Our sense of alienation from ourselves, the human family, and God is a mental health issue that has profound spiritual implications. The more alienation we experience, the more anxious, overwhelmed, and depressed we tend to feel. Yet the truth is that the crippling sense of alienation is rooted in the egoic mind and has nothing to do with reality. The egoic mind forever creates illusory barriers that keep us imprisoned within our own neurotically oriented worlds. The egoic mind erects these barriers in an attempt to keep us safe, but they only increase our suffering. With God’s grace, the loving goodwill of others, and a dose of our own courage, we can begin the process of letting go of our self-protective walls. As each wall collapses, we become more alive, more free, more joyful, more honest, more loving, and more alive. With each step forward, we are encouraged to do away with more of those walls, until we are absolutely liberated. Yes, there are painful moments along the way; we call this purification. But in time they fade, and we become what God intended us to be: living embodiments of truth, beauty, and goodness.
Beloved Guru,
Brick by brick,
You will help me
To lower my defenses.
