IR 37


Transformative Wisdom for Creating a Life of


Authentic Awakeninig, Emotional Freedom & Practical Spirituality


In all religions, on


all spiritual paths, one of the most sacred and mystical physical places is the threshold one crosses to enter the tem- ple, cathedral, prayer hall, synagogue, teepee, or space of worship. A threshold is a doorway


between worlds, a mystical border between the everyday and the Divine, and, therefore, a place of potency and grace. In most Eastern cultures, one honors this


understanding of the threshold by never stepping directly on it, but always stepping over it, and by leaving one’s shoes outside as a sign of reverence and respect. Onmy pilgrimages to Indian temples, I have often seen a temple attendant squatting on the ground next to the threshold leading into the temple proper, to make sure no one, particularly no uninformedWestern tourist, makes the terrible mistake of stepping on the raised divider. Many years ago when I began my spiritual


journey, I was taught that whenever I entered a temple, or a hall in which the teacher was seated, I should bend down to touch the threshold or entrance with my right hand, and then raise that hand up to touch my heart. It was also suggested that I do this on the way out of the temple or hall. No one explained the significance of this to me, but I did it anyway because that was what every- one else was doing—and because I was always a very dutiful student! In time, however, as I had the direct experi-


ence that my teacher was giving me the gift of entrance into my innermost realms of conscious- ness, I understood that gesture of respect, and why my hand went from the floor to my heart. For me, it became a way of saying, “May what awaits me in this room, over this threshold, go directly into my heart.” On the way out, it was a way of saying, “I am so grateful for the grace that I have received while in this sacred space. May it unfold fully within me.”


This metaphor of stepping over the threshold


is a beautiful mirror for your journey of personal and spiritual transformation: You have been on a path since the moment you were born into this world, and you’ve already courageously crossed many significant thresholds. All seekers must travel these invisible roads within, distances that cannot be measured in miles, yet are the hardest and most challenging part of the human adven- ture: the distance from the habit of turning away to the insistence on turning toward; the distance from the frightened part of you that says, “I don’t want to look atmyself, I don’t want to face things, I don’t want to feel things,” to the fearless part of you that finally proclaims, “I will do whatever it takes to be free.”


We step over the threshold of our resistance,


back into the sacred space of trust. We step over the threshold of our fear, back


into the sacred space of vision. We step over the threshold of our confusion,


back into the sacred space of truth. We step over the threshold of our forgetful-


ness, back into the sacred space of remembrance. And with each bold, brave step, we come clos-


er and closer to the great reunion with the fullness of our own awakened self.


Barbara DeAngelis, Ph.D., is an international-


ly recognized expert on human relations and one of America's most influential teachers in the area of personal and spiritual development. She is the author of a number of bestselling books, including How to Make Love All the Time; Secrets About Men Every Woman Should Know; and Ask Barbara: The 100 Most Asked Questions About Love, Sex, and Relationships. Her television infomercialMaking LoveWork is one of the most successful relationship programs of its kind. barbaradeangelis.com


Excerpted fromSoul Shifts by Dr. Barbara DeAngelis, published


by Hay House and is available in bookstores and online at www.hayhouse.com


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