Ryan Baxter's Blog: WHY AM I HERE?

THE NEVER ENDING SURPRISE

Life is a never ending surprise. You never know from where that surprise will spring. Or whom it might come through. Recently I found myself watching Keith Urban (an Australian singer married to Nicole Kidman) deliver a tribute to Nicole during the American Film Institute’s Life Achievement Awards. It was during these remarks that he shared one of his favorite sayings while describing Nicole’s approach to Life:

We are all spiritual beings having a human experience.

Did that ever resonate. In every fiber of my being. It sent me on an immediate search for the source. To my surprise it originated with a 20th century French Jesuit, paleontologist, theologian, philosopher, and priest named Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. A more complete version of the saying goes like this:

We are not human beings having a spiritual experience.
We are spiritual beings having a human experience.

Now the expression shone in all its breathtaking beauty. Gratitude welled up inside me to be given such a gift. Even if you know this to be true, hearing this insight expressed with such clarity brings it into sharp focus.

Of the many labels we could hang around de Chardin’s neck, I would choose "mystic." He was a clearly a mystic, a dangerous state of spiritual being for a priest of the Catholic Church, and he would come within an inch of being excommunicated for daring to give voice to his insights.

His biography reflects the constant peril of a soul who has glimpses of the truth, but is forced to hide his light under a bushel. He dared not shine too brightly or the Church would exorcise him. He lived under this threat his entire adult life and had to record his insights in secret. How sad when an organized belief system stifles the voices of those whose awareness has awakened to the truth. How sad that belief systems by their very nature only have room for the approved dogma. To stray from the path brings doom.

In the world, survival almost always takes precedence over growth. Belief systems automatically prioritize their continuance over the growth of individuals, a choice that sadly undermines both. Which means that belief systems dare not allow individuals to grow to their fullest potential. Otherwise, what use will individuals have for belief systems?

It is the nature of the world that there are those times when individuals need belief systems at different stages of their evolution. Belief systems can be helpful, provide structure and even meaning for those who need both. But there comes a time when you must transcend belief systems if you are ever to be free.

Once you have seen the truth for yourself, you are capable of seeing it everywhere. Because the truth always comes from the same source. It comes from the heart of Existence. And truth is unshakable because it arises from the unshakable.

We are spiritual beings having a human experience.

When you switch the direction, when you move from a human seeking spiritual enlightenment to a spiritual being having the experience of being in a human form, everything changes. Everything changes. Why is this you might ask? Because we are first and foremost spirit. We were meant to bring this spirit onto this stage we call the world and infuse the world and our human lives with the Divine. Perhaps more to the point, we were meant to live so completely that our spiritual and human selves merge.

Only, we have forgotten our source, our origins. All of our problems have arisen from our forgetfulness... What a wonderful, marvelous reminder de Chardin has given us: We are spiritual beings having a human experience! If we start from that direction, everything falls into place. It all makes sense.

When a mystic speaks, he speaks in the language of the Infinite. While you may know words such as creation, being, truth, and love; you know them in a limited way, the way they apply to the world. But when a mystic uses a word like love, the word carries the music of Existence, all the mystery and beauty. The word becomes Love, something that embraces an understanding that only those who have opened their own hearts can truly appreciate.

We have divided our lives into the worldly and the spiritual. You may well be familiar with this verse from the Bible: “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” This is the very expression of duality, the separation of matter and spirit. This is the way people normally approach Life, by making the distinction. And it makes a certain sense if we are first and foremost human beings having a spiritual experience.

But when you flip it around— We are spiritual beings having a human experience—everything changes. Now there is no need to wait until death to experience the Kingdom of Heaven. You don’t have to postpone until some indefinite time in some indeterminate future. Instead you transform this world into the Kingdom of Heaven, you infuse the world with the spirit. You may call it Nirvana or Paradise or whatever term you wish. The point is that as spiritual beings we can create anything we want. And creating Heaven on Earth is easy enough for those who understand.

However it is expressed, everything comes back to Love: “Whatever the question, Love is the Answer.” As humans we too often find that love is ephemeral. That is the human experience and the source of so much heartache. But as spiritual beings we know another truth—Love lies at our center. Love embraces everything and everyone.

If we are looking to find the building blocks of the Universe, we have found the source. And that source is Love. This Love has no beginning. And no end. It just is, the ultimate mystery. And the source of the magic. If you awaken to Love within yourself, what do you discover? That your Love can grow and grow and grow. Endlessly, until you embrace everything and everyone.

Once you understand, it doesn’t matter how you express it. You will learn to live it, to merge so deeply with Life, with Existence, that nothing is left but this wondrous understanding. You will burn so bright with the truth that all who draw near will see the path illuminated for themselves.

It is time to remember who you are—this spiritual being who dances upon the Earth, even as the sweetest music fills the air. When you look into another person’s eyes you will see this same spirit looking back at you. You will see the Oneness of Life. Let this reminder resonate deep inside.

I will close with just one additional insight that illustrates so beautifully what de Chardin has generously shared with us:

Matter is spirit moving slowly enough to be seen.

This insight is such a gift who would dare to ask for more. How utterly delightful. And yet Life is constantly showering us with blessings. We just need eyes to see.

THE SONG OF LOVE

Here’s the Song of Love,
shining and new.
Oh, here’s the Song of Love,
sung just for you.
Here’s the Song of Love,
open your heart.
Here’s the Song of Love,
that’s where you start.

Where do you start? There comes a time when words are no longer needed. There comes a time when questions drop. There comes a time when that which you have been seeking finds you. There comes a time when you stand in the presence of the Divine, when you come face to face with God, when you dance with Existence under the stars.

That time comes when you can hear the music. Anyone can listen to words. Anyone can ask questions, seek clarification. But to hear the music is the moment of transformation. When a great soul speaks, it is… a song. What they have to say is not limited to words. No, there is an underlying music. And that music conveys something that words can only echo.

The Song of Love is not a one time event. It does not belong to a single individual. Instead the Song of Love is always shining and new. When a great soul awakens, it is inevitable. He or she begins to sing. It doesn’t matter how or where or when this happens.

Twenty-five hundred years ago, upon awakening to his true nature, the Buddha began to sing. Initially he shared his song with just five companions on the Path who had gathered in the Deer Park, near Varanasi. His song was not intellectual. It grew from his direct experience. It was a song the Buddha would sing for the next forty years, growing sweeter with each rendition, shared with an ever-growing audience.

While some songs are lost in the mists of time, so many great souls have burst into song: Mahavirha, Lao Tzu, Jesus, Mohammad, Krishna, Guru Nanak. While we are more likely to recognize the songs of those who have left a religion in their wake, don’t think the Song of Love is limited to times past. The song is sung for every succeeding generation. It is has been sung repeatedly in our own time.

