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Once again, a lot people from all over the world and interested in the constellation work had come together in Cologne in order to meet each other, to teach and to learn. More than 750 participants including many couple and family therapists, counsellors and organisational experts had arrived on Pentecost at the Maritim Hotel for attending the 6th International Congress for System Constellations. They renewed or formed friendships, informed themselves in a variety of lectures, workshops and panels on the different views and approaches of the constellators’ work, exchanged opinions on the range of topics between therapy and counselling, phemonelogical perception and the impact of a spiritual overall wholeness… In doing so, it became clear: Exposed to unforseeable processes of change and lacking the father figure Bert Hellinger, the scene is looking for a new self-conception of its work.
This time, Heinrich Breuer’s inaugural address held in the big hall of the Cologne Maritim Hotel turned out to be short. And its tenor was rather attenuated. Hardly surprising, because the DGfS chairman had to report that Michael Weber scheduled definitely as a lecturer had died subsequently to a serious operation.
Sorrowfully, the audience received Breuer’s second message as well: Bert Hellinger, the father figure of the constellators’ scene, had withdrawn his participation at this year’s Cologne Congress. One could tell from looking at the Congress organiser that this announcement had hit him hard. “I would have liked to have Bert with us so that he himself could have presented his Movements of the Spirit. Many of us would like to ask him questions...“ On the one hand, there was disappointment, on the other hand there was honest gratitude. Thus, Breuer appreciated in touching words the heritage of the absent mentor and “what unifies us, i.e. the love for the constellation work, the love between all of us and, naturally, the love for Bert.” At the same time, Breuer referred to new chances that are now emerging. “I have the impression the scene has grown up and it has developped to such an extent that Bert would never have thought of.”
That was the keyword: The initial uncertainty felt in the audience gave way to curious anticipation. Even more so, when Heinrich Breuer stoked anticipation for “our family meeting” in the coming days... And the family has become immensely big: a global family, so to say.
Thus, the Congress organisers Heinrich Breuer and Wilfried Nelles could welcome guests from almost all EU countries, from Russia and other East European states, from the Far East, from Latin America, from the USA as well as from Australia (a development which has lead meanwhile to the foundation of a new international association: The “International Systemic Constellation Association (ISCA)“ with Hunter Beaumont as its first chairman).
Besides, it goes without saying that “all the notbales from the constellators’ scene” gathered in Cologne. Breuer’s pleasant anticipation revealed as being well-founded: more than 100 events in four days – lectures, worhshops and panels – proved once again the variety and scope of the constellators’ work, reflected the different views and approaches with their strengths but also their limits. In this context, two concretions became apparent from my point of view: on the one hand, the rediscovery of the importance of basic relationships and ties within the systemic context (couples, parents-child, the client and the physical…), on the other hand, the appreciation of a spiritual scale initiating movement – in a sense, as the relationship of the individual to the overall wholeness. The fact that the “relationships” on different levels would be significant for the event had already forshadowed in the hidden question of Heinrich Breuer’s inaugural address: How the relationship to Bert Hellinger can be, should be and will be designed in the future? (...)
