We know the English verb “live” describes the act of experiencing life, but what if the flow of life is beset by obstacles?
The word “live” then turns around and becomes “evil.” This evil—our egos, which we possess in abundance—are the parts of ourselves that are blocked, hindering the flow of energy. The ego then resembles a river that has become blocked by a newly built dam. When the flow of a river is halted like this, the riverbed beyond the dam becomes dry and full of stones. The life along the riverbed then slowly ceases to be. Its existence continues, but in a changed form, because life never ceases to be… Where there is water, there is abundance, fertility, and vitality. Where there is no water, there is only dryness, aridity, and exhaustion.
These conditions are also true for souls whose egos are ruled by evil. They are dried up inside because their river is unable to flow. To find a means to escape this drought, they chase after water. At first they pour water into the dry river from glasses, and then from bottles, and then later from buckets. They even try adding water from tankers, but it’s all in vain. Whatever they try, it just wets the stones for a short while before the riverbed dries up again. In this way, greed  takes form. We desire possessions because we feel it’s the way we can return water to the dried-up riverbeds of our souls. We chase after fame and power, because these will enable us to hire water tankers to refill our rivers, but the satisfaction this provides is short lived. Every time the riverbed dries up again, a new greed for water arises.

How can this vicious cycle be ended?

The only solution is to recognize the existence of the dam and slowly get rid of it. The reservoir behind the dam is the real power of the human soul, the water that never ceases to be. It flows from the mountains, renewed thanks to the ecological balance. The water flows and flows. To destroy the dam completely and suddenly is not a solution either, because the sudden release of water will flood the land downriver. The river will eventually find its old course again, but there will be a lot of devastation in the process. So, the best solution is to open the gates slowly and let the water flow again. Once the flow is balanced, the dam will be no longer needed and can be destroyed. The moment the gates are opened is similar to when someone becomes one with his soul, and the destruction of the dam is very much like when the soul flows as itself once again.
So, what can we do to reverse the “evil” in our souls, so we can “live” and remove that massive dam? It’s actually very simple. We need just reverse the actions we took to build it. By accepting what we resisted, embracing what we rejected, shaking hands with everything we refused to accept,  starting what we have constantly postponed, and allowing everything into our hearts, we will open the gates and start dismantling the stones one by one.

What do you mean by all this?

I bet your inner voice is saying, “Seriously? You mean to say that from now on, we should open our hearts to cheaters, deceivers, rapists, and other evil people? We need to embrace them? You are so naïve! That’s not the way to fight evil.” This same voice has told you so far to fight evil, reject it, and hinder anything that is different. You are virtuous, great, and good—it is everything else that’s evil. Yet that friendly voice also constantly criticizes you, telling you how silly and stupid you were. It fed on us because it thought it was real, but in fact this voice was just murmurings of the dried-up riverbed.

So, what about the darkness?

There was a computer game I loved when I was young. It was called The Prince of Persia, and the most difficult puzzle was when the prince met his shadow. No matter what you did, you couldn’t beat the shadow, and this was because the shadow was you, so it imitated your every move. This was the key to the solution. Upon encountering the shadow, the prince draws his sword, but you need to sheath the sword again so the shadow will as well. The shadow then becomes one with the prince. This scene is the best definition of awareness I can think of from a computer game. It also contains the key of how to integrate with the dark energy. In short, fighting is not the solution, but accepting it will change everything.

Are we confused at this point?

Your inner voice is saying again, “Big deal! If George Washington had thought like that, would you be able to write this article? Would the US still be under English rule? Should we surrender when the darkness attacks?” Sure, there may be times when we have to defend ourselves from an attack, but if we have light rather than darkness inside while defending, then everything changes.
Jesus did not damn those that tortured him, even though he experienced incredible pain. Instead he pleaded to God, “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.” He knew these people acted in ignorance, unaware of whom they really were.
Atatürk, the first President of Turkey, fought all his life, but he never carried hate in his heart for the enemy. He had to fight, because the circumstances forced it. He even said, “Unless war is imperative and vital, it is murder.” Also, after the Battle of Gallipoli, he said, “To the British, French, Australian, and Indian heroes who lost their lives on this soil, you are on the soil of a friendly nation. Sleep in peace, side by side with our soldiers. Mothers in faraway lands,  cease your tears, because your sons are in our hearts. They are at peace and will sleep in comfort. Because they have lost their lives on this land, they have become our sons.” He embraced the enemy, and he never said, “What the hell were you doing here anyway? You died for nothing!”

