The
Seven
Kellerkinder
(Children of the Basement)
JOHANNES GALLI
Promoting
Balance and Creativity
Through Releasing the
Sub-Personalities
Copyright
2003 Galli Publishing
Smashwords Edition
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You
can view the complete program
of Galli Publishing
on the
internet at:
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Copyright
2003 Galli Publishing
All rights reserved.
Translation,
layout, design:
Dr. Tatjana Maya
Editing:
Daisy Jane Ehrlich
2003
Galli
Publishing
Haslacher Strasse 15
79115
Freiburg
Germany
publishing@galli-group.com
www.galli-group.com
Contents
The Seven Kellerkinder Dance Meditation
The Seven Kellerkinder Constellation
The Seven Kellerkinder - The Discovery Process
Author’s Foreword
For many years, a never-ending flood of books, offering all sorts of very promising instructions, have been flowing into the non-fiction market. There are instructions for success, good health, beauty, and finally even instructions for enlightenment, which the readers can experience within a short period of time just by reading the book, if one is to really believe the energetic note on the book jacket.
In spite of all the doubts it brings, this emanation of the times reveals a continually growing need in people to think about oneself and get to know the methods and ways to change oneself through his and her own powers. Everyone, who has begun the path to self-realization and takes it seriously, will very quickly notice how difficult it is to decidedly change one’s own character traits. Once a character flaw has settled itself, it is very difficult to seize it, much less correct it. In this way these colorful and catchy books, which seem to be multiplying, cannot offer any serious methods in making deep lasting changes in yourself. They often give good and competent advice, but very seldom do they present hints on methods and ways leading to effective self-investigation.
These books are just as valuable as when the doctor, meaning well, suggests to the coughing patient, “Quit smoking!” The patient has been trying this for years. In spite of all the honest efforts of the will and of the mind, something inside of him resists, repeatedly throwing him off guard, and sticking a cigarette in his mouth at a vulnerable moment. As long as he never knows what it is that throws him off guard, he will never make any progress.
My goal was to create a method, which allows to seize exactly that which repeatedly throws one off guard and to make it describable and understandable, whatever or whoever it may be.
So my method, “The Seven Kellerkinder” (The Seven Children of the Basement) is the answer to the question of how we can seize that inside of ourselves, which daily throws us off guard, just when we don’t want it, and which is also responsible for taking us somewhere completely different than where we originally wanted to be.
The book, “The Seven Kellerkinder” is to be understood absolutely as a workbook, leading the readers slowly and gently to their own Kellerkinder. My experiences have shown me that it is very helpful and effective to answer the questions in the exercise part in the form of a journal. For one, this sharpens and disciplines the ability to observe, and for another, one can measure one’s growth by looking over the dated entries.
In order to be able to practically carry out all the exercises, I recommend to have the CD, “The Seven Kellerkinder” from my series, “Dance Meditations” and the “Seven Kellerkinder Tarot” available (please order through Galli Publishing at publishing@galli-group.com, also available through i-tunes).
As I developed my whole method through personal experience and observing participants in workshops, I decided to start this book with a self-experiential and humorous part, the “Seven Kellerkinder Tarot”, in order to secure a lively and intuitive approach to the seven Kellerkinder.
Then follows a detailed description of how to conduct the Dance Meditation “The Seven Kellerkinder” in order to approach the Kellerkinder through movement.
The “Kellerkinder Exercise” and the “Kellerkinder Constellation” is the first step to show you, how the method of the Seven Kellerkinder can be used in workshops and training.
The “Photo Studies” may inspire you and give you an idea, how different people personify the seven energies in an individual way.
“The Seven Kellerkinder - The Discovery Process” gives an intellectual idea about the different philosophical ideas I studied before I finally developed the Seven Kellerkinder.
Last, I introduce “Analogies”, which connect different areas of life with each other and which all revolve around the key number, “seven”. Here I also graphically introduce the enneagram as my central symbol in classifying types. A series of enneagrams, which focus on the analogous manifestations, shapes the substance, from which the model of the seven Kellerkinder is shaped and which explains the term, “The Seven Kellerkinder” in a deep way.
About the Author
Johannes Galli,
M.A.
Johannes Galli was born near Frankfurt, Germany in 1952.
He studied literature, philosophy, and history at the University of
Freiburg in Breisgau. He put his philosophical ideas on stage and
pursued an artistic career as an actor and quickly progressed in
European theatre and on the cultural scene. In the 1980s, he was
known throughout Europe as “Clown Galli”.
