The Transformation of You
A six-month plan for your own metamorphosis
The Transformation of You is all about you: in essence, a six-month plan for your own metamorphosis.
It’s about living intentionally, focused on what you are choosing for yourself, for the world. Transformation is far more about being than doing, that’s true. Yet your intentions inform your actions, and your actions create your life.
Keep your eyes on this page as we move through the next 6 months with these life-altering themes.
You will find new entries unfolding in sequence as the journey progresses.
INTRODUCTION
Here at Odyssey, we see our whole world shifting and changing right now in a way that most of us have never experienced. Even the weather patterns aren’t familiar anymore. And for many in our circle, there are also internal breezes stirring, along with the occasional storm.
Understandably, this can create anything from concern to anxiety, to out and out fear. George Orwell said, “They fear love because it creates a world they can’t control.” and it’s true. We human beings do like to believe we have control – some of us more than others – even to the point of restricting the ways in which we give and receive love.
Change, though, can also bring curiosity, excitement and openness. A love of what’s to come. As the Odyssey team, we see all this movement and stirring as an invitation, rather than a call to hide under the covers. And so the theme for our March issue is METAMORPHOSIS. A fancy name, perhaps, for change. I love the Merriam Webster definition – a striking alteration in appearance, character, or circumstances. If everything around us is going to shift, why not welcome it all, and embrace the opportunity to become even more truly ourselves?
1. AWAKENING
The process of awakening involves seeing clearly what exists now, so that we can accept who we are and our position on our paths wholeheartedly and with compassion. This step is the foundation of the metamorphosis itself, and perhaps the most important one.
The excerpts from these articles by two of our wise collaborators may serve as a reflection for you, or a place to begin an internal inquiry. Perhaps you might journal about your own journey and what needs to be met now, or even about going through a “dark night of the soul” transition in the past or present.
Creating Awareness – Week 1
Before a transformation can take place, we need to be aware of what is: who we are, where we stand, what intersection we’ve reached. So, it’s time to take stock of who we have become at this point on our individual journeys. Over the month of April, there’s an opportunity for you to spend a bit of time, here and there, in silence and look at things, the way they are. Change is all around us right now, perhaps you can feel it? So, let’s look at what is, shall we? Seeing yourself clearly takes time and space. A simple yet powerful way to do this is by creating a statement about yourself, a personal manifesto. Think of it as a mission statement, of sorts. A starting place on the map of your own transformation. In taking time to ponder this outline and fill in the blanks – in whatever way speaks to you – you may discover parts of yourself you’d forgotten or not yet discovered. Play with it a bit, and see what comes up! Click on the form below to download and complete your manifesto.
Awakening is not a straight line – Week 2
Awakening is not a straight line, but a rhythm—an unfolding that moves in cycles, just like nature. The journey of metamorphosis, from seeker to sage, from unconscious to conscious, from experiencing yourself as a limited and separate being to knowing your true, unbound nature, is not linear. The path of remembering and returning to true seeing and true being is cyclical, mirroring the rhythms of nature. These are not problems to be solved or stages to graduate from. They are expressions of what it means to be a human being waking up from separation. What matters is not trying to force a season to end or begin, but learning to recognize which one you are currently in and meeting it with courage. ~ Colleen-Joy, excerpted from “The Seasons of the Soul: Why Awakening Is Not a Straight Line,” Awakening is often born in the dark night, where we are asked to let go, begin again, and rediscover what truly matters. In other words, if you are able to look back and recognize the “dark night of the soul” for what it is—a time of suffering, but also one of cleansing, release, and renewal—you may find your way back to your
The First Stage of Metamorphosis – Week 3
