The Knowing Field Issue 6

Dear Reader,

Welcome to ‘The Knowing Field’, the new name for the 6th issue of the Systemic Solutions Bulletin, This term was coined by Dr. Albrecht Mahr in 1997 at the first International Conference on Family Constellations in Wiesloch near Heidelberg in his keynote lecture entitled: Wisdom does not come to those who sit back: on the use of technique and ‘being guided’ in family constellations. To quote Albrecht: “We were deeply impressed by the richness of knowledge emerging in family constellations. The term ‘Knowing Field’ seemed to be the most appropriate term for describing the phenomena which were informing and guiding us in family constellations.

On the one hand it can be seen as a poetic term, poetry being the most accurate language at the level of the soul. On the other hand ‘Knowing Field’ is inspired by Rupert Sheldrake’s findings on morphic fields and extended mind and by quantum physics and their surprising discoveries regarding the transmission of information and knowledge through quantum fields.” In the sub-heading, the term ‘Constellations’ seems to have been most consistently used from amongst those borrowed and translated from the German and the closest approximation to the work that is being carried out. The journal is and has always been international and it is hoped this focus will increase with the impending moves towards a greater international cohesion, initiated by the IAG* at the International Conference held in Köln, Germany at the beginning of May. At that Conference.

I attended a panel discussion on the theme of taboos in constellation work and it became very clear to me that those of us who are outside Germany have a quite different relationship to constellation work. We have not been exposed to the negative publicity that constellation work in Germany has had, and it was clear to see how closely this is connected to the Second World War and the issue of the Holocaust. At the same time, we are all part of the field of constellation work and in that sense, whatever happens at the core will be reflected elsewhere in the field. This leaves me wondering whether the choice to depict shadows of the dead on the cover and have death as one of the main themes in this issue may be a reflection of a wider dynamic. Is something of the constellation work dying to make way for the new? Or is it simply a reflection of a move into the darker side of the work? Struggles within countries seem to be coming out into the open more. The ConstellationTalk website (www.constellationflow) has recently been flooded with debate on the risk of ego inflation when doing constellation work, and some honest and open sharing about our vulnerabilities around this issue has taken place. The constellation work is powerful and this means the destructive energies that exist will be as powerful as the healing forces.

I am reminded of Bert Hellinger’s words to me once: ‘Strife and destruction are necessary and inevitable’. At the same time, those same energies can be transformative and this becomes particularly apparent when working in the realm of the dead. We who work with constellations will be aware of the way in which both the living and the dead appear to co-exist in the ‘Knowing Field’ and have a mutual influence on each other in both a positive and negative way. Albrecht Mahr focuses on this theme in the first article of this issue, as he describes with examples the many different ways it is possible for that influence to happen and how it can be transformed into a healing force for both the living and the dead. Christine Wilson’s moving tribute to her father is a wonderful illustration of that same healing force and how peaceful the transition into death can be. In the Opinions section, Susan Lanier writes of her experiences of the Spirit world and the need for caution, honouring and respect when dealing with these greater forces. 2The Knowing Field Moving from death to birth, a number of new initiatives are emerging in this issue: We see the beginning of an entry into the educational world, with Judith Hemming and Terry Ingram taking constellations into a school in Wiltshire as part of an exciting new project. Ursula Franke’s visit to South Africa sets the scene for some ongoing healing work in that troubled country.

As Bert Hellinger worked in South Africa and was influenced by the Zulu many years ago, this seems like an important and appropriate development. The field of organisational constellations has often been considered to be quite separate from family constellations, so it is particularly valuable to have Ty Francis’ article which makes more explicit the overlap and the separation between the two. He provides us with some innovative ideas of how to take constellations in to the organisational arena with some very interesting examples. At the same time, others are combining their skills and knowledge from different areas with the constellation work, to good effect: Henne Arnolt Verschuren & Marjolijne van Buren Molenaar use their experience of bodywork to show how to help clients and representatives who may have difficulty becoming aware of what is happening in their bodies. Julia Hyde’s translated extract from Jakob Schneider & Brigitte Grosse’s book on fairy tales illustrates how metaphor can be combined with constellations in work with clients. Increasingly popular is the adaptation of the work for individual therapy: Eva Madelung and Barbara Innecken have further developed Vivian Broughton’s review of their book Entering Inner Images with a more detailed explanation of NeuroImaginative Gestalting, accompanied by an interesting constellation, whilst Chris Walsh describes how he used constellations alongside other approaches to work with a long-term client.

Also included are two poems: the Wordsworth poem was posted on the ConstellationTalk website 2005 by Helena Sprake and seems very appropriate for the theme of death whilst Gary Stuart’s poem reminds us of the importance of humility and bowing down to our ancestors and all these greater forces. Quite where these greater forces will take us over the next few years in terms of the constellation work, I guess none of us knows. With a new move to set up his own training programme, Bert Hellinger shows no sign of slowing down or retiring – quite the opposite in fact! In the meantime, the constellation seed he has sown likewise continues to move forwards, evolving and expanding into new areas.

Once again, my thanks to all contributors and to all those who have helped to produce this journal and a special thank you to Carol Siederer, my Associate Editor.

Barbara Morgan