Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?
~ Mary Oliver
Ever have an experience that gives you and your life a directional or expansive clarity beam?
Less than a couple weeks ago I got that… huge downloads during an Enneagram retreat on inner work. The retreat was amazing, no adequate words to describe well. I’m a geek on enneagram, growth and a fan of the teachers. I got clarity, insight and answers on embedded stuck patterns (huge ah has) on things in my life, and on what’s emerging for next. On me, needs, wants and decision-making.
I saw this happen for others too. Awakenings.
Beatrice & me, in retreat closing hug.
Getting to the retreat was rough. I flew to California on Friday June 17, one of the worst travel days in airline history, when 6000 flights were canceled. I was trying to get to the Enneagram Inner Work retreat with dream team Enneagram masters, Beatrice Chestnut and Uranio Paes.
I missed my original direct flight as the morning lines of stuck travelers at the Charlotte airport were a mile long and non-moving. I eventually got new flights and made it to the California retreat center wee early Saturday morning. At that point, I was just grateful to arrive for Saturday’s retreat start.
Let me just say I got rocked (all of us participants did!), with what unfolded.
Inner Work is an unfolding process. Big clarity life dots on present, past and future got connected for me. More of the unconscious and unseen became conscious and seen. This included insights on me, childhood wounds, stuckness, hidden drivers, trauma impacts, dominant and suppressed instincts, Enneagram types, subtypes and more. (For a dominant 2 types, even with a lot of inner work, it’s often hard to discern our own deep wants).
I witnessed and experienced a lot in the power and transformation of inner work:
The fragility and strength of being a human being… For the body, heart, head/mind and spirit. Personally, I got illuminating clarity directed into some hidden spots… on unconscious inner child and family wounding, survival patterns, stuckness, decision-making and growth.
I’ve done a lot of Inner Work growth and will continue. The more inner work is done, more is seen and unfolds in possible understandings. You/we inherit, experience and absorb unconsciously into our bodies, hearts and mind. A good book… The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk.
The power and complexity of the Enneagram system in self-discovery, healing and transformation through Inner Work. The Enneagram is about so much more than personality, archetype name and the ego structure. Its real power is in healing, awareness growth and mapping hidden inner connections and threads. These are needed for intentional growth and transformation.
For those wanting and willing to work for whole being and body transformation it means deep dives into unknown and often murky waters (it’s the way to cleaner, clearer waters too).
Bravery, curiosity and openness shine lights in the dark. They expedite the wayfinding and growth process that happens from the clarity around energies, traumas, inherited DNA (family, cultural and systemic) patterns, and dominant and repressed instincts.
New insights and clarity expanded out each day, like happens when a pebble is dropped into a pond, and circles continue to expand out.
Recently Enneagram master teacher, Russ Hudson, shared his view on the value of Inner Work to our completing class in an Enneagram Conscious Living immersion program. They resonated. As do insights from other wise teachers, including Ennea teacher Ingrid Hurwitz on trauma and growth. From my experiences, studies and client work, I see some key Inner Work impacts repeat, noted below.
8 Key Impacts from deep Inner Work:
The more awake you are, the more sensitive you are. You know so much more.
The way through is to be better than you were before. Find your way through.
Old patterns will continue to whack you… they will. Triggers don’t go away altogether. You manage and work with them better. Triggers may stir less energy as you have more capacity.
You know the way out when you’ve done your Inner Work.
Inner Work is hard work. Be prepared to be curious, open and go deep.
Inner Work is healing, part of healing trauma. All have experienced trauma, some more than others. Trauma is in you consciously and unconsciously through experiences, inherited, systemic and in utero impacts.
Inner Work does not equate to more happiness or bliss. That may or may not. It does mean you’re on path to living and being more awake, less numb and living on autopilot and being more present.
Inner Work is continuous, a life long discovery journey.
From my studies and experiences with the Enneagram, trauma, family constellation, neurobiology, somatics, body work and more, I learned a super growth and integration tip. Sometimes I do this well, sometimes I don’t. And, it’s no surprise …aka ‘Neurons that fire together, wire together.’
Key Integration Tip to retain your new ah has, information and insights you must practice them regularly. New ways of being and doing. Baby steps are ok. These create new neural pathways on what you want to change. This anchors new patterns into your brain, body and heart. It’s an ongoing process. And if/when you forget, and you then remember, just start the new healthy action again.
What pearls do you get from Inner Work? You are more aware, awake, conscious, wise and better. You have more capacity for conscious living and leading, better relationships.
How does this resonate for you, your experiences? Feel free to connect, share any thoughts, experiences or questions you may have! Connect here.
Warmly, Susan
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