There is a door in the back of your mind. Behind this door is the answer to every question you’ve ever asked, every solution you’ve ever sought, every truth you’ve ever pondered. Don’t bother looking for the key, it’s not locked.

If you’re on any sort of spiritual path then you’ve heard of this door. It has been alluded to, if not specifically described, over and over throughout history. Some have taught the door will be opened upon your physical death. Perhaps, for some, but it’s accessible right now. All you need to do is open it and walk on through.

On the other side of that door there is no struggle, no pain, no sacrifice, no disease, no distortion. What is IS and what is illusion IS NOT. Your eyes will be open, your mind will be clear, and you will be at peace within yourself.

Twenty years ago I walked through that door and prospered. My life was filled with abundance, joy, and fulfillment. Fifteen years later my life was in shambles. Maybe you can learn from my mistakes.

When I stepped through that door I met my Self. You may have heard that you must release what you think is true in order to let go of what is false. That’s what happened. Similar to what has been described by near-death experiencers where the scenes of their life pass in front of their eyes, every belief passed through my mind. I experienced their influence and their passing.

Eventually there was nothing left. I was empty. I was a void, containing nothing, being nothing. Yet, I was aware of myself as nothing, as an awareness of my being aware. As I relaxed into the acceptance of being nothing, the awareness that I was also One with Everything opened my Heart. In that instant three things happened simultaneously. I knew the truth of Creation. The truths that had been previously emptied from my mind were returned. And my consciousness returned to my physical body.

My eyes opened to a different world. Everything had changed and nothing had changed. This is that subtle but significant distinction that most spiritual teachings miss. The world doesn’t need to be fixed. It’s become a platitude but it’s true, change your mind and you change your life. Walk through that door and you change everything.

So what happened that caused my fall? Two things. The first was a positive viewed as a negative. The second was a negative perceived as a positive.

How would you like to always know the right thing to say in any situation? Knowing isn’t the best description. There were many times when I was as surprised by the words coming from my mouth as the listener was. They were always the right words, the ones the listener needed to hear at that moment. They were as-a-rule thankful, often expressing their gratitude with teary eyes.

At other times they were not. One day I came into a company I was consulting for and found everyone in a state of panic. I asked what happened. One person told me. Then I spoke a single sentence and all the commotion ceased. The hysteria was defused, though the cause remained unchanged. Not one of those people spoke a single word to me the rest of the day.

People love their drama, even while proclaiming how much they’d like to be rid of it. It’s like the person who always needs the TV on or music playing. They can’t handle the silence. Also, many people don’t appreciate it when another won’t recognize the importance of their turmoil. My wife once listened to a neighbor complain to her for fifteen minutes about another woman. My wife offered an alternate viewpoint, intending to ease her pain, but the woman reacted angrily saying, “Wow! Some friend you are”, and stormed away.

The majority are still living under the edict of “an eye for an eye”. When one person creates pain then pain must be returned. An attack causes a retaliation. Responding with kindness or compassion is unthinkable in a world gone mad with a desire for vengeful justice. So the positive is viewed as a negative. And wisdom is silenced.

How would it feel to have your every desire fulfilled? For a dozen years I didn’t struggle or worry about anything. Simply deciding we wanted something was enough, the money always came. Our life wasn’t without problems, but they weren’t given undue attention.

Those minor problems hinted at a darkness growing within me, an arrogance, a belief in my own infallibility. If there is a sin it is spiritual pride, a sort of belief that bad things aren’t supposed to happen to me. It took a while but I fell from grace. One day my whole world came crashing down upon me. You’ve heard the adage, easy come easy go. In my experience this isn’t about the ease with which it all goes but rather the speed at which it disappears.

For a while I lived an ideal life, as asserted by the law of attraction. It may be interesting to note that I wasn’t aware of this law until near the end of my prosperity. It clearly defined what we had been living. I thought I knew it and put it to use confidently. It was this false belief in my own power that ensured my undoing.

It took me far too long to realize how foolish I’d become. It was easier when I was a student of life, striving to figure out how to live in the world but not be of the world. Once I thought I had achieved some great state of understanding I became complacent, thinking I could only move onward and upward. I still had to live in this world.

Spiritual attainment doesn’t grant us a castle in the sky divorced from the affairs of the ignorant and the indolent. It gives us perspective. It enables us to see the beauty all around us, but we must remember to look. If I had to tell you one mistake I made it would be this, keep your eyes open to the truth within.

There is a door in the back of your mind. It remains unseen as long as we look for it in the wrong direction. It will not be found anywhere in the world. It can only be seen when your thoughts are turned inward.