Some of those who have raised their voices to join this chorus more recently include Osho, Krishnamurti, Gurdjieff, and Ramana Maharshi. And the one dearest to my heart, Mother Stella. Not all of those who sing trod the stage so visibly. Nor have they returned with any intention to found a religion. Religions too often focus on the words and miss the music. To miss the music is to miss everything that matters. What great souls do instead is to embrace everything. And everyone.


Here’s the Song of Love,
raise your voice high.
Oh, here’s the Song of Love,
reach to the sky.
Here’s the Song of Love,
look deep inside.
Here’s the Song of Love,
No need to hide.

It is the nature of a song that it simply bursts forth. It doesn’t require an audience, not even an audience of one. But if someone comes in the presence of a great soul, a moment is born. Because to hear even a note of the music is the most incredible opportunity. Nothing is more powerful than the Song of Love.

The song is not aimed at your mind or intellect. Instead the Song of Love goes straight to the one place that matters. What is it about beautiful music that so touches us? I realize it is ever tempting to turn to science for an explanation. Science postulates that music activates the brain regions called the limbic and paralimbic, both connected to a euphoric response.

Only… That explanation misses the mark. If you walk into an art gallery or museum and see a painting that you love, does it help to explain that response intellectually? Do you love a piece of art because of its technique, its composition, its constituent parts? Is that what you respond to?

Why do you love a certain person? Does it not work the same way? Any attempt on your part to define or explain this love immediately goes off the rails. It diminishes that love. If love is present, it is enough to celebrate. What is it about the Song of Love that touches us so deeply? Quite simply, it awakens the Divine within us. This is why the Song of Love is so powerful. This is why even a single note can transform you. When this happens, there is no longer any need to hide.

Here’s the Song of Love,
shining and true.
Oh, here’s the Song of Love,
my gift to you.
Here’s the Song of Love,
now you can sing.
Here’s the Song of Love,
now you have wings.

Now you can see the song for what it is—part of the magic of Life. Because this is the real gift of a great soul. Not just to sing for you, but to encourage you to sing, to discover your own voice. To spread your own wings, to soar high. Great souls are sharing more than their song, however. They are sharing their very beings. And it is this sharing which will give you a jumpstart. The real gift is the gift of love.

The gift of love… This is what Mother Stella has given to each of us, a treasure beyond price. It is the treasure which lives in the heart of every human being. She would tell us to start by loving ourselves because once you do, miracles unfold. If loving the world or the universe seems like too big a task, begin with just one person.

If you are looking for your soulmate, open your heart to love and that person will be irresistibly drawn to you. Your true love will cross any distance, time and space itself, to find you so that you can be together. By loving even one person, you open yourself to a universe of possibilities. Because now love can reach you. And remember, Love is Infinite. It can grow and grow until your love embraces every living soul.

I know. It sounds crazy. Absurd, impractical. A thousand objections arise. I’m just one person, you argue. I can’t possibly love everyone. And yet… You are vast beyond imagining. Listen closely to this most beautiful of open secrets: You may just be a seed now, but water that seed with love and you will grow into an enormous tree that touches heaven and earth simultaneously. You will grow into the Universal Being you were meant to be. That spark inside will turn into a blazing fire.

You are vast beyond imagining… Now that you know of the end, you can see the possibility of the beginning. No one is forgotten. No one is left behind. Here is the real covenant. Life has not forsaken you. Life is just waiting for you to be reminded of who you truly are. Can you hear the music now?

Sometimes there are those moments when you feel this truth, when you touch the Divine. Trust that feeling. Turn your face to the Divine. Look deep inside. See the light that illuminates you and spills out to embrace every living soul. Raise your voice high. Now it is your turn to sing, to join in this most beautiful of songs.

Thank you, Mother Stella. Thank you for the gift of your song.

LOVE IS THE ANSWER

What ever the question, Love is the Answer.

Does your heart not overflow with gratitude in the presence of this gift that Mother Stella has shared with us? She has shared her very being by pointing us to the heart of Life. She has opened the door to the greatest magic in the world, Universal Love. To be in the presence of Universal Love is so overpowering that words cannot capture the experience. Even if you have yet to experience the inner radiance, know that it awaits you.

Know that one day you will stand in the presence of the Divine and be forever changed. Know that change will spill over to embrace everyone you love. It is so powerful that your whole world will be transformed in an instant. You will never see Life in the same way. How do I know this to be true? Because this has been my experience as well.

I had just turned seven that summer so many years ago, spending my school vacation on my grandparents’ farm. We were having a dry spell. Grandma sent me up the road to the Community House with instructions to water the flowers she had planted on each side of the steps to the porch.

As there was no running water at the Community House—it had once been a one-room schoolhouse—I had to walk down the hill to the creek to fill my buckets. The buckets were those old-fashioned kind: galvanized steel, solid and heavy, with wire handles that cut into your hands. I watered the first six flowers, struggling up the hill with the water sloshing over the sides of the buckets to cool my bare legs. After three trips, I took a break and sat down on the steps to give my arms and hands a rest the way kids do.

I was just sitting there, doing nothing special. Suddenly the world around me was transformed by radiance. It was like Dorothy arriving in Oz, and I was speechless with wonder. While children often see the world as a beautiful place (and the farm was a beautiful place tucked away in its own secret valley), this was more than beauty.

Even though I was only a barefoot boy, something in me knew I was in the presence of God. I stood up as my arms slowly reached to the sky. I could see Life shining around me and feel it shining inside me. It was as though a curtain had lifted. For that moment I saw the whole world and everything in it as Divine, filled to the overflowing with Love, a Love that wrapped me in its sweet embrace. Never had I felt so completely loved as in that moment.

While I was too young to analyze this happening, regardless of age we are all like beloved children in the presence of God. Our thoughts, words, opinions, beliefs, or dogmas drop away. Our uncertainties and questions fade into nothingness. In that moment nothing else exists but Love.

That same something inside me knew not to talk about this experience to the grown-ups. Still, it carried such power that even this brief taste of the Divine left no doubt. This was an awakening, a first step. Although there would be more to follow, I will always be grateful to Life for this beautiful gift.

As I grew older, I might question many things. But I never questioned the existence of God. While my understanding of God has grown as I have grown, the experience of God stays with you for a lifetime. While I prefer the word “Existence” to “God,” it doesn’t really matter. Once you have had the experience of the Universal God, it is yours. My seven-year-old self may not have been so articulate, but a glimpse of that young face would have spoken volumes. What I was shown that day is true for each and every living soul. Love embraces everything. And everyone.

Nothing would give me greater joy than to take you by the hand and share this experience with you, to watch as your eyes light up, as you bloom in the presence of the Divine. Only, it seems, I must be patient. I must allow everything to happen in its own time, at its own pace. I must allow you to be surprised, just as I was surprised. I must allow Life to open your eyes when you are ready. Hmmm… Are you ready yet?

