Inward Journey: An Adventure Worth Taking!

Cat_CubeHow do we actually change?

I’ve been wondering about this question my whole life. I can’t say I have a definitive answer, but I do have some clues!
Clue #1 – Changing my external circumstances doesn’t necessarily make me happier.
I have changed jobs, relationships, location, cars, computers, phones, lawn mowers, garden tools, friends (and even Facebook friends) many times over the years. I have noticed that it’s still “me” in here responding (and reacting) to all of these people, places, and things.
Clue #2 – I’m the only person that I can change.
Having attempted to change my family and friends into better-behaving people (meaning people that don’t ever bother me and who will simply follow my “guidelines for better living”) and failed every time, I have come to the challenging conclusion that perhaps it is me who needs to change.
Clue #3 – I’m the only person who can do the work of changing myself.
I have consulted with MD’s, Massage Therapists, Energy Workers, Movement Educators, Pilates Instructors, Qi Gong Teachers, Yoga Teachers, Astrologers, I Ching Diviners, Psychics, Acupuncturists, Mayan Healers, Herbalists, Aromatherapists, Shiatsu Practitioners, Palm Readers, Tarot Readers, and I am sure few more that I can’t recall at the moment. Although many have been extremely helpful, none were able to get in here and change me around into the person I always wanted to be. At last, comes the realization that I am the only one who can create change within myself.
Clue #4 – My life and my personal transformation depend on other people.Monarch caterpillar
For as lonely and isolated as I may feel at times, the only reason that I am alive and have stayed alive is because of other people. Let’s face it, there is no getting here without biological parents, and there is no surviving without the care of others. I go within myself to my work of personal transformation, but I go in there in the company of others who inspire, support and guide my travels.
I have spent much of this year learning about change and transformation by observing tiny eggs turn into chunky monarch caterpillars that turned into beaming orange monarch butterflies. They move through these transformations alone yet utterly dependent on the plants they eat, the presence of their ancestors, and the mysterious “force” that sets it all into motion.

I took myself to northern New Mexico for a month alone, to contemplate, integrate, to go inward and have a look around.

During that time, I created a new course, Inward Journey. The intention of the class is to offer support, inspiration, and guidance to go inward on a daily basis for the purpose of establishing a practice, or platform, that could be used for the solo work of personal transformation.
I have had the good fortune of learning from many wonderful teachers and found the time to try many different techniques of personal transformation. I can’t say that I am, perfect (give me a few more years…), but I can say that I have made progress. Inward Journey is a 28 day guided course for creating a practice of self-awareness, contemplation, and movement.  If you are looking for support to create your own personal practice, this might be just the course for you.

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Cindy Black

Cindy Black is the Founder of Big Tree School of Natural Healing and the author of Meridian Massage, Pathways to Vitality. She is appreciated for her ability to make the complex accessible, fun, and practical.

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