Early in his training he realized, “In acting, the genuine person appears.”
This became the core of his philosophy that has been developed into the Galli Method (the body language awareness training), which uses the lightheartedness and liveliness of spontaneous role-playing as the basis for personal growth and conflict resolution in the work and private environment.
His diverse creative and artistic work as a philosopher, actor, director, musician, and author has inspired and enthused people worldwide.
Johannes Galli’s method, his books, CDs, videos and theatre scripts are designed to unleash creativity and empower communication skills.
Additional information about the Galli Method can be found in many books Johannes Galli has authored.
Meet the author at:
www.johannesgalli.com
On October 22, 2000 a photo shoot was conducted at Galli Theater in Freiburg, Germany. Johannes Galli used provocative comments to lure the actor’s Kellerkinder to the surface and reveal their true faces.
Photographer Jan Julius Galli seized the moment. The decision to photograph each actor in a completely natural manner, without make-up, sprang from the desire to use the shock value of these candid images.
This gives the tarot player an instantaneous first encounter with his or her own Seven Kellerkinder.
Foreword
With the model of the Seven Kellerkinder I have developed a method that enables us to understand those energies that seem to come out of nowhere and disrupt our lives and relationships
With the model of the Seven Kellerkinder I have developed a method that enables us to understand those energies that seem to come out of nowhere and disrupt our lives and relationships. They are responsible for us ending up in situations where we never wanted to be.
The Seven Kellerkinder tarot cards can be used in three different types of games to help discover, which of the archetypal figures are most strongly influencing or blocking us.
The cards represent seven Kellerkinder.
My wish is that all who play this game will forge a closer relationship with their own Seven Kellerkinder, experience how easy it is to free them and delight in pure bliss and creativity which this joyful process brings.
Note:
If you do
not yet have a Seven Kellerkinder tarot game handy you may order it
through Galli Publishing (publishing@galli-group.com).
You can also take the following text as a first approach into the world of the Seven Kellerkinder and as an inspiration to be more aware in daily life, whether your reactions are guided by your true self or by one of your Kellerkinder.
The
seven Kellerkinder
Brief
Introduction and First Encounter
I observed that everyone has seven energetic patterns in their bodies, which, when viewed as unique Kellerkinder, are equipped for specific tasks in life
During my work on the model for the Seven Kellerkinder I felt that it was necessary to look for examples that personify the dark, inhibited characteristics in humans and develop a method to transform them into their bright and creative forms. More importantly, I wanted to ensure that the model would be easily understood.
I observed that everyone has seven energetic patterns in their bodies, which, when viewed as unique Kellerkinder, are equipped for specific tasks in life. Imagine them as children, wild and yet able to exercise tremendous magical power. For this reason they are rather difficult to hear. I have named the seven characters: Couch Potato, Bully, Gossip, Big Shot, Flirt, Miser and Loser.
The average person, trying to maintain a strong and independent impression, locks them away deep inside. Once hidden, we believe that we are rid of them. Gradually they are forgotten, but over time grow more powerful and drain our creative energy as we try to suppress them. Eventually they take the forms of the Seven Kellerkinder.
It is important to remember that each one holds a key to transformation. The only way to regain our vitality is to free them. We give them room to grow and transform when we are willing to engage with them. Through this process our joy, spontaneity, and creativity are rejuvenated.
Through practicing this model, we gain deeper understanding of ourselves and others. Soon we see through the tricks that the Seven Kellerkinder play and how cleverly they meddle in our daily lives.
No person can keep them locked away forever. They quickly seize any chance to escape. The first encounter with them is intense because we are caught off guard.
Anyone interested in discovering and educating their Seven Kellerkinder in a loving way should follow the in-depth exercises and methodology contained in this and other publications, and CDs available from Galli Publishing. The seven energetic forms are easily accessed through dance and creative movement using the Seven Kellerkinder Dance Meditation and Clown Dance Meditation CDs.
In the following pages the character traits of each one is described briefly. To familiarize yourself with the images, compare the description with the tarot card photos. As you read, glance repeatedly at the picture to familiarize yourself with each Kellerkind.
Read the descriptions out loud, and let the words resonate until a character takes shape in your mind’s eye that corresponds with the respective Kellerkind.
After this intensive preparation, the players are ready to begin the tarot game.
