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AFTERWORD

Once again, we consider whether this is all worthwhile, whether it’s worth your time and energy to restore yourself to wholeness, to shift your thoughts from hopelessness to enlightenment. When you discover that what lies beneath the surface of your consciousness are simply unprocessed thoughts and feelings, your pain can be healed. When you allow all the parts of yourself that you’ve repressed to come to the surface, you can exhale with relief. You can breathe easy again. When you peel off the mask that hides your vulnerability and your humanity, you’ll come face to face with your true self.

I’ve guided you through a long, deep process in order for you to discover that who you are at the deepest level is “enough.” We’ve explored the world of the holographic universe where we’re all created equal and where everything is perfectly balanced. We discovered the amazing world of projection where the universe so generously mirrors back all our disowned aspects. We learned to see that not only do we possess all the qualities we most abhor, but that these negative traits possess positive gifts. They are there to guide us to where our hearts long to go, to a place where compassion lives. By owning and embracing what we most fear and hate, we’re able to bring ourselves back into balance. As Deepak Chopra says, “Non-judgment creates silence of the mind.” A silent mind is clear to hear the words of our greatest good, words from Spirit.

We all have the opportunity to clean out our castles. To open the doors to every room. We can step inside and clear out the dust that hides the brilliance and beauty of each room. We can see that each room calls for something different in order to shine bright. Some of our rooms need love and acceptance. Some need revamping. Others just want attention. No matter what thing each room needs, we know that we are able to give it. If we want to live to our full magnitude, we have to allow all parts of our magnificent selves to stand and be respected. We must step out of our bubble of false perceptions and stand in a wave of new clarity. As individuals, we have to expand our internal consciousness to include every part of our humanity. If you saw yourself as a small house, you have to create the internal space necessary to hold an entire castle.

Do you really want inner peace? If you do, it’s yours. Surrender. Stop fighting. Stop defending. Stop pretending. Stop denying. Stop lying to yourself. Own up to your defenses, your walls, to the cage that surrounds you. Don’t strive for perfection, because it’s the desire for perfection that leads us to build these walls. Strive for wholeness, and for light and dark to live equally. Just as every thing has a light side and a dark side, so does every person, because to be human is to be it all.

I heard a great story told by Guru Mayi, the leader of the Siddha Yoga Foundation. The ruler of a prosperous kingdom sends for one of his messengers. When he arrives the King tells him to go out and find the worst thing in the entire world, and bring it back within a few days. The messenger departs, and returns days later, empty-handed. Puzzled, the King asks, “What have you discovered? I don’t see anything.” The messenger says, “Right here, Your Majesty,” and sticks out his tongue. Bewildered, the King asks the young man to explain. The messenger says, “My tongue is the worst thing in the world. My tongue can do many horrible things. My tongue speaks evil and tells lies. I can overindulge with my tongue which leaves me feeling tired and sick, and I can say things that hurt other people. My tongue is the worst thing in the world.” Pleased, the King then commands the messenger to go out and find him the best thing in the entire world.

The messenger leaves hurriedly, and once again he comes back days later with nothing in his hands. “Where is it?” the King shouts out. Again, the messenger sticks out his tongue. “Show me,” the King says. “How can it be?” The messenger replies, “My tongue is the best thing in the world, my tongue is a messenger of love. Only with my tongue can I express the overwhelming beauty of poetry. My tongue teaches me refinement in tastes and guides me to choose foods that will nourish my body. My tongue is the best thing in the world because it allows me to chant the name of God.” The King is well satisfied, and he appoints the messenger to become foremost among his personal advisors.

We all have the tendency to see things as black and white. But there is good and bad, and dark and light in everything. To deny it anywhere is to deny it everywhere. There is nothing we can see that is not God, and when we can see that in ourselves then we are able to see it in everyone.

Our deepest longing is for peace, love, and harmony. Our life is a brief, precious journey, and our mandate is the expression of our unique gifts. To express our individuality is to reclaim our divinity. It’s easy to lose sight of that which is most precious. Don’t withhold your love or your forgiveness. Don’t hide your compassion or your grace. Our most important relationship is with ourselves, our whole being, including our shadow. It’s important to remember that all good relationships are continuous. We need to continually grow and overcome obstacles that get in our way. Good relationships challenge us to become more than we may think we are. They compel us to stretch ourselves, to expand our hearts. We must become intimate with our shadow selves; they are a holy and sacred part of each of us. You need only commit to staying in the process of seeing yourself, of loving yourself, and the process of opening your heart. Appreciate your divinity and you will appreciate the gift of life. In this state you’ll begin to immerse yourself in the wonderful, mystical experience of being human.