The Path of Darkness and Light

When Maharishi Mahesh Yogi traveled in the Unites States, an aspiring young spiritual traveler saw him standing with a number of disciples at the airport. She mustered all her courage and went up to him and introduced herself. They talked for a short while and at the end she asked him if he had any advice for her. He smiled and replied "As a matter of fact, I do". He took a piece of paper and wrote one word on it. Enjoy! She immediately understood what it meant. When she returned home she tabled her holy mission and started embracing life instead.

If your heart is attracted to activities that our society or spirituality looks at suspiciously, what will you do? You struggle to stay away, but it seems that there is an invisible force that is driven you towards it. Don’t be afraid if this is happening to you. Follow your heart and engage in these activities with an open mind. What choice do you have anyway. Just let go of the notions of good and bad and do what is right for you and your spiritual path.

An Aghori master - this is the discipline of studying the not so holy activities - once gave three pieces of advice for embracing the darker aspects of life: Never hurt anyone, don't keep any secrets, and never regret.The reason behind it is pretty straightforward. If you engage with the not so holy activities you in fact do what your ego tells you to do. But the capricious fellow will soon beat you up for following his advice. However, if you follow these three rules your ego will have no ammunition. After all, you don't hurt anyone's feelings and he can also not accuse you of keeping secrets. Of course he will tell you that you jeopardized your spiritual path forever, but if you felt that you were following Her cues, just ignore the chatter in your head.

Trust in the good intention of Tao; She must have some plans for you if you try your best and still can't shake these temptations. Follow your heart and Her cues; let yourself experience them with courage and consciousness. You might get on a rocky path but that may just mean that the ego wants to sent her on a guilt trip just as it has sent you on this dark alley in the first place. Whatever you do, just get done what you have to. If you follow Her path, you will always be offered an outcome that leads to liberation, wholeness and love. At this moment, you will be amazed by the Tao’s wisdom and foresight.

A spiritual path is a journey designed to discover that you are so much more than who you currently think you are. These so-called dark experiments are there to open your eyes and understand that you are not your desires. Where is the harm in that? Moreover, if you accept that you are driven like everyone else by subconscious forces beyond your control, it will be so much easier to tolerate the journeys of your soul siblings. "Been there, done that" is a holy mantra for all of us. Break free from your self-imposed limitations and patterns. Understand that there is a good seed in every bad thing just as there is a seed of destruction in every success and you will be whole.

By Christian and Su Zhen