Awareness Play
The Art of Constellation

 


        The Taoist view recognises that opposing sides transform into each other, and Wu Wei is the art of acting in a non-forcing, hardly noticeable way.

Awareness Play is a subtle and light-hearted process that integrates spontaneous interactions, awareness of feelings, creative role-play and the systemic wisdom of Family Constellation. Merging these approaches provides an opportunity for personal insights, a change in perspectives and greater harmony between people and within the self.



     Although my preference is letting the play speak for itself, for the benefit of those who do need some preliminary information I have spent decades studying and exploring aspects of consciousness.

Participating in and facilitating many workshops my approach to life and facilitation has been inspired by Taoist and Zen philosophy, Nisargadatta Maharaj, and the pioneering works of Carl Rogers, Fritz Perls, Jacob Moreno, Alexander Lowen, Albrecht Mahr, Carl Jung and Bert Hellinger.

Saturday, 2 January 2026
10am-1pm
Limited to 16 participants.

Flourish Sanctuary
449a Gungas Road, Nimbin NSW

  Reserve your place here

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CONTACT:
flowingcreek@gmail.com

 



Wisdom

The old monk sat by the side of the road. With his eyes closed, his legs crossed and his hands folded in his lap, he sat. In deep meditation, he sat.

Suddenly his zazen was interrupted by the harsh and demanding voice of a samurai warrior. "Old man! Can you teach me about heaven and hell!"

At first, as though he had not heard, there was no perceptible response from the monk. But gradually he began to open his eyes, the faintest hint of a smile playing around the corners of his mouth as the samurai stood there, waiting impatiently, growing more and more agitated with each passing second.

"You wish to know the secrets of heaven and hell?" replied the monk at last. "You who are unkempt. You whose hands and feet are covered with dirt. You whose hair is uncombed, whose breath is foul? You whose sword is all rusty and neglected. You who are ugly and whose mother dresses you funny. You would ask me of heaven and hell?"

The samurai uttered a vile curse. He drew his sword and raised it high above his head. His face turned to crimson and the veins on his neck stood out in bold relief as he prepared to sever the monk's head from its shoulders.

"That is hell," said the old monk gently, just as the sword began its descent. In that fraction of a second, the samurai was overcome with amazement, awe, recognition and compassion for this gentle being who had dared to risk his very life to give him such a teaching. He stopped his sword in mid-flight and his eyes filled with grateful tears.

"And that," said the monk, "is heaven."

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When Bankei held his seclusion-weeks of meditation, pupils from many parts of Japan came to attend. During one of these gatherings a pupil was caught stealing. The matter was reported to Bankei with the request that the culprit be expelled. Bankei ignored the case.

Later the pupil was caught in a similar act, and again Bankei disregarded the matter. This angered the other pupils, who drew up a petition asking for the dismissal of the thief, stating that otherwise they would leave in a body.

When Bankei had read the petition he called everyone before him. “You are wise brothers,” he told them. “You know what is right and what is not right. You may go somewhere else to study if you wish, but this poor brother does not even know right from wrong. Who will teach him if I do not? I am going to keep him here even if all the rest of you leave.”

A torrent of tears cleansed the face of the brother who had stolen. All desire to steal had vanished.

 

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