You Are a Hero

When the Global Financial Crisis broke out in 2008, my colleague told me a funny story. He said that he must have looked a little pale when he went to work on the day Lehman Brothers went under because his wife said to him, 'Why do you look so depressed? You should feel like a soldier who finally has the opportunity to prove himself in battle!' Well, little did I know then that I would be that soldier who had to march against forces that seemed larger than life. My spiritual journey started in earnest around that time and the first few steps seemed scary. No matter where I looked, at home, at work, everywhere really, monsters seemed to pop out of dark corners. In retrospect, these monsters have always been around, but for the first time I took them all head-on. Life makes you a hero, and as each experienced Tao traveler knows, you set yourself up for it, so just do what you were born to do.

All the monsters were all smokescreens in the end. Life can turn a little theatrical on you just to force you to make a decision. Left or right - you are bombarded with endless choices until one fine day you get the hang of it. Choose love is the imperative and when in doubt, experience how the Tao makes the conclusion as plain to you as 1 2 3; but a little struggle you have to expect in the beginning just because you still have psychological baggage to throw overboard. A snake that shakes off her old skin has to wiggle a little, right?

I also was never alone. When your spiritual journey signs you up for something, giants will walk next to you as you will soon discover for yourself. Expect help just in the nick of time, even from your so-perceived enemies. You will learn along your journey that every voice matters - loud or soft, intimidating or hesitant, friendly or rude. The Tao leads you beyond good or evil. Your story will also have a meaningful ending for you just because the ending was written eons before you were born. Whatever happens will propel you to the next spiritual level. There is nothing to fear; an experienced Tao traveler is not even afraid of fear itself because it simply doesn't exist if you don't believe that it does.

Spiritual Transitions

During the global financial crisis our economic experts were caught like deer in the headlight. They had never seen a global meltdown like that, and they had no theoretical tools to deal with it. After all, their premise had always been that markets are efficient and the financial system had always been thought of as the grease in the wheels, so how to get out of the mess when the financial system happens to be cause of the crisis?

The spiritual journey is similar. You are not where you want to be and just reading book after book that tells you how it will be like once you are 'there' is, well, not very helpful. You are here and not 'there'. Jed McKenna in 'Enlightenment - The Damnedest Thing' pointed out that it might not be very helpful to just pretend that you are already there, hoping that eventually you will be. No, you are here so please find your unique way to take the next step. Ignore the so-called experts, they are not in your shoes and they can't help you. Only you can find your unique solution to your problems; actually, exactly that happens to be your mission.

Jesus and Buddha are described to have battled their personal demons the moment before the final curtain lifted. You may have a similar psychological experience, or you might not. The trick is not to get lost in the 'I must not' trap, but rather make your decisions moment by moment. There is nothing to be afraid of - please accept who you are and see what unique choices you can come up with to get from here to 'there'. The Tao is always there and gives you perfect feedback on whatever your struggles might be. Question everything and leave no stone unturned. You don't need to mimic Jesus or Buddha, they already did their job, we need you to show up instead. One decision at a time is the motto, and don't worry, every mistake is a perfect opportunity to try again. It's your transition, please have fun with it.