Life is challenging. You want to live in peace, calm, away from conflicts and confusion, but it seems impossible. As if it were an unrelenting hunter, life seeks you out to provoke you. In essence, that’s what I told Starry Song, the shaman who had the gift of perpetuating the ancestral philosophy of his people through stories and songs. That’s how I justified my arrival in Sedona a few weeks before the initially planned date. An avalanche of annoyances had made me bring forward the trip. I needed quiet to regain the lost serenity. A few days in the Arizona mountains, away from the buzz of Rio de Janeiro, professional problems, and the inevitable roughness of dealing with people we encounter in everyday life, seemed to offer the exact formula of rest, rebalancing, and regeneration that I so needed. While listening to me without saying a word, the shaman lit his unfailing pipe with a red stone stummel, rocking rhythmically in his rocking chair. From the house’s porch, we could admire the richness of the colours offered by the setting sun. Then he puffed on the pipe a few times and seemed to enjoy the dance of the smoke. I suspected he wasn’t paying attention to my complaints about this habit of life pursuing me with so many conflicts. In the end, when I added that I needed to hide so that life would forget to include me in its confusions, Starry Song warned me: “A lost journey.” I said I didn’t understand. He said something I had already heard: “There’s no escaping problems by changing places. We are our own baggage.” He puffed again and murmured prophetically: “Inexorably.”
I said he was wrong. I argued how much I had changed. Old behaviours no longer fitted me. There had been significant changes. I speculated that perhaps it was a karma of this existence that I had become a sort of catalyst for problems. I needed to get used to it. The shaman clarified: “All situations that repeat in our days happen for a single reason. Learning. Until you learn the lesson embedded in the sequence of events, which present themselves in various forms but carry the same transformative content, a particular type of situation will continue to recur. In essence, karma is learning. It means that life will not give up on its evolution. Learn the lesson to extinguish the karma. Then, a portal will open to a new existential phase. As long as you refuse to accept that the meaning of life is evolution, you will remain stuck on the road of time.”
Then he added: “First, life offers you the right tools. Then it teaches you how to handle them. Next, it provides the raw material for the work: problems. Personal evolution is an essential part of universal perfection. It is natural that initially we present the difficulties of apprentices. We struggle to understand the use of the tools and the purpose of the work; we doubt that the provided raw material can become part of the great art. Initially, we only want to rid ourselves of the problem without caring about the hidden content. Like a good master, life continues to provide material for successive attempts; gradually, with small advancements, it also makes new tools available, without neglecting the improvement in the use of the old ones; all of them of utmost value. Sometimes, it is necessary to change conditions, as rebellious or careless students need more rigor and attention. The Great Mystery does not give up on anyone. Nor does it diminish love. It is a matter of wisdom and justice. That’s why no one’s days are the same as anyone else’s. You are unique. We all are. Understanding the tools and the work is a factor of liberation or imprisonment; it depends solely on yourself. That’s why the uninformed people lament the dull days that insist on repeating like a monotonous melody. They are stuck on the road of time. To change the tone of the hours, it is essential to perfect the intrinsic talent of the artist. This is equivalent to refining the work.” He puffed on the pipe again and added: “Therefore, never lament. Accept the lesson; understand the transformation offered. In this lies the joy of days. Make use of the raw material, perfect the handling of the tools, and execute the work of yourself.”
I insisted that he was mistaken. I questioned why he refused to see the obvious. I said that I understood personal evolution as the primary work, just as virtues are the tools available for this grand art. The issue was different. I kept to myself, didn’t provoke anyone, or interfere in others’ choices. Yet, it was never enough. Conflicts pursued me. Yes, I needed to travel, take a vacation, be away for a while. Perhaps there was a chance that the problems would forget about me, I sighed. I also hoped that some people, not seeing me, would turn their focus elsewhere. Starry Song curved his lips into a slight smile. I thought it was one of sweet approval. It was compassion.
