As I embark upon this journey back home to be with my Father during some of his last days on this Earth, I am grateful to understand how we are equipped to handle any and all situations we must face with compassion and love. My relationship with him is quite complicated. He is a man who has chosen to live most of his life firmly rooted behind the walls of his own unhealed trauma. The facade of strength that has been his shield throughout his life is now being stripped away in these final two years. As his once-commanding stature is whittled away by the cancer ravaging his body, he is forced to face what so many of us resist—letting go.
I see clearly the deep-seated fear of the unknown that weighs upon him, a fear that only creates more struggle and suffering. I have always had what I consider an uncommon perspective on death. From a very young age, I remember an absence of fear around this inevitable transition that we all must face. The only fear I held in my younger years was the possibility of pain. Now, even that fear has dissolved, replaced by a profound detachment and trust in the process of life and death.
As I witness others struggle with the fear born from disconnection from Source, I wish I could transfer to them the peace and understanding that I hold within. There is nothing to fear. Beyond this mind, these beliefs, and this misguided fear lies absolute freedom. I wish I could whisper the Truths of the Universe into my Father’s heart so that he could understand that the pain and suffering he has endured throughout this lifetime could be lifted in surrender and trust.
There is a deeply human part of us that longs to take away the pain and suffering of those we love. As we awaken to Truth, many of us feel an urge to save others, to share with them the wisdom that has illuminated our own hearts. However, as we continue on this journey of remembrance, it becomes clear that this is not our place.
Each of us is on our own uniquely powerful spiritual journey. True honoring of another’s path means recognizing that attempting to change someone’s mind disregards and disempowers the spiritual being having the human experience.
This is a challenging concept to live by, as the impulse to help is strong within us. What I have come to understand is that the best way to assist another is simply to BE in the energy of compassion, empathy, and love—fully and without bounds. We can do immense good simply by remaining in a place of non-reaction and non-attachment, energetically aligned with the Divine.
Of course, words of kindness and wisdom can penetrate even the most guarded heart when one’s energy is open and receptive. The purity of this exchange comes only when the giver is in a state of absolute surrender and trust, absent of any desired outcome.
As I journey back home and step into a highly charged, drama-filled situation with many unhealed hearts, I am guided to remember that with intention and awareness, we can face all things with compassion and love. We must choose and prepare to step into these situations with strength and resolve, for we will no doubt be confronted with our own unhealed aspects.
This is our work. This is our practice. This is the way of the Spiritual Warrior. While I do not favor the word “responsibility” as it can feel burdensome, I do see clearly that as we heal and remember our wholeness, we hold a sacred responsibility to embody maturity during the most challenging parts of the human journey.
Yet, even as we walk this path, we must extend grace and space for the emotional rollercoaster that life’s difficulties bring. No matter how practiced and connected we may be, I understand the necessity of traveling through the full spectrum of human experience. True surrendered trust allows for all of it to be divine—no matter how we show up for ourselves and for others.
Even as the fierce, powerful, peaceful Spiritual Warrior that we remember ourselves to be, we are still human. And this is why we came here—to experience it all.
