Transforming Racism in Our Collective Shadow with Collective Inquiry Constellations
How to face our collective shadow is a fundamental part of my work — through looking at social issues like Indigenous rights and reconciliation, racial equality, our relationship with nature, and deep feminism — in ways that inspire us to act with compassionate wisdom in our lives for true healing and reconciliation.
A couple of years ago a new format came to me as I challenged myself to make my groups even more empowering. Collective inquiry constellations (CICs) are a hybrid of two of my favorite modalities for embodying change that I’ve written about here: constellations — both family constellations and nature constellations, and spiritual inquiry of the Diamond Approach. (You can read the posts, including this one, as a series or individually.)
I feel grateful for the CIC format, where we engage qualities of co-emergence and synergy to embody together what’s harming us, and birth new visions for societal healing. Often the shadow or disconnected/excluded parts will transform during these small group constellations.
Here’s how collective inquiry constellations work. In a traditional constellation, the facilitator, after discussion with an individual seeker, will usually decide which family members or aspects need representation. With roles chosen, participants engage with each other by resonance with the experience of who or what they’re representing.
With a CIC, instead of me proposing the representations, I invite the group into a form of sacred talking circle — a spiritual inquiry I call a “cyclic”. As the cyclic rounds continue, resonance between the participants seems to become fuller, like a hive mind forming. Then each participant connects with who or what they want to represent (resonate with). Those personal choices, in turn, create a natural transition into the constellation itself.
I’ve led a dozen CICs over the past eighteen months — on issues as diverse as climate change, finding love amidst the pandemic, and social justice. To give you a taste, I’d like to share three social justice collective inquiry constellations with you — all took place online.
Each CIC summary below tells an important story of universal wounds emerging and transforming. Each account is genuine, based on my own notes and the reflections participants kindly shared with me. We started each of these with the general question of how to unwind harmful cultural conditioning and found focus in how we’ve been stuck and mired in particular racist or patriarchal conditioning and possible avenues for healing and freedom moving forward. I hope you will be inspired by them as I have been.
Indigenous people: we are more than trauma
I am struck by the potency of each representative, by everyone’s willingness to move and speak from their truth, to each be with the force of a collective-level aspect, and seemingly all at the same time to be intimate with each other, allowing impacts and transformations in the whole group to occur with grace.
During the cyclic sharing, understanding emerged about how trauma and survival instincts underlie much of social conditioning. Participants chose what they wanted to represent:
- Trauma
- Healthy Support
- Healing Love
- Total Being
- All Indigenous Peoples of the Earth
Fragmentation was apparent in the opening constellation (grouping). Trauma was looking away, huddling at the edge of the circle. Healthy Support and Healing Love came in both facing into the circle offering love and support.
Scared and shaking, full of emotion, All Indigenous Peoples of the Earth stood in the center of the circle.
Trauma moved toward All Indigenous People for company.
All Indigenous People said, “We’re not just trauma! I’m angry and defensive that you might see me as trauma, like you. Because then I start to believe it too. But I’m so much more than trauma. I am strong. I have so many other parts of me.” All Indigenous People didn’t want Trauma to be too close and said Healing Love and Healthy Support felt patronizing.
Trauma felt rebuffed and turned outward again.
Total Being came in, not in a particular part of the circle, rather above and permeating everything.
All Indigenous People began to soften and said Healing Love seemed more authentic. Healthy Support felt expanded and continued to offer support.
Trauma became Traumatized Person and asked for Community. Community came in all around Traumatized Person. Traumatized Person felt included and loved. Joining with humanity, it turned into the circle.
Total Being began to feel as if it encompassed the whole Earth, as if the circle had become holographic and Total Being was within, without, and watching from all directions.
All Indigenous People said, “When Total Being speaks about being able to see through the planet and into everything, I just feel fantastic. It feels real. We indigenous people have a connection with that.” Standing in the center of the circle, All Indigenous People made an emphatic request, “I want everyone to remember to see all of us, not just the bits, to see the totality of who we are.”
Healthy Support said, “The more All Indigenous People spoke, the more I could see their qualities. That was powerful for me. When All Indigenous People started talking about wanting their whole self to be seen, I started seeing them in a new way.”
Native cultures and transforming patriarchy
Again, folks created a space to embody pathways for change — here is a dramatic example of how polarization around trauma, native cultures, and patriarchy might shift.
Out of the cyclic, participants chose the following representatives: Native Cultures, Patriarchy, Trauma, Need for Belonging, and Truth.
The representative for Native Cultures said, “I really feel drawn to represent Native Cultures out of my own Cherokee heritage. We as Native Cultures feel grounded to the Earth. We are standing outside of the circle facing in.”
Native Cultures watched Patriarchy take a dominant position in the circle, with all the energy and power flowing to him and said, “We have Patriarchy in our bodies, in our skin, in our nervous systems. We both love and hate Patriarchy. It is us and it is the cause of our trauma.”
Patriarchy acknowledged saying, “I am in a seemingly impenetrable position of power at the top of the pyramid.”
