THE POINT OF NO RETURN

"The process of going beyond the known turned out to be as simple and mechanical as channeling, but the risk/reward features were arranged differently. My first encounter was with a labyrinth of sorts, one that summoned uncertainty and fueled fears. I felt lost within the labyrinth, it held fast and did not yield. My awareness urged me on, but I only saw a tangled web, a maze that led nowhere. I was lightheaded and my body felt as dense as a stack of bricks. Unsure of what to do next I began to set aside the human armaments that we are accustomed to carrying – the ones that make us feel special or important, knowledgeable and wise. When we disrobe we reveal our essential, vulnerable self. To access the unknown we must sometimes leave the known completely behind, and that’s what I did. The labyrinth became an open-ended corridor and I easily crossed its length. I next encountered a maelstrom of energy that I can best describe as an electrical storm. I was swept into it with little warning. Turning back may have been an option, but not one I was willing to consider.

When the storm subsided I found myself in the proverbial “cave of wonders” – the dwelling place of all the glamorous gifts and treasures most of us have longed for. My name was inscribed upon everything so there was little doubt that it was there for me – secrets to esoteric knowledge, ointments for eternal youth, ladders to success and more. I longed to touch these things, to possess them. And then I heard the words, “if you remain steadfast and single in your vision you will find a road that did not previously exist. It will lead to a sanctuary where mind and heart are not separate, but one. The treasure glitters and calls to you, but is sugarcoated with illusion. Look again and see it for what it is. Continue on.” And I did, but it was one of the harder things I have done.

A new road did appear out of nowhere, but it seemed to lead back the way I had come. Was forward the past and backward the future? The road eventually led to an expanded state of awareness, but not the one I had imagined. It led to a more developed, or progressed version of my own mind, what I now call the Inclusive Mind. As the name implies, the Inclusive Mind does not dismiss or cancel abstract or illogical thoughts. Instead, it takes a more modern approach by developing thoughts into ideas and then advancing or “progressing” them through time. It projects them onto the canvas of our ordinary life, allowing us to see thoughts as active possibilities. The Inclusive Mind is where our thoughts and feelings dwell when we are not busy struggling into and out of the problems and situations associated with being human. It supports our dreams and desires and frames them within a creative structure."

Pepper Lewis