The next morning, right after my first mugs of coffee, I habitually checked the messages on my phone. Among many, two caused me discomfort. One was from a former business partner who, after the dissolution of the partnership, had kept the house where the advertising agency had operated. He complained about serious infiltration problems in the house, to the point of compromising the structure if a major renovation wasn’t started immediately. Although the partnership had been dissolved years ago, he claimed that, according to engineers, the start of the infiltration was before that. He argued that the expenses should be shared among the former partners. Now, why had he forgotten to mention the high rents he had been receiving since then from the house located in a prime area of the city? “Whoever gets the bonuses should bear the burdens,” I said to myself, not without some irritation.
The other unpleasant message was from a cousin. Years ago, I had taken on the responsibility of caring for our grandmother. Due to her advanced age, physical issues had arisen that required constant attention and intense help. To prevent her from being admitted to a nursing home, as the family wished but not my grandmother, who wanted to continue living in the same house where she had spent her entire life, close to the neighbours and the familiar references that coloured her reality and helped to tell her story, I had taken on the responsibility of caring for her. It was not a complicated task. Since she received a generous pension, it fell to me to select the appropriate staff and coordinate the running of the house, which I visited two to three times a week. It was a peaceful task, which I carried out with joy, although I knew that because of this choice, I would receive no help from the family. Most of the time, we had afternoon tea together. I usually brought almond croissants from a bakery near my house, which she loved. We talked a lot. These were moments of intense joy for both of us. This cousin, despite the justifiable reason of living in a distant city, had never shown any interest in our grandmother. She took advantage of being in Rio de Janeiro for a professional commitment and visited her. In the message she sent, she expressed concern about the various shortcomings, according to her, in the care and took the opportunity to point out several improvements that should be implemented immediately. In other words, she wasn’t willing to do anything herself but had decided what I needed to do to improve our grandmother’s care. She believed she had the right to point out flaws without offering to carry out the solutions she proposed. Just like that, I grumbled, irritated by the audacity.
When entering the house with a bag of fresh bread he had fetched for breakfast, Starry Song found me sitting at the table with the typical expression of someone who is upset. He asked in his calm, husky voice, “What is capable of throwing you off balance so soon after waking up?” I told him about the two messages. Two clear abuses. I reminded him of our conversation from the previous afternoon. It was striking how problems pursued me. I had become the favourite target for people to unload their dissatisfaction and incompleteness onto. The shaman reflected: “Knowledge has many layers. Part of the evolutionary process is gradually uncovering each of them.”
I said I didn’t understand. He explained: “While there is truth in your arguments about how many people deal with their misunderstandings, whether by shifting responsibility or refusing commitments, the issue seems different to me. The problem does not lie in the problems themselves but in the way you react to them. Any situation can be a source of shadow or light; it depends solely on your perspective.” Sitting at the table, spreading a generous portion of butter on the bread, he said: “Until you fully grasp the power of compassion, others’ behaviour will continue to be a source of irritation.” He took a sip of coffee and added: “Irritation, being a shadow from hatred and impatience, drives away love and dims the light if we don’t dissipate it immediately. Irritation will give us a thousand reasons to react below our capabilities. It will be another opportunity wasted. The work will remain unfinished.”
Then he concluded: “When we accept life’s offer to dance to the fantastic symphony of the stars, we begin to envelop problems and problematic people in the mantle of compassion, a primordial virtue that, as such, resonates in love and light. A portal will open. What the unwary believe to be the end, compassion allows for the beginning of a new journey filled with lightness.”
Starry Song said no more. He left me to reflect on his words. However, I still didn’t understand the valuable tool I had in my hands: compassion. Although I knew it in theory, I wasted it in the application of my personal dilemmas.
