Honoring what is: Nature Constellations for radical self-acceptance and deeper connection

Nature is essentially “self-accepting.” When the lion eats the gazelle, when the tree falls during a storm, and when the sea batters the cliff, no one goes to therapy. Constellations done in this context share in this way of being in the world, and has its effect on participants. They leave with the pleasant sense that they can be with what is.

By Leslie Nipps, M.Div.
 
Nature Constellations are now a firmly established way of doing constellations that manifests in a wide variety of formats and contexts.
 
Sneh Victoria Schnabel and Francesca Mason Boring first developed Nature Constellations based on the classic Family Constellations format, and many have followed their lead.
 
Later, Francesca edited an anthology of Nature Constellations-related essays in her book Returning to Membership in Earth Community. I was first impressed by the possibilities of Nature Constellations when I attended a horse constellation weekend at Silver Horse Retreat with Sara Fancy in 2015, who has a chapter in Francesca’s book. 
 
For the last two years, I have led Nature Constellations workshops during California’s dry season. We hold them at a private picnic area in Berkeley’s Tilden Park, which is set aside from our intense urban environment.
 
We do classic long-form constellations sessions, as well as many other formats, including Michael Reddy’s Altar Constellations; William Mannle’s Heart Constellations; and the Spirit Animal Constellations of Michelle McKinney.

My innovations largely focus on developing a capacity to notice when nature itself is providing us with representations of what’s missing in our systems: the tree that shows up as our loving grandmother who died too young; the passing hawk who represents the family tragedy, long over.

We learn to be surprised, and to feel the pleasure of noticing the spontaneity of nature’s gifts and that what our systems need can appear with ease.

Observing the results for clients, I’ve noticed how participants leave these events in deeper rapport with themselves and their life issues. We do less “resolving” and more accepting and reconciling.

Participants are in their proper weight, more resilient and responsible, feeling less burdened and eager to engage their commitments. Classic constellations sometimes leave a group feeling “stirred up” and very identified with family trauma; these constellations leave people calmer and less attached to trauma stories; more connected to stories of endurance and creativity.

Nature is essentially “self-accepting.” When the lion eats the gazelle, when the tree falls during a storm, and when the sea batters the cliff, no one goes to therapy. Constellations done in this context share in this way of being in the world, and has its effect on participants. They leave with the pleasant sense that they can be with what is.

Finally, I have been struck by the power of doing constellations “without walls” – so much so that “Going Beyond the Walls” is now the title of my current nature constellation offerings. I was taught when I learned constellation work about the importance of containers for what we do – and indeed, strong containers are critical. But I had come to identify those strong containers, at least in part, with the literal walls we provide when we choose our constellation venues.

But I’ve learned, while doing Nature Constellations, that there are other ways to create strong containers: the circle we form together, the natural elements (like trees and shrubs) around us, the intention of the group to care for each other and share a focus, and – in a remarkable way – the universe itself, which holds us. When the literal walls become not-so-necessary, less obvious but much more important containers make themselves clear to us. And again, these “walls” create a softness and acceptance that serves the kind of change work we do.

Because I’ve been leading Nature Constellations regularly – I’ve started again this year now that the rains have stopped! – and I’ve seen the important contributions this approach has made to the larger constellations world, I am delighted that the upcoming conference is focusing one of its four tracks on Nature and Traditional Wisdom.

My workshop, titled “The First Order of Love - Honoring What Is: Nature Constellations for Radical Self-Acceptance and Deeper Connection” at the 2017 North American Systemic Constellations Conference Oct. 5-8 in Virginia Beach, Va., will explore the potential nature constellations offers for deeper self-acceptance, and I look forward to learning from other workshops focusing on this track. It is surely the time to recover and re-discover these ways of systemic growth.

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About the author

The Rev. Leslie Nipps, M.Div., is a Systemic Constellations and NLP practitioner and trainer in Oakland, Calif. She will be a featured presenter at the 2017 North American Systemic Constellations Conference in Virginia Beach, Va., and was co-director of the 2015 North American Systemic Constellations Conference and presented at the 2011 and 2013 conferences. She was a founding board member of North American Systemic Constellations and is a member of the transition team for ISCA. She has been an Episcopal minister for more than 20 years. Find her website here.

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