The soul is the river of energy that animates who we are.

My years as a mystic have made me question almost all my assumptions. They've made me a proud I-don't-know-it-all.

Our errors and failings are chinks in the heart's armor through which our true colors can shine.

Diversity is good. We need each other's ideas.

But when I learned about the dangers of rejection or attack, I thought, it's time to change this. What if we faced any pain we had caused each other and, instead of rejection or attack, could we listen? Could we forgive? Could we merge?

There is an art to grieving. To grieve well the loss of anyone or anything--a parent, a love, a child, an era, a home, a job--is a creative act. It takes attention and patience and courage. But many of us do not know how to grieve. We were never taught, and we don't see examples of full-bodied grieving around us. Our culture favors the fast-food model of mourning--get over it quick and get back to work; affix the bandage of "closure" and move on.

If we want liberation, we must rewrite the Sleeping Beauty myth. No one is coming and no one else is to blame.