Tower of Meruka At the Elephant door, if you click on the mentor, he says, "Many sages have been through these doors of transformation before you. Every life, every choice that we have made enhances our ability to discover the unknown. "You may have been here many times before. Now you are ready to cross these sacred doors, beyond obstacles, procrastination, or fears, to success. "As you relax, these doors will open." If you click it a second time, he will say, "Calm yourself, let go all your tensions and worries. Now, focus your mind. Bring it home gently. Be silent. Only listen to your breath and your heart." If you click a third time, he will say, "Quiet the different thoughts. Focus in breathing slowly through your nose, and allow the flow of joyful appreciation for your life, and any forms of life. "That resilient awareness allows these doors of transformation to open for you." If you click a fourth time, he will say, "Open curiosity and the intention to use your wisdom to help you and others will facilitate this learning. Use your physical body to tune into these feelings. However, to have only selfish motivation in mind can lead one to an undesirable path." *** When a light appears in the middle of the room, a voice says, "Someone is here to meet you. This person looks a lot like you, but like you would if you had spent a thousand years developing your full potential. "It is your Essential Self, your Guide, the part of yourself that is encoded with your higher destiny, your purpose for being, and manifests now as what you yet may be. Some of you may see this being as representing the soul itself: the deepest, holiest, most whole part of you. Some may sense it as the inner strength and vital force that directs your life and growth toward becoming all that you are capable of being. "Our Essential Self has a radiance that our Local Self does not. It is in touch with both our life, and the life of the Universe. It is in touch with the wisdom of the Earth, and the wisdom of the Heart. It can put us in touch with the unexplored continents that lie within our minds and bodies, for it knows the maps of the soul, and the treasures that can be found there. "The Essential Self knows the possible paths our life may take, and wants us to choose the best ones. It knows how to turn imagination into reality and make the life we live fulfilling and creative. "Above all, it knows why we are here, and what we yet can do. Where we can go, and why we need to go there. "Closer than breathing, nearer than hands and feet, the Essential Self is the mysterious friend who has always been ever near, however much we have denied its existence. "From here on, let's just call this being, "The Friend." "Getting to know this friend is a wonderful experience; one is never really alone again. "To help you get a stronger sense of The Friend, I'd like you to try an imaginative exercise that may seem a little strange at first but trust me, it works. "To begin, place an actual chair opposite you and ask The Friend to come and sit in that chair. Try to imagine what The Friend looks like, what he or she is wearing. Allow yourself to perceive a growing sense of the presence of The Friend sitting in the chair opposite you. "Still sensing the presence of The Friend, close your eyes for a moment, and stretch your hands out, palms facing outward. Then imagine that The Friend sitting opposite you is also stretching out his or her hands. Very good. "See if you can now sense, however subtly, the hands of The Friend touching yours. You may feel a slight breeze, or a gentle electric sensation, or perhaps even a more palpable impression." "As this sense of touching hands becomes more vivid, try to imagine with your inner eye and ear what The Friend may look like, sound like, be like. Again, let that sense of Presence increase. "Open your eyes now, and try to maintain a sense of the presence of The Friend. Then close your eyes and do the same. Open them again, continuing to imagine the presence of The Friend. "Now let's do something that can help to make your sense of The Friend even stronger. Stand up, and move into the chair where The Friend was sitting. Now imagine that you are The Friend, which actually you are, looking and sensing the local version of yourself sitting opposite. "Hold up your palms, and sense the feel of the palms of the presence of yourself, your Local Self. "As The Friend now, sense what you look like, the feel of your hands, the play of light and shadow around your face. But sense your Self from the perspective of the understanding and compassionate Friend. "Look upon the person sitting opposite you with the wisdom that comes from the soul's knowing, which is The Friend's knowing. "Now get up, and sit in the opposite seat, returning to your own identity as you do. Again, hold up your hands to The Friend, the sense of touch between your hands even stronger now. But this time, the sense of the presence of The Friend is growing more natural. You feel that indeed, you are in the presence of a very wonderful friend, who deeply understands you, loves you, empowers you, and gifts you with the fullness of who and what you really are. "Later on, you will come to another Magical Bench, and when you are there, you will meet The Friend again, who will have many beautiful Gifts of Spirit to give you. "But for now, you might wish to go back and forth a few times, switching chairs, being your Self sensing The Friend, and then being The Friend sensing and knowing you. I'll give you some time to do so." *** When you play the Solar song disks, One is a Kyrie eleison. One is not in English. One is mostly instrumental, with a non-English phrase repeated over and over. * One is "One Spirit" by Soul Flight. The lyrics are, "It's OK to feel that way - In fact I think it's alright, I saw my Lord walking yesterday And now I feel alright. (chorus) Oh yeah, I'm alright -- it's okay, I'll be alright - Anyway When Wild Divine did awaken me - I took a life in the sky. Looking up there when my heart is alone And I, I see the Light. (chorus) On Spirit - One Spirit Today ... One Spirit - One Spirit Today ... Feet on the ground and my head's in the clouds - I guess it feels this way Awake my mind when I fail to recall - This time is here to stay. (chorus) * One is "The Longing" also by Soul Flight. The lyrics are, I often remember the day, The way the mountains kissed the sky. A cold grey Cinco de Mayo, The day you walked into town ... (chorus) There's nothing compares to sunshine - There's nothing quite like the rain - Nothing like a full moon sunset, - But there's something about the way ... You rain down on me. There's somethin' about a good friend, One that'll look you in the eye, Straight with no chaser, A Love that leaves no wonderin' why ... (chorus) And Oh - Let me go ... And Oh - Set me free ... And Oh - Take me home ... And Oh - Come with me.