The morning dawned almost imperceptibly as I opened my eyes and beheld life for the very first time.  I was taking my first breaths. Standing presently in the presence of life for the very first time.  These words are a mere shadow of the truth I hold within. That which I have spent all my life gathering.  Treasures, rocks, stones, pebbles.  Some I have found on sea shores and others on river banks.  Some are smoothed out by time while others are still jagged and raw.  Not quite polished by the hand of time. And what a hand time is. It passes too slowly and then too quickly and then too slowly once again and I behold all of the moments of my life.  So many. Blending one into the other like a tapestry of unknown origin.

 These words are not mine for I am not endowed with magic. I am a mere channel of the divine that feeds me and sustains me and leads me. I allow myself to be led.  Isn’t that easy? It’s all that needs to be done. Just allow yourself to be led and eventually the spring appears and the water is crystal clear and sweet and so refreshing, so you drink. That’s all I’ve done all my life. I’ve drank from the all-knowing spring within me.  I’ve been privileged to have access to that which is the sole substance of our being.  Nothing else is needed. Yet we chase and we claw and we grasp and we torment ourselves and one another seeking that which can never provide lasting contentment.  

The nights were long. The morning seemed further and further out of reach as I sat covered in tears and regrets.  Pain choked me and memories engulfed me.  I was swallowed up and powerless.  Tossed about by the turbulent sea. Here and there. I was nowhere. I knew nothing. I still know nothing. That is why I am still here. Learning. That is all we can do with this mysterious and unfathomable experience we call life. Who has the answers? Who can say with all certainty.. This is this and that is that? Living is subjective.  Until we step outside of ourselves and begin to observe and see the big picture.  The details unfold slowly.

  Before we know it, we have reached land and are no longer drowning in the turbulent ocean. The sun warms us and the palm trees sway overhead. We are lulled into rest by the sounds of surrender. When do we win? When we quit chasing. There is nothing to chase.  We are all and all is us. If we knew this and understood this to be true in the depths of our bones and the sinews of our flesh, we would have no more answers and no more disenchantments.  Every moment becomes enchanting once you wake up to the dawn of your true nature. 

 This is my wish for all who read my words. May they give you a glimpse of that which is beyond speech and language and lofty concepts and constructs of the mind.  I share with you that which has been shared with me by every teacher that life has brought my way. My teachers have been many and have come in all shapes and sizes. Each has brought their own special lesson that only they could deliver.  The delivery has not always been pleasant.  The delivery has not always been well accepted. But eventually, all deliverables were received and digested, processed and absorbed.  

Blessings to all who suffer in silence, who think that no one understands.  Blessings to those who seek outside that which only exists within. Those who grow disillusioned by the repetitive nature of pursuing desire after desire after desire.  Who soon grow weary of all which they have acquired and see through this game knowing that it brings no lasting fulfillment.  To those who have grown tired of playing this game, I offer these words as a testament to the fact that there is so much more. Those who seek, will always find. 

                                                                 -Love, light, peace, balance, joy…,

                                                                                                     Sofiya