...approach change with an understanding of the process and an openness to the pain.

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.

It's like you trade the virility of the body for the agility of the spirirt.

To be human is to be lost in the woods.

Spirituality is a brave search for the truth about existence, fearlessly peering into the mysterious nature of life.

One practice I rely on all the time is basic meditation which allows me to strip away the noise. It's like the old-fashioned dial on the radio, where you were getting static and then you found that clear, sweet spot on the dial, where the music would come through. That's what meditation is for me. Dialling out the static, the noise, the anxiety, the fear, and coming into a place that's deep and quiet. It's like dropping into a well of inspiration and wisdom.

When we descend all the way down to the bottom of loss, and dwell patiently, with an open heart, in the darkness and pain, we can bring back up with us the sweetness of life and the exhilaration of inner growth. When there is nothing left to lose, we find the true self - the self that is whole, the self that is enough, the self that no longer looks to others for definition, or completion, or anything but companionship on the journey.