Dear Diane,
it's a very nice concentrated and vivid article.
A little comment:
The constellation work originated in the 1980s. (I had my first
constellation with Bert 1983) and came in the 1990s more in the public
attention. For me is the time of origin of the constellation work very
important. Then the most essentials of the constellation work, created
of Bert, are already to find in it's early time. (Bert reacted
surprised, as I told him examples. My first constellation for example
was a "movement of the soul")
I think, it is important to see, that the spiritual constellations are
not a new way in the constellation work but a very intensified work with
intentions, which we find in Bert's work from beginning. Bert's
intuition or awareness in the spiritual constellations and in his
"one-word-therapy" grew up in his very wide experience of family
dynamics as a "craftsman", always with spiritual background.
It's for me good to see, that you refer to the "simple" things in the
constellation work. I believe, that the spiritual constellations needs
the knowledge of the very different fundamental dynamics of the soul.
Perhaps we can say: "The soul follows the spirit, but the spirit serves
the soul".
All the best for your article
Jakob
DIANE YANKELEVITZ schrieb:
Hi everyone, I have been asked to write an article for Natural Life News which is circulated throughout Montana. I'd like to hear your feedback to improve it.
Diane Yankelevitz
www.WisdomHealing.com
Systemic Constellations for Family and Business
Our families give us life and define our lives. Most families are dysfunctional to some extent owing to traumatic events in their own lives or the lives of their ancestors (including parents). These traumas include wars, injustices, crimes, abandonment, adoption, premature death, missing persons, death during military service, famine, emigration to another country, lost fortune, severe or chronic illness, physical or mental disability, suicide, abortion, miscarriage, and stillbirth, And all of our families have been affected by at least one of these.
In my own family, all four of my grandparents were born in Eastern Europe and came to this country as children in the late 1800's. Two of my great-grandfathers were killed in ethnic conflict. My father's mother was 4 years old when her father was killed and she and her mother emigrated to the US. Her mother's heart was broken and she must have withdrawn because my grandmother was very closed. She never hugged her grandchildren, so I can only imagine what my father's upbringing was like. I do know that he, too, closed his heart when his mother almost died, once from a severe car accident, and later from lockjaw. When asked about his childhood, those are the only two stories he would ever tell. I also know that the family was very poor and moved so frequently in search of work, that my father attended at least 14 different schools and never made friends. He did the best he could, but the result was that I was trained to stuff my emotions and was very angry. I have since learned better, but it took a lot of trauma and help. Just understanding what my grandmother went through showed me a different way to appreciate my father. In fact, it wasn't until after a Constellation that I was told that two of my grandfathers had been killed, and my grandmother had a sister who died of tuberculosis at age 24.
During a Constellation you get to see the origin of your experience in a different light and are able to accept what is, and find peace. After this shift, you become more able to change your life and your relationships with family, partners, children, and co-workers.
Principles that are required to allow healthy relationships to flourish are: (1) Everybody in the system belongs equally (including children who died at birth, or an uncle who became insane); (2) Each person has his rightful place in the system (including a parent's first love, or a deceased or divorced first spouse); (3) Whoever enters the system first has precedence over those who come later; (4) Those who come later take from those who came earlier, whatever the price; (5) The order of precedence between systems needs to be followed (a new family system takes precedence over the families of origin; a second marriage assumes precedence over the first); (6) Parents give, children take; (7) In a relationship between parents, the giving and taking needs to be balanced.
Business Constellations are similar to Family Constellations in that they are guided by similar principles: (1) Everybody in the system belongs equally; (2) Each person has his rightful place in the system; (3) Those who came later respect those who have seniority; (4) Managers give, employees receive; (5) In a relationship between managers, the giving and taking needs to be balanced; (6) Guilt and merit belong with whoever earned them.
But a business is not a family. The emphasis instead is on performance, role-playing, and competition. There is a hierarchy, which has to be acknowledged, and there are two of them -- one based on seniority and one based on position -- that sometimes conflict with one another. People who have worked for major corporations know that the organizational chart and the reality of the way things work are often not exactly the same, because of personal relationships.
Everyone in the business has a job to do to further the goals of the company, from the CEO to the janitor. If someone is not doing his part, or is not treating others respectfully, this will affect all the other members of the company in both visible and subtle ways.
When people get fired or laid off, when there are company mergers or major conflicts, the company system becomes unbalanced. When people who have founded or contributed to the company in other major ways are not honored, the business system becomes unbalanced. If customers are not buying, if product development is stuck, if the way forward is not obvious, a constellation can help point out the problems, and solutions.
In a business constellation, the hidden dynamics are brought to light so the person doing the constellation -- usually a business owner or CEO -- can then have the information needed to improve the function of their business organization. It can work for one-person, or multi-division organizations.
The Systemic Constellation approach originated in Europe in the 1990s and is rapidly gaining recognition and acceptance in the U.S. In a Constellation circle, one person presents an urgent personal issue, and, guided by a facilitator, representatives are chosen for the people involved from the group, and through their perceptions a resolution is found. Constellation circles take place in an atmosphere that is safe, confidential, and supportive. Everything that comes to light is held in the strictest confidence.
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