Take a seat. Close your eyes and then breathe, slowly. Can you feel the rhythm in your heartbeat and the tingling in your fingertips? Do you feel alive? Did you read these steps with your eyelids closed? 

New Mind Group, held every Monday night in Pilsen since 2011, got in tune with the chimes of Zen Buddhism last month. We covered the works of Alan Watts, Thich Nhat Hahn and Osho. 

For some group members this was a fresh dip into Zen while for others it was a refreshed dive into these works. Because, as you’ll see in group, your perception of the same piece of writing can be drastically different between one reading to the next. 

That’s the thing about discussing short excerpts in group: it’s not about simply recognizing what’s in the piece itself, but also recognizing YOURSELF within the piece. 

For example, let me offer you a simple assignment, this will be a sort of sampling of what group can do for you, and what you can perhaps do for group. 

Step 1: read this excerpt from Osho’s book, “love, freedom, aloneness:”

“Of course people are afraid to be free, because freedom is risky. One never knows what one is doing, where one is going. What the ultimate result of it all is going to be.”

Ponder and reflect what this quote might mean for you. 

Step 2: wait a week.

Are you back? Great! You have proven yourself an anchored stone in the mad river of civilization. 

Step 3: read this excerpt from Osho’s book, “love, freedom, aloneness:”

“Of course people are afraid to be free, because freedom is risky. One never knows what one is doing, where one is going. What the ultimate result of it all is going to be.”

..Wait a second! Am I, the author, trying to bamboozle you, the reader? No. I am only drawing a point that perceptions evolve and how re-examining a piece in group will always be an original experience no matter how many times a piece is visited. The readings planned by group leader Kyle or brought in by other members always fuel our discussion. 

“But, I continue to think the same things!” you say. 

Well, the fact that your perception has stagnated may be a sign that you should find a new social circle where you can find what’s jamming the spokes in your wheel. Or, maybe you’ve found a granola chunk of truth and you’re original perception was right all along! Who knows? Maybe group can offer you some insight...

Travel inwards and outwards,

New Minds Group, held each Monday evening for the past four years, has held steady throughout this past winter offering a healthy space to develop relationships and deepen your perspectives.  In the face of snow, ice, changing locations and Mayoral runoff elections, two New Minds Group continue to discuss, relate, and interact. That’s what dedication is all about. 

We at New Minds like being in Pilsen and do intend to stay in the neighborhood as we look to expand. Pilsen’s charm may be due to the special businesses in the neighborhood like La Catrina and Café Jumping Bean in which we like to collaborate with. 

This past month has been spent delving into and discussing “The Sibling Society,” by poet Robert Bly. His book explores how adulthood has become lost in post-modern society as well as any notion of having “elders.” Bly said in the 1990s that discrediting anyone who presents themselves as a leader is a trend that has grown from this loss of genuine adults. 

“Every detail of a president’s life is used to discredit him. President Clinton has his faults, but no other American President has been put in the stocks so soon and left there so long,” Bly said. I’ll bet this trend has worsened since. We can freely criticize our leaders when it comes from righteous anger, but not when it comes merely from a place of teenage angst. 

“One sad result of this habit of envy and aggression is the utter discouragement and bitterness of voters, who move into an adolescent place in relation to the duties of citizenship,” Bly said.  

Quotes such as these are provocative in the ways we like and offer a lot to chew on, easily filling group’s 90 minute running time without fail. 

So, know that there’s no preparation needed before coming into group. The structure provides you with the starting point needed to enter the present moment. 

The individuals in group collectively enters the realm of sharing and receiving feedback about all of life’s mysteries in order to get a clearer perspective on what step can next be taken in life. 

Well, it's been a bit since we've updated but fear not, New Minds Group has been kicking for the last two months exploring new ideas, opening up to and conquering fears, laughing and moving around! It's the moving around that has been simultaneously a source of chaos, inspiration and an annoyance we're glad to be done with. For those of you who hadn't heard, the building we rented our office in was sold and so top priority was securing a new space and that has happened!