Love is the Answer… You have been seeking the answer to to your existence for so long. You have searched in every corner of the world, behind every bush, under every rock. You have traveled to the ends of the Earth in search of this answer. You would be willing to travel to the ends of the Universe. You have come back lifetime after lifetime to renew your search. If you must travel all these paths, if you need all these lifetimes; then this is how it must be.

You may feel that the answer should be something more mysterious, something more unexpected, something more dramatic. Love seems too ordinary. But rejoin me for a moment on the steps of the Community House. See through my eyes as the curtain lifts and the magic begins. Watch as everything is lit from within, as the world bursts forth in a blaze of color, as each and everything is radiant with the Divine. Feel that same blaze inside as the spark within lights up your world.

To be in the presence of the Divine… It is unlike any experience you have ever had. Or ever contemplated. You are so filled with wonder and joy. And this world that you thought you knew… To see the world through the eyes of Love will leave you speechless.

Love is the Answer… It might sound like a cliché. Or a song title. But when you have the experience, no one needs to convince you. No one needs to argue the point. You see it for yourself. To be wrapped in Universal Love is to come home, even if it is for this brief moment. Even a taste will transform you. Remember what Mother Stella once told you: Take but a single step in the direction of God, and God will come running to you.

God will come running to you… I was just a seven-year-old kid, sitting on the stairs, doing nothing special, enjoying the sweetness of a summer’s afternoon. I wasn’t on a quest. I wasn’t searching for the answer to my existence. But from that very first moment, something within me knew this was God. Nothing was said, no angels sang Hallelujah from on high in confirmation. Instead the whole world reverberated with this wordless joy.

When you are in the presence of the Divine, you are one with this presence. There is no room for doubt, for interpretation, for second guessing. Nothing can compete with the presence of God. If by now a smile has moved from your heart to light up your face, there is part of you who understands. Because this is the way of Life, to reach out to every living soul, to sing just for you.

What ever the question, Love is the Answer.

A UNIVERSAL BEING

In a world of instantaneous communication—connected by an internet which sports streaming, tweeting, and texting,—who will remember a time when homes didn’t even have television. I can still see my four-year-old self, propped up on my elbows in front of a neighbor’s TV, thrilled by the adventures of Mighty Mouse, Tom Terrific, and the greatest of all, Superman.

I can glimpse those moments when I appropriated my mother’s battered tin funnel to balance on my head. Now I could be a proper Tom Terrific followed by Mighty Manfred the Wonder Dog trotting at my heels. Or those ongoing adventures when I tied a blanket around my shoulders and set off through the figurative skies as Superman. Maybe I couldn’t actually travel as fast as a speeding bullet or leap tall buildings in a single bound, but in my imagination, I was fearless and unstoppable.

Today the idea of becoming a superhuman, if not an outright superhero, has been embraced by many. People would like to become more than human, to acquire powers or abilities. Even if your goal falls short of becoming a superhero, perhaps you would settle for the opportunity to extend your lifespan. And science is in lockstep with this goal, whispering promises that will lead to a long sought desire: immortality. Coupled, we can only hope, with eternal youth.

If I can tear your attention away from that dream for a moment, I would like to speak of your real birthright, your true nature. Before you lock yourself into a pursuit that will end in disappointment, listen closely to one of the most beautiful insights ever offered to humankind. Draw near as Mother Stella points you in a different direction:

God grows as you grow...

Quite simply, this realization is the key that unlocks the treasure, when you stop seeing yourself as separate and start seeing yourself as part of the Divine. God grows as you grow… Even as your mind advises caution, part of you is already smiling. By embracing these five words, your whole life can change in an instant. And remember: Growth is infinite.

Mother Stella would remind us that there is a personal God and a Universal God. There is a personal self and a Universal Self. There is personal love and a Universal Love. It may seem like too big of an undertaking, but our journey through Life is to take us from the personal to the universal, to grow until we embrace everything, to become a Universal Being.

You have lived so many lifetimes, in a wide variety of forms. You have become so identified with these forms that you have forgotten your true self. You see yourself as small, limited, powerless. Of no real significance. You have become lost in the world.

What do people seek when they are lost in the world? They chase after the usual things: money, power, fame, sexual pleasure, even immortality. They wish to enhance their personal selves, to be more in the world. Sadly, this is a long road that goes nowhere. Not that you won’t learn some hard lessons if you take this road. But the more of these things you chase, the more you will learn that their promises are empty. They will never satisfy.

It’s not that you ignore the body. You absolutely take care of it. It is the physical vessel. It’s not that you ignore the world. You play your part as needed. But you are not lost in the world. You are not lost in the play. You will not chase things that are ultimately empty. You will live intelligently. You will not forget your true self.

Given that our journey is one from the personal to the universal; we must learn to transcend the personal which is limited and restricted, whether it is a personal self, a personal God, or a personal love. It can be hard to embrace the Universal. You may feel that your “self” is automatically restricted, that you can’t possibly expand to absorb and embrace everything. The world of the personal is a world defined by limits.

But the world of the Universal embraces the infinite. There is no limit to how far you can expand, how much you can grow and absorb. That said, don’t confuse this growth with what we call omniscience. Or omnipotence. These two still reflect the consciousness of limits, as though there is some finite body of knowledge that exists. Or some Laws of Nature that cannot be breached. The world of the limited can be defined. But the world of the Universal… Now you have touched on the mystery.

The real wonder of Existence is how Life manages everything so beautifully, without effort. Every look, every smile, every touch is just so. Every moment is perfect within itself. If you merge with Existence, you are not some separate god, some rogue force rampaging through the universe. No, “you” have become One with the Universe.

Now everything that happens through you arises from Life. Now everything you say or do reflects that “rightness.” Whatever comes through you is real. It will resonate both inside and outside. You don’t need to be governed by others—by commandments or laws, by dogmas or beliefs. You are like the sun in the sky. You shine equally on the world, radiating love and goodwill to all human beings.

When you embrace your inner goodness, the complications drop away. You no longer have to second guess yourself. Because whenever you follow Life, you automatically follow the right path. Let this understanding resonate deep inside until a smile lights your face. And a wordless thank you overflows your heart.

God grows as you grow… Each of us carries a seed inside, a beautiful seed just waiting to burst into bloom. These extraordinary souls like Mother Stella live among us and serve as a reminder that Life has not forgotten us. They infuse the world with beauty and mystery. And most of all magic. They are the real treasure.

Find a Master who will allow you to fulfill the promise of the seed, who will help you grow into the vast human being you were meant to be. Through his or her energy, you will awaken to become the deepest mystery, the greatest miracle. Close your eyes and see the light inside yourself.

Even if that light is just a flicker, it will grow into a blazing fire. Feel the Divine that lives inside you. Watch as your heart expands, as love overflows your being. Now you will see what matters. Now it will be your experience and no one can ever shake you again.

Mother Stella wants you to be happy. She wants you to be free. She wants you to embrace the consciousness of a true human being. You don’t have to preach. You don’t have to proselytize. You need only become this truth and everything will change around you. And inside you. You will become a great blessing to the world and a quiet joy unto yourself.