Couch Potato — Intuition
Couch Potato is very laid-back, slow, and often big
Couch Potato is very laid-back, slow, and often big. She has doughy skin and greasy hair. This lazy bum seldom changes her slovenly clothes and she doesn’t like to shower. She creates thereby her own “smell”, in which she feels very comfortable. She often smells around herself, in order to reconnect to herself through her own smell. If the shower has become unavoidable, Couch Potato waits so long until the stream of water is at body temperature so that she can’t feel it. Couch Potato never really dries herself and slips her still wet body into her clothes, which she often doesn’t change, even after a shower.
Couch Potato likes to read comics while sitting on the toilet. Her favourite line is: “Now let’s get comfortable.” Her special passion is the second breakfast, which often overflows into lunch, concluding with a nap, which stretches over until dinnertime.
Couch Potato likes to read the newspaper, especially the obituaries, where she always calculates how old the person was before they died, this will be rounded-off by years, so that calculating is not too strenuous. Couch Potato understands very little, but she has a large understanding for a lot. Couch Potato has a hard time in the fast-paced modern times and often looks forward to going to bed at night. Couch Potato loves to watch TV every night. She loves talk shows and reality shows and always feels like the host is talking directly to her. Couch Potato is very sensitive to variations in mood and has a deep sympathy for everything living.
Bully — Initiative
For Bully, flirting means very skillfully making fun of his partner
Bully always feels like he is being attacked and he constantly defends himself. He is stiff, coarse, rubs everyone the wrong way, bumps into everything, leans on everything, steps on people’s toes and always talks with such a loud voice, that it sounds like he is screaming. His voice is rough and sounds like he has to scream against an inner voice, which wants to stop him. He quickly blushes and is often angry, and the arteries on his forehead and neck swell up. If he is not in a rage, then he is on the move. In the morning, while he is sitting on the toilet, he shaves himself and also heats up water for the coffee, while turning his computer on. Bully can’t wait and twitches nervously. Every minute is planned: pressing the button on the radio, the choice of music, the number of rolls, the espresso, of which he needs two to three to “get going”.
On hardwood floors he can be heard from a distance because he doesn’t just walk, he stomps. Bully laughs loudly over his jokes, slapping his thigh. Bully likes strong drinks and is therefore often drunk. If Bully has been educated, then he makes ironic and sarcastic jokes about other people. He is quick-witted but he can’t take a hit from anyone.
For Bully, flirting means very skillfully making fun of his partner. Bully is very passionate in bed, but is only aroused for a short time, often leaving his partner unsatisfied. Bully, who can’t take criticism, convincingly passes the blame onto her.
Gossip — Empathy
Gossip always has the nasal conspiratory tone: “Did you know...?”
Gossip can observe very well and has an unerring instinct for the weaknesses of others. Gossip is a coward and gets excited at the burdens of others, describing them in detail to anyone who wants to listen. Gossip enjoys seeing people shocked when she “delights” them with bad news. The more dismaying the news is, the happier Gossip is in whispering the rumor, which she has creatively altered. Her voice takes on a chummy conniving tone. Gossip always has the nasal conspiratory tone: “Did you know...?” She always tries to get attention by lowering her voice. She is always looking for accomplices.
These days Gossip likes to play tennis and loves the country club life. She often goes in the sauna, where she likes to loudly make fun of people. Occasionally, she’ll tell an ambiguous joke. Gossip does not have a pretty mouth. Her lips curl up in wrinkles and the teeth are brown. Gossip sometimes has narrow shoulders, and choppy upper arms and legs. She tries to be pretty and occasionally has expensive perfumes.
If Gossip is educated, then she speaks very impersonally about political-cultural topics, but no matter what she is talking about, she always has to say something bad about someone. Her favorite topic is the general coarsening of customs, manners and morals. By always trying so hard to look young, she can’t achieve the dignity, which comes with age, and she ends up merely getting older quickly.
Big Shot — Wisdom
Big Shot is constantly showing off his competence
Big Shot always wants to be the most important and everything that surrounds him serves him as signs of his power, no matter how powerless he is. Big Shot always looks down on people and lectures them generously and constantly. He doesn’t know how to have a conversation with someone; he only knows how to preach. His voice is pleasant to listen to, but he doesn’t let anyone get a word in edgewise.
Big Shot is constantly showing off his competence. If you ask him a question, you shouldn’t expect a quick reply. First, he takes some space for himself and long-windedly explains how he understands the world in general, and then he develops his answer very broadly, delighting in his competence. A typical example: if a 12 year-old daughter asks her father for a short answer to her math homework, he tends to take advantage of this situation. In annoying detail, he demonstrates his superiority in mathematical questions and very quickly, the daughter regrets having asked him.
