The Opportunity at the Founders Inn
By Jamy Faust, Deborah Gavrin Frangquist, Rani George, Ema Oropreza and Rosalba Stocco (The Nuts, Bolts and Spirit Team)
“Our whole experience of this conference being in Virginia Beach and at the Founders Inn feels like a constellation.” This was one of the comments as five NASC Board members met on July 17, 2017 as the “Nuts, Bolts and Spirit” Team to explore a vision for NASC beyond 2017. As we talked we recognized that we have been in a series of constellations which began with the Venue Search Team and continue with elements of our 2017 location (colonizers, first nations of the region, African slaves, the Founders Inn, Regent University and more) as well as within NASC itself as this new NGO builds relationships in the three countries of North America.
Rani George has been the Board’s representative for Holding Sacred Space for this conference. She shared that she was experiencing some unease because of the restrictions the Founders Inn has on the burning of sage, a significant element in preparing for ceremony for the Weyanoke. There had been difficulty in getting some key community members to participate in the ceremony and those that had agreed still had hesitations about the location of the conference. A table top constellation had revealed an unstable dynamic that resolved with strength when the element of sage was brought in. This raised serious questions for us, for NASC, since we felt we could not ask the Weyanoke to do an opening blessing ceremony without their traditional preparations.
As we explored these questions together, we discovered several things:
Ema noted that the land was unceded and therefore we are holding the conference on land that is still under dispute. Who owns the land? What is the history of Founders’ Inn? How is this area connected to the history of the Jamestown Settlement? There is in fact a bill before Congress in which a number of Virginia tribes are asking for federal recognition. (H.R.984 - Thomasina E. Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act of 2017) Deborah googled Founders Inn and noted that is owned by Regent University. Regent University was founded by Pat Robertson, a media mogul and Southern Baptist minister who promotes conservative Christian values. We were bewildered. How open would this venue be to the work that we do? How did we end up in Virginia and at the Founders Inn? We all had strong reactions to what we were uncovering, and we considered how to hold these powerful awarenesses. The circumstances that present themselves are posing questions that are asking NASC to be true to the principles of Systemic Constellation Work. We reminded ourselves that we are “not an ordinary NGO,” because we are guided by these principles and by what we have learned from our experiences “in the field” in constellation.
As we considered our Conference theme, Bridging the Divide, we recognized that we are not just facilitating for others, we are in a divide ourselves. We get to feel everything we feel about the location, and thus we are more able to bridge our own divides as well. There are so many dimensions throughout our continent, and we encounter these divides very strongly when we seek to include the people of the land.
We came to recognize that this conference in this place is a great opportunity for all of us in Systemic Constellation Work. Virginia is a place where these divides are most strongly felt, so Virginia Beach is a good place to work with them. First we will need to acknowledge what is and what was. To understand better what is and what was, we need to ask and be ready to listen to the voices of the lands and their First People. We asked if there was an account of what happened from the First Nations perspective. After our meeting, Rani asked for and received the article from Anita speaking from that point of view, and then more unfolded as we opened ourselves up to accepting what wants to emerge. We expect that the conference sessions will demonstrate the many ways that this method can be employed to contribute significant positive changes to our world.
This continent was colonized by people running from oppression in England and other European nations. However, in their desire for a new world, they created oppression toward native Americans, enslaved people, and other immigrants. It is a perfect example of how one’s shadow, or unseen parts of their negativity or greatness, can consciously or unconsciously dictate life choices. Constellation gives us ways of working with oppression and shadow, and we are glad to be doing this work in Virginia Beach and at the Founders Inn.
Thomas Hübl, one of our key note speakers, invites us all to be mature global citizens by being witnesses, that is observing without judgment. We are looking forward to being together as mature global citizens and witnesses.
Our thanks to Melody Allen, 2017 NASC Conference Co-Director for her valuable input.
“Our whole experience of this conference being in Virginia Beach and at the Founders Inn feels like a constellation.” This was one of the comments as five NASC Board members met on July 17, 2017 as the “Nuts, Bolts and Spirit” Team to explore a vision for NASC beyond 2017. As we talked we recognized that we have been in a series of constellations which began with the Venue Search Team and continue with elements of our 2017 location (colonizers, first nations of the region, African slaves, the Founders Inn, Regent University and more) as well as within NASC itself as this new NGO builds relationships in the three countries of North America.
Rani George has been the Board’s representative for Holding Sacred Space for this conference. She shared that she was experiencing some unease because of the restrictions the Founders Inn has on the burning of sage, a significant element in preparing for ceremony for the Weyanoke. There had been difficulty in getting some key community members to participate in the ceremony and those that had agreed still had hesitations about the location of the conference. A table top constellation had revealed an unstable dynamic that resolved with strength when the element of sage was brought in. This raised serious questions for us, for NASC, since we felt we could not ask the Weyanoke to do an opening blessing ceremony without their traditional preparations.