Finally, you will come home. Not to some static place, to some limited heaven. No, you will be reunited with the Divine; you will embrace the magic. And the mystery. Life will be a never ending surprise. You will absolutely delight in everything Life brings. This is what it means to be a Universal Being.

THE REAL MAGIC

How would you define magic? If you find yourself stumbling for an explanation, you can turn to the dictionary whose definition runs something like this: “The power of apparently influencing the course of events by using mysterious or supernatural forces.” Only… Now you are left to contend with another conundrum, to define “mysterious and supernatural.” If you opt to scroll farther, the dictionary provides this description for supernatural: “a manifestation or event attributed to some force beyond scientific understanding or the laws of nature.”

“The Laws of Nature. Forces beyond scientific understanding.” Hmmm… Sounds mysterious. From my experience, many people see what we call magic or the mysterious or even the supernatural as just another challenge—a challenge that requires science to ride to the rescue. All that is needed is to ensure that science has sufficient time and resources to reveal the secrets underlying that mystery. This is one approach—to define a mystery as a puzzle waiting to be solved.

Regardless of how we ultimately define magic, people often see magic as a “power,” something to master and wield in the world. This reflects our desire to control everything and everyone around us. Thus magic is reduced to a tool, or even worse, a weapon.

I can appreciate the temptation to play with magic, at least given how the world defines it—spells, fairies, powers, elves, or enchantments. White or black. This take on magic has certainly fueled a host of books, movies, and television shows. It can be fun if the creators can avoid the pitfalls of this approach (although sadly they usually stumble and fall). But if you are to grow as a human being in this lifetime, it is imperative that you understand the true nature of magic. Because what you perceive as magic is just a pale shadow of the real thing.

We shall start our journey by tossing out worldly definitions. We cannot approach magic from the intellect. Nor can we approach it still harboring some hidden agenda, where we secretly wish to control magic. As for those forces beyond scientific understanding—frankly everything that is real is beyond scientific understanding. We must embrace magic unburdened from the past. We must be willing to be surprised if magic is to ever shine again.

While you may momentarily feel like a child who has had his favorite toy confiscated, remember how Life works: When one thing is taken away, it makes room for something else. Do you remember the magic of childhood? It was a world of imagination where you could create a beautiful place. Where you could dance beneath the stars until it was time to create another beautiful place. If childhood is often described as magical, that is the way it was meant to be. Children should be encouraged to live in the richness of their imaginations.

In my younger years, I spent my summers on my grandparents’ farm, a world of busy adults who had no time to entertain a child. On one of those rare trips to town, Grandma unexpectedly bought me a ten cent toy tug boat. I can still see it, sporting a white upper deck and an orange keel. Now on my visits to the creek, I was armed with my imagination and my one prop, a glorious combination. I created whole worlds as cities rose and fell along the shale banks. I dug a canal around a small rapids and spent hours immersed in my imaginary world. It was endless fun on a summer’s afternoon.

To my great joy, Grandma also made me a stick horse—a riding horse made from a broomstick with a cloth horse’s head. Oh, the worlds of delight that opened up, as adventure after adventure unfolded. I could be anything although obviously being a cowboy was at the top of my list. And then there was the Christmas when my parents surprised me with the most wonderful of gifts: Block City. What a thrill to bring my imagination into reality as I built any and everything: castles, the Alamo, bridges, lighthouses, cathedrals.

One of the hardest parts of leaving childhood is to have the magic slowly bleed out of our lives. As we transition from child to adult, we are admonished to grow up, to leave childish things behind us. Adults must learn to face the realities of life, to cope with the complex issues of survival in the world. It is a terrible moment to leave the magic of childhood, to live a life without magic. It can be so hard.

But there is one way that magic can reawaken as we move toward adulthood. And that happens if we discover love. Yes, love as we know it in the world can be a potent and volatile force. It can cause as many tears as joy. But if we find love, the magic reappears in our lives, even if it is temporary. If we are tremendously fortunate, we will find a love that lasts a lifetime. Not that there won’t be the occasional bump in the road, but if we find love, our lives are transformed. If this has been your experience, you know what I mean.

Still, magic remains elusive. You cannot hold it in your hand. You cannot hoard it like some commodity. Either you can see it dancing around you. Or you cannot. What is sadder than a life without magic? And that is what we are facing as we head toward the future. So… What is this connection between love and magic? Are you tempted to call upon science for an explanation?

Like so many things in life, the answer is simple. It is right under your nose. Love is the real magic of Life. Love transforms the most ordinary thing into a treasure. Love is what brings a smile to your face and a song to your heart. When you held your newborn in your arms for the first time, what did you feel? When your child throws his or her arms around your neck and says, “Mommy, I love you…” How amazing that such a small moment becomes so incredibly rich.

How different the world appears when you love. How wonderful it is when you experience love in your own life. It is so simple: Shower your children with love and watch as they bloom and grow before your eyes. Shower your husband or wife, your partner, your beloved with love and watch as love brings out the best in them. Even as love brings out the best in you. Imagine if we showered Mother Earth with love; we would be surprised and amazed how the world would respond.

Now you know one of Life’s most beautiful open secrets: Love is the real magic of Life. Invite Love back into your life and watch as everything is transformed around you. And inside you. It happens without anyone directing or controlling it. And when this door opens… When you embrace this understanding, when you show love and goodwill to every living soul, you allow the greatest magic to take wing.

You don’t have to take any action. You don’t need to wield or direct magic. Because any attempt to do so will destroy magic. Magic arises when we become One with Life, when we simply enjoy the play of Life. It will become the greatest joy of your life to watch magic at play.

Given all the trials our world now faces, it is understandable that people feel powerless to intercede, to change what appears to be inevitable. But don’t give in to despair. Let this understanding resonate inside: By allowing love to overflow your heart, you become part of the magic. So… Let magic light up your heart. Let your life shine. If enough people would brighten up their corners of the world, the whole world would shine again.

THE SECRET VALLEY, Part II

The quest continues… While The Secret Valley is meant to be an old-fashioned adventure—where the struggle to acquire a relic of immense age and power sets the stage for competing factions to scheme and plot against each other—it grew into something more. Although admittedly people read novels to be entertained or to escape from their day-to-day existence, what they may not realize is that there is no greater adventure than the spiritual journey. It is an opportunity to come face to face with the great truth about yourself. And that truth is beautiful beyond imagining.

Even if you are not ready to commit to a spiritual journey yourself, you are invited to accompany Raj on his journey, an unexpected journey to be sure. Perhaps the most unexpected part of this journey occurs when Raj encounters two of the greatest souls of his time: Father Abbot in the Secret Valley and the Lama, a Tibetan Rinpoche who walks the byways of the sacred Drin Valley. What might surprise you about great souls is how human they are, brimming with humor and compassion. Not that they might reveal their light to you initially. What you are able to receive from them depends on the quality of your own heart.