Big Shot is often big and is not ashamed of it, but rather, he provokingly sticks out his belly. In his stories, which he often tells at unsuitable times, he is always the hero. With increasing intellectuality, the role of the hero is always subtler and it takes more effort to find out that the narrator is a show-off. It is very funny to watch when Big Shot has bought something, how he draws attention to his new purchase with such conspicuous inconspicuousness.
Flirt — Passion
Flirt is unbelievably curious and also wants to try everything out, however she quickly becomes scared of the consequences
Flirt is always in love with one or more lovers, often at the same time. She never lets a chance to flirt pass her by. Flirt can hardly look at lips without feeling the strong desire to kiss them. “Touch and be touched” is Flirt’s motto for life.
She is always looking for the love of her life. She doesn’t think of anything else, but incessantly thinks only of that.
She believes in the prince on a white horse, who will save her. For hours on end, she watches movies about love stories. She can truly enjoy flirting and is disappointed when it comes to an end. For a long time, she doesn’t want to believe that it is over. After a love affair, she cannot separate herself from the presents for a long time. Pictures of her previous lovers decorate her apartment.
Flirt is unbelievably curious and also wants to try everything out, however she quickly becomes scared of the consequences. As a little girl, she loved very much to have her older brother or father chase after her in a game, in order to catch her. She squeals with fear and delight and is disappointed when they quit the game.
Flirt constantly receives and sends sexual signals. Very often when she doesn’t think that anyone is watching, she runs her tongue over her lips and positions herself so that her charm will have its full effect. Behind every remark, Flirt senses suggestive insinuations. Flirt often feels her love fantasies so strongly that she touches herself and enjoys it very much until she suddenly feels lonely and guilty.
Miser — Organization
Miser in no way wants to live his life, but rather calculates it
Miser has a hard body shell. He holds onto painful and bad memories, so that he never forgets what has been done to him. Miser in no way wants to live his life, but rather calculates it. If something unexpected happens, it is too much for Miser to handle and with clumsy, awkward movements, he tries in vain to get rid of the stress.
Miser does not do anything, which is not embodied in law. He loves rules, customs, morals, and doctrines most of all, because it gives him security. He always knows how to behave and in younger years, he is very obedient.
In later years, he demands unconditional obedience and is very strict. Miser sees the world as an enormous sum of moral laws, which the others must follow. He grumbles around a lot and declares resignation as the most important rule, so that he can get rich by hoarding. He gets really excited about sales and if somebody invites him to a meal, he eats until he is ready to fall over.
Otherwise his life is frugal and boring.
Miser’s favorite color is grey and he loves being in the background where he can pull the strings. Miser is filthy rich. He always has several securities and bank accounts in the background. The same goes for his psychic world: he holds several “back doors” open, so that he is never at anyone’s mercy. Nobody can tell that he is rich. He likes to wear worn out clothes. Since Miser believes that he is always being taken advantage of, he has found the justification in taking advantage of others.
Loser — Bliss
Loser always arouses pity, which he very skillfully uses for his secret delusions of grandeur
Loser smiles a lot in order to constantly hide his insecurity. Loser wanders through life, not being able to cope because he always feels like he is in the wrong place in society and can never find the place where he belongs. Loser implies that everyone else “has hit the jackpot” and therefore he is extremely jealous and envious. So, Loser is always fighting against fate and that exhausts him very much: he looks pale and haggard, weak and backward. Loser has thin hair, thin lips, small ears, transparent skin and very sad eyes. His clothes never fit him because when he buys them, he can never guess his size correctly. Loser loves to stand around embarrassed in order to point out his helplessness. Loser speaks very quietly and sometimes likes to stutter. Loser always arouses pity, which he very skillfully uses for his secret delusions of grandeur. Loser stages loneliness perfectly and he is susceptible to every intoxicating situation, to every offer that reality is not really as it seems. Through his intoxicating situations, he wants to compensate for his strong feeling of inferiority. During intoxication, he can create his own new worlds, in which he is the center of attention. Loser prefers hashish, LSD, cocaine, and stronger drugs to alcohol. The more he experiences these intoxicating situations, the more he loses touch with reality. The more Loser lets his heart’s creativity evaporate in intoxication, the colder and lonelier his heart becomes. The humorous side of this Kellerkind is yet another character that knows nothing, has nothing and is nothing ... the Clown!