That same day, while visiting an interesting local craft fair, I encountered an artisan from whom I had bought several pieces on previous visits to the city. I was a fan of his work and talent. We always had pleasant conversations when we met. This time, upon seeing me, he immediately commented on how much weight I had lost. I mentioned that I felt very good in this new phase. That was when the artisan said my appearance was terrible. According to him, I looked like a sick man and should reconsider, as it shouldn’t be this way. After so many years of discomfort from being overweight, with all the associated health risks, just when I had managed to adhere to a new diet combined with physical exercise and was pleased to have achieved my desired goal, I received criticism that, between the lines, suggested I had done everything wrong and was in a bad state. I was upset. Immediately, I thought it was the artisan’s envy for not having managed to maintain a healthy physical condition. With a huge effort to contain my irritation and remain polite, I mentioned other commitments and said goodbye. I left the fair. Even in a place with so many interesting and beautiful things, I had no desire to stay. The walking was over. So was the joy and lightness.
I returned home. It was late afternoon. Starry Song was rocking in his chair while preparing tobacco for the stummel of his steadfast pipe. Seeing me, he shook his head. Whether it was my expression or the energy I was emitting, there was no doubt about how irritated I was. As I approached, he asked, “Have you hurt yourself again?” I recounted what had happened. Then I reminded him of my theory that I was a kind of lightning rod for other people’s discontent. No matter where I was, I was the target. The shaman furrowed his brow and said with seriousness: “As long as you play the victim of the world, you will remain stuck in your own misunderstanding. All suffering, of any kind, originates from the mistaken interpretation of reality. Understand a bit more about yourself so you can better read the world. We know the world through the lenses we use. Clear or dark, changing the lenses alters the colours. Also, don’t forget to clean the filters where impurities enter to avoid any kind of energetic contamination. Yes, the frequency of vibrations can be poisons or elixirs. Remember that the Law of Affinities is relentless. This too is a choice. In cases of insults and provocations, the fundamental issue is not immediately reading the antagonist’s heart accurately. Although important, this is the simpler part. The complex part is knowing how to react.”
I questioned how it was possible not to be irritated by the aggressive charge of an insult, whether it was a direct derogatory accusation, sarcasm, or an unfair demand. I said that I suffered constant attacks; it was like stones coming from all directions. Starry Song puffed on his pipe, smiled at the smoke dancing before his eyes, and taught: “As long as you see the world as a war to be won, you will live through all the agonies, horrors, and darkness of war. Facing the stones, you raise your shields to defend yourself and sometimes retaliate to stop the attacks. You kill and die every day. There is nothing to complain about the pains of the chosen battle.”
I asked if there was a choice. The shaman nodded and reminded me: “There are always choices. Infinite choices. We are destined for freedom.” Before I could say a word, he clarified: “Freedom is a consequence of the evolutionary process. Far more than wandering freely through the streets, freedom is born in the depth of thought, through peeling away the layers of knowledge, and develops into a range of choices previously unimaginable.”
He paused before continuing: “Live the world as if it were a school. It is. Accept problems as challenges, not confrontations, but as opportunities for solutions never before considered. This is an effective way to expand consciousness. Have you ever imagined that instead of defending yourself from the stones with shields of irritation or retaliating with equal hatred, you could place yourself in a realm unreachable by insults?” I said that such a stance seemed impossible to me. Starry Song continued: “It will remain impossible until you dare to do differently and better.” Noting the large question mark in my eyes, he revealed: “In compassion lies the secret of access.”
I asked him to define what he understood by compassion. The shaman was instructive: “Alongside humility and simplicity, compassion forms the triad of primordial virtues, essential for the star traveller to pass through the First Portal of the Path, known as the Portal of Lucidity. As the name suggests, lucidity is the ability to bring light where there is darkness, both within and outside oneself. Compassion is the loving understanding of others’ difficulties, possible for those who have already recognized their own challenges, whether overcome or still in process.” He puffed on his pipe before making a valuable qualification: “However, it is essential that compassion is accompanied by humility, a virtue typical of those who know who they are not and sincerely recognize themselves as small but willing to evolve. Believing oneself to be grand while still being small is the greatest delusion, born of vices in masks and personas seeking to shorten the Path. They remain in place, exhausting themselves in useless wars. Hence the importance of simplicity to dispel the mists of lies and imprisoning conditioning. It requires courage and sincerity to look naked before the exact mirror of the soul; all its achievements and numerous difficulties. Then, understanding that victory is not about defeating anyone but about becoming a different and better person; a little more each day. One can defeat a thousand armies, but until one learns to love more and better, one will not have achieved anything truly significant. This is the essence of evolution.”
