Hi Verena
Thank you for your contribution with this post.
Marianne Franke-Griksch was recently in South Africa and said that she welcomes
the children to be around and attend the groups. Without telling him, my son,
who is 5 decided to step through our usual boundary of not coming into my
workshop space during workshops and participated for an afternoon. He really
enjoyed the process and also started drawing a picture up on the flip chart
which became an integral part of the constellation and the client's process.
When he had seen enough, he left the room and was happy and only positively
affected by the experience. I found this experience really refreshing as I
had previously had quite clear thoughts that it was inappropriate for children
to see their parents doing personal work or to be exposed to some of the
emotional energy (or 'heat' as it is termed in some traditions) present in the
room with constellations. In the African rituals I have participated in, there
are often children present, including those with people dancing and talking
when possessed by ancestral spirits and things that westerners would perhaps
consider to be too scary for children. It is a way of life and the children
are interested and know their role and their place during these rituals and
ceremonies. I'm very interested to hear more thoughts and experiences on this
subject.
Warm regards,
Tanja Meyburgh
Founder and Director
African Constellations
Registered Counselling Psychologist
083 2182668
tanja@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
www.tanjameyburgh.co.za
www.africanconstellations.co.za