The story opens when our hero has been caught unknowingly in the whirlwind of competing forces who are in pursuit of the relic. Raj has come into possession of a holy thangka which holds the clues that reveal the location of the relic. If you are unfamiliar with thangkas, they are paintings done on cotton or silk. Normally thangkas illustrate a scene from Buddhism such as a deity, a sermon, or even a mandala. They can be rolled up for storage or transport.

Because of this thangka, Raj is pursued by the various factions who scheme to grasp the relic for themselves. In his attempt to escape his pursuers, Raj finds refuge in the Secret Valley. It is here, where he meets the pivotal character of the Abbot, that the quest begins in earnest. That quest will take him across the high pass—Nangpa-la—from Nepal into Tibet. When that crossing brings Raj close to death, he is rescued by the Lama who guides him on this next stage of the quest to the Drin Valley. The Drin Valley is the home of the Chuwar Monastery where the clues point to the resting place of the relic.

As our story reaches its apparent climax, Raj is joined in the Drin Valley by the other competing forces who seek the relic. But relics can prove both slippery and evasive. While it is true that only those who are worthy will succeed, even success can be hard to measure. Always the unexpected is at play as ultimately the relic must choose its own destiny.

While I so enjoyed this opportunity to accompany Raj on his quest and experience a world long past, the greatest joy was to watch Raj grow over time as his quest grew into something unexpected—a spiritual journey. You might feel that the pursuit of a relic would constitute the highpoint of your life. But this pursuit is just an excuse. Because when Existence acknowledges that you are ready to grow into the Universal Being you were meant to be… Oh, how the magic begins. People will suddenly appear in your life, including the great souls who will fan that spark within into a blazing fire.

Shall we pause for a moment to ask this question: Who or what is more important—the lotus or the Buddha? Admittedly you can hold the lotus in your hand. You can stash it in a museum. Or a stupa. You can see a relic. You can even possess one. But a Buddha? How can you possess a Buddha? A Buddha is far more elusive than any relic.

When we are tempted to go searching for answers, Mother Stella would remind us that people have flocked in droves—lifetime after lifetime—seeking answers that lie outside themselves. So many individuals are willing to endure any hardship, to follow every clue, to search under every rock. They are convinced that if they apply themselves, they will discover the truth. That search has taken people to the ends of the Earth. “One day,” she would say, “man will take that search to the farthest reaches of space. Man will travel far from himself looking for answers. The farther the better.”

What does Raj find at the end of his own reluctant quest? One unexpected outcome is a love that rekindles his heart. And the other: a treasure which only becomes visible when his eyes and heart are opened. Near the end of the novel, Raj returns to the Secret Valley where he confesses to Father Abbot what he knows about the fate of the relic. It is during this confession that Raj is shown the truth about this human being he has known as Father Abbot.

Raj asks the one question that matters, the question that arises from a sincere seeker, of someone who has learned to trust. He asks: “What do you see when you look inside yourself?

Draw closer, because when a great soul like Father Abbott speaks, the whole world holds its collective breath. These moments are so rare, so transcendent that you must not miss: “When you see what lives in your own heart, you understand what lives in the heart of every human being. Some would call it Buddhahood. Or God. Or the Divine. I would call it Love, because it is Love that transforms us.”

With these few words, Father Abbot shines a light on the truth; not only about himself, but about each and every human being. This truth is not intellectual. It arises from his authentic experience. He has lived this truth so completely that he has become the truth, until there is no separation.

Although this truth has many names, Father Abbot has chosen to call it Love. Mother Stella would agree. Buddhahood, God, the Divine—she would acknowledge that these are just other ways to describe Love. But a Love that transcends the personal, the temporary, the way most individuals see Love. This is Universal Love, the Love that embraces everything. And everyone. This is Universal Love, the Source of All. This is the answer you seek.

In that moment, in the presence of this light, only this truth is visible to Raj. When a Master has shared a truth of this magnitude—not just as words, but as an experience—something can penetrate to the heart of the disciple as it did with Raj. Someday this truth will penetrate to your heart as well. One day you will stand in the light of this truth as your heart overflows. And everything will be clear.

Please understand that there are those individuals who have grown so much in their lifetime, those who have come to understand their true nature, that they are a treasure beyond price. The real treasure lies inside. Those few who know this to be true are a living miracle. Mother Stella was one of those rare individuals. Everything bloomed around her. And inside her. She and those great souls like her sustain the magic that holds this world together.

Let us end this journey by revealing one of the greatest of the open secrets: These great souls are the real treasure. Not some relic, not dogmas nor commentaries captured in a book. No, the real treasure can only be one thing: an Awakened human being who has discovered the truth for herself. Or for himself. This is why you go to a Master. You, too, will taste the Divine. Now your inner radiance will resonate with the inner radiance of the Master. The Master has awakened the Divine within you, this most precious of gifts. Now you can see. Now you can sing.

Oh, Mother Stella. Thank you for your presence. Thank you for your gift. Thank you for your song.

THE SECRET VALLEY, Part I

If Terra 12 involves a journey through space and time to find an inhabitable planet in a faraway solar system; The Secret Valley: A Tale of Ancient Nepal, Tibet, India, and China incorporates the quest for a lost relic, a cherished relic dating from the time of the Buddha. While that quest happens in a very different space/time continuum—1200 C.E.—the individual circumstances don’t matter. What matters is the journey.

If someone had told me years ago that I would write a novel which took place primarily in Nepal and Tibet, much less write a work of science fiction that occurred in a distant solar system… I confess. I would have been surprised. Only with hindsight can I fully appreciate why this was necessary.

Faraway planets… Ancient relics… In Terra 12, I showed you a world where greed and ignorance did not rule. Instead something much older and far wiser sustained that world. In The Secret Valley, I revealed how that same something works on Mother Earth. What has become apparent over time is the threat that has arisen from our choice to champion science, to embrace the Machine Age. Are we reduced to one last hurrah, as magic and mysticism disappear from our world?

Although I have traveled to India and Nepal, I have never visited Tibet nor China. Once these areas were forbidden, off-limits to foreigners. Sadly it has now become increasingly pointless to travel to Tibet as the magic of the past has been ground down to a caricature of what once flourished there. Meanwhile, my attempts to conduct research from afar was a reminder of how little was accessible from 1200 years ago except for the broad strokes. But how was I to do this story justice, armed only with my memories and imagination?

Fortunately, the more I entered that world, the more real that world grew. Characters would appear unbidden, to grace the stage for as long as needed. I had to laugh when I watched that delightful movie—The Man Who Invented Christmas—where Dan Stevens portrayed Charles Dickens. Remember that marvelous scene where he was seated at his desk, surrounded by his fictional characters all come to life, clamoring for his attention, demanding more time on the stage? But it was a reminder that in order to tell a story, you simply need to start. And then trust enough to allow the story to unfold gracefully in its own fashion.

