THE LIGHTED PATH:
The Celestine Prophecy Meets Eat, Pray and Love
www.the-lighted-path.org
By Risha Henrique
We’ve gone from Nature’s jungle into this strange virtual jungle. I remember looking at a picture
of a movie star on the Internet—although he was dead, I could see some of his thoughts. It was
as though his soul was being held hostage. The digital jungle is a thousand times more
dangerous; at least you had a fighting chance in Nature’s jungle. In our supercomputer-charged
world, instead of having to contend with poison ivy and tigers, we’re up against constant
surveillance. As more and more of our secrets are exposed in this tech-saturated world, where do
we find sanctuary?
Many prophets have foreseen there will be a breakdown of our supersystems as we move toward
the establishment of a more spiritual civilization. They predicted this will happen some time
between 1995 and 2025. (Could they be wrong?) According to the prophesies of many cultures,
including Mayan, Hopi and Tibetan, our reborn spirituality will assist in the discovery and
invention of forms of science and technology having humanitarian goals – and we will uncover
the true scope of our abilities.
The scope of our abilities is the underlying theme of my book, The Lighted Path. I take you into
the heart of my personal journey to show that you have abilities you’re not aware of and have
never used. Mystics, shamans, and visionaries have long understood that we are more than just
our five senses – and that you can enhance your perception beyond the physical by unlocking the
third eye. It’s as if they had an instruction manual on how to connect with their inner
intelligence. As one modern-day guru put it, “We’ve been endowed with a magnificent human
machine—we could use it to move mountains, but we use it to multiply our sufferings every
day.”
This became a vivid reality for me during my seven-year odyssey that stretched from the Pocono
Mountains to a red-rock paradise of canyons and creeks in Arizona, to the archipelago of the
Azores, long considered a remnant of the lost continent of Atlantis – and, finally, the jungles of
the Yucatan.
With the help of a gifted shaman known as Hawk, I found myself drawn into an intriguing and
sometimes dangerous world—of ancient tribal rites, sacred earth temples, ominous prophesies,
forgotten realms, the deep dream state, sweat lodges, and vision quests.
My first Native American sweat lodge was a near-death experience and a rebirth all in one. The
darkness of the sweat lodge expanded to absorb the walls that encased me, becoming the
darkness of the universe—and my mind and soul spun within its very center. I hurtled through
space into some uncharted dimension—and the blackness turned to white light.
The sweat lodge was only one of many experiences that exposed me to grueling physical and
spiritual trials with fire, water, and wilderness. As I pursued my personal quest, my life become a
virtual roller coaster ride of out-of-body and near-death experiences. Through it all, I
experienced every emotion of fear, bewilderment, and ecstasy that is humanly possible.
Such experiences inscribe your soul so deeply they create fissures. Some soul fissures are
cavernous voids where darkness and despair engulf your very being, even misleading you to
think that suicide could be the answer. The other form of a soul fissure is laden with precious
gems and crystals. These riches emanate from such life-changing events as finding your soul
mate or having a spiritual rebirth. Sometimes a soul-fissure experience casts you onto a path of
light, making it possible for you to function no matter what obstacles life throws before you.
When you are connected with your inner world, your thoughts and your feelings and therefore
your desires, you feel empowered, not helpless about your life. Spirituality is about believing in
yourself and celebrating your existence. It’s about doing what makes you happy. Your life ought
to be your adventure; you are meant to burn your own path, not follow in the path of others.
Spirituality is not about following a list of what you can’t do—and having to deal with feelings
of being punished with the wrath of God if you don’t do these things. If you study psychology,
you realize that the mind can’t process the word DON’T. For example, I want you to listen
carefully: “Don’t think about a white horse. Don’t think about a white horse.” But what do you
think about? You see it in front of you. It is impossible to stop yourself from seeing it.
My message to those in the Authors’ Lounge is one of great hope and deep personal connection.
In my book, I don’t tell you what’s right for you. My preference is that you’ll be motivated by
me. You’ll be inspired to do what makes you happy. Maybe you’ll finish reading my book and
feel you need to go to the top of a mountain in Peru. Or maybe you just need to go to your local
wilderness park and spend time with nature. All I’m saying is to do what’s right for you; don’t
follow someone else.
