When I tried to learn Latin at school, I never understood the deeper meaning of this proverb: Nomen est omen. When I asked my studied father, he replied with a stern frowning look and a somewhat ominous voice: ‘Nomen est omen’, which didn’t help me much either. Bert Hellinger wrote a beautiful paragraph on the […]
I started the new year calmly, letting go of the old in my sleep and remaining open to what 2025 will bring. When I woke up and looked at the news, the main images were of fireworks, more fireworks, a few skirmishes, and some fireworks-related accidents. It seemed as if there was more fireworks this […]
In Tallinn, after three days of systemic interventions in teams and organizations, I realize how influential Bert Hellinger’s discovery has been – what we now call the Evolutionary Force. What had been lying in plain sight for some time has now fully hit home: problems in a team are often nothing more than symptoms of […]
I don’t know what it means, but it sounds good. “A-ma-zing!” Says Robe, the young Bedouin man, while cooking a delicious meal for us on the wood fire in the desert of Wadi Rum. An hour later he leaves after several attempts where his car gets stuck in the soft sands, with the promise to […]
I am left speechless. Jordan: the mountains, the colors, the sand, the sunlight, the stars, and the silence – everything is breathtakingly beautiful, rugged, and impressive. The people are exceptionally hospitable, especially the Bedouins in the desert, who are truly unique. The country suffers in terms of tourist numbers due to the wars in neighboring […]
The vastness of the steppes of Kazachstan is overwhelming. The silence, the whispering of the winds, a remote white yurt, a woman or a man on a horse being one with nature. White-capped mountain ranges in the distance. The only thing we want is to get out of the car and be in that emptiness […]
“Jan Jacob and Dees, would you like to come to Kazakhstan next year for a program?” Gulnara asked us after the 6-day “Movements of Transformation” seminar in Groningen. “YES!” my body already responds with a big smile and a dancing heart, even before the words follow. Kazakhstan, and everything that will happen there, has lived […]
View from Jan Jacob Stam How did it start? In 1992, the first book on family constellations was published in Germany and became a bestseller. Just a few years later, in 1995, Bert Hellinger facilitated the first-ever organizational constellation with Gunthard Weber as the client. Gunthard asked, “Can constellations be applied in business?” Bert’s reply […]
‘Oh, we thought you stopped working, Jan Jacob. And we see you are still active. So we’re a bit confused. Please explain!’ This or similar messages reached me and us several times during the past year. It appears that some people thought I stopped all my systemic activities after the shareposium April 1 and 2 […]
With admiration, I watch the man in his forties, wearing a white t-shirt and a backpack, effortlessly descend the narrow, steep ravine, while we struggle to make our way down the eroded sandstone using iron handholds. Forty-five minutes later, we cross paths again, but this time he’s going uphill. “Going up again?” I ask. We […]