After this preamble, he addressed the core of the issue: “This understanding provided by compassion, which envelops the offender in light, must genuinely be accompanied by settled virtues, such as humility and simplicity. Otherwise, it will be a mere exercise in pride and vanity, believing oneself to be greater and better than others. There will be no trace of lucidity; no portal will open. You will remain stuck on the road of time, exchanging stones of mutual misunderstandings in a dark and dense jungle of suffering and ignorance.” He shrugged and concluded: “By the way, ignorance manifests every time we believe we know what we do not. A fertile ground for the weed of delusions.”
He then finished: “With humility and simplicity, envelop the aggressor in the luminous mantle of compassion. Understand that any offense expresses suffering and misunderstanding. They are words that, through ignorance, attempt to hurt when, in truth, they cry out for help. There exists a clouded mind, a disordered heart, and a coerced soul. A silent scream of despair that only compassion can hear. In these moments, remember that you are not at war but in school. Compassion is the solution to these problems. Have the sweetness of the rose to understand the difficulties and the firmness of the rock to contain potential abuses. But remember, you are no longer at war; thus, any retaliation will be a setback. Being in school means being willing to evolve. Embrace the offender within your capacity and the possibilities allowed at the moment. Never forget that it is always possible to do differently and better. Act with sincere compassion and feel the love coursing through your veins, illuminating every dark alley of your being. This is called happiness. To achieve it every day, one depends on no one but oneself. This power is yours and mine. It belongs to everyone.”
I asked what to do if the offender continued their aggressive behaviour. Starry Song shrugged and said: “Nothing beyond continuing to envelop them in the sacred mantle of compassion. Offenses or accusations are like invitations to a gloomy dancing ball. Like any invitation, simply refuse. Understand that the stones they continue to throw, having become ineffective, will no longer hit you. As the victim’s irritation fuels the offender’s imbalance, upon realizing the futility of their attacks, they will understand the uselessness of the battle. Initially, they will become more irritated. Then, they will feel envy, as while the world has advanced, they remain stuck. Subsequently, admiration will follow. Then, they will be ready to seek their own light. This is the process. Just as those who know more do with us. We illuminate the world by lighting our own. Without any war, but by solving the problems of the school. I know no other way.”
We did not speak further. I needed quiet to absorb those words. We sat on the porch for an indeterminate time. I came to understand how the complaints, grievances, and criticisms from the former business partner, the cousin, and the artisan spoke more about their struggles to deal with their own choices than they justified my obligations or mistakes. Although the words were directed at me, they revealed their own misunderstandings. Compassion allowed me this understanding and dispelled any irritation. I was filled with an indescribable sense of lightness. I smiled with joy at grasping the scope and application of compassion as one of the fundamental tools for a good life. From then on, it was up to me to further refine its use. I remember how Starry Song gently drummed an ancestral song on his two-faced drum. I looked up at the sky and thanked the stars. All bitterness fades when we realize that the sweetness of life is in our hands. At that moment, I made a commitment that henceforth, my happiness would no longer depend on hatred, indifference, selfishness, or the shamelessness with which the world might treat me; from then on, what would matter was love, wisdom, and the virtues that any harshness could awaken within me. Problems are the valuable raw material in the sacred art of consecration in light. Compassion, a secret of the immeasurable power of evolution.
Translated by Cazmilian Zórdic.
