Soon after my request, the shrine trembles, fills with smoke and I can hear altered voices. What they reveal is completely secret. A small fire rises from the chalice and lands in my hand. Its light is penetrating and illuminates the entire cave. The walls of the cave transform and give way to a small door that appears. It opens and a strong wind begins to push me to it. All of my efforts come to mind: My dedication to studying, the way I have perfectly followed God's laws, the ascent of the mountain, the challenges, and even this very passage into the cave. All this has brought me an astonishing spiritual growth. I was now prepared to be happy and to fulfill my dreams. The much-dreaded cave of despair had forced me to make my request. I do remember also in this sublime moment all of those who have contributed to my victory directly or indirectly: My primary school teacher, Mrs. Socorro, who taught me reading and writing, my teachers of life, my school and work friends, my family and the guardian that helped me to overcome the challenges and this very cave. The strong wind keeps pushing me towards the door and soon I will be inside the secret chamber.
The force that pushed me finally ceases. The door closes. I am in a gigantic chamber that is high and dark. On the right side is a mask, a candle, and a Bible. On the left is a cape, a ticket, and a crucifix. In the center, up high, is an interesting looking circular apparatus made of iron. I walk toward the right side: I put on the mask, grab the candle and open the Bible to a random page. I walk toward the left side: I put on the cape, write my name and alias on the ticket and secure the crucifix with the other hand. Furthermore, I walk towards the center and I position myself exactly below the apparatus. I utter the four magical letters: S-e-e-r. Immediately, a circle of light is emitted by the device and envelops me completely. I smell the incense that is burned every day remembering the great dreamers: Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, Francis of Assisi and Jesus Christ. My body vibrates and begins to float. My senses begin to be awakened and with them, I am able to recognize feelings and intentions more profoundly. My gifts are strengthened and with them, I am able to perform miracles in time and space. The circle closes increasingly and every feeling of guilt, intolerance, and fear is erased from my mind. I am almost ready: A sequence of visions starts to appear and confuse me. Finally, the circle goes out. Instantly, a sequence of doors is opened and with my new gifts I can see, feel and hear perfectly. The screams of characters wanting to manifest, distinct times and places begin to appear, and significant questions begin to corrode my heart. The challenge of becoming clairvoyant is launched.
Exiting the Cave
With everything accomplished, all that was left now was for me to leave the cave and make my true journey. My dream was granted and now just needed to be put to work. I start to walk and with little time, I leave behind the secret chamber. I feel that no other human being will ever have the pleasure to enter it. The cave of despair will never be the same again after I leave victorious, confident and happy. I return to the third scenario: The images of the saints remain intact and seem to be happy with my victory. The cup has fallen over and is dry. The wine was delicious. I work my way calmly around the third scenario and feel the atmosphere of the place. It really is as sacred as the cave and the mountain. I yell for joy and the echo produced extends across the cave. The world will no longer be the same after the Seer. I stop, think and contemplate myself in every way. With a final farewell kiss, I leave the third scenario and I return to the same door on the left which I chose. The path of the Seer will not be an easy one because it will be challenging to fully control the opposing forces of the heart and then having to teach that to others. The path on the left, which was my option, represents knowledge and continuous learning, whether with hidden forces, repentance, or death itself. The walk becomes exhaustive as the cave is extensive, dark, and very humid. The challenge of the Seer may be greater than I realize: The challenge of reconciling hearts, lives, and feelings. That is not all: I have yet to take care of my path. The gallery becomes narrow, and with it so do my thoughts. My feelings of homesick surge, as well as nostalgia for mathematics and my own personal life. Lastly, comes the nostalgia of me. I hasten my steps, and soon I am in the second scenario. Broken mirrors now represent the parts of my mind that were preserved and expanded: the good feelings, the virtues, the gifts, and the capacity to recognize when I have erred. The scenario of mirrors is a reflection of my soul. This self-knowledge I will take with me my entire life. Still stored in my memory are the figures of the child, the young fifteen-year-old and the elderly man. They are three of my many faces which I preserve because they are my history. I leave the second scenario, and