One of the most powerful shocks of the Middle Passage is the collapse of our tacit contract with the universe-the assumption that if we act correctly, if we are of good heart and good intentions, things will work out. We assume a reciprocity with the universe. If we do our part, the universe will comply. Many ancient stories, including the Book of Job, painfully reveal the fact that there is no such contract, and everyone who goes through the Middle Passage is made aware of it.

Fear of our own depths is the enemy.

To experience some healing within yourself, and to contribute healing to the world, you are summoned to wade through the muck from time to time.

The goal of individuation is wholeness, as much as we can accomplish, not the triumph of the ego.

Destiny commands... and imposes a sacred obligation to show up in the face of one's desire for a normal, casual life... there are other forces afoot of which consciousness has only the dimmest of understandings.

In the end, we are only tiny frightened animals, doing our best to survive amid other tiny frightened animals.

There is some debate in professional circles about whether the so-called “midlife crisis” exists.