By Cristina Bara
You know those talent contests where you see someone very shy, with a contracted posture, almost shrunken inwards, and then they open their mouths to sing, and an angel voice comes out? I always have tears in my eyes when I see that. One, because it gives me hope that everything is possible and two, because it touches me to see someone being validated not for their looks, but for their talents. In a way, I would compare Romania with those people in the talent contests. You wouldn’t give them much of a chance at first, but they will surprise you greatly.
In January 2019, when the first CI cohort was launched, six Romanians joined. I was one of them. I didn’t know what to expect and to be honest, I had only just found out about Gabor. There was something in the way he was speaking in the presentation video that made me feel that it was a good idea to join the program. Looking back, I am so grateful I followed my gut.
I became close to my fellow Romanians, and we were able to practice in our own language from time to time. As we dove deeper into the content, we started reaching out to one another, asking for CI sessions when in need. I remember one time I was driving to the countryside to visit my parents, when one of my colleagues requested a CI session. I pulled the car over and did a session from my car. It was so exciting to see how much healing and connection this work brought. We also got a sense that we were together on this journey. It wasn’t only the language which connected us, but also the language of the soul.
Halfway through the program, I got this wild idea of translating the material into Romanian. I really believed that the work we were doing through CI was so needed in the world. I still do. I wanted people in my country to have access to these teachings, which would help to transform their lives and the lives of their clients.
Since I started working on bringing CI to Romania, I learned that timing is very important. You don’t need to rush things. You just need to plant some seeds and let them sprout. As more and more Romanians joined the program, I realized how important it was to have support. There is a quote I often reference back to in relation to this: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together”. I trusted things would evolve and our voices would become stronger, and they have.
Coming back to singing, I always felt that I could sing louder and stronger when someone else was singing with me. This is how I feel about CI as well: we are stronger together. In October 2023, Sat Dharam held a one-day retreat in Romania. As we were chanting mantras, I had tears in my eyes feeling the power of this group of strong women. I could feel the entire room vibrating with the energy we created collectively. Some years ago, I believed that I could experience this only if I went away to another country, but now I see that it is something I can access from within myself. I don’t need to go far away, I only need to create the space within myself to feel.
When you find your tribe, a new doorway of possibility opens up. You have space to grow and strengthen your roots. You don’t need to go anywhere else. It’s like finding your home inside yourself. In the Romanian CI tribe, we have so many strong voices— mothers, fathers, change-makers, seekers. When these voices get together, they create waves which we hope will touch generations to come. We are growing and making more of an impact everyday. Some of our successes include:
- More than eighty Romanian participants have been enrolled in the CI Professional training, which will soon be launched in our Romanian language;
- Thirty-eight participants joined our first CI Circles cohorts in Romanian;
- Over 400 participants attended a Conference organized by the Trauma Institute in Romania with Gabor in October, 2022;
- At the ‘Women Creating Change Conference’ we had a strong CI presence through its organizers: Diana Safta, Cristina Stoica and Diana Gavanescu, along with speakers: Sat Dharam Kaur, Petronela Rotar and Irina Ungureanu;
- Ioana Dancescu was invited to speak about Gabor’s book Hold On to Your Kids at the annual book fair held in Bucharest;
- We have a strong media presence on radio, TV, and social media through CI practitioners such as Petronela Rotar, Diana Safta, Monica Magureanu, Ines Dumitriu, Irina Ungureanu and many more.
In addition to the voices which are public, all of those in the CI community create an impact in the lives of so many they are touching; family members, friends, and clients.
I now invite you to reflect upon these questions: Who, what or where is your tribe? If you don’t have one yet, can you start one? What is the change that you want to create in the world? When was the last time you sang? I end with this song which I hope will inspire you to express yourself and allow your voice to be heard.