Trauma responded, “I am in the center of the circle. I’m scanning around everywhere for danger. I feel nauseous, a vacant hollow inside of me.”
Native Cultures replied, “We feel drawn inward toward you Trauma. We’ve experienced Trauma, we know and understand Trauma.”
Need for Belonging said, “I’m scared of Trauma.”
Trauma responded, “When Native Cultures says they understand me, I feel myself softening. But when Need for Belonging says they’re afraid of me, that rings true too.”
Truth spoke, “I am Truth,” and invited Trauma to sit in their lap. Trauma moved to Truth, started crying, and said, “Truth your invitation lets me feel my aloneness and the intense pain of separation. Now the splits dissolve. The trauma isn’t all healed, but it’s healing.”
Truth invited Patriarchy into her embrace with Trauma. Patriarchy wept, expressing relief to let go of the isolation and harmful aspects of himself. Then he softened and gazed lovingly at the others.
Patriarchy said, “In Truth’s embrace, I’m stopping holding power over, I’ve shifted from being the top of the pyramid to an energy with Truth, where the power pours out, circulates, and is in service of all people. Now I transform into Collective Power for all.”
Native Cultures noticed how everyone was impacted by the beauty of Truth, how both Trauma and Patriarchy seemed to be melting in Truth’s embrace, and said, “Truth feels like a nurturing force for all of us. With Patriarchy shifting into Collective Power, I can feel patriarchy as part of me in a healthy way. Patriarchy is the balance to matriarchy — both are part of us as Native Cultures. But I also relate to Need for Belonging at the edge of the circle, as we Native Cultures have been rejected by other cultures.”
Trauma said, “When Patriarchy cried, talked about how isolated he’s felt, how painful it’s been for him, I feel warm softness. I don’t feel like I want to throw up anymore. I stop scanning everything around me. When Native Cultures said they have embraced Patriarchy, something in me melted. I too have embraced Patriarchy and realize part of Patriarchy has been a source of much wisdom, much support.”
Trauma said, “Now I feel a closeness with Need for Belonging. Much of my trauma was bouncing between defending myself from Patriarchy and Need for Belonging. I move out of the center. I feel more capacity for flow, for being what is.” Trauma said it was transforming into What’s Arising.
Need for Belonging moved into the circle close to Truth and transformed into Ground for all.
Native Cultures: “I’m moved by these authentic and dynamic transformations. I don’t need to change, because I feel our gifts coming forward. We of Native Cultures are a gift to other cultures. With the support of Collective Power, Truth, What’s Arising, and Ground, we can give our gifts.”
White fragility breaking open
We met in June 2020, shortly after the murder of George Floyd, amidst a revitalization of the Black Lives Matter movement. In the cyclic, the group, which was all white-identified chose White Silence, What’s Hidden, What’s Mine To Do, Innocent Openness, and Oppressed Black People for representations and a deep dive into white fragility:
Oppressed Black People (of the US and Australia) stood outside the circle, feeling heavy, very cold, like cold terror. I as facilitator also felt very cold and shivery for most of the constellation, even though my room was warm.
White Silence stood in the center of the circle looking away from Oppressed Black People. What’s Mine To Do stood near White Silence and faced toward Oppressed Black People expressing openness.
Oppressed Black People said they still felt heavy and cold, although they did somewhat appreciate What’s Mine To Do.
Innocent Openness stood amongst the others looking out to open space, not connecting with any of them, saying, “I feel confused and stuck.” Inside it felt a willingness to not look good, to be naïve, to be awkward, with the aim of learning and understanding different points of view.
What’s Hidden had moved close to Oppressed Black People. They said, “We feel good having What’s Hidden near us.”
Innocent Openness floated over next to Oppressed Black People, who weren’t comfortable with that and said to Innocent Openness, “You don’t belong near me. You and What’s Mine To Do need to go with White Silence — you all need to sort yourselves out!”
As Innocent Openness moved away from Oppressed Black People, White Silence said, “I feel numb and distant. I need you Innocent Openness.”
Innocent Openness replied, “I feel despair. I don’t have anything to offer you White Silence.”
What’s Hidden said they provided a buffer between Oppressed Black People and the other resonators, adding emphatically to White Silence, “you need to keep stating what’s happening with you, you need to keep being truthful. Keep talking to Innocent Openness!”
What’s Mine To Do offered support to White Silence and Innocent Openness as they continued to dialogue.
Gradually Innocent Openness felt attracted, curious, and then aligned to What’s Mine To Do as a way forward. Then White Silence and Innocent Openness were able to see and support each other, both becoming more real and recognizing: “This is our problem as White people, we need to sort out with each other, first.”
What’s Hidden transformed into Responsive Buffer.
Oppressed Black People said, “We can step back now. We feel relaxed and warm seeing you all are sorting yourselves out.” The sense in the field had shifted from cold and disconnected at the beginning to now warm and respectful.
To join in a group constellation or have a private one with me, please check my website. I look forward to hearing from you.
