The Knowing Field Issue 21

Dear Reader,

I begin this editorial with a personal announcement. It is time for me to step down from editing this journal. I know letting go of doing this job will not be easy for me as I have found the whole process very satisfying and deeply rewarding. Equally, as part of that whole process, it has at times been extremely challenging. I have learnt a huge amount along the way and have been strengthened as a person through doing it. At the same time, it is good to recognise when it is time to move on.

Letting go will be made easier if I am able to find some people who would be willing to take on the task and who share my vision for the Knowing Field, which I have done my best to stay true to over the past eight years. Reflecting the title of the publication, my vision has always been and continues to be that of an all-inclusive publication spanning the whole field of constellation work, with no exceptions. I know of no other English language international publication for constellation work which does this.

I plan to edit one more journal after this one – issue 22 – and by then I am hoping there will be one or more people to pass it on to. If not, the journal will cease publication at that point. I wanted to give readers a transition period in which to reflect on my decision but we are not yet at the finishing point! So now to this issue, number 21, which contains many reflections of the current trends in the work and the richness of this field in which we are all embedded.

We begin with Bert Hellinger’s explanation of his latest thinking on constellation work, which takes us even further along the continuum of surrendering to the field or what he would refer to as the Greater Soul; he challenges us all to look at our particular approach in relation to this. Four Spotlight interviews show us both overlaps and significant variations in approaches. Di Koch talks to Francesca Mason Boring, a well-known contributor to the journal and great support to me over the years in her position on the Advisory Board.

She shares with Di her experiences of her deep connection to her ancestors within the indigenous f ield and the way this links into her beautiful work with nature constellations and constellations as ceremony; in the next interview I speak with former ISCA director and pioneer of constellation work in France, Constanze Lang; Next, Anu Azrael interviews Svagito Liebermeister who highlights his way of bringing his learnings from Bert Hellinger alongside his dedication to the teachings of Osho; and lastly it’s good to hear from someone based in Hungary, which hasn’t featured much yet in this journal. Janos Szabo is in conversation with Dr. Gabriela Agócs who, in addition to sharing her own touching personal journey through constellation work, describes how she manages to bring together her more traditional experiences as a psychiatrist with her work in constellations, helping to build important bridges between these two fields.

Under the heading of New Developments, Hedy Leitner-Diehl introduces us to the work of Peter Levine and explains how his Somatic Experiencing and constellation work come together for her; Gary Stuart’s contribution develops the theme, along with those of others in this issue, of a way of working which concentrates more on the individual than the system with his description of various constellations focusing on the inner process of the client. Finally, Sofia Georgiadou and Judy Wilkins-Smith share with us their empirical findings from their research into individuals’ experiences of constellation work.

Andy Stuck and Don Paglia offer two touching constellation stories: Andy talks movingly of her work in an inner city school using the orders of love and some of the school activities based on the Enhancing Children’s Learning project, while Don gives In our History of Nations section, we have three contributions, from Eimear O’Neill, Preeti Helena and Theresa Wynn, all of which help us expand our knowledge of the experiences of stepping into vastly different cultures and working with indigenous peoples. Eimear O’Neill describes how her personal roots in three very different cultures have influenced her approach to constellation work and led to a dedication to working with and within indigenous culture, which she sees as holding the ancient roots of the work we are doing.

Preeti Helena beautifully describes her experiences of working within an Aboriginal community in central Australia and some of the adjustments needed to fit within their particular culture. Finally, Theresa Wynn tells an incredible personal story of her journey from an initial difficulty with damp and flooding in her home through an exploration of the history of the land on which her house was built and the disastrous long term effects across generations, of creating homes without due consideration for the land on which they are being built and the effect on the surrounding communities.

The gathering of people and ritual and celebration which ensues brings hope to us all and some insight into what is possible when we feel sufficiently passionate about something to be able to muster the energy to pursue our vision to its fruition. Under the Personal Reflections heading this time, we have three very different pieces. Carolin Hausner gives her personal story of early trauma, how that impacted on her life, particularly in having children, and her journey from there back to life through the teachings of Christ. Integrative psychotherapist Kim Liversidge shares with us her views on the need for facilitators to work inter-subjectively with clients and to pursue ongoing self-development as a key element for being a constellations facilitator.

Finally in this section, Max Dauskardt builds on his letter to the editor in the previous issue and his personal the knowing field concerns about the controversial movement in Franz Ruppert’s work, whereby he is defining a constellation as nothing more than the process of the setting up of representatives and claims that those working in the more ‘traditional’ way are fostering illusions. Max sees Franz as engineering a split within the constellations community and asks us all to consider the question: what is a constellation? For quite some time, the majority of books on constellation work came from Germany. Gradually, people outside Germany are beginning to write and we have an example of this with an extract from the forthcoming book by Mark Wolynn and Shannon Zaychuk, which is due to be published in January 2013 and will be entitled The Secret Language of Fear: How We Live Our Family’s Traumas.

Returning to Germany for a moment, like Franz Ruppert, Wilfried Nelles turns his attention to the individual and away from the systemic as he explores a new way of working with an individual’s life journey in the translated extract from his book, which is currently only available in German: Embrace Your Life: The Life Integration Process – How to Become Fully Adult (Umarme Dein Leben. Der Lebens-Integrations-Prozeß: Wie wir seelisch erwachsen werden). The final extract, from Anngwyn St. Just’s book ‘A Question of Balance’, expands on her reservations about the ‘quick-fix’ approach some people have to dealing with trauma – a theme in which she is deeply embedded and therefore holds some strong views based on many years’ experience.

In the reviews section, Judith Hemming gives us an in-depth personal exploration of Hunter Beaumont’s book Toward a Spiritual Psychotherapy and describes how he manages to intricately weave the constellation work into his writing under the overall unifying theme of ‘soul’ which for him brings together psychotherapy and spiritual life. Alongside this review, Francesca Mason Boring offers her views on Connie Donaldson’s personal journey through constellation work in her latest book Dumping the Magic and her move from an initial cynicism and resistance to a deep acceptance of the beauty of the work. Another indication of how the work is expanding outside Germany is the fact that North America offered its 5th Intensive this year: included here is a report on that intensive, which grew out of the experiences of many of its founders at the international annual intensive held in Germany, formerly at ZIST and more recently at Bernried.

We have one letter from Anngwyn St. Just on her concerns about the new approach offered by Franz Ruppert within the context of trauma and her own experience of working within the f ield of trauma over many years. Given that I live in England, it seems very fitting at this stage of my journey as Editor to be able to include a poem from Anu Azrael on his personal relationship to England. Finally, I have included a tributes page to Helen Celestino who was interviewed for the journal by Jane Peterson alongside her husband Claudio last year and who many of you will know from her regular visits to Bernried with Claudio. She sadly died in September this year and I’m sure all those of us whose lives she touched will miss her.

As I close this Editorial, it is with mixed feelings of sadness at letting go of the journal, which has been such an important part of my life for the past eight years, and an excitement at the potential for it if new people take it over, bringing new ideas and vision. Each time I write the Editorial and describe the articles, I feel my gratitude for the privilege of having my finger on the pulse of all the new developments, controversies, personal stories, crosscultural experiences and everything else that is happening out there in this incredibly rich field.

I guess this is what I will miss most of all as I step down. Please contact me if you think you might be interested in helping in any way.

Barbara Morgan