Stillness 7-5: I’m feeling a little like Alice in Wonderland when she finds a magical-looking door but doesn’t have a key for it, then she finds the key, but the door has disappeared, and then she finds it again, but the key is on top of the glass table and although she can see it, by this time she’s way too little to reach it.
It feels rare that we find both the key in our pocket and the door into our future at the same time. It usually seems as though there’s a bit of a searching for one or the other.
So many people ask me, with oppressive regret and exhaustion: “Is this really all there is?” I’ve asked it myself, many times, about my life. Where are those magical doors we long to open that lead to adventure, passion, success, or joy? Sometimes our lives seem to degenerate into relentless repetition and ennui. Remember the show called “Let’s make a deal”? The one in which the contestant had to choose between two doors, and one might open to a month’s supply of oatmeal and the other to a check for $100,000? The doors on that show offered people hope and sublime transformation and dread and utter disappointment. In our daily lives, it all often seems equally random. How on earth do we choose the right door? How do we even find the door to our future? And if we are lucky enough to find it, how do we unlock it? Where’s the key?
Your key is always inside you—it’s how you are, how you feel, it’s the wisdom of your heart—your higher mind. Doors are harder to find, because they open and close, they appear and disappear, and there’s always the worry that perhaps you’ll open the wrong one and be swooped into outer space or down a rabbit hole.
Here’s how you find the door you seek: activate the key that always lives in your heart of hearts. Feel your key. What does it look like? Is it strong and solid or delicate and intricate? Is it crystalline, silver, or gold? Imagine the key growing and growing in your heart, and let it guide you to the door it can unlock.
When you do this exercise you realize that every breath you take is a new door. There are always magical realms to explore, both inner and outer. There are people, friends, and heroes to encounter. Monsters, fairies, and flowers. Creativity. Dreams and adventures. Doors that open you to enticing, enriching, exciting stories—full of life and promise. Your key is within you. Become lovingly aware of your own unique key. Hold it firmly and tenderly in your heart. When your door appears, you’ll always be ready.