Of course, New Minds can't quite (never ever) so we kept the group going at the generous and wonderful La Catrina Cafe in Pilsen, and even once at the beautiful community garden. Some of the topics we explored have been mindfulness, the changing seasons, being a part of the river of life instead of fighting against it, and finding a fulfilling vocational path in spite of student debt/lack of options (that last part sounds depressing, but it was actually a very inspirational dialogue!)

If you've thought about joining the New Minds Group before, maybe now is the right time! The sun is shining, the winter is hopefully totally over, and you've been meaning to think deeper lately.

Kyle King

 New Minds is moving locations! Due to a change of ownership in the Kraft building at 18th and Sangamon where we rented our Pilsen space, the Igloo dwellers will now be finding a new location to run our diverse groups at the start of February. The New Minds discussion groups called this location home for the past year but are resolute about staying in the Pilsen neighborhood where the group was born,  and where many members presently live and work. 

 In group last month, the men and women discussed planting seeds for the New Year after discussing what 2014 meant to them. This was an opportunity to deeply and collaboratively reflect with peers about what changes each of us experienced, an opportunity such as this can often be hard to find, but the folks at Igloo know how to deliver the goods. 

  Goods such as what? Well, one week our Holiday festivities got Wilde. Charlie Corwin brought into group a collection of Oscar Wilde quotes which were explored and gave ample time for discussion. The man who runs group, Kyle King, also brought to group an article about the belief in Santa Clause and his capitalist foothold in our shared culture. I can say for certain that I had never talked about Santa in this way before. And saying, “that never happened before,” can be a common occurrence at New Minds. 

 New Minds Group runs 90 minutes, for a menial fee every week, rain or shine. Several of the group members have been coming consistently once a week, sometime for multiple years. But group also welcomes those who only have a few months to spend here; so whether your stay is for the short or long term, there’ll be a chair waiting for you! 

 Warmly,

Were you thinking about how much you needed to buy some new perfume before finding this article? What about after viewing this ad from Marc Jacobs? If the answer is no because you have no interest in buying perfume, let me pose another question, a question that was faced for multiple weeks in November’s New Minds Groups: Do you feel like you are missing something?

Advertisements have an incredible psychological effect. We see MILLIONS of these each day and they, on an emotional level, are taking our own self-respect, packaging it into enviable images and sell it back to us! Sounds a little nutty doesn’t it? Well, there was some skepticism in group too! But take into consideration a pulled quote from John Berger’s, Ways of Seeing, which was the basis for our publicity discussion:

"Publicity persuades us of such a transformation by showing us people who have apparently been transformed and are, as a result, enviable. The state of being envied is what constitutes glamour. And publicity is the process of manufacturing glamour.”

So basically, ads are selling us something we feel we don’t have but need. But internally, all of those enviable consolations don’t move, revealing marketing as the mouse trap it is! Does this subject interest you, ready to join the circle and discuss these topics with other like-minded young adults? Then follow the link to learn more about New Minds weekly group!

Dream on,

Were you thinking about how much you needed to buy some new perfume before finding this article? What about after viewing this ad from Marc Jacobs? If the answer is no because you have no interest in buying perfume, let me pose another question, a question that was faced for multiple weeks in November’s New Minds Groups: Do you feel like you are missing something?

Advertisements have an incredible psychological effect. We see MILLIONS of these each day and they, on an emotional level, are taking our own self-respect, packaging it into enviable images and sell it back to us! Sounds a little nutty doesn’t it? Well, there was some skepticism in group too! But take into consideration a pulled quote from John Berger’s, Ways of Seeing, which was the basis for our publicity discussion:

"Publicity persuades us of such a transformation by showing us people who have apparently been transformed and are, as a result, enviable. The state of being envied is what constitutes glamour. And publicity is the process of manufacturing glamour.”

So basically, ads are selling us something we feel we don’t have but need. But internally, all of those enviable consolations don’t move, revealing marketing as the mouse trap it is! Does this subject interest you, ready to join the circle and discuss these topics with other like-minded young adults? Then follow the link to learn more about New Minds weekly group!

