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The Alchemy Of The Soul

Vikram Joshi

2012 Vikram Joshi. All rights reserved.

CHAPTER ONE

I heard a soft rustling, which was just an octave below the background tourist noise. The pale moonlight reflected off the contours of the Taj Mahal in the distance, and I felt too mesmerized to look around. Also, I was tired of life, and did not care if the sound were that of a cobra's movements. The Taj seems to have come straight out of a fairy tale. There is something about the monument that has been noticed by millions of visitors who have seen it over the centuries. It is too pure to really be here on Earth, surrounded by all the sordidness and squalor prevalent in the world around it. And it is precisely this purity, and its ethereal beauty, that has the miraculous effect of lifting you out of the depression and drudgery of daily life, into a vast elevated space where love, truth, beauty, and magic have a tangible meaning. I was very sad because I had lost my father the previous month. Although we had had a very strained

relationship, his death had completely shattered me. I had really loved him from my inner core; and though from the outside I had constantly warred against his dominance, it had really only been an exterior rejection. But, he had passed away, after his fight with cancer, and I had not been able to communicate my true feelings to him. I had also discovered some partly-finished letters written by him in the final stages of his battle with death, in which he had written that he loved me, and that I was a Sun for him, not just a son. My cup of grief brimmed over and overflowed. I hated myself from my guts for all that I had said to him; but there is no second chance in life, and I got none. I had lost all desire to live and became listless and tired of life. I did not even notice the man sitting on the bench beside me, as I got up and walked away. Later, as I lay tossing and turning under the strange blankets of the guest house that night, I recalled hearing the faint rustling sounds. And along with them came the sense of a presence looking deep into me as I had sat there on the bench--as if searching my soul for

something. But then I was almost asleep, and it was late. And even as I grasped for meaning, the clouds of sleep gathered around me and spun their gossamer magic over my thoughts. I slept and had forgotten all about it by the next morning.

*** The Master says: Forgiveness is one of the most important lessons we can learn. Life is giving and forgiving. And in our heart of hearts, we are all givers, it is only the rare coldhearted person who scorns life, and affronts all. It is in our instincts to despise such an attitude in others. But what we do not condone in others, we ourselves do in our thoughtless moments. Therefore, it is very important to be constantly mindful of our thinking. Many thoughts lurk there, and slink past, which we would never allow in our more rational moments. And, a direct alignment of thought, speech, and deed is the mark of a human being. The universal scale on which they shall be measured, and receive their just dues. For, in reality, although there is no judgment, or punishment, or reward, it is we ourselves who will pluck our own fruits. Therefore forgive, for you know not what you yourself feel half of the time. If everybody learns forgiveness, we shall all be saved from the fruits of what we all think, and speak,

and do, in our unwary moments. Forgive, so that you may be forgiven too, and that you may not need to treat yourself too harshly. Forgive others, indeed, that you may forgive yourself.

*** The Master says: What do we feel when we identify with a label, or with a category? We feel as if we are that label or category. But is that not false? Is it not, that what we feel we are, is what we actually were? Every identification with a label is a separation from what we actually are, in this new moment of the NOW. Step forward into the new reality every time. Shed your old skin. Do not return to the past. The world is freshly created every moment, stay with it. A fresh start in a new moment is the greatest blessing we can receive. Accept it. The eternal now is only a step away, from where you are stuck. Take that step, and liberate yourself from the tyranny of your past. When you throw off the shackles of the past, you will see the glorious future, and the infinite possibilities that await you, on the other side of now.

*** The Master says: Do not be afraid. Take away your defensive fences, and boldly, publicly admit your weaknesses and faults to others. Spread the knowledge of your waywardness in the world, rather than hiding it in the closet. And do not be afraid of the repercussions, because in the end you will be strengthened. You will be derided, laughed at, and scorned. But steel yourself and have no concern for such opinions. Rather, engage yourself in cultivating your own self. And slowly, you will see a new respect emerge in people's eyes. An awe for the inner strength you must command, to be able to bring the skeletons out of your closet, unashamed. And one day you will receive the ultimate tribute, a shamefaced confession of a similar human failing, from the very ones who had laughed at your naivety. For, as humans, we are all the progeny of the collective human mind, and are all subject to similar lapses.

Hiding the malady, or hiding behind a mask, only exacerbates the problem. Being open and forthright is the only cure for our psyche's ills.

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