Mindell on "The Field" or "Atmosphere" of Groups

Indigenous people teach us a lot about atmosphere or fields. According to their traditions, the atmosphere is a sacred space ruled by the spirits of the North, East, South and West.
I call such spirits "timespirits." These elements, polarities or roles create the field and change in time. Any city street that is full of problems has undergone polarization around sensitive issues that might include gender, age, sexual orientation, race and money. Issues and themes have different sides to them - different directions in nature, so to speak. These different polar directions, or polarizations, require elders to facilitate. In a way, worldwork is an aspect of indigenous cultures.
How do we deal with the tensions of polarization around rank and cultural and psychological bias? Field work focuses on these tensions and improves the overall atmosphere by enabling them to express themselves. This causes many of the immediate issues to disappear or become more amenable to solution.
Work on the atmosphere is both personal and transpersonal. It brings people together. It often requires dialogues, arguments and moments of confusion or even chaos. Soon the air clears, and a new community atmosphere is created.
It is not only the worldworker who must learn to tolerate conflict. Group work enables the whole group to sustain tension for as long as resolution takes. This makes it possible for whole communities to sit in the fire. Instead of becoming more rigid and breaking apart when faced with a challenge, they are transformed in the direction of greater flexibility.
Like Native Americans, I consider the group atmosphere sacred, whether it is troubled or heavenly. We need elders who can create community, inviting everyone in and staying aware of timespirits' processes. Worldwork elders encourage people to stand for what they believe, to "channel" and voice these spirits, and to help express what is in the air. People who feel identified with one side of the issue speak for that. Others speak back. There is permission for people to change sides. [Arnold Mindell, Sitting in the Fire, p. 44]