When I first encountered constellations the word I would often use to describe them was magic. Magic, for me, being something that is amazing, unexpected and not easily explained. The magic I felt when I stood as a representative in the constellation representing someone that I did not know. Yet as I stood in the field as that person, there were sensations in my body and feelings that I knew were not mine – they belonged to the person I was representing. The magic I experienced of breathing freely after I had my constellation for asthma.
The magic of how when a healing sentence is spoken, at the right time with the right words, there is a palpable out-breath as the family system relaxes. With the acknowledgement of ‘what is’, as revealed in the constellation, the movement towards the Orders of Love falling back in can begin.
Yet this ‘magic’ is real. It is not the magic of a magician’s sleight of hand or the magical thinking of a child who believes that they can save their parents’ marriage.
The magic can unfold because of the movements that happen during a constellation. The facilitator reads the Field – listening to representatives as to what is and is not spoken, interpreting the representatives’ body language and positions in the field, witnessing what is unfolding through the lens of the Orders of Love, offering healing sentences and always being aware of what is moving through the client.
What Is Behind The Magic Of Constellations?
As my experience with constellations has grown over the years I have come to understand more about the science behind constellations.
Bert Hellinger
Bert Hellinger is the creator of Family Constellations. In German it is called “Familienstellungen” which translates to “Family Positions”. He spent 16 years in South Africa as a priest and teacher, working closely with the Zulu people. (This is a link to an article from an extract of Tanja Meyburgh’s book Reclaiming Ancestors on this influence on Bert Hellinger’s work).
After leaving South Africa Bert Hellinger studied psychoanalysis and the works of Virginia Satir’s Family Reconstruction, Jacob Morena’s psychodrama work (there is no drama or acting in family constellations) and Gestalt Therapy. From this Family Constellations emerged.
Intention
My Sacred Andean Tradition teacher reminds us to work with ‘intention’ when doing any work. A drum journey begins with telling your guides what your intention is for the journey. With a Dagara divination, the client has spoken their intention for the divination into a coin before the divination begins. These intentions inform the work that follows.
At the start of a constellation, a connection is created between the facilitator and the client. Based on the client’s wishes and the information shared (Bert Hellinger always reminds us that we work with facts) an intention is set for the constellation. The representative steps into the knowing field with the intention of connecting to the person or aspect they are representing.
These intentions create direction in the Knowing Field as to what needs to be revealed for healing to take place. It has to be said that the wisdom of the Knowing Field and the with the guidance of the ancestors the intention may be ignored – some else may need to be looked at. With hindsight its often this change in direction or intention, that brings the needed healing.
The Knowing Field
When a constellation begins the facilitator, client and representatives step into the “Knowing Field”, as do the people witnessing the constellation. Rupert Sheldrake introduced the concept of the Morphic Fields and Morpho-Genetic Fields. I’ve read that Bert Hellinger and Rupert Sheldrake had many conversations about the topic. Lynne McTaggart’s book “The Field” ‘explores the concept of an interconnected quantum energy field that underlies all existence’.
The positions of elements in the Knowing Field – be it the representatives of the family members, the positions of inner parts (used for Inner Parts Constellations), the aspects of nature (for Nature Constellations) or whatever system the constellation is exploring, provide information to the facilitator informed by Orders of Love.
The representatives’ body language, the feelings they express, who or what they are focused on provides more input. Sometimes outside influences also reveal information about the constellation. For example, in group constellations my dog may walk into or leave a constellation at a key point. In an online constellation the light changes in the room for a representative, or the picture on the wall behind them is an element of the constellation.
Orders Of Love
The nature of family or systems constellations is that they constantly evolve, yet the foundation remains the “Orders of Love” described in the first book on Constellations “Love’s Hidden Symmetry”. Bert Hellinger developed these orders by facilitating many many constellations. I think of them as natural laws as you will find similar laws in many Indigenous cultures. When the Orders of Love are not observed, love cannot flow in the system. Ironically, it is love that often causes the Orders to be out of balance, along with the deep need to belong to one’s family.
Read more about the Orders of Love.
Conscience In Constellations
We are influenced by the different levels of consciences. Our personal conscience, the systemic or family conscience and the Spirit Conscience. When doing a constellation we work in the space of Spirit Consciousness. Its when we give over to Spirit – the space of Love, beyond judgement of the expectations and rules set by our personal and family conscience healing takes place.
Read more about Conscience in Family Constellations.
The Process of Healing
As individuals, we are made up of systems in our body, the parts of ourselves – woman, mother, warrior. Each individual is part of a family – even if they have never met their blood family or are estranged from their family. What happens in that family and what happened to those that came before us – to our parents, grandparents and ancestors all impact us.
Magic of Constellations are that they work beyond just on the individual – the healing flows to the entire system and how you fit into that system. We cannot do a constellation for another person, but as we work on ourselves and how we stand in the family system, it impacts everyone in the system. I’ve seen that happen in my family system again and again.
Healing moves at its own speed, I’ve had instantaneous change as with the constellation for asthma. When I gave the guilt back to my mother that I had been carrying for her, I could breathe. Others take time but one day you notice that a pattern is not being repeated.
We don’t speak of constellations for at least 2 weeks after that have taken place. This is to allow the ripples of healing to flow out into the system.
The Elephant Photo
And if you are wondering why I have posted this photo of Boswell the elephant in Mana Pools – its because Mana Pool is the place where my heart opened to leading me on this up so journey that has opened up so much magic in my life.