September Societal Constellation
- Elaine Harris
- Oct 1
- 4 min read
Updated: Oct 4
What might the “Voice of the System” be Trying to Say Through Movements Like Unite the Kingdom, Reform, Patriots Rising…
Why This Constellation?
When headlines scream “Unite The Kingdom,” “Reform Now,” or any other label that brands a movement as “far‑right,” the tags tell us where the conversation is happening—but they rarely explain why it has taken that shape.
We decided to explore that “why” in this month’s Societal Constellation. The movements we see in the media are manifestations of a larger, invisible system. By giving that system a voice—without judging right or wrong—we can bring fresh data into our inner maps and see how we might respond differently.
Setting the Stage
Process Overview
Contextual framing – I usually let a theme emerge organically, but this month I introduced the topic directly: “We are not here to debate the politics of ‘Unite England.’ Instead, we’ll treat that label as a representation of a deeper systemic tension.”
Identify the elements – We listed the archetypes we needed for the first round and left space for any spontaneous additions.
Observe the movement – While the constellation unfolded, we also watched how each participant’s personal perception shifted and how it informed us on a personal level.
Set up the initial representatives
The Voice of the System that wants to be heard.
The System As It Is (the current state).
Movements such as “far‑right,” “Reform,” etc., seen as manifestations of that voice.
Round 1 – The System As It Is
Positioning – Each person chose a spot in the room intuitively (“Where does the Movement feel it belongs?”).
Speaking the role – Participants spoke as their assigned archetype.
What emerged – The space felt raw, unfiltered, and heavily coloured by personal bias, yet a clear pattern surfaced:
“We are a system that no longer serves. Something needs to be hushed/die, but the new thing that should rise is still invisible.”
Round 2 – Adding New Layers
To test whether the polarity was a product of the framework or of the system itself, we introduced a slightly altered set of elements:
The System As It Is (now)
Emerging Future
Patterns/Wounds in the current system (three participants gravitated here)
Healing Movement attempting to transcend those wounds
Even with more neutral language, the spatial arrangement looked almost identical to the first round—tension persisted—until we added the Bigger System.
Invoking the Bigger System
I invited the 3 remaining participants to represent a reality larger than the human race, larger than the planet. The effect was dramatic:
The room settled.
Participants stopped fighting over “who is right.”
They sensed they were sitting inside a vast, unfolding cosmos that holds all of the smaller dramas.
The feeling shifted from a binary fight to being on the cusp of great change.
The “right‑left” labels suddenly appeared as temporary coordinates on a map that is still being drawn.
Mid‑Day Break
We paused for a delicious bring‑and‑share lunch, allowing the new perspective to settle before moving into personal integration work.
The Personal Integration Work
After lunch each person became the representative of themselves and added two more stand‑ins:
Patterns/Wounds they are most vulnerable to (often hidden from conscious awareness).
A Healing Movement that could support integration.
Highlights
Several participants identified personal “riptides” that had been trapping them.
I discovered my own double bind: growing up between a father’s scarcity mindset and a mother’s abundant generosity, a tug‑of‑war that coloured many of my life choices.
Making these invisible scripts visible allows participants to work with them or simply release their hold.
The resulting freedom—being able to explore the world as oneself—feels profoundly liberating.
What This Means for All of Us
The system is speaking, not accusing.Far‑right movements are not random outbursts; they are the system’s way of saying, “Something is broken, and we need a new melody.”
Polarity is a trap, not a solution.Clinging to “rights” and “wrongs” reinforces the very pattern the system is trying to dissolve.
Holding a larger perspective creates calm.Inviting the Bigger System—planetary, even cosmic—shows we are participants in a grander evolution, not isolated actors.
Personal wounds mirror societal ones.Scarcity, abandonment, identity fear, etc., echo collective wounds that fuel extremist narratives. Illuminating them lets us choose a different way of being in the world.
Freedom follows visibility. Naming a hidden script strips it of much of its power; the ensuing freedom ripples outward, loosening the collective spell.
A Small Invitation
If you feel pulled into the news cycle or catch yourself automatically labeling a group as “far‑right” or “extremist,” try this simple practice:
Pause and ask, “What part of the larger system might this be expressing?”
Write the answer down without judgment.
Step back and imagine a larger canvas—perhaps the planet, perhaps the universe—holding that expression.
Notice how the tension eases, even if just a little.
You don’t need a formal constellation to practice this shift; you only need the willingness to look beyond the immediate polarity and allow a broader, calmer perspective to settle in.
Closing Thoughts
This Thursday constellation reminded me that we are both the map and the territory. The movements we label “far‑right” are not enemies; they are signals from a system crying out for transformation. By giving the system a voice—first in a group, then in ourselves—we create a new data point, a fresh way of seeing, that can guide us toward a more integrated, compassionate future.
If you’re curious to try a similar exercise with your own circle, or you’d like to explore how personal patterns intersect with larger social currents, I’d love to hear from you. I'd also love to see you at one of our Monthly Societal Constellations sometime.
Stay present, stay curious, and remember: the biggest change often begins with the smallest shift in perception.
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