Dream on,

When you or I pull out our smartphone to snap a quick selfie, what do we see? Do we see the idealized version of ourselves? No? Well, then just press the erase button, problem over. Are you instead happy with the image projected from the screen? Ok then, share it with the world so they can be exposed to what you consider to be your “best self”.

In my own case, every one selfie that I like, there were probably a dozen that I wasn’t OK with. What is wrong with these images of ourselves that we consider: ugly, dull, fat, and undesirable? Are we able to simply tap the trash can icon and say, “goodbye, the undesirable me”? No, but can we learn to embrace the parts of ourselves we deem unfit for the world? You bet your sweet imperfections you can!

Well then, this would be an ample opportunity to mention the New Minds Group hosted every Monday evening by Mr. Kyle King with the support of reliable, stupendous individuals from the Chicago-land area. Each of these individuals, myself included have found ways to operate in our daily lives allowing us a sense of getting by. “Ah, this works, no need for adjustments here!” But, also, there’s also aspects of our being that we perceive as, “unworkable”. And there’s no trash can icon to dismiss these quirky machinations.

The good news is, instead of seeing the human experience as something of a “selfie” project that can be managed and perfected, why not expose yourself to a group of young adults who regard our “mistakes” not as something to dispose in the trash bin, but as a way of integrating hidden parts of ourselves for the necessary sake of growth and development? Well, that sounds like it may be difficult. And you know, sometimes it is a difficult process, but good thing there’s friends along the way to share in the laughter and tears tucked in the pages of life’s journey. A journey that is meant to present its’ metaphors in a unique manner to each of us.

Dust off the covers,

For nearly three years now, I have been attending the Monday Night New Minds Group in Pilsen, every week, besides a whirlwind tour across Europe that kept me away from Chicago for two months in the summer of 2012. Led with earnest discipline and a tasty concoction of kindness and willful exploration, Kyle King has dedicated himself to establishing groups for discussing the human experience via poetry, current events, shared experiences, and the wisdom of other model pioneers of thought like psychologists, Carl Jung, Marion Woodman, James Hillman to poets, Maya Angelo, Pablo Neruda and Charles Bukowski, and Philosophers, including Plato, Noam Chomsky and Michelle Foucault.

Although my particular extrapolation of the New Minds experience can seem burdensomely intellectual, (yes, I’m aware of how this sentence furthers that notion) my experience of New Minds is also filled with inside jokes, birthday feasts, sassiness, and an appreciation for popular culture. Orange is the New Black, or Jay Z lyrics have also found their way into group discussion as a tunnel into the unfolding layers of modern society which evolves faster than the next iPhone. In New Minds, I keep my pinky up and shirt unbuttoned, balance is key.

While I like to plunge deep into myself, it is done for the purpose of gaining a keener vision of the world I inhabit. That’s the benefit of group, having multiple eyes present on your plunge so you don’t tumble onto sharp rocks or find yourself hanging mercilessly in a rut. I’ve built many relationships in my years in group which all quickly ring with a special chime because of the nature of group’s structure. The connections I have made, both short term and long term, will forever be held in pride; a pride for the bravery that enlists the type of vulnerable sharing that New Minds Group both protects and nurtures amongst its’ members.

The security of safe sharing in group ruffles away the dry top soil and reveals the mineral rich mud for dialogue. In other words, when I and others speak in group, it’s like getting your hands dirty, and I am confident that I am better off for it. My life is enriched with a revitalized ground to plant my seeds.

 Play in the mud a little,

The retired Kraft warehouse is unassuming from street view. The train tracks that run alongside are over fleshed with grass and a marked cinder block grave that reads: “here lies Flopsy, meow, meow meow.” Who was Flopsy? And how bustling was the Kraft warehouse in its’ heyday? These are questions with answers that are out of my reach, but history has left it's gentle record at Sangamon and 18th.

Don’t let this spookhouse impression keep you from discovering the excitement that is housed inside, where the Igloo experience is growing.

