Written by Ciela Wynter, Founder & CEO of Joan of Sparc

I love the image of looking at an iceberg from the side vantage point of seeing the tip as well as the entirety of the rest existing underwater. Imagine living on the tip, and perhaps it is massive and feels like a world in itself. What if there were whole civilizations, eco-systems, industries, etc on this mountainous land. What if you were born on that mountain and never adventured off into any of the seemingly endless directions into space, across the water or beneath it? Perhaps some people you knew had explored and come back with stories from the depths or from travels into the stars, and these stories became myths for future generations.

The Tip of The Iceberg

Now let’s say all that exists on the tip is our outer world of what we can see, taste, touch, hear and smell. Our inner world is everything else, all that we can’t see with our physical eyes or hear with our outer ear.

The inner world is deeper while simultaneously more vast and infinite than our current awareness can access.

Inner work is our approach to discovering these unknown territories of self that exist within us. Because not only do we physically live on this mountainous land called Earth which is the outer world, we also carry the reflection of this world and of the universe within us, in our mind, and some people call this a soul or psyche. As above, so below...as within, so without. The internal is a reflection of the external, camera obscura, etc, etc…

As Above So Below

Seek any mystic culture, read any sacred text, dive deeper into your own psyche and you will find the common threads of this truth. We are a microcosmic universe, a reflection of the macrocosmic universe. Within us exists galaxies and stars, worlds yet to be discovered...the mystery is within you.

For example, why does astrology seem to reflect certain thoughts, behaviors and personal processes for some people? Because it is a science of measuring the archetypal energy mapped within constellations that directly correlate to an inner planetary configuration. It is like reading the weather patterns, ie knowing that when Neptune is trining the moon there will be a surge of the creative impulse, intuition runs high and inspiration reveals itself with a fresh perspective. Why? Because of the internal influence that this energetic serves and provokes from within.

Astrological influences aren’t external forces, rather the outer planets mirror an internal experience.

Going Beyond the Mundane

Inner work is the bridge to exploring what we don’t know about ourselves, which is over 90% of who we are. Yes, over 90% of us is unknown...and lately, perhaps you are hearing from the echoes of science about dark matter of the universe versus normal matter? Nasa defines ‘Normal Matter’ - as everything on Earth plus everything they have ever measured with all of their instruments which comes in at a generous 5% of our universe. Can you see the potential correlation?

Within what we have been calling ‘inner work’ exists many practices, pathways, reminders, nudges, prayers, callings, dreams, whispers, revelations, mysteries, and depths of silence. You actually have everything you need to do this within you, everything.

Making a Lifestyle from Inner Work

Those of us who are inside of this work, and somewhat obsessed perhaps, are walking on their own path of their inner journey. We each have one and every one of us has a very different terrain to navigate, however, we also have incredible commonalities that link us all together in this great journey of life.

And why is this valuable to integrate into our daily lifestyle? It depends on what you are committed to. Are you satisfied with the status quo? The current state of affairs, our world, politics, our environment, relationships, all of our thoughts and emotions, etc? If the answer is no to any of these areas of life, then inner work is critical to living into actual change. And I am not talking about getting a haircut, moving to a new city and changing your name. Been there and done that. This does nothing in comparison to life fully lived. I am talking about changing the way we think and feel as we navigate our collective world. This, in turn, changes our perceptions, words, and actions. All of this combined actually creates new worlds of possibilities.

Imagine the impact you could have in your own life, at home, within your intimate relationships, family, and community if you become aligned with your truth, values and guiding principles.

We are each a world, actually a universe of possibilities. In order to make effective change in the outer world, we have to make effective change in the inner world we are in. Welcome to the Inner Journey...


Learn more about the Inner Journey. A seven-week, virtual intensive designed to deepen your inner work and discover your creative purpose, led by Ciela Wynter, Founder & CEO of Joan of Sparc.