The Knowing Field Issue 40

After quite some time of sitting with the idea, I have finally decided to hang up my hat as Editor of The Knowing Field. The next issue in January 2023 will be my last. I am aware of a mixture of feelings about my decision, but it feels right.

It is not yet clear to me whether the journal simply needs to lay down its head or whether there is someone out there ready to pick up the baton and take the next step. Please contact me if you think you might be interested in this idea. It is a lot of hard work but the rewards are immense. There is such a richness of articles accumulated over the years that for the time being at least, I will keep the website open so people can continue to gain access to what’s there.

The cover image for this issue is designed to somehow convey the two paths ahead as my own personal path and that of the journal, as we go our different ways. Parting is indeed sweet sorrow.

So, to return to this issue, my first foray into finding something from Bert landed me on this piece about forgetting the dead and how they are generally more at peace when we do – after a time of grieving of course. Is it time for Bert too to be forgotten? Increasingly, new people coming into the field of constellations hear only stories of him, variable in their relating. I still remember him saying he didn’t want anything in writing because it would become dogma. In fact, I think this is actually written by Hunter Beaumont in the foreword of Love’s Hidden Symmetry. Ironically, Hellinger published more than 30 books with combined sales of one million copies in at least ten languages.

Even as he and his wise words are remembered, new directions in the work are taking place. Annelieke Verkerk brings the first article under our recently introduced heading of Working with the Collective. In it she describes the painful effects of polarisation, using the recently divisive event of vaccination against Covid-19 and through a constellation discovers underneath the vulnerability and fragility of life and an accompanying sadness. From it also come some possibilities for moving through the divide.

Next in this section is Nikki Mackay with her article on ‘Those who left and the left behind’ and she elucidates the deep pain involved on both sides with a constellation on the current troubles in Ukraine.

We have several articles in this issue on oppression. First of these, Veronica Bañuelos Miramontes describes under the History of Nations section the current plight of BIPOC (Black indigenous and people of colour) and the pain of not being met. She challenges us all to meet BIPOC in their pain, to stay present to their trauma and to become allies for them in their struggles to be fully seen and heard. This is an area within the constellations field, which still has a long way to go in terms of those of us who are white, fully facing the history of colonialism and how it is perpetuated currently in society.

Also coming under the theme of oppression, Nikki Mackay returns again in this section to address the past and present experience of women being voiceless in the wider field and the wounds involved in the struggle to be heard, plus the fear of speaking out. Interestingly, I am reminded of a sentence from a book I read recently on the emergence of women into their power and how within that movement, the plight of black women was overlooked. How hard it is when we ourselves belong to an oppressed group to, at the same time, be inclusive of other such groups.

We have a new development in this issue with Irmgard Rosa Maria Rauscher introducing Yoni Constellations and the importance for us as women in valuing the parts of our female body from which life first sprang and finding our power in that.

She too, describes the past oppression of women in their sexuality and the wounds for the feminine that emerged from that.

Simone Perazzoli and José Pedro de Santana Neto have generously offered us their research project into increased understanding of constellations. They acknowledge the input from other researchers and with the breadth of approaches within the field, what a complex and challenging initiative it is to undertake. Nonetheless, they make a thorough and valiant attempt at bringing greater understanding to the field, through the introduction of General Systems Theory and Mental Model Theory.

Under Personal Reflections, we have two inputs from Josh Alexander and Karen Carnabucci on the topic of LGBTQI, each coming from their own perspective. In reading both, it is easy to feel the pain on both sides and how important it is to be able to listen and learn from our painful experiences and at the same time to bring into the field more people from this much maligned and neglected section of society, so we can become more open. Bertold Ulsamer helps with this by courageously writing a book on his own journey with this issue and his acknowledgement of his vulnerability and lack of exposure to the subject. Francesca Mason Boring beautifully describes this in her review of the book.

Marine Sélénée’s extract from Connected Fates, Separate Destinies, Chapter 5 challenges us to say ‘Yes’, to our partners, to our partner’s family and to ourselves exactly as we are and to our own destiny. She sees this as the way forward for each of us if we are to find true inner peace.

Finally, we have some really beautiful poems from our regular contributor Angus Landman, from Rafael Ruiz Mandal and newcomer Michal Golan.

We are finally emerging from turbulent and difficult times over the past few years. Let’s hope the future holds more positive and health-giving gifts for each of us. It can be helpful in such times to remind ourselves of all the people and things we have to be grateful for. Gratitude is a wonderful feeling.

My thanks as always to all contributors, advertisers, ‘Friends’, my graphic designer, Lubosh Cech, and editorial assistants Abi Eva and Francesca Mason Boring.