On Marriage and Commitment

"The expectation that instant soul mate recognition should then lead to a life of delirious bliss, leads people off to something that is not necessarily possible for everybody. And the fact that we hold that as the ideal, means that when we have any sort of relationship that's less than that, we feel as though we've somehow failed in the Jerry McGuire fantasy of completion through the other, and that can cause suffering and pain in people"

Dilemma - "We're all in this miasma"

The Journey's Holy Grail

Some days its easy, others...meh, not so much

But for me, just becoming aware of these points was half my battle. Putting them into daily practice going forward however, is more of a relative notion, it is a life long journey of trial and error, without clear quantifiable measures of success, other than the achievement of living with inner peace even if just for a moment or two, here and there.

Yin Yang

"Only two things can reveal the great secrets of life: suffering and love" - Paulo Coelo, El Aleph

I'd also like to add wine, pearls, and dark chocolate to this list *wink*

For me personally, experiencing everything that comes with the notion of falling and being 'in love', allowed me to feel unique moments touched by grace, and through that, it enabled me to discover dimensions within my own self that I didn't even know existed. It was what initially provoked me to unknowingly start off on this spiritual journey I had embarked on since over half a decade ago. Discovering the ability of unconditionally loving someone else other than myself - irrelevant of the circumstances, served its expanding, bright, and strong purpose as the initial guide that opened the path to everything else that was to follow. 

Then, through experiencing limitless emotional (and loads of professional and financial) hardships due to the unfortunate unraveling of events within another relationship and in the world economy in the years that followed,  I've gotten the opportunity to feel what there is to feel in a contracting, dark, passive and cold environment. In my own personal way I've wholly experienced both the Yin and Yang (Yin Yang are not opposing forces/dualities, but complementary opposites), which truly makes me appreciate my journey even more because it is complete this way. 

** I also think that it has been my own inclination or personal tendency to receive and interpret these experiences in a spiritual manner, because like with everything else, there's always free will. Events manifest in our lives, but it is up to us how we decide to react to them. I could have interpreted these moments either in a purely physical, or  financial, or administrative or whichever other way possible. They would have equally materialized in my life and existed because that's the way it was meant to be, but different reactions would create different personal results. I am still in the process of things, but am very content with the way things have worked out so far, as the gains I truly needed in my life were spiritual in nature. 

The One - The Journey Back To Self

Paulo Coelho's 'The Alchemist', is a book that I came to be familiar with when I read it in the crowded NYC subway rides on my way to work during the summer of 2005, right at the start of my journey of self discovery.


“Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.” 
― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share.This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.” 

― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist


“I learned that the world has a soul, and that whoever understands that soul can also understand the language of things.” 
― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist


“If I can learn to understand this language without words, I can learn to understand the world.” 
― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist


“The secret is here in the present. If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it. And if you improve on the present, what comes later will also be better. Forget about the future, and live each day according to the teachings, confident that God loves his children. Each day in itself, brings with it an eternity.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist


And too many years later (7 to be exact), I finally understood the message: We ourselves are the famous 'The One' - the answers are and have been within us all along.