The Knowing Field Issue 23

Dear Reader,

Having made a decision last time to step down from the Editorship of The Knowing Field I waited for responses from people to see if anyone was ready and willing to pick up the baton. This process was very illuminating for me as I saw how many people were willing to offer support but no-one was ready to take over full ownership. Not yet ready for the complete demise of this journal which I had put so much time and energy into over the past ten years, I considered other options. After some time, I decided for now to continue producing it as pdf only, which would reduce my time and expenditure, to see if this would work for me and for the constellations readership.

After publicising my decision I have received one or two offers to take over the ownership. I will be in discussion with these people between now and the next issue and we will see what transpires beyond that. This is still a time of transition and unknowing. the knowing field 4 It has also been a time of transition in terms of Bert Hellinger who was reported to be seriously ill at the time of his last Sciencia camp in November. Wondering if this issue would have to be published without any contribution from Bert, I have only a few days ago heard that he is alive and well and what’s more, he has sent me a short piece for this issue.

His previous contribution was named Taking our Leave and this one is also appropriately named The End. In a strange way the life of this journal seems to be paralleling that of Bert Hellinger in that I was pretty clear it was time for me to take my leave and now here I am back in the Editor’s seat! We have some interesting conversations in our In the Spotlight series this time: Judith Hemming addresses the all-important question of the use of sentences with David Presswell and how the simplicity of one statement can provide a lasting imprint for a client, of their constellation. Tanja Meyburgh talks to Francesca Mason Boring about her experiences of working with constellations in South Africa and this country’s links to the work of Bert Hellinger who spent so much time there with the Zulus.

Finally, Janos Szabo once again brings Hungary firmly on to the constellations map with an interview with Dr. Arnold Polivka about his work with his wife. Following a scintillating presentation at the Intensive in Bernried last year, Sarah Peyton agreed to write something for the journal on her work with the Embodied Brain under our heading New Developments and in this article she manages to put into a highly accessible language this complex research into the workings of our brain and its capacity for change.

Staying in the field of scientific research and discovery, Olav Drageset draws on non-physical phenomena and string theory as one possible explanation for some of what happens within constellation work. In the Constellations section this time, Emerson Bastos offers us an integration of his work with the theory of the Five Elements and Constellations whilst Sharon Ruvane writes about her experiences of using constellation work with the children in her school. This section ends with a report from Francesca Mason Boring on an innovative approach towards a constellation demonstrated at the Conference in Acapulco, Mexico in September 2013 by Cecilio Regojo – very thought-provoking. Regular contributor Max Dauskardt sets us thinking again in the Personal Reflections section as he re-considers Bert Hellinger’s writing about Conscience and challenges some of the confusing language of this groundbreaking discovery about the effects of our need to belong.

I have decided to put the reflections on the US Conference from Lisa Iversen and Kate Regan into the Personal Reflections section, as, whilst acknowledging the enormity of putting on such a conference and the excellent job the organisers did, they are at the same time bravely challenging American facilitators and indeed all of us with a history of colonialism, to begin to look more deeply at our possible blind spots around this difficult issue. Most interesting for me was how powerful the field can be when we are dealing with controversial issues and how I, as Editor, can become caught in the field sometimes without realising it until afterwards: an example of how powerful the field can be when we are dealing with controversial subjects and the pervasive nature of systemic issues.

Talking of controversial subjects, Franz Ruppert’s ongoing criticisms of Traditional Family Constellation work are once again discussed, this time by Indra Torsten Preiss who challenges all of us to the knowing field examine what we are doing and come up with a definition of what traditional family constellations actually are. Moving on to the History of Nations, Romania is put on the constellations map for the first time within the journal with a stirring contribution from Aurel Mocanu who vividly describes some of the history of this deeply traumatised yet beautiful country and its people. As can be seen in the article from Lisa and Kate, the US Conference triggered some strong emotions in people, so I am pleased to also include two very positive responses to it in our Reports section from Kristin Bourquist and Maria Gossens who write in particular about their experiences of the Maori ceremony.

Maria also offers her thoughts on the heart-opening experience of the Intensive held in Connecticut earlier in the year. Still with the Reports Section, Janet Hermann gives us a vivid picture of how the annual Intensive held at Kloster Bernried in the south of Germany continues to provide nourishment for the soul on so many levels. Also in this section, it is some time since we had a contribution from China, so it is refreshing to be reminded by Angelika Schenk that constellation work is developing well in that part of the world.

We have two book reviews in this issue. Colette Green describes Joy Manné’s second book in her series The Constellated Field entitled Conceptual Constellations, endorsing the value of Joy’s use of myth and story in constellation work, whilst Nancy Kehr describes how the various contributors brought together by Francesca Mason Boring and Ken Sloan’s book Returning to Membership in Earth Community: Systemic Constellations with Nature, automatically include nature as an integral part of life itself and sit nature constellations firmly alongside family constellations, reminding us that being in harmony with the earth affects everything else in our lives.

Jan Crawford’s stirring poem seems to me to convey more powerfully than straight language ever can the depth of feelings around inclusion, exclusion, belonging, colonialism and racism. This is the beauty of poetry for me. We find our own meaning with it or we simply let it touch our souls without need for meaning-making. I hope you enjoy finding your way through these articles. One of the advantages of pdf only is that topical issues can be discussed almost immediately after publication. For a long time we had a Knowing Field forum for such discussion, but it was seldom used.

Maybe the online group Constellationtalk is the place for such discussion or we can set up one again exclusively for the journal. Do let us know your preferences.

Once again my grateful thanks to my advisory team, authors, friends and subscribers for their ongoing support.

Barbara Morgan