FAQ and Terms

System Constellations is a process of creating a model of a particular system in order to reveal and transform its hidden dynamics. The practice of Systemic Constellations allows us to visualize the patterns of interaction and interdependent relationships of a system. By making these dynamics visible, we widen our understanding and obtain a greater variety of choices in how we respond. By revealing what often goes unsaid or challenges that may lie hidden, Systemic Constellations can support leadership to identify leverage points for greater collaboration, as well as create and maintain greater coherence within complex systems.

Developed by Bert Hellinger, a German psychotherapist, and strongly informed by his experience with the Zulu people of Southern Africa, this methodology originally focused on family systems. It was used to probe the deeper forces and patterns that influence an individual’s thoughts, behaviors, and emotional experiences, many of which are influenced by forces acting through multiple generations.

Over time this approach has been applied to other human systems, including organizations,  communities, and the world. We believe this is an essential practice for navigating complexity and creating conditions for healing.

In creating a constellation, we learn to more fully use our bodies as instruments of perception. Through this practice, we tap into our inherent capacities as human beings to pick up signals as information from the field. In this way, the practice offers a bridge between our capacity to sense and feel and our storytelling mind. 

Understanding the Practice of Systemic Constellations

Primer on Systemic Constellation (20 min video)

With a table-top constellation we refer to the process of a systemic constellation that uses small objects versus people who stand in as representatives of the chosen elements.

The choice of objects such as pebbles, shells, papers, toys, art supplies, and actually any available object about hand palm size or smaller are suitable for using.

In the beginning of the process, objects will be intuitively selected for representation. The choice of the kind of object that would represent a given element can sometimes already be significant information, and may carry a hint or suggestion to the quality of the element; is it heavy, soft in texture, colourful, bigger than other elements, and so forth? During the tabletop constellation, either one or several people sense into the objects representing the different elements by either touching, holding or standing on them.

A table-top constellation is especially a convenient form if there are not enough people present to represent, for a one-on-one coaching session, or when a group is doing a constellation virtually and using objects as a visual representation in a shared screen format. 

This form, as well as other forms of systemic constellations, invite our creativity to be an active force to co-shape the process while engaging   with our wider ways of knowing.

System sensing builds upon System Thinking, adding a felt-sense or embodied approach to understanding a system or a visual map of elements. 

Systems sensing is a form of being in relation with and listening deeply to any given system and its elements. This includes its patterns and explicit events or challenges that are explicitly experienced.

Systems sensing builds upon Systems Thinking and expands the notion of understanding a system through an embodied and felt-sense approach.

“We can’t control systems or figure them out. But we can dance with them.” ~ Donella Meadows

To sense a system, we enter into a dialogue with the less visible layers and dynamics of a system by activating and widening our senses and other ways of knowing. This allows us to explore what is moving and its relational patterns to better understand the possible root causes.  The process can enable us to experience and acknowledge each aspect within a system with compassion, care and respect.

Systems sensing calls upon our humbleness of letting go of what we think is the reality or truth and to engage with the deeper wisdom of the system that is often slightly hidden for the normal eye. With this expanded sense of understanding, meaningful and wise intervention will become more evident.

Understanding the Practice of Systemic Constellations and System Sensing

Systemic Constellations is a powerful tool for navigating complexity and helping teams, leaders, activists, and change-makers who are working at the forefront of societal transformation to move through intense dynamics with greater ease, efficiency, and alignment.

The practice of Systemic Constellations allows us to visualize the patterns of interaction and interdependent relationships of a system. By making these dynamics visible, we widen our understanding and obtain a greater variety of choices in how we respond. By revealing what often goes unsaid or challenges that may lie hidden, Systemic Constellations can support leadership to identify leverage points for greater collaboration, as well as create and maintain greater coherence within complex systems.

Adapting for societal change, we often look at the potential of a system and what is required from transitioning from a current state into a future state. This may include better understanding what resources are needed to balance a system or what conditions or movements could reconcile underlying issues or tensions.  On the other hand, Family Constellations focuses on family systems and may look at repairing or healing movements in the past.

A calling question acts as a spotlight. It shines a light on what can be seen and acknowledged in order for the different aspects to find their right place and sense of belonging. Taking time to craft a powerful, generative and life-affirming question is an important part of the process. Through a question, we create a healthy boundary and territory of what we dedicate the Systemic Constellation to and clarify the deeper purpose. It's important that the scope and aim of the question are reasonable and realistic for the context in which the Systemic Constellation takes place. 

The crafting of the question can also become a mirror to see more clearly from which mindset are we approaching this work. For example, does the question inquire deeper into problems, scarcity, and separation, or does it look into resources, potential, and care for the whole?. The calling question can also act as a tool for a group to refine what’s actually at stake and needs shared care and attention. Where are we focusing on and what is calling us to give attention to? Dedicating attention to crafting a good question can already begin to shift a system towards a more aligned state. 

Based on the crafted calling question, the elements are selected. These elements are the key aspects, people, places, and qualities that are directly related to the calling question and the situation to which the Systemic Constellation is dedicated. Elements are represented during the Systemic Constellation either by people acting as representatives or objects. 

Through this process of connecting with the qualities of an element, we inquire into more clarity around how these elements see themselves as part of this system as well as how they relate to the other represented elements. Relational dynamics will surface that are sometimes hidden, implicit, or not acknowledged, and will bring further key insights and deeper understandings of what may be meaningful next steps. 

Working in the context of societal change, we often include the element of land and place, as it's often a vital component and informs systems. We also add an element for the yet-unknown, as well as a (yet unnamed) resource. Each system has access to resources that act as supportive qualities to balance, recharge and vitalize a tension, sense of stuckness or phase of transition. Becoming aware of resources we can call upon and reach out to is in itself often a healing movement. During the course of the Systemic Constellation, other elements may become visible that were not originally named and may play an important role in that particular situation.