The Seven Kellerkinder Tarot Game
In a pleasant atmosphere intuition can unfold
Now the players are ready for the game. Before we begin, here is a brief note on the type of atmosphere conducive to intuitive processes.
The Seven Kellerkinder tarot card game can be played any place that has a comfortable atmosphere. You will need a nice silk scarf to lay the cards face down, lite a beeswax candle and put on relaxing meditation music. This will create a pleasant atmosphere and intuition can unfold.
The game can be played on the floor or at a table. If others are present, they should be seated in a semi circle opposite the player.
The player’s primary task is to fully concentrate on the question he or she wishes to pose to the Seven Kellerkinder. The clearer the question, the more specific the answer will be. Friends can assist in this important process of formulating the key question. It can also be facilitated through deep concentration and the courage to eliminate distractions, which tend to interfere during such processes. Once the question has been clearly formulated, the game can begin. The player shuffles the cards and spreads them out with the images face down.
Note: If the first card drawn is “Loser - Bliss” it is best to explore the figure of the clown in depth. Appropriate exercise material is available from Galli Publishing.
The following paragraphs provide a step-by-step guide to transform the Kellerkinder.
– Step One:
Identifying the Conflict
The player concentrates on the
conflict for which he or she is seeking a solution. Then the question
is formulated. It can be spoken out loud or expressed in silence, but
either way with great intention.
Here are some examples of questions:
• Which Kellerkind do I have to overcome to achieve success with a specific project?
• I’m currently involved in an important phase in my relationship. Which Kellerkind is preventing a closer relationship with my partner?
• I feel unwell. Which Kellerkind is affecting my harmonious balance of energies?
The questions can be directed at many areas of life. The important thing is to ask clearly.
– Step Two:
Intuitive Feeling in Your Left Hand
Once the question has
been stated, the player sits up straight to allow the breath to flow
freely. Now repeat the question to the Seven Kellerkinder one more
time in your mind.
Then move your left hand (located on the same side of your body as the heart and thus linked to intuition) palm down over the cards spread before you. The fingers should be stretched out but relaxed. Let the hand guide you. As soon as you feel a slight twitch in your hand, a tingling in your fingertips or any comparable sensation, lower your hand and pick up the relevant card. Turn the card over and take a relaxed look at the character now gazing up at you.
In this moment the player should open completely to the photograph and the images it evokes.
– Step Three:
The Solution
The third step is important to successfully
integrate the Seven Kellerkinder tarot session into the player’s
everyday life. To do so, you must first fully accept the card you
have chosen.
This acceptance can be more easily realized through the experience of dancing the energy of the relevant Kellerkind or clown character. Use the Seven Kellerkinder Dance Meditation CD, or, if the Loser tarot card is drawn then use the CD for the Clown Dance Meditation.
At the end of the exercise, an invocation of transformation should be spoken to release the Kellerkind. Take a deep breath and speak your invocation loudly, with conviction and passion. It is helpful to repeat the invocation for the next few days, as this will emphasize the liberating effect it has.
Seven Invocations of Transformation
– May I succeed in releasing and educating the Couch Potato in me, transforming her into pure intuition.
– May I succeed in releasing and educating the Bully in me, transforming him into pure initiative.
– May I succeed in releasing and educating the Gossip in me, transforming her into pure empathy.
– May I succeed in releasing and educating the Big Shot in me, transforming him into pure wisdom.
– May I succeed in releasing and educating the Flirt in me, transforming her into pure passion.
– May I succeed in releasing and educating the Miser in me, transforming him into pure organization.
– May I succeed in releasing and educating the Loser in me, transforming him into pure bliss.
The Seven Kellerkinder Group/Interactive Game
Social events are great opportunities to suggest a Seven Kellerkinder group game to create a real sense of joy and fun.
Social events are great opportunities to suggest a Seven Kellerkinder group game to create a real sense of joy and fun.
The game can be played in several variations, depending upon the number of players and the layout of the room. However, all these variations have one thing in common: one person is chosen as the host and the others are the players.
Place the Seven Kellerkinder tarot cards on a table or select one person as the ‘carrier of truth’. In the latter case, the carrier holds the cards face down in a fan-shape in one hand, moving from player to player. Each player is invited to intuitively draw one card, which will stay with him or her until that evening’s performance of the Seven Kellerkinder. Naturally the number of cards must correspond to the number of guests who want to participate in the game. You may therefore need several decks.