The Labyrinth of Self

It is time to reach inward, my friend. This super hero perfectionist culture is bringing you down. Stop for a minute, you don't need any superpower or motivational talk to rush you back onto your feet.

I know what it feels like to become a dam that is ready to burst. You've tried so hard, but nothing seems to be working. At times, you lack the courage you wished you possessed. You feel stuck, maybe lost. For once, stop grasping for whatever it is you are seeking: it's ok to fall apart.

The light is made of the darkness, my friend. One cannot exist without the other. Embrace what is here. You are allowed to display anger, sadness or fear, to betray yourself obliviously, and even to be a little uncaring, arrogant, greedy or intolerant.

In the labyrinth of Self, it is easy to get lost. That's ok. And with that, I'm not condoning unethical behavior - just blocking out the inner critic from scolding and berating you. Remember: shame and self-loathing are neither helpful nor warranted. So relax a little, acknowledge the depth of your humanness, and open your eyes to the mercy existing within you.

The labyrinth of self isn't nearly as bad as it looks. And though navigating the maze when there are no road posts available to help us out can be quite disorienting, we can learn how to glide our way through every turn by looking at things differently.

To begin with, it is useful to see "the maze as a test of courage, a way to find yourself by getting lost," as Mcconnachie puts it. After all, there is no finish line to this endless exploration called life. When the walls are demolished, we're back discovering at the start.

Secondly, there is absolutely nothing wrong with feeling what we are feeling or even not knowing exactly what it is we are experiencing. It's about time we broke through the illusion of needing to have it together the whole damn time. A word of warning: our instagrammable, virtually colored lives might suffer a hard blow, here.

No magic wand delivers "happily ever after." But we don't need to be striving for constant happiness or perpetual positivity either. Like any other emotion, happiness comes and goes. Understanding that well-being, on the other hand, is available in the now and is not dependent on any external factor or circumstance can be quite a relief.

And here is the payoff: by being real and honest with ourselves, we get to be free. Stepping into the mystery of our magical darkness means embarking on a wondrous ride that never quite ends up being what we had expected. What fortuity could be more enriching than this?

For even when we know we've lost our way and a soggy stretch of weather lurks ahead, life becomes strangely mesmerising. When we stop controlling our experience, we relax into the magical unknown. This is when the daunting maze transforms into an enchanted garden. We need not hope, then, for the storm to pass quickly for if we look closer than we've ever looked, we'll find the rain naturally descends to clear out what stands in our way.

So I tell you: "Animo, amigo!" Getting lost in the maze may not be the funnest game you've played so far, but it is way more empowering than what you could imagine. In a moment, you'll have eyes to see what it means to be fully human. And though you may still be silently quivering, it will not be far now before your heart explodes from within you and compassion breaks through like lighting splitting the air.

Try looking onto the sky, now. Can you see the invisible thread of love connecting us all? Let the winds of this passing storm shake you open. Let them rattle your fortified tower. Trust me, you will not perish. In the fullness of your aloneness, you will not be lonely. You are made of stardust and this is the law: when you listen to yourself, the universe will never turn a deaf ear to your cry.

Be willing to overhear yourself, now. Beyond your thoughts and stories, dive into the raw realm of feeling. Let the rain pour down on you. Hail the dark, defencelessly. Fear not: this earth shattering moment is the dawn of spiritual self-care - the end to all petty protectionist behavior.

Through it all, do not escape your aloneness. This creative solitude is where you mysteriously relate to everyone and everything around you. This maze is the great expanse of the soul. Here is where purpose surges and serenity awakens.

Here, love fiercely takes over what you once believed you couldn't bear.

Get lost here, my friend. Don't back away one inch of ground from what you are feeling. Be ready to tread through that emotional landscape, breath with it all the way down to your gut. For it is in this labyrinth of self that you discover your true voice; show yourself unapologetically; worship your body; embrace your trauma; dissolve the clouds lingering over your past so you can become all that you can possibly be and more. Not for status or glory; but for the unfeigned delight of being who you truly are.

So now you know: getting lost is finding yourself. And though the journey around the maze may not always be as smooth as you had hoped, if you listen close enough you might even hear God's voice rising within you, soft and sweet. You can be sure you are always being guided, then. The road ahead of you is lit, my friend.

What more could you possibly want?