In order to experience the spirit of life and soul that inhabits this space, some digging needs to be done. Not literally, please do not disturb Flopsy’s eternal slumber. Rather, the digging is done through discussion between the dynamos that congregate inside the retired Kraft building, up the stairwell on the newly renovated second floor.

The hard working millennials of New Minds Group are reigniting the grit that once dwelled in these brick walls. In the re-imagined warehouse the friendly members of the Monday night groups think creatively and without limitation. Laughs are shared, some tears are shed, learning and understanding will be attained, and coffee from Halfwit will be drunk until my fingers begin to vibrate.

Like the mix of identities in Pilsen, New Minds Group isn’t specifically tailored to race, gender, age, or musical taste: it is simply tailored to the curious. And don’t worry about whether or not you’re too introverted or shy, this is a place to crack your shell or go deeper within. We all could take a break from taking ourselves too seriously, it’s that simple.

Hold on now, “simple” is a word that we use sparingly at New Minds, because with any awareness of life and the world, it becomes clear that we are anything but. Curiosity, on the other hand, is the seed for new beginnings. This seed needs care and patience. Good thing the people at the Igloo Space have reinvented the warehouse to be a greenhouse brimming with curiosity plants overlooked by sustainable conversationalists.

Don’t forget to smell the roses,

“It keeps taking longer for me to get home!” I said to Sustainability Group Leader Charlie, wagging my arm in the direction of Simone’s where I saw some of the other Igloo members chatting. Charlie furrowed his brow and pursed his lips in understanding. Charlie had to tend to the plucky beets and kale in his home garden but I walked home with road bike in hand alongside group member, Jakki to discuss our summer plans.

The curious and open minded walk their way or bike their way to group every Monday, causing a congestion on 18th street every time they have to stop to speak with a friend in which they may have not seen in a week. But the commitment of New Minds group members gives each individual a sense that they will see their friend the following week on 18th street once again, witnessing the unique changes we humans make in our development.

As I’ve spent more time at the Igloo space on 18th street every Monday night, I have experienced a growing sense of community. About a month ago, I sat down at Belli’s juice bar with a holistic healing student who had jumped around the United States before deciding to plant herself in Chicago. In between sips of her blended kale, apple and banana juice, she told me how she has experienced a greater sense of community than she had in Los Angeles or New York. Take that LA! I didn't ask her to extrapolate at the time; rather, I just let it sink into my brain bank for future pondering.

Community and commitment are the key words here, and they outlast the month of July. These two words may grow flat when you see them on every pamphlet or High school pep-rally banner, but the experience of New Minds Group brings those oft overused words alive! One group, Abby returned from a excursion in the Big Apple to share with the group a poem from Anne Sexton. We explored the meaning of the images, the inspiration for the writing, and how we each related to the poem. Community comes alive through the uninhibited discussion in which all taboos are made naked and the usual classroom etiquette is replaced with REAL human interaction that can be sometimes ugly, but often times beautiful. A microcosm of life is how I like to see it. After group, I was delighted to know that my commute home was going to be stalled by various mingling between the members of the second New Minds group.

Exelsior!

So, you've found yourself a little curious about what goes on in New Minds Group and you’re looking for answers. Well, Detective, let me fill you, I’m happy to be of assistance. Let me to garner a seat and wet my whistle with a sip of this smooth lemonade…ah, that did the trick!

Ok, so this past month in May the temperature took so many upward and downward spikes I didn't know whether or not I should pack some spray tan or a wool scarf, crazy, I know. That’s Chicago for ya. Anyways, getting to group is only part of the process, and the folks at New Minds are a committed bunch. Did you know that it’s actually extremely rare that anyone show up late! Well anyways, I get to group and I’m greeted by hugs from the other members, I like that, we could all use a hug every now and then, I’m not bashful!

We then entered a moment of silence, another structure of the group, it allowed me to stop worrying about getting to my nephew’s grade school performance of, “The Lazy Bee” the next night so I can center myself before discussion, but I digress.

