In the early hours of a Tuesday morning in mid-April 2011, I woke up with a start, a fading image of a dream clearly imprinted in my mind. I was looking at the palm of my left hand. Tattooed on it was a six-sided star inside of which sat a Buddha in lotus position, naked from the waist up, eyes closed, a faint smile crossing his lips. Around the star are inscribed the words: “LEAVE THE MOUNTAIN NOW”.
For days, the words and image haunted me. They were clearly a message, but what were they telling me? I meditated upon them, and came to understand that more than a directive, this was an invitation to take a step that perhaps I have been reluctant to take.
I am, by nature, a private person although to others I appear gregarious and extroverted. I tend to reserve my opinions, not wanting to offend; or perhaps more truthfully, not daring to stand out and express what I truly believe.
On the mountain, I’m safe. No one can judge my ideas. I have journals filled with reflections on the goings-on of my everyday life, insights into how to resolve difficult situations and what their higher meaning may be – because ultimately I believe all these experiences do serve a higher purpose, and, for me, that purpose is for the Soul to heal, to use the Universal energy of Love to finally integrate, rather than reject, all those emotional and mental fragments of its Self that no longer serve its growth. As those fragments are transformed into light, room is created for even more Light, more of what is uniquely Divine in each one of us, to shine through.
In that sense, we are all on the same journey, a journey towards Mastery of the Self and its dramas, so that the Soul may manifest in all of its brilliance.
Almost ten years ago, on the heels of 9/11, I embarked on a 5000-kilometre Walk for Peace, following the Way of the Soul to Jerusalem, proclaiming that to change the world, we had to first change ourselves; that to have peace, we had to be peace, and then act in consequence. That journey didn’t end in Jerusalem. I still find nuances in its myriad lessons. The most uncomfortable part of the journey was, and still is, sharing my spiritual beliefs. They too have evolved with time and moved into territory I still struggle to speak about outside the confines of my close circle of friends who, not surprisingly, share those views.
But we must all eventually leave the mountain. And if not now, when? I’ll never feel prepared enough, wise enough, confident enough, or even worthy enough. I’m battling (and trying to love!) the same demons that have always walked alongside me. We each have a unique gift to offer the world, and hiding it serves no one, least of all the Soul. Mine is to speak simply and with authenticity, so that my words awaken a spark in the heart of the reader, and not merely in the mind.
So here goes. In this blog, I will share with you my reflections and experiences in the everyday, how I see the world and interpret all that happens in it. The blog will continue to evolve, as I will, and so I welcome your thoughts and feedback, and will try to incorporate as many of them into my entries as possible.
It is most fitting, not to mention ironic, that I launch this blog on the heels of the announcement of the death of Osama bin Laden, just as his attacks on 9/11 launched my Walk for Peace. Clearly this is a most significant event, one whose implications I am still digesting along with the rest of you. I will be sure to share my reflections soon and hope that you will do the same.
With love and light,
Mony
