to things of

value that we hold close to our hearts.

Synchronicity and alignment between above, below, within and without,

happen with the ‘see-er’– the one who is at the edge of these dimensions.

In the words of Polanyi, I too feel that, ‘having made a

discovery, I shall never see the world again as before. My eyes have

become different; I have made myself into a person seeing and thinking

differently. I have crossed a gap, the heuristic gap, which lies between

problem and discovery.’ (1962, p.143)

We’ve come a long way, haven’t we?

(Bach, 1988, p.11)

X



Figure 221. , From little things..., pencil on paper, A5

Kim Fox Page 172


Another Door Opens: Do we have the guts to walk through?

The Ocean territory was new and I was a youngster experiencing a world few

had seen, doing things few had done. There was a sense of high adventure and

of developing skills that permitted me to gather delicacies that rarely reached the

palate of the common man. Additionally, I was becoming aware that something

unique was happening to me; the ocean had become a teacher and I its student.

(Eyles, 2001, p.51)

I offer with this thesis, a journal, a template, a possible companion that may be adapted

and used in service of human flourishing. I offer this in the hope that if used along with

the qualities of being, as outlined within the pages of this document, then perhaps, you

may find the experience meaning-full.

May bringing presence to your experiencing with one another open up circles of depth

that reward you beyond imagination. May you share more meaningful ‘meetings’ within

and without. May you be with curiosity as you encounter above and below. May we all

remember that we only have a finite number of breaths to share in each other’s company

in this lifetime: every moment that passes is an exchange of part of our lives with those

whom we are with. When our last breath arrives, I wonder how we will have been with

ourselves and one another. I wish you well from my heart. May you truly enjoy the journey.



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Appendix 1

World Wide Web Image References:

Image Key-word search Website

Melissa Shemanna

Sacred Unionwww.honeybeetemple.com

Turtle; hatching nr.wi.gov

gratitude positiveimperative.com

gratitude carolecgood.com

nurture vocabulry.wordpress.com

3 keys motivationalmemo.com

Open door matrixgreatescape.wordpress.com/2009/04/

Blue stick man thinking istockphoto.com

Conservation house psc.state.fl.us

Eye of god nela.in

Kim Fox Page 178



Emerald Tablethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

File:Emerald_tablet.jpg

As above so below universallinkonline.com

stick figure teacher and students shermandorn.com

Sick resize nurse-ratcheds.blogspot.com

tumblr weseachange.tumblr.com

invitation sonshinecraft.com

touch billbuxton.com

Heart-Living.jpg http://static.technorati.com/10/02/10/4509/

Look inside robhoweonline.com

balloon fantasyfliers.com

meditation technorati.com

Homing pigeons wizardpicturemats.com




Deep sea space Sipadan telegraph.co.uk

Pat, diving helmet vulcaniasubmarine.com

Synchronicity, dolphins richtapestries.co.uk

paper dolls holding hands team picasaweb.google.com

Hands, world, symbolhttp://www.myspace.com/

andreworthphotography

Listen to your heart vectorstock.com

ripplewater masilabs.com

Closed door flickr.com

relationship enterpriseirregulars.com

Kim Fox Page 180


Appendix 2

The Emerald Tablet: The key to Above and Below

Look thee above or look thee below,

the same shall ye find.

For all is but part of the Oneness

that is at the Source of the Law.

The consciousness below thee is

part thine own as we are a part of thine.

Ye, as a child had not the knowledge

that came to ye when ye became a man.

Compare ye the cycles to man in his journey

from birth unto death,

and see in the cycle below thee the child

with the knowledge he has;

and see ye yourself as the child grown older,

advancing in knowledge as time passes on.

See ye, We, also, the child grown to manhood

with the knowledge and wisdom that came

with the years.

So also, O Thoth, are the cycles of consciousness,

children in different stages of growth,

yet all from the one Source, the Wisdom,

and all to the Wisdom returning again.

All that man is is because of his wisdom.

All that he shall be is the result of his cause.

this journal belongs to: everyoneas above so below, as within so without: to notice such things......

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