Group member, oil painter, and Drawing Night host Michelle Mills brought to group an activity that was going to help us explore how we communicate emotions. It was really insightful, and creative, honest! We sat with a certain emotion, be it anger, happiness, sadness, or loneliness, we all want to avoid that last one, am I right? After invoking the feeling, we communicated via a pen and paper, lines and shapes filling a small square of scrap. Then we collected the drawings and taped them on the wall. It was a real pip comparing and contrasting the results. Need some more evidence, Detective? Well I thought ahead and snapped a photo, here you go:

Now, isn't that interesting? After the activity had concluded, we began making observations like Darwin did in the Galapagos. We saw that anger and happiness produced the boldest results while peace and love created the most symmetrical. Sometimes I’m not as crisp as I’d prefer, so excuse me while I lean on this Tom Robbins quote which surmises the whole experiment quite nicely, “Our similarities bring us to a common ground; our differences allow us to be fascinated by each other.” Now detective, feel free to put down that pensive demeanor and come be a part of New Minds where you can meet some friends, talk meaningfully, and learn something new!

Kindly,

Sometimes recounting groups from the month passed can be a challenge. I ask myself, “What occurred?” “What did I learn?” Being part of a process takes time and facing the hanging question of “what’s the purpose?” requires a mature approach, and we as a people are incredibly results oriented. “How will your experience in college land you a job?” “What’s the point of growing rutabagas in your home garden if they’re not going to compliment your summertime soup?”

What I can say and I don’t feel at odds speaking for the other members of our groups, is that my pool of thought has deepened. This is due to a willingness to explore ideas and strap on a pair of trunks in order to dive, rippling our still waters. This is where change occurs.

The dams that held back development were opened after a discussion at one of Igloo’s Movie Nights. In March, viewers came to celebrate women’s history month by watching and discussing Miss Representation, a necessary critique on the manner in which women are represented in the media. During the post movie discussion, leader Kyle King suggested a start to recognizing women every month of the year and not just one!

In April, Shannon Delaney wrote up the first of her monthly Woman’s entries, “Woman of the Hour,” about the wise author and Jungian psychologist, Marion Woodman. We read from many of her scholarly prose to explore our rigidity and what keep us from surrendering our inhibitions. We also expanded the discussion to look at the neighborhood around us. Living in Pilsen, we are exposed to struggle. Seeing deprivation is crucial in gaining understanding and sympathy for our fellow person and recognizing the power holders who make injustice possible.

Woodman says: “At a cultural level, I believe that the power principle is going to destroy us. Most people are taking their identity from having power over something.”

Shannon made this artistic interpretation of Mrs. Woodman, and then she asked the group: “Think of a time you surrendered (to) something. What did that look like… was it your choice, or forced upon you?”

In group, we balance looking inwardly, “In what ways do you enact control over yourself?” and looking outwardly, “Who is enacting control on you? Do you enact control over others?” Heavy questions allow us to sink deeper into the pool, leaving the surface behind to find a pearl of truth.

Take a dip,

It was the Wednesday evening of April 9th when several men and women of the Igloo team sat in the newly constructed outdoor patio at La Catrina Café in Pilsen to discuss progress within the Organization. The air was brisk, as was the energy of the Igloo veterans. There were also a few new faces at the meeting bringing fresh perspectives to the table in our opening go-around. Curiosity and spunk were on hand as we clarified a united vision for running revolutionary groups and fostered plans for the new groups being run at our space on 18th street.

Since the last Igloo Meeting in February, we have seen plenty of development in essential areas. Two new groups have been successfully rooted, bringing the total number of groups in Igloo to five. The Sustainability group and the Open Mic Feedback group have been running on a regular basis for a couple of months now with new members still being welcomed.

Commitment and structure have been essential qualities for us as we have gotten the new groups off to a fantastic start while keeping the older groups running strong. Social networking has also been growing, for the past several weeks email have been piling up inboxes due to the high degree of incoming inquiries. We’ll get to all of you, no worries. We are professionals and we take pride in that!

