.”The first rule of all ancient religions is ‘Know Thyself’, just like a onion we peel away the layers and find nothing in the center, yet if we keep looking closer to that center IT keeps going into the infinite. IT is like we are trying to look back at our own eyes and IT just keeps escaping our view, so we look into the eyes of another and see the infinite, that which is you! Layer by layer we strip away the dross of the false, just as the alchemical process of revealing gold from ore, not unlike a stone sculptor who removes stone to reveal the beauty of their art, we must dissolve the illusions of the ego mask to re-discover who we truly are. Many hold onto their image and defend IT til their last dying breath, not unlike an actor or actress who has forgotten who they really are behind all the roles they have only chosen to play. Are you acting or are you being You? Are you repeating the habits and patterns of a conditioned image of ego, a mask that has only been passed down the archetypal flow? The answer to this becomes very clear the moment someone asks us the simple question…who are you? If we give our name that our parents gave us, or the jobs we do on a daily level, these are all calling cards of the mask of our ego! Looking closer to our dreams, what we see is that our consciousness does exist beyond the limits of our everyday thinking mind. So who is IT that goes through the experiences of our daily dreams? Who is IT that stands behind the awareness of our everyday consciousness? As we do the shadow work of peeling away the layers of our mask, and retrace our steps back to the days of our childhood, we will begin to see that spark of wonder and magic through that which ‘activates’ our body, as we experience the rebirth of our true spirit by making the unconscious conscious!” ~Alistar Valadez