The Knowing Field Issue 20

Editorial

It never ceases to amaze me how articles come together from all over the world and form themselves into a whole. Just as when facilitating a constellation, I often feel like I don’t have much say in the formation of these journals. I had not at all foreseen that coming together in the same issue we would have Bert Hellinger’s contribution of the description of a constellation from Russia based on Stalin and a constellation story from within the Jewish community submitted by Rabbi Shevach Zlatopolsky and Matvey Sokolovsky on the Torah and the particular role of Abraham.

I find this encouraging and for me, it links into what many of the contributors to this issue are describing – this move that seems to be happening towards less dualism and a more holistic, systemic way of living. We have two ‘In the Spotlight’ interviews this time. Firstly, Thomas Bryson talks to Dan Booth Cohen from the US, a name which will be familiar to many of you as he appears regularly on the international discussion group ConstellationTalk. Dan relates his experiences of working with prisoners serving life sentences, his personal relationship to being Jewish and how he manages that within his own stance on what is currently happening in Palestine.

He also describes various ways in which he is reaching out into mainstream society and the juxtaposition of this with his particular approach to constellation work. In the second interview Jane Peterson is in conversation with Helen and Claudio Celestino who talk about their experience of working as a couple with constellations in Post-Apartheid South Africa and their vision for the way forward there, with some new exciting projects on the horizon.

Beyond this, the tone of this issue seems one of reflection – a time for consolidation and review of where we are. The first three articles are a continuation of the US Conference last year with two further keynote addresses from Hunter Beaumont and one from Jane Peterson. Both are asking us to look carefully at what it is we are doing as facilitators of constellation work. In the UK many people seem to be jumping on the constellation bandwagon with varying levels of training and experience, so at this time, it seems particularly important for us to check in with ourselves and review our own personal approach to this work and our personal integrity in what we do.

Hunter poses the question about ‘truth’: what is the truth and what do we take to be true. So the question then arises of what is ‘true’ not only in constellations but in the wider context. He gives some interesting examples of how taking a different perspective or seeing something in a different context can change what seems true to us. He also cautions against the potential fundamentalism of stating something as absolute truth.

His third address and the second to appear in this issue brings together what he has talked about previously when he describes the different ways of seeing time and of looking at the world. He foresees constellation work disappearing completely beneath a new paradigm – a marriage between heaven and hell, a marriage between masculine and feminine with less duality and a more holistic approach to life in general. In her keynote address, concluding the US Conference, Jane challenges us to look at what kind of world we are creating and gives a beautiful personal example of how our ancestors can help us, but insists that it is we who still have to do the work.

She also invites us to look at the balance between being inclusive and keeping our boundaries open to invite in newcomers on the one hand, while maintaining a feeling the knowing field of cohesion and belonging within the ‘constellation community’ on the other. Finally, in this more reflective, inwardlooking space, Darcy Cunningham brings the philosophy of yoga together with constellation work and describes her journey through the integration of these two approaches. The next two articles face outward beyond the boundaries to see us in the wider context. Michael Reddy enlarges on his previous two articles and moves to discussing what he refers to as the LocalNet, the time and space-bound interactions involved in constellation work, including epigenetics, social bonding and bodily electromagnetism, contrasting this with the previously discussed InnerNet which sits outside time and space.

This is followed by Thomas Bryson who looks at the challenges facing those of us who are facilitators and how we can help ourselves by seeing systemic work in this wider context and finding an organising set of principles to work by. We have three very different examples of constellations. Gloria Davila tells us of the constellation she did on violence in an inner city and Don Paglia describes a moving personal constellation story about the effects of a stillborn sibling on a client. The third is the one referred to earlier in this Editorial which focuses on the story of Abraham from the perspective of two Jewish authors who offer the Torah as a basis for their constellation work. In the organisational section Harrison Snow explores ways of working with intact teams and enlarging on some of the principles previously laid down in the three-part series on Management Constellations from Henriette Katharina Lingg (TKF issues 8,9,10).

Following this, we have a new section entitled: First Principles. This is designed to open our doors to newcomers to constellation work who may find many of the articles a step too far ahead of where they are. I hope many readers will find it useful in any case to remind themselves of some of the basic principles on which this work is based, particularly given the rapid rate at which constellations are spreading beyond their original boundaries. The first article included under this heading is from Anton de Kroon who reminds us of some of these principles and links them into working as a Management Consultant with organisations.

I welcome future contributions to this section. Anngwyn St. Just offers us a chapter as an extract from her new book entitled: Trauma: Time, Space & Fractals which cautions us against our own blind spots, particularly in relation to the impact of historical personal and wider, cultural issues on our current situation. Following this, Jen Altman reviews Franz Ruppert’s book: Splits in the Soul and gives us a personal example of his work in action. Several people have responded to Franz Ruppert’s controversial article that appeared in issue 19.

These responses are included under Letters to the Editor, along with a correction letter from ISCA (International Systemic Constellations Association). Once again, I would like to thank my team for all their continued dedication and time put into helping the journal move forward. I hope you have found time to look at the new website which is still developing and is aimed at making ordering journals and subscribing an easier process. Please let us know what you think.

You can now order individual hard copies or pdfs, as well as place one, two or three year subscriptions for either hard copy or pdf. We are hoping that making the journal available online as well in hard copy will open up the market to those in far flung places, where the cost of delivery for hard copies is so high. Despite last time’s delivery difficulties (for which I apologise) – a result of the ongoing adjustment to the changeover to the US for production, we are moving forward in a positive way and I feel heartened by that.

Jane Peterson, who has been so pivotal in this process, is taking a sabbatical from the team to deal with some health issues. I’m sure you will join me in wishing her well.

Barbara Morgan

Editor