with it, I leave my memories. I am in the gallery that leads to the first scenario. My expectations of the future and my hope are renewed. I am the Seer, an evolved and special being, destined to make many souls dream. The post-cave period will serve as training and improvement of pre-existing skills. I go a little further and catch a glimpse of the labyrinth. This challenge has almost destroyed me. My salvation was Wizard, the bat that helped me find the exit. Now I do not need him anymore because with my clairvoyant powers I can easily pass by him. I have the gift of guidance in five planes. How often do we feel as if we were lost in a maze: When we lose jobs; When we are disappointed with the great love of our lives; When we defy the authority of our superiors; When we lose hope and the ability to dream; When we stop being apprentices of life and when we lose the ability to direct our destiny? Remember: The universe predisposes the person, but it is we who have to go for it and prove that we are worthy. That is what I did. I went up the mountain, performed three challenges, entered the cave, defeated its traps and I reached my destination. I get through the labyrinth, and it doesn't make me that happy since I already won the challenge. Furthermore, I intend to seek new horizons. Likewise, Furthermore, I've walked about two miles between the secret chamber, the second and the third scenarios and with this realization, I feel a little tired. I feel sweat trickling down; I also feel the air pressure and low humidity. I approach the ninja, my great adversary. He still seems knocked out. I'm sorry I treated you that way, but my dream, my hope, and my destiny was at stake. One has to make important decisions in important situations. Fear, shame, and morality only get in the way instead of helping. I caress his face and I try to restore life in his body. I act in this way because we are no longer adversaries but companions of this episode. He raises and with a deep bow, he congratulates me. Everything was left behind: The fight, our "opposing forces," our different languages, and our distinct objectives. We live in a situation different from the previous one. We can talk, understand one another, and who knows, maybe even be friends. Thus, the following proverb: Make of your enemy an ardent and faithful friend. Finally, he embraces me, says goodbye and wishes me luck. I reciprocate. He will continue forming a part of the mystery of the cave, and I will form a part of the mystery of life and of the world. We are "opposing forces" who have found each other. This is my goal in this book: to reunite the "opposing forces." I keep walking in the gallery that gives access to the first scenario. I feel confident and totally calm, unlike when I first walked into the cave. Fear, darkness and the unforeseen all scared me. The three doors which signified happiness, fear, and failure helped me to evolve and understand the sense of things. Failure represents everything that we run away from without knowing why. Failing must always be a moment of learning. This is the point at which the human being discovers that it is not perfect, that the path is still not drawn, and this is the moment of reconstruction. This is what we should always do: Be reborn. Take, for example, trees: They lose their leaves, but not their life. Let us be as they are: Walking metamorphoses. Life requires this. Fear is present whenever we feel threatened or oppressed. It is the starting point for new failures. Overcome your fears and discover that they only exist in your imagination. I've covered a good part of the gallery of the cave and at this very moment, I pass through the door of happiness. Everyone can go through this door and convinced themselves that happiness exists and can be achieved if we're entirely agreeing with the universe. It is relatively simple. The worker, the bricklayer, the janitor are happy to fulfill their missions; The farmer, the sugar cane planter, the cowboy are all happy to collect the product of their labor; the teacher in teaching and learning; the writer in writing and reading; the priest proclaiming the divine message, and needy children, orphans, and beggars are happy in receiving words of affection and care. Happiness is within us and expects continuously to be discovered. To be truly happy we should forget hatred, gossip, failures, fear, and shame. I keep walking, and I see all the traps I managed and wonder what people are made of if they don't have beliefs, paths, or destinies. None of them would have survived the traps because they do not have a safety net, a light, or force that supports them. Man is nothing if he is alone. He only makes something of himself when he is connected to the forces of humanity. He can only make his place if he is in full harmony with the universe. That is how I feel now: In full harmony because I went up the mountain, I won the three challenges and I beat the cave, the cave that made my dream come true. My walk is nearing its end because I see light coming from the entrance of the cave. Soon I will be out of it.