Poetry as an Introduction: Mieke began her presentation by sharing a poem titled "river," which aligned with the session's title, "becoming the river," and served as a metaphorical foundation for her discussion on energy flow and presence. 

The Importance of Coherence: The concept of coherence, both within individuals and teams, is a foundational element. Mieke expands on this by introducing the idea of attending to larger, coherent fields to navigate disruption.

Individual Coherence: Defined as "coherence within yourself, which has everything to do with the synchronization, the self-regulation, any presence practices currently much supported by the polyvagal theory and the science about it."

Team and Organizational Coherence: Building on existing knowledge of co-regulation and synchronization practices, Mieke emphasizes the significance of "real subtle awareness of moment-to-moment coherence." Noticing "fragmentation in the moment" and having the capacity to return to coherence is crucial, as "you never have full coherence all the time." 

Larger Coherent Fields: Attending to larger coherent fields helps organizations "handle larger disruption." Examples include:

Purpose: Seen in a systemic sense as an "outward in movement," where an organization is "invited to by the larger systems," and is "in service of" something beyond itself. A strong purpose can act as "an aligning force to keep an eye on that longer-term purpose" during chaos. 

Nature/Land: Recognizing the connection to and wisdom of the land, especially for industries with a strong physical footprint. Mieke shares an example of how connecting a team in Canada to the "vastness of the land" served as a coherent field to navigate dynamics with other parts of the organization. 

Common Call for Good: Initiatives around sustainability or social justice can serve as "an aligning force that removes quite a lot of the disruption." 

Alignment with Essence and Larger Purpose: Alignment is deeply intertwined with coherence. It involves reconnecting individuals and organizations with their core purpose and place within a larger context.

Realigning Leaders with their Role: This can be "quite archetypal," similar to taking an oath. Leaders take an "oath to the higher purpose of the company," to passing life forward," and to "all stakeholders." Mieke works with leaders to "call them to alignment to the essence of their role."

Taking Place in the Lineage: Leaders are invited to "take their place in the lineage of leaders that have come before them and that will come after them." This involves connecting to the organization's roots, owning the impact of past decisions, and acting for the benefit of future generations. Mieke references Owen Eastwood's Maori lineage perspective on leadership as the "sun is shining on you," meaning it is your time to lead for the long term. 

Ceremonial Space and Intention: Creating a "ceremonial space" where individuals can share their intentions and commitments on an energetic level is powerful. Mieke describes an event where 140 leaders stated what they stand for, creating a "charged field" with "strong intention and commitment." 

Reminders from Ancient Practices: Mieke shares a powerful example from an annual general meeting in Australia where an elder woman reminded attendees of the purpose of the gathering – "to connect and learn from one another" and "setting things in order." This shifted the energy and reminded everyone to take "full accountability for the place that they have and the privilege that they have to be in that place." 

Personal Alignment as a Compass: Alignment serves as a "North star" for Mieke personally, requiring holding oneself to a "very high standard" and not ignoring bodily cues that indicate being "off." This includes re-evaluating actions, especially when working with industries that require "soul searching," to ensure one is not susceptible to the "temptations that have led us to the fragmented world that we're currently living in." 

Asking for Help from Larger Fields: This is a less conventional but important aspect of energy mastery in facilitation. It involves recognizing that the facilitator is a "designated support system" and can "ask for help on behalf of the team" from sources beyond themselves.

Right-Sizing the Facilitator: It's crucial to "right-size yourself" and avoid the "belief or the pressure to solve things for other people." Leaning in too heavily to solve problems makes the facilitator "bigger than you are." 

Asking on Behalf of the Team: From the place of a designated support system, a facilitator can "ask for help on behalf of the team," but "without being attached to what that help looks like" or to a specific outcome. This is done "in a way for the highest good of all." 

Sources of Help: Asking for help can come from various "higher forces, a larger coherent field." Examples include:

Ceremonial Work: Orienting oneself through ceremonial work before engaging with an organization and its challenges. 

Support of the Land: Attuning to the land where meetings take place, especially on "sacred land," and feeling its "strength and the power... to support that this organization explores the dynamics of collective trauma." 

Lineage of Leaders: Asking for support from past leaders who had the "best interest of the company in mind."

Founding Spirit: Connecting to and reigniting the original spirit of the company if it has been lost.

Ancestral Knowledge: Finding interconnections with ancient wisdom to inform new solutions. 

Faith Structure: For organizations with a faith structure, connecting to that larger field of coherence.

Responsibility of the Connector: Asking for help comes with "a strong responsibility." The facilitator is the "connector or the bridge builder," who listens to the "whispers of... this larger field," keeps "measuring," and checks in with their "own body to see what's happening." This requires "supervision." 

Including the Void (All Possibilities): This concept, drawn from Native American traditions, emphasizes the importance of including "all possibilities" and welcoming them without attachment to a specific outcome.

Detachment from Outcome: Systemic facilitation requires not being "attached to one specific outcome" and "not excluding possibilities, even when that might mean that... the system in itself in this form or subsystem might not survive." 

Trusting a Larger Movement: This involves "trusting a larger movement at play beyond what you can see right now." Interventions may have a "larger impact at one point in time," even if not immediately visible. 

Reframing Disruption: A helpful practice is to ask, "How could this be life orienting, orienting itself for the highest good of myself and of all," when faced with disruption or unexpected outcomes. This helps reframe challenges and trust the larger movement.