Back to the relic. For me the penultimate moment of Buddhism is illustrated by the Flower Sermon. If you are unfamiliar with the Flower Sermon, let me provide a brief recap. After his enlightenment, the Buddha made a continuous circuit in India, stopping in villages to offer discourses on the dharma. It happened that in his later years, the Buddha and his disciples had settled near a pond to rest a few days.

Only… Instead of his usual discourse, the Buddha stood before his disciples, holding aloft a lotus flower. The disciples waited for the punchline, but the Buddha remained silent, alone with the flower. Understandably, as the silence stretched, his disciples became restless, concerned with this departure from the norm. What was the Buddha doing? Had the Buddha entered some new phase? Would the Master ever speak again? Suddenly, Mahakashyapa—a Brahman from Magadha—smiled. The Buddha smiled in return and handed Mahakashyapa the flower.

For those who could not grasp what had transpired, the Buddha provided this explanation: “What can be said I have said to you, and what cannot be said, I have given to Mahakashyapa.” The Flower Sermon has become the very heart of Zen, this wordless transmission. So… What did the Buddha transfer to Mahakashyapa? The most beautiful thing a Master can transmit: His energy, the energy that completely transforms the recipient. By smiling, Mahakashyapa acknowledged his awareness of this gift.

It’s important to understand that all Masters share their energy. If you happened to have watched A.D: The Bible Continues, you may remember that powerful scene where Jesus’ disciples were transformed into apostles by their Master’s energy. Granted the scene may have been swept up in Hollywood special effects, but it was a reminder that this is the way it works. The real transfer is spirit to spirit, soul to soul. It is wordless and invisible to those without eyes to see. Your whole life changes in that instant when the Divine awakens inside you.

Back to the relic… Thus the relic is none other than this lotus flower, preserved in crystal and secured in the stupa of an ancient Nepalese monastery, its greatest treasure. In fact, the relic is the greatest treasure of the Buddhist World, preserved and worshipped for 1700 years. Unfortunately, this notoriety made the relic a target for competing groups who coveted it for their own purposes. The story of The Secret Valley involves how these competing groups—the Mongols to the north, the Song Dynasty in China, a Rinpoche from Nalanda Mahavihara (a great and ancient university that had been recently overrun by the Afghans), and members of the Nepalese royal family—all contrived to secure the relic for their own ends. Along with one other party hidden in the shadows—the Tibetans.

What is the power of relics? Any object that has been worshipped for hundreds or thousands of years can absorb that energy. The object can be anything, including a building. Or a place. Whenever objects (of any kind) are worshipped over the course of succeeding centuries, they are transformed by the magic of love.

Admittedly, the quest for relics captivates us to this day, both in what we call real life and as represented in film. Certainly a number of the more entertaining movies in my lifetime have focused on such quests, including two from the Indiana Jones series, Raiders of the Lost Ark and the Last Crusade. Why do we chase after relics? Part of the reason is because we are caught up in our own desires. We hope to use the relic for our own purpose, whatever those purposes may be: perhaps to open a direct channel to God. Or barter the relic for fame and fortune. Or attempt to exercise control over the world’s destiny. But always there is some ulterior motive.

In Part II, we will continue this quest as we accompany our players on their own journeys. But understand that journeys don’t necessarily unfold as planned. They often take unexpected twists and turns. They can bring you into contact with others, contact that involves ever more surprises. Please understand that these are not just plot twists, some literary device to build and sustain suspense.

This is the way of all journeys. Of all quests. Even the story of your own life. You can choose to play it safe. You can attempt to keep Life under tight control so that nothing untoward happens. Only… Life is the unexpected. If you are unwilling to be surprised, you will kill the magic in your life. And if you kill that magic… Life will be a dreary affair.

I will leave you until we meet again with this reminder: Wherever your journey takes you, the ultimate destination is the same—to come home.

THE LANGUAGE OF THE INFINITE

As I sit here, staring at this blank page, part of me sighs. How can I possibly explain the Language of the Infinite—with words? How can I communicate that which cannot be defined? Or explained? How can I attempt something so monumental without falling on my face? The answer is simple: “I” cannot. My personal self would falter and fail. Yet even as I consider moving on to another topic, a part of me smiles.

That smile grows because within that smile is the answer to my question. It is not my personal self who will speak. It is the Universal Self who will respond. Because the Language of the Infinite belongs to the Universal Self; it is the language of Existence.

The Language of the Infinite transcends any human language. It is important to understand that while Existence may use words, it is not limited to words. Any form of expression can transmit the Language of the Infinite: music, paintings, a look, a hug, a touch. A smile. The Language of the Infinite is not a product of minds, of experts. You do not learn this language. You are born with an innate understanding. But that understanding is diminished over time as you become more and more identified with your personal self.

Why is this? The world focuses on the personal: A personal self, a personal god, a personal love. These are what people identify with and attempt to define. If I asked you to describe yourself, what would you say? You might begin by providing the usual demographic details pertaining to this particular form you currently occupy: where you were born, in what year, tidbits about your immediate family. You could add details about your education, your accomplishments, your hopes and dreams. You might even toss in your astrological sign or your favorite color. The list is endless. The story of your life could fill a few pages or a few volumes.

While you might relish the opportunity to describe yourself, how would you respond if asked to describe God? You might be tempted to fall back on the standard cliches: God is all knowing and all powerful. Or even better, God is unknowable. If you have embraced atheism or flirted with agnosticism, you might dismiss the idea of God entirely. Or shrug your shoulders in mock confusion. Who can say whether God exists or not, you argue. Where’s the proof?

And then we come to love. Oh, how this question torments us: What is love? How many times have we attempted to define love? We have an endless parade of songs, movies, and books on the subject. Experts are standing in the wings, ready to offer their advice or counsel. Have you noticed that when you describe love, it’s like trying to hold water in your hand? The tighter you squeeze, the more it escapes you.

Your own experiences with love will color your description. Some people see love as a weakness, an impediment in the way of their dreams. Or schemes. Love has a checkered history. When are you happiest? When you are in love and the other returns that love. When are you most miserable? What can wound you deeper than love lost? Hm-m-m. Is it any wonder that people feel ambivalent about love? Love tosses you from pillar to post, seeming to embrace every conceivable emotion.

Regardless of how you express it, you would be able to speak about these three things on a personal level. But what if I were to ask you to speak about these three on a Universal level: a Universal Self, a Universal God, and a Universal Love? If it is difficult to define personal love, how much more difficult to explain its Universal counterpart? Words simply aren’t up to the task.

It’s true that Life can come through everything. For those of you who have witnessed the miracle of birth, for example, you know this from your own experience. When you first hold your child in your arms, words are unnecessary. This is pure feeling. A look between mother and father speaks volumes. And there are so many moments in life where the Language of the Infinite is expressed in this way.