As we explored these questions together, we discovered several things:
Ema noted that the land was unceded and therefore we are holding the conference on land that is still under dispute. Who owns the land? What is the history of Founders’ Inn? How is this area connected to the history of the Jamestown Settlement? There is in fact a bill before Congress in which a number of Virginia tribes are asking for federal recognition. (H.R.984 - Thomasina E. Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act of 2017) Deborah googled Founders Inn and noted that is owned by Regent University. Regent University was founded by Pat Robertson, a media mogul and Southern Baptist minister who promotes conservative Christian values. We were bewildered. How open would this venue be to the work that we do? How did we end up in Virginia and at the Founders Inn? We all had strong reactions to what we were uncovering, and we considered how to hold these powerful awarenesses. The circumstances that present themselves are posing questions that are asking NASC to be true to the principles of Systemic Constellation Work. We reminded ourselves that we are “not an ordinary NGO,” because we are guided by these principles and by what we have learned from our experiences “in the field” in constellation.
As we considered our Conference theme, Bridging the Divide, we recognized that we are not just facilitating for others, we are in a divide ourselves. We get to feel everything we feel about the location, and thus we are more able to bridge our own divides as well. There are so many dimensions throughout our continent, and we encounter these divides very strongly when we seek to include the people of the land.
We came to recognize that this conference in this place is a great opportunity for all of us in Systemic Constellation Work. Virginia is a place where these divides are most strongly felt, so Virginia Beach is a good place to work with them. First we will need to acknowledge what is and what was. To understand better what is and what was, we need to ask and be ready to listen to the voices of the lands and their First People. We asked if there was an account of what happened from the First Nations perspective. After our meeting, Rani asked for and received the article from Anita speaking from that point of view, and then more unfolded as we opened ourselves up to accepting what wants to emerge. We expect that the conference sessions will demonstrate the many ways that this method can be employed to contribute significant positive changes to our world.
This continent was colonized by people running from oppression in England and other European nations. However, in their desire for a new world, they created oppression toward native Americans, enslaved people, and other immigrants. It is a perfect example of how one’s shadow, or unseen parts of their negativity or greatness, can consciously or unconsciously dictate life choices. Constellation gives us ways of working with oppression and shadow, and we are glad to be doing this work in Virginia Beach and at the Founders Inn.
Thomas Hübl, one of our key note speakers, invites us all to be mature global citizens by being witnesses, that is observing without judgment. We are looking forward to being together as mature global citizens and witnesses.
Our thanks to Melody Allen, 2017 NASC Conference Co-Director for her valuable input.
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Melody Allen theoretical style is a blend of systems theory, depth psychology, positive psychology, Barbara Brennan Healing Science, mind-body consciousness and Systemic Constellations. She is a master's level clinician in counseling. Her Ph.D. research is focused on the correlation between epigenetics and family therapy. Melody works with families and individuals seeking life change in her private practice and supervises LPC-interns who are seeking a career in mental health. Melody is the Co-Director of the 2017 Conference. |
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Deborah Gavrin Frangquist is a career consultant and executive coach who includes Constellation, Reiki, NLP and Appreciative Inquiry in her approach. Deborah has attended all five North American Systemic Constellations Conferences presented at the 2011 (San Francisco) and 2013 (Seattle) conferences. Her facilitation combines elements of Family Constellations and Organizational Constellations to support people in their work and personal lives. She is a member of the Board of Directors and the Board Secretary. |
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Jamy Faust is a constellation facilitator and trainer, holistic psychotherapist and energy healer. She is co-founder and innovator of The Constellation Approach™ incorporating classic Family Constellations, Energy Medicine and the Journey of the Soul. Together with her husband Peter Faust, M.Ac., she is the co-author of two books: The Constellation Approach: Finding Peace Through Your Family Lineage, and a book of poetry, Poems of Love, Sex, and God. Jamy has worked with Bert Hellinger since 2001 and has presented at several constellation conferences including the first in 2005. She is a member of the Board of Directors. |
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Rani George is a Systemic Constellations facilitator and Energy Healing practitioner and teacher. She has been active in nurturing the D.C. Facilitators group in Washington, D.C., and co-facilitating monthly Constellation gatherings and working with private clients. She serves as a teacher and mentor in a pilot program to bring complementary therapies to hospice work. She was the facilitator training coordinator for Francesca Mason Boring’s seven-month program on the East Coast in 2015 and in 2017. She is a member of the Board of Directors. |
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Ema Oropeza was born in Mexico and lives in Vancouver, Canada. She has worked as a consultant for Sustainable Development Agencies in various countries of the Americas. Ema is a co-founder of the Peer Constellators Group and is a trainer and counselor for a health care organization in addition to her private practice. Ema has attended Systemic Constellations workshops, training programs and conferences in Mexico, the United States and Canada, including the 2015 North American Systemic Constellations Conference in San Diego. She is a member of the Board of Directors. |
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Rosalba Stocco is an Individual, Couples and Family Therapist/Social worker in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. She developed and hosted the podcast Ancestral Roots, a series of interviews with international experts in Systemic Constellations to heighten public awareness of the breakthroughs in this field in North America. As a Systemic Constellations Facilitator and Trainer, she relishes helping people discover that the most fascinating and inspiring family they will meet is their very own. She is a member of the Board of Directors. |
