The Knowing Field Issue 38

Six months ago, I would never have dreamt that we would still be wearing masks and staying socially distanced from each other in June the same year. When I set out with my current training, I could not have foreseen that we would end up having 5 of our 10 modules online. The questions I am still left with is how have we got to this place? How does the way we are dealing with this virus and the actions taken by governments all round the world fit within the constellations field? How does it fit with accepting what is, with being in tune with nature, working with rather than against it? What’s the phenomenology of this virus? What is the gift behind it? Many groups across the world have constellated the current situation. It would be great to collate those constellations and what was uncovered from them. If you feel like sending your particular one to me, I’d love to hear from you.

The cover image depicts for me the connection between night and day, masculine and feminine, dark and light and what a beautiful site when the connection happens! Many would describe our current situation as dark and for some people it definitely is. The side effects of this world situation will be felt for years to come. At the same time, there is a light side to what is happening: people are connecting more to their neighbours; there is a greater feeling of community around; some are benefiting from the slower energy from lockdown. For me, the hardest part is living with the uncertainty of what may happen next. And of course, this is a great quality to develop as a facilitator!

The other issue which is current for me at this present time, is the realisation coming out of the invitation I posted in my last Editorial for people to write about their memories of the annual international intensive held in Germany, that many people do not read the Editorial and maybe also not the journal itself. This was a sobering realisation, which made me question the ongoing usefulness of this publication. It feels healthy for me to be questioning whether there is still a place for it in this rapidly progressing world and any feedback you may wish to offer in that respect would be very welcome.

So, to come to this journal, we start with a piece by Bert entitled: The Greater, taken from one of his Sunday contemplations. He asks the question: how do we relate to this Greater force, this cosmic love? How do we allow its effects to have influence or not? How do we align ourselves to it? These are interesting questions to ponder, particularly during these very difficult and strange times in the world.

There is an increasingly strong move within the Constellations Field towards working with Collective issues. The first in this section in this particular issue is from Jan Jacob Stam who describes his own process in relation to the Societal Constellation he facilitates as a forerunner to a larger Conference entitled: The Awakening Field. During that constellation he asks some very pertinent questions: Who am I to take this on? How can I prevent us from creating illusions that we might find solutions or even that we can change the existing systems? His authentic self-enquiry encourages the opening up of a state of enquiry to the work itself which feels very helpful.

Regular contributor, Diana Claire Douglas, shares with us her dream to set up a research centre for constellation work focusing on the Collective and planting seeds for whatever needs to emerge within the field of Collective Consciousness – an exciting new venture which I feel sure we shall be hearing more about in the not-so-distant future.

Nikki Mackay tackles the thorny issue of the Persecution of the Feminine next in her article about the history of the burning of witches. She chooses two examples to illustrate the devastation of those times for women and how she used the medium of constellation work to help the process.

Olivia Fermi takes up the Collective Inquiry next and combines her experience of Almaas’ Diamond Approach with constellation work. She offers us a new format working in small groups which she calls ‘Cyclic rounds’. An interesting new direction.

Shivaun’s article on working with horses is a very comprehensive look at why horses are such effective facilitators of constellation work for people. As prey animals they operate all the time as a Collective and are very tuned into the unconscious of everyone. It is very moving to work at that non-verbal level with these beautiful animals.

In our History of Nations section, Anngwyn St. Just returns again, this time to give us a brief look into the plight of Jewish women who fled from Russia to South America in the hope of finding a safe haven and instead found themselves being trafficked for sex slavery and prostitution by an organised crime syndicate founded by a man called Zwi Migdal. Buenos Aires in Argentina was the main location for this.

In the same section we are pleased to have a submission from a new contributor, Nariman Asad, from Kuwait who gives us a brief glimpse into Arabic culture and how they have suffered under Western colonialism and the theft and dividing up of their land. She also describes some of their customs which may seem stringent to those of us who are Westerners but asks for our understanding of their very different culture. I am grateful to Nariman for offering us this opportunity to find out more about the Arabic world.

The first personal reflection in this issue comes from an article by Olof Ribbing who invites us to consider the possibility that in facilitating constellations, we are actually offering a placebo effect to our clients. Is it the method or us they come to see? How much influence does their wish to be well have on the constellation? He compares the work we are doing to that of doctors who may have more of an influence on what happens to a patient’s health than the drugs they are prescribing. An interesting proposition worth considering!

We have moved very rapidly over the past eighteen months to an online world where most businesses are functioning at least part if not all of their time online. With the advent of Zoom and similar online forums a whole new range of possibilities has opened up. Stephanie Hartung describes how it is perfectly possible to work with field phenomena and other constellation aspects online. The computer is no more of a barrier than any other phenomenon and it is a clear demonstration of how the energy from a constellation knows no boundaries. It seems at least for some, this way of working is here to stay.

We have introduced a new section next, entitled: Tips for Facilitators. This will be a place where more experienced facilitators and trainers can offer exercises, mini constellations or small tips for those who may still be learning about this work. This one comes from Francesca Mason Boring and is an exercise she devised with Albrecht Mahr on how to work with issues of difference, whether that be racial, sexual or any other kind of –ism where prejudice may abound.

Our final section is firstly several reports on the ISCA conference. Judging by the contributions it seems it was a very positive experience for all those who attended, and Alexandra Finkelstein expands on this and gives us more detail about the event. It seems it was really wonderful to have simultaneous translation into so many different languages, thanks to Zoom. And it’s the interpreters who provide most of the feedback on the Conference in this publication.

We also have a brief contribution from one or two people on the Australasian Intensive, with more promised for the next issue of the journal.

Finally, we have a few memories of the annual International Intensive which ran in Germany for 17 years and a collection of photos, mostly taken by Louis Hillebrand who has provided us with a lifelong memento of those special times which so many of us hold close to our hearts.

We were sorry to hear of the death of Amy Wilson Billingsley who was a contributor to the journal a short while ago. Our condolences go to her friends and family.

And finally, we have a collection of poems from Angus Landman, our regular contributor and other newcomers to Poets’ Corner Radhika Mansata and Bill Mannle.

As usual, my thanks to Lubosh Cech my designer, Abi Eva, Francesca Mason Boring and my Advisory Board and to all those of you who continue to support the journal in your many different ways.

Barbara

Francesca Mason Boring (page 60)

Alexandra