But for this occasion, let’s focus on how the Language of the Infinite takes expression through words. Words (in any human language) reflect the same dichotomy of the personal/Universal conundrum. We know the personal. But the Universal is a stretch. We have not yet embraced what we cannot see.

Take the concept of oneness as an example. The dictionary defines “oneness” as follows: “the fact or state of being unified or whole, though comprised of two or more parts.” Even in oneness, the separation remains. Even when oneness is achieved, it is a temporary phenomenon. But what about Oneness?

You may have noticed my tendency to capitalize certain words. Why, you might ask? Why should I capitalize words such as Existence, Love, Life, Oneness, or Great Soul? Because when I use these words, they mean something different to me. When they serve to express the Universal, they become an indication rather than a definition.

One of Life’s open secrets is that your journey through life can best be described as moving from the personal to the Universal. For Mother Stella, the word that embraced what we call the entirety of Life is Existence. Although she would freely use the word “God,” Existence was what she meant. The very word “God” is weighed down by all the conditioning that people bring to it. God is generally viewed as a personal god. A personal god can be necessary at certain stages of your life, but the gap between you and a personal god can never be bridged.

Think of God as the ocean. Imagine yourself as a drop of rain. Over the course of your lifetime, that drop travels back until it merges with the ocean. And when you merge, who can separate the drop from the ocean? It’s impossible. Because in that merger, the boundaries disappear. This is Oneness. When you have merged with Existence, you have come home.

But this merger is not just physical. It is total. Forms come and go. That is the nature of what we call the material world. But your true essence, your Universal Self, continues. You have always been. And always will be. This is why Mother Stella encouraged people to find that something inside which cannot die, the Universal Self. Because once you discover the true self, the fear of death disappears.

The Language of the Infinite is part of that understanding. When you can see Existence smiling through every word, every musical note, every look, every touch—then you have become fluent. When you look into the eyes of another human being and see God looking back, then you have reached. When paradise is born within you, you will bring that paradise out to transform the world. You will become such a tremendous blessing.

When love overflows your heart, it will bring life to whatever it touches. Everything will bloom in your presence. You will become the greatest miracle, the deepest mystery. Therein lies another open secret: You are more precious to Life than you can possibly imagine. You have not been forgotten. Or abandoned. This is Life’s open invitation to each and every living soul: Come home.

TERRA 12, Part II

What do we expect to find when we venture into the uncharted expanses of space? Perhaps our best hope is a planet that is marginally suitable for human habitation, some rocky orb with an atmosphere that can sustain human life and won’t require extensive terraforming. At the very least, a planet more inviting than Mars, the only reasonable alternative in our own solar system.

While a Mars-like planet may be the reality, if we are allowed to dream, that dream would be to find a world that represents paradise, some untouched expanse of green and blue, the air and water sweet and fragrant, where people could do more than just survive. A place where people could thrive. A place where we could start over and avoid the mistakes we have made on our own Mother Earth. Surely, if we were given a chance to live in paradise, we would treasure and protect that paradise.

Surely, we must have learned our lessons by now. Only… Mother Stella observed that people take themselves with themselves, wherever they go. Which means this inescapable reality: The underlying principles that appear to rule this planet—greed and ignorance—would travel with us and take root on our new home.

Greed and ignorance go hand in hand. But the ignorance that Mother Stella speaks of isn’t ignorance as people normally define it. Ignorance is not so much a lack of knowledge as a lack of awareness. In this case, the awareness of your true self. When you have lost touch with your true self, you act very differently in the world. Your focus becomes survival. You grab and grasp, in an effort to ensure that survival. Greed is a by-product of survival, a bid to exert control over your external circumstances to guarantee that very survival. But are greed and ignorance universally applicable? Is this the way humans (or presumably any intelligent species) are predetermined to behave regardless of their apparent origins?

When we travel the twelve light-years to Terra, we find a very different reality. When Zach wakes up on the surface of Terra, he discovers a world where beauty is everywhere. And something more, something indefinable, yet present in every breath. While Terra is a world of no evident technology, the planet provides the humans who live there with food in abundance: food so luscious and satisfying that it is a blessing, free for the picking.

When Zach first encounters Mother Stella on Terra, he is mesmerized. Her role is the village healer, but from the moment he meets her, he knows that she is something more. She is a… mystery. From that first encounter, Zach is brought closer and closer to the heart of this mystery. This becomes his journey, to embrace and merge with the mystery of Terra.

If you are like me, you have read your share of books and watched endless movies that have attempted to define this mystery. Certainly one of the more popular efforts has been the Star Wars saga, complete with the oh so mysterious Force. The Force was a wonderful and captivating concept that fueled the popularity of the initial episodes. It remained this marvelous mystery that delighted and uplifted us—until the unfortunate and misguided attempts to explain the Force through science. The midi-chlorian debacle reduced the Force to a cell count. In doing so it undermined the very foundation of this particular creation. Any attempt to explain a mystery only succeeds in destroying the mystery. Life cannot be known by standing on the outside and looking in. In this case Science appears to have triumphed, but at what a cost: The magic has bled out of the Star Wars Universe.

It’s disappointing that most movies and books of this genre settle for some pat answer to explain the reason for your existence. When it is time for the big reveal, the climax involves some magical artifact or book of wisdom or technology that has been created by some unknown intelligence. Despite these endless disappointments, we still seem willing to travel to the ends of the universe to find that answer. We are ready to chase down every clue, turn over every stone. Only… Would it surprise you to learn that you don’t have to travel far from yourself. The answer you seek is right here. Right under your nose.

What did Mother Stella do for Zach (and by extension for each of us)? She opened the door to the truth so that we could walk through. She invited us to participate in the mystery itself. She showed us not only how to heal ourselves, but how to heal our world in the process. I know. It sounds incredibly simplistic and naive—especially if you are a product of worldly conditioning. What… Let’s all hug a tree? The mind scoffs at the notion. Have we not embraced the Age of Science where we worship reason and logic? Has not Science promised to save the world? Just give it sufficient time and resources.

To embrace a mystery without passing through the scrutiny of scientific methodology… It sounds crazy. Absurd. Positively ridiculous. Until you remember the words of Mother Stella. Listen closely as she offers this reminder of how Life works: “It is simplicity itself. When you love, everything is in harmony, everything is in balance, without any effort on your part. You can see it for yourself. If you shower your children with love, they will bloom and grow before your eyes. If you shower your world with love …” Your personal world will be transformed in ways you never imagined.

You can see it for yourself. You have seen it for yourself. You were shown how this worked on Terra. It can work just as well on Earth. Or any world, any universe. Only… Will people have the awareness to choose wisely? To transcend greed and ignorance? To embrace their humanness? Remember how Mother Stella explained paradise to Zach? “We have learned that it’s not so much that you are born in paradise. It’s that paradise is born within you.” What a gift this great soul has given us, straight from the Source.