Time for action

Allowing a place in your heart should not mean to just lie back and do nothing. You can do whatever you need to do and take the steps you need to take, yet while doing so, your heart and soul should be full of light and your inner river should be flowing. Only then will you be able to create the change. Instead of cursing the darkness, you will illuminate it. You will also affect those around you with your light and the healthy air of your river. Those whose souls have dried up will start following you, wanting to learn how you made it happen. Tell them, and some will understand and start working on their own dams, but others will not be ready and refuse to understand. However, the darkness can never reach you while you are the light. I can see the rejection in your eyes, but when you find your light, you will also discover immortality. Only your body leaves this universe, but you exist for eternity, because you are a part of the infinite being, and he continues to exist.

Tell me once more what it means to allow a place for our Beings in our hearts?

We all have two dimensions here. The first is our human form, which represents the roles we play and our outward appearances, while the second is our being. We all want to be “seen.” We expect it from each other and most of all from our parents, but this expectation is not satisfied, so we live with the anger of this unfulfilled wish. I also unwittingly carried this anger, and only came to realize why I was so angry when I read a chapter called “Recognizing Your Child” in Eckhart Tolle’s book A New Earth.
You’re a human being, but what does it mean? The mastery of life is not a question of control but rather of finding a balance between human and “Being.” Mother and father, husband and wife, young and old, the roles you play and the functions you fulfill, and whatever else you do, it all belongs to the human dimension. It has its place and needs to be honored, but on its own, it’s not enough for a fulfilling and truly meaningful relationship or life. Being just human is never enough, no matter how hard you work for what you achieve, but then there is “Being.” It is found in the still, alert presence of the Consciousness itself, the Consciousness that you are. Human is form, while Being is formless. The Human and Being are not separate but interwoven.
In the human dimension, you are unquestionably superior to your child. You are bigger, stronger, more knowledgeable, and can do more things. If that dimension was all you knew, you would feel superior to your child, even if only subconsciously, and you would make your child feel inferior, even if only subconsciously. There is no equality between you and your child, because there is only form in your relationship, and in form, you are naturally not equal. You may love your child, but this love will be human only, which is to say conditional, possessive, and intermittent. Only beyond form, in Being, are you equal, and only once you find the formless dimension in yourself can there be true love in that relationship. The presence that you are, the timeless “I Am,” recognizes itself in another person (the child in this case), who then feels loved and recognized.
Love is to recognize yourself in another. The other person’s “otherness” then stands revealed as an illusion pertaining to the purely human realm, the realm of form. The longing for love that is in every child is a longing to be recognized not on the level of form, but on the level of Being. If parents honor the human dimension of the child, but neglect the Being, the child will feel the relationship is unfulfilled and something essential is missing. There will be a buildup of pain in the child, and sometimes he or she will hold an unconscious resentment toward the parents. It will be as if the pain or resentment is saying, “Why don’t you recognize me?”
When another person recognizes you, that recognition draws the dimension of being more fully into this world through both of you. It is the love that redeems the world. I used the example of the relationship with your child, but it applies equally to all relationships.
I wanted the same recognition from my parents, but it was hopeless because they didn’t know how to give it. They in turn had the same expectations from their parents but did not receive it. Everyone expects the being to be seen, but no one knows of it and no one sees it, so we created a planet where there was a human dimension, but it lacked the dimension of Being.
Now you know, because you have read the words above. Even if you want to, you cannot deny knowing it now. You can of course refuse it by saying, “I read it but I still don’t understand” or “I don’t care because I’m not ready yet,” and that’s fine! I want you to know that I perceive you as a Being and allow a place in my heart for your Being. This is actually the real meaning of giving a place in your heart,  to see beyond what can be seen, whatever the human appearance. It is being able to embrace that Being. We refuse to acknowledge our Being and fight with it; we defer whatever there is in the Being dimension that expects to be hugged, namely our Being! Yes, there are roads to take and decisions to be made, but whatever we do in our human dimension, if we do it while hugging our Being, the outcomes of our actions will be beyond our beliefs.
Once we allow somewhere for our Being in our hearts, the gates of the dam will open. We are filled with the energy of what it is to “live.” Our light increases, and even if we were to walk into complete darkness, our light would illuminate the way. So, the more people who hug their Being first, followed by the Beings of others, the more light will shine upon the Earth. The planet will be brilliant, people’s awarenesses will change, life will change, “evil” will join “live,” and “live” will dissolve “evil.”
The days we live in already carry the potential to discover this situation and deal with it. Even though it might seem dark all around us and even if we fear the darkness…Who knows, maybe the universe created this darkness so we could see the light. It has given us a chance to perceive its brightness and realize that we are the source. It has done so with the hope that we can assure its continuance.
The tagline of a movie I enjoyed was “Everyone is a piece of the plan… Who are you?” I am a Being. We’re all Beings, and the
Being within us expects us all to give it a place in our hearts.
Now is the time for the dam’s gates to open, so the waters of our Being can fill the dry riverbed beyond it…
Everything will then be better and more beautiful…
So come on, allow a place in your hearts for all our Beings…

Hasan Sonsuz