Mirror

Good morning from Quarna Sopra, Italy, where I have spent the past week at a masterclass on systemic intelligence and constellations led by Mieke Jacobs and Paul Zonneveld . It feels impossible to sum up the power of this week. The basic idea is that a system (a set of interacting or interdependent parts forming an integrated whole) has its own intelligence, beyond the intelligence of the minds of the people who form that system. When something in the system is ‘stuck’, it manifests as some form of dysfunction – maybe an inability to manage conflict, or high turnover, or an unwillingness to have difficult conversations, or some form of passive aggressive behaviour. These are seen as symptoms of one or more deeper systemic issues, and the work to be done is to make these invisible systemic challenges more visible so that they can then be healed.

The work is primarily energetic rather than cognitive in nature, which is why it’s difficult to explain in words. Throughout the week, we have formed constellations around topics where we feel stuck, sensing into our physical sensations and our emotions to see what wisdom they contain for us about the questions we hold. I have received many insights about dilemmas I face in my own life – where to live and choices around my career path. I found that as soon as I stopped trying to intellectually analyse these issues and tapped into the wisdom of my body and my heart, I was able to clearly see some energetic entanglements I’ve been in, and I can already see new paths forward opening before me.

I know this all may sound a bit abstract. If you’re curious to learn more about using this approach in organizations, you can visit Mieke and Paul’s website, The Power of Systemic Intelligence, where they also list upcoming courses they ffer on the topic. If we’re working together, I’m happy to discuss how e might bring this material to explore questions in a new way together. And for now, I will leave you with one of the main counter-intuitive insights of systemic intelligence: that even by surfacing a systemic issue, the energy in the system will start to shift. Your attention alone has the power to initiate a wave of change. I know it doesn’t make logical sense, but it’s been my experience that this is true. Ghandi sums this up beautifully as “the divine mystery supreme.” Indeed, we need not wait to see what others do to begin bringing about change in our worlds.

About Friday Pauses

We can all sense how a lack of presence in our daily life affects the quality of our relationships, our ability to form real connections – and yet we struggle to set aside distractions. In my Friday Pauses, I want to encourage us all to do just that – pause for a moment and feel what it’s like to be present by reading a poem.

If you’re new to Friday Pause, here’s what I suggest:

• Minimize or close other screens.
• Put your phone on silent.
• Close your eyes and take a full breath in…and out. Maybe count to four on the inhale and six on the exhale.
• Read the poem below – out loud, if you can. It will slow you down and help you feel the words more.
• Take another deep breath in…and out.
• Resume your day.