Where your energy gathers – transformation begins. Awakening is the first stage of metamorphosis – a return to your own energy before anything begins to change. In this guided meditation, led by Tia Wiblin, you are gently supported to gather your awareness, clear what is not yours, and reconnect to a steady, aligned state within yourself. From this place of presence and safety, you enter the ‘sacred egg’ – a space of quiet potential where transformation begins to awaken and unfold. Preparation ● Find a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed. ● Sit or lie down in a comfortable position. ● Soften your environment — dim the light if you wish. ● Silence your phone or any distractions. ● You may choose to light a candle or set a simple intention. ● Have a journal nearby for reflection afterwards. ● There is nothing you need to do perfectly. Simply arrive as you are. You may return to this practice at any time, allowing your awareness to gather and your transformation to unfold in its own rhythm. Awakening: Integration & Reflection (Post Meditation Process) You have entered the first stage of metamorphosis — the Sacred Egg. This is a space
Practices to support awakening – Week 4
This month we’ve been exploring what is, through a clear lens, and accepting things as they are. The goal, no matter what the situation is right now, is to greet ourselves with love. This week, here are some practices and tools to help you at this stage especially. In any form, meditation is one of the best ways to create space for awakening. In creating a place of external calm and safety, you allow that internally on a deep level. While you may understand meditation as sitting on a cushion cross-legged with your hands resting on your knees, or something else entirely, how you do it isn’t critical. Here are a few other options to try: Walking meditation: Find a simple rhythm and cadence, walking perhaps twice as slowly as normal. If you can do this barefoot on the earth, wonderful – but if it’s from the parking garage to your office door or in the corridors of a shopping mall, that’s fine too. As you find your pace, allowing your heel then the outer edge of your foot then your toes find the ground, begin saying a mantra of some sort. You can begin with “I am so blessed,
2. ALLOWING
When we begin to look with kinder, more open eyes at our journey to this point, it’s quite inevitable that Stuff Will Come Up. It’s just how it works. We all have old tapes playing negativity nonstop in our minds – beliefs, judgements, rules. Often, they are buried so deeply in our psyches that we don’t even realise that they don’t belong to us. And mostly, they no longer apply. Present-day you, when you think about it, will likely no longer have any connection to any of it. Yet there it all is, living rent-free in your head! Identifying what no longer serves you is a huge step in creating transformation.
The Sacred Dance of Allowing – Week 5
Welcome to our second month of the Transformation of You guide. As we move into the month of May, we gently turn our focus to the theme of Allowing – allowing yourself to be seen, allowing yourself to soften, and allowing yourself to find peace with what is. In a world that often asks us to push, strive, and control, this month invites a different rhythm – one of trust, openness, and quiet surrender. To guide us into this space, our wonderful contributor, Sharyn Ann McNeil, offers a beautifully insightful numerological exploration of the word Allowing. Through the lens of numbers and energy, she reveals why this concept is so powerful at this moment and how embracing it can support your personal transformation in deeply meaningful ways. The Sacred Dance of Allowing: Your Numerology Guide to a Magical May This month, the word ALLOWING resonates with the creative frequency of the number 3. When we break it down (A = 1, L = 3, L = 3, O = 6, W = 5, I = 9, N = 5, G = 7), Its essence becomes:1 + 3 + 3 + 6 + 5 + 9 + 5 + 7 =
Allowing the transformation to begin – Week 6
Allowing: The Second Stage of Metamorphosis Where you allow yourself to be • transformation deepens Allowing is the sacred pause between awareness and transformation. Once we begin to awaken and witness ourselves with more honesty, it is inevitable that emotions, memories, patterns, and old survival strategies begin to rise to the surface. Though uncomfortable at times, this rite of passage through the waters of our experience also brings with it the gift of authenticity and deep connection. In this guided meditation, led by Tia Wiblin, you are invited into a space of compassion, softness, and self-presence. Rather than trying to fix, force, or transcend your experience, this practice gently supports you to stay with yourself exactly as you are. This is an invitation to loosen the grip of self-judgement and meet yourself with gentleness and patience while you are still becoming. Preparation for the Meditation Find a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed. Sit or lie down in a comfortable position. Soften your environment — dim the light if you wish. Silence your phone or any distractions. You may choose to light a candle or set a simple intention. Have a journal nearby for reflection afterwards. There is nothing
A PREVIEW OF WHAT'S TO COME
1. AWAKENING
As we begin to awaken – and this happens repeatedly throughout a lifetime, we first need to greet within, to figure out who we are at this juncture. The custom here in South Africa is always to greet before beginning a conversation, a lovely practice. And yet do we greet ourselves each day?