Terra is a world that embraces a very different consciousness than the one we have known on Earth. To understand the mystery of Terra, you must start with the mystery that is your own heart. You will never understand Life by standing on the outside, analyzing and categorizing. This is the path of Science. You will only know Life in all its infinite glory by merging with Life. You will only understand paradise by finding paradise within yourself.

You are the key here. And your own personal world reflects your choices. You may be tempted to argue that humans are limited by design, that they cannot create new worlds, particularly human worlds. But you would be mistaken. Have you ever had neighbors who loved to garden? Have you watched as they transformed their patch of earth into a paradise? It can happen on a very small scale or a very large one. Life is infinitely vaster than you realize. And you… You are vaster than you ever imagined.

Could it happen? I honestly can’t say. Given our current situation, the realities of global warming alone threaten to overwhelm us. What I can say is that no one person can change the world. But if collectively we loved our own personal worlds – and those around us – we would be surprised to see how that change would ripple through the world.

Living things—including Mother Earth—respond to love because there are no barriers to love. This is one of Life’s most important open secrets. In the end, it is only through love that we can heal our world. And ourselves and our children. Something inside you knows this to be true. That something inside has watched as endless cycles of science and religion have come and gone. Only Love remains eternal. Because Love is at the heart of everything. This is the magic that arises from embracing the true human consciousness.

TERRA 12, Part I

When I first caught a glimpse of the story that was to become my second book, Terra 12: Paradise Found, I was enthralled by the possibilities. Admittedly, the idea of humanity seeking to colonize an inhabitable planet in a faraway solar system is no longer ground-breaking. But even before I put word to paper, even without having so much as a character in mind, I could see why this story needed to be told.

While that first glimpse was an overview from 60,000 feet, at least I could see the beginning and end of the story. Still, the task remained to fill in the middle which would consume two years of my life. Creating a future world has its share of challenges. From my experience, It is a balancing act to make future science believable by including enough ingredients to create such a world without burdening the reader with unnecessary details.

One of the reviewers on Goodreads was particularly interested in the science behind the star drive in Terra 12, or X-drive as this version of an FTL-(faster than light) drive was designated. He wanted to evaluate its feasibility for himself. Initially, it was his question that prompted the subject of this blog. But his question grew into an excuse to take another journey. And an opportunity to see Life and the Universe from a very different perspective. So… ready for another adventure?

Let’s start this journey with everyone’s favorite theory, Einstein’s Theory of Special Relativity. If we reduce it to the basics, the Theory of Special Relativity states unequivocally that as an object approaches the speed of light, the object's mass becomes infinite as does the energy required to move it. Therefore it is impossible for matter to go faster than light travels. Whether the mass is the size of a pea or a starship, it cannot travel faster than the speed of light.

Only… Without the possibility of FTL-drives, science fiction novels would have a very limited playground—namely, our solar system. Full stop. Yes, we have landed on the moon. Most recently the Mars expeditions have captured headlines and thrilled us with a closer look at the Red Planet. Meanwhile, plucky Voyager 1 has managed to travel 14.5 billion miles (23.3 billion kilometers) 44 years after its launch and flown a bypass of Jupiter. But realistically, without FTL-drives, humanity can never travel to other solar systems in a meaningful way. Even a short trip by light-year standards would seem infinite by Earth years (at least given our current propulsion technologies).

Theories not withstanding, a host of possible FTL-drive solutions have emerged and been popularized in books and movies/television: Warp, Hyperdrive, Stargates/Wormholes, Holtzman (folding space, a truly elegant solution proposed in Dune), and Slipstream. If I’ve failed to mention one of your favorites, feel free to Jump under your own steam. In Terra 12, the FTL-drive is known as the X-drive, capable of propelling the Delta-class vehicles to four times the speed of light.

I confess that I didn’t address the issues regarding how to accelerate and decelerate a starship from that speed. I didn’t specify the type of fuel nor determine how much fuel was required to travel a light year. Finally, I only hinted at how the X-drive circumvented the directives of the Theory of Special Relativity. My rationale was since only 12 people in our known Universe understood the science behind the X-drive, why belabor the point.

For those of you who are convinced that Einstein’s theory is the final word on FTL—that Faster than Light travel is inherently impossible—it’s time to share an open secret: “The laws of the Universe are not fixed, immutable. It’s not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ Universe.” Too often we operate under the assumption that whatever theories we “discover,” or whatever postulates we believe to govern the Universe are the gold standard. But every theory or belief is subject to change. Remember, not so long ago, people believed the world was flat. Once the Universe revolved around Mother Earth. Once we were the center of the Universe.

Admittedly, the more aware we have become regarding the vastness of the Universe, the smaller we have shrunk. Are we just an accidental byproduct of evolution? Is our time on the stage a brief moment, soon to be forgotten? If we no longer stand at the center of creation, what is our place?

Before I spill the beans, let me reiterate: Whether your conditioning arises from Science or Religion, if you are part of either or both of those worlds, you live in a world that has been structured. The human tendency is to project our own beliefs on everyone and everything else, including it appears, the entire Universe. But our beliefs, and our belief systems, are constricted. We have chosen to be limited because we are identified with the limited self, this form which we temporarily occupy.

Don’t misunderstand. There’s nothing wrong with living in a form. Why not enjoy whatever form you happen to have at any given time. But don’t be so identified that you lose sight of your true self. Because this is what happens to most people. As long as we are part of a limited consciousness, we will never understand or appreciate this mystery we call the Universe.

Would it surprise you to learn that we are the ones who created the universal laws. And when we decide that these laws or theories are no longer working for us, we can change them. If we decide that we need to travel faster than light, we will. It may take time, but FTL will materialize when it is needed. It will simply be an agreement in humanity’s collective consciousness. Admittedly, I can’t give you an exact date as to when or what type of FTL-drive will evolve. That will be a surprise.

For those of you who have read Terra 12, you may remember the mealtime discussions between Zach, Hari, and Laura about the X-drive in the ship’s mess. What did Hari propose as the explanation for the X-drive? That the X-drive used the X dimension to facilitate FLT travel, a dimension not tied to the restrictions of theories. Laura, on the other hand, came closer to the explanation. Her take: It was magic. But this is not the magic associated with spells or fantasies. This is the magic of Life. If you can have a glimpse of the magic of Life, everything will begin to open up for you.

When Zach first arrived on Terra, he suffered from temporary amnesia brought on by his reentry from space. Because of this, he had forgotten his previous life on Earth. All he knew was this life on Terra. Due to the damage to his ship,Terra 12 was unable to establish contact with him or know for certain his fate.

For several months he lived among the people of Terra as one of them until his memories returned. While it was a much simpler world than what he had known on Earth, it was simpler by design. Such is the mystery behind Terra that it overshadows any notion of an FTL-drive. And is far more fascinating. Let’s take a closer look at this mystery on the next stop of our journey as we allow Terra to reveal her secrets.