From the Tomb of Shams

I am a journal writer.

I have a regular journal. I have a dream journal, although I don't write in it much because I hardly ever remember my dreams. And I have a journal that I have been keeping since I went off to Starr King School for the Ministry in the fall of 2006 that is entitled “From the Universe.”

All of my journals have titles, things like “Onward," "The Next Chapter," "A New Beginning.” But what is different about “From the Universe” is that I write in it from the perspective that the universe is speaking to me.

My consistent prayer while on this pilgrimage is to receive guidance to find a way to break beyond distractions and doubt, and simply be joyous and alive. I had asked to be free of my physical interpretation of myself and to be of spirit in the world.

So as I sat on the rugged floor in the simple building that perhaps houses the body of Sham, (They really don't know if it is his body that they found beheaded in the bottom of a well) I took out my "From the Universe" journal and wrote down the following words.

It is not so much that you need to shed or crack open your body. It is more that you need to shed your mind and your attachment to the worldliness and your sense of self importance.

Imagine a vessel that is filled with love that pours forth its honey into the world. Imagine that you are a fountain that all those around you can drink from. Imagine that you are a mirror that reflects back the love in another’s eyes.

If you are empty you can be filled. If you work hard to fill yourself up with knowledge and deliberate skill, there is no room for the divine to dance.

Clear the floor and watch the dance whirl, with your own heart in the center.