We human beings forget about this first step all too often, having been conditioned to look to the external for so much. Beginning our day by greeting ourselves allows us to briefly come home to ourselves and then, as the day goes on, those around us. A few minutes in meditation, with our feet on the grass, or even looking in the mirror at our own image, sets up our sense of wholeness, worthiness and self-compassion for the day to come. It is a reminder that this is why we are undergoing these shifts and changes. Of who we are and why we are here in the world.
Curiosity
- Accepting what is true now
- Clear seeing
- Greeting what is with love
2. ALLOWING
When we begin to look with kinder, more open eyes at our journey to this point, it’s quite inevitable that Stuff Will Come Up. It’s just how it works. We all have old tapes playing negativity nonstop in our minds – beliefs, judgements, rules. Often, they are buried so deeply in our psyches that we don’t even realise that they don’t belong to us. And mostly, they no longer apply. Present-day you, when you think about it, will likely no longer have any connection to any of it. Yet there it all is, living rent-free in your head! Identifying what no longer serves you is a huge step in creating transformation.
Compassion
- Self acceptance
- Self compassion
- Making friends with uncertainty
3. SHEDDING
Once you know what needs to be released – it’s time to let it go. If you want your life to change, you’ll need to create space for the new to come. Makes sense, especially if you think of it as literal clutter – or even hoarding! You’ve taken the time to see what is, now it’s time to release what no longer serves you or fits in the life you want to live. Once you know what you no longer need or want in your life, the spiritual decluttering (so to speak) can begin. This applies to habits, beliefs and behaviours – all the things that have been holding you back. To make space for your future to arrive, it’s inevitable that what no longer serves you will need to be shed.
Courage
- Discerning what’s now needed
- Releasing what no longer serves
- Creating space for what is to come
4. BECOMING
Ah. Now there is space – to mix my metaphors, you’ve got a big blank canvas in front of you and now it’s time to really spend some time on your vision. This can be anything from prayer, to literal vision boards, to reading inspiring stories of those who have walked similar paths. Creating stillness and being comfortable in pausing to envision and dream, is such a rich space for bringing yourself to life in a different way. To make space for intentional dreaming is a gift to yourself, and to ask for what you truly want is your right as a human being. We forget this, don’t we, as we run around “doing”? Taking time to just “be” gives you the opportunity to discern what you’d like to become.
Acceptance
- Creating stillness and space
- Intentional dreaming
- Allowing your desires
5. INTEGRATING
Just like playing a new sport, change takes practice. You have at least conceptual plans of where you’d like to end up next, a vague map drawn up. Practices are, in essence, what will get you there. Your structure. Your support system.
They are also a wonderful form of self-compassion. Anything from moving your body daily, to eating well, to having a consistent ancestral or spiritual ritual will help you stay on the path, with ease, peace and joy. It’s about giving yourself what you need to succeed. To thrive amidst whatever life brings. This too, takes intentionality. New neural pathways are literally created in this phase – it takes twenty-one days, it’s said, to create a new habit or pattern. And in ninety days, it integrates fully. This is fertile ground for change, always.
Grounding
- Practicing new ways
- Boundaries to maintain space
- Patience with all that is
6. EMERGING
We can get stuck in seeking, can’t we? And certainly in perfectionism! It’s easy to stay in that planning phase, or “forget” to practice new patterns. So perhaps the most important part of any metamorphosis is to let go of trying, and just fly. Live your life. That’s when the magic truly happens: in the day to day of it all. And scary as it may sound, the very best learning comes from failure, always. Think of a baby learning to walk. It’s inevitable (and even charming) that they will fall on their behinds repeatedly until that day when suddenly, it clicks in and they toddle all day long without a second thought. Life is like that. So is transformation. Truly, this being human is all learned through on the job training. So if in doubt, leap and trust that the net will appear. It always does, even if there’s a bit of freefall first.
Celebration
- Letting go of perfectionism
- Allowing the new ways to arrive
- Trusting that all will be well