We also take pride in the ability to balance looking inward, see the Dream Workshop, and looking outward, as in our connectivity with organizations throughout the city. This has ignited the fires of our engines to go out and make an impact.

We spent the final minutes of the meeting writing down factors in our neighborhoods that PISS us off! Be it trash, violence, or administrative corruption, as Saul Alinsky teaches us in Rules for Radicals,  it is important to find the troubles of our surroundings in order to excite us and keep the gears turning. Stay provocative!

Not a word was spoken. Which is strange considering New Minds is a discussion group. But for nearly 20 minutes, all that was audible was a mix of whispering “ooh’s” and “ah’s”. Each group member waited eagerly for the next page to be turned.

Group member Tristan Cosino brought in Aaron Becker’s Journey: A Wordless Picture Book to share with the group. With elbows on our knees, we traveled along with the little girl protagonist. After the child-like story time, there was a moment spent to soak in the whimsy and then discuss it.

This experience goes to show that being quiet, and remaining patient can allow for the flows of different energies inside of us. Amazingly, all kids do this, remember that? Of course, there couldn't be too much time spent away from words, I’m a writer after all, and we need words to have a decent conversation.

Matt Bors, a political cartoonist added some word bubbles to our March exploration of illustrations. These word bubbles, however, were deeply political.

These cartoons were shared by yours truly, Sean Froelich, and I was proud to take part in the grouply tradition of bringing something of my interest into discussion. We explored timely issues such as corporations gaining human rights, the cycles of fighting fire with fire in war, and the dwindling illusion of a prosperous job market.

We looked at the cartoons, had a chuckle, but then had to confront the smiling faces of Ronald McDonald and Chester Cheetah whom mask the ugly injustice of human beings, like you, being marginalized for the success of Corporate America.

In group we spend weeks and hours opening up to our thoughts and feelings, however we do find it essential to keep a firm foot in the world at large. It is our duty as citizens. It’s also true that inner and outer realities are connected. For example, When do you put on a Chester Cheetah smile for the sake of masking inner deceit? Come explore these questions with us!

Where can you go to speak with a two-headed snake monster and not get your head chomped off? Well, to the imaginative underworld of the psyche of course! The curious folk at Igloo spent a whopping 14 hours on Saturday March 1st exploring the mysterious and magical images of the underworld in the first Annual Dream Workshop. Through several hours of dedication, the attendees discussed the writings of renowned archetypal psychologist James Hillman. Quotes from Dr. Hillman set the stage for the sharing of dreams which each member brought to the discussion. Rather than landing on a single literal meaning, the explorers pondered meticulously the strange dream images: like a door with flapping tentacles and a flying motorcycle. Through art, theatre, and dialogue, we gave these images a space to exist. The inner world is one that does not abide by the rules of waking life, and it was delightful to relinquish the laws of conscious nature in order to follow the odd and boggling situations that come up in our dreams. There was also time dedicated to improvisation where everyone assumed character roles, like a rigid cloud and a beanstalk that’s tired of being climbed, to bring dream energies to life, because, dreams are the theatre of the mind, and the actors and actresses in the sleeping world demand to be recognized!...and the Oscar goes to….a magical floating elf!?

 Dream on and stay confused,

Well, the cold and harsh conditions of Chicago still refuse to cease. This town feels like Gotham City taken under siege by Mr. Freeze and the Penguin. Good thing we have such brave crusaders like the ones in New Minds Group to fight injustices and explore the unknown through the mighty power of discussion! Half of the month was spent wishing warm farewells to the space where the New Minds group budded and grew, Kyle BD King’s ocean green basement, while the final two weeks were spent adjusting and being excited about the new Igloo office on 18th street. The new space is much larger which expands the possibilities for group activities and more seats for you to sit in! Unfortunately, no pets are allowed in the new building. Cat Woman, Kyle’s blue Russian cat, who often sat on group members’ laps during discussion will no longer be attending group because Kyle’s house is her home and Cat Woman decided she doesn't want to pay bus fare.