Embracing the inner fire: The journey of surrender and self-discovery

The journey of self-discovery requires that we let go of our ego and trust the unknown. Like a fire that loves itself, we must gather the courage to surrender and cooperate with higher powers, as expressed in the words of the poet Hafis.

Fire has a love for itself. It wants to keep on burning. It is like a woman who is at last making love to the person she most desires. Find a master who is like the sun, go to his house in the middle of the night, smash a window, act like a great burglar, jump in. Now gather your courage, throw yourself into his bed. He will probably kill you! Fantastic! That’s the whole idea. 

- Hafis

Much like a fire that yearns to keep burning, we too have a deep, innate desire to grow, develop and flourish. However, this journey of self-discovery is not easy. It requires that we let go of our ego and its limitations. This means that we must constantly practice dearmoring and allowing higher powers into our inner sanctum so that we can co-create with them. 

We also need to have trust in the unknown and much like a burglar throw ourselves into the bed of "our master". Although it may seem daunting, it is only through surrender that we can unlock our true potential and live a life full of love, happiness and abundance. 

Our ego often limits us with its beliefs, defence mechanisms and strategies. 

We need to leave our "little egos" behind, just as we leave our tiny rooms behind and embark on a great journey of exploration into unknown territories. Who knows, we may eventually discover that the world is a vast playground where we can experiment, play, learn, grow and thrive if we relinquish control and do not take ourselves too seriously. 

In the words of Hafis, we need to value ourselves as a fire loves itself. However, this is not always an easy task. Surrounding ourselves with people who accept us for who we are, including our weaknesses, can provide us with the encouragement and validation we need to cultivate self-love and acceptance and continue on this journey.

- Metka Kuhar, Mudita Institute