A teaching I've heard many times from teachers, in ceremonies, and among friends is that "the only way out is in."

In modern times, it's easy to seek relief from external sources.

I feel tired, so I drink coffee.

I don't like how I look, so I buy more clothes, makeup, and jewelry to cover it up.

I need to cry but don't have time, so I eat an ice cream.

I am bored, so I open my smartphone and scroll through Instagram.

None of this is inherently bad or wrong in itself; it's the behavior behind it that is not serving us.

If I constantly run away from what I need to feel, meet, and transform, how can I find true joy and peace within?

What if we looked for relief on the inside?

Spending another winter in the northern hemisphere made this even clearer for me.

If we go around complaining about the dark, cold, and depressing weather, we are going nowhere.

Let's compare this to a sunny, tropical country where happiness is around the corner. You go to the beach, get some sun, turn on your inner light, and the deal is done.

Not possible here.

So the only way out is in.

Sometimes I feel like I'm in a small, dark room with no way to escape.

When I've been in challenging ceremonies, moving through dark caves with no light and the medicine pumping in my blood, it became clearer than ever that the ONLY WAY OUT IS IN.

To connect with my heart, my being, my soul, which is more than my mind and my body.

The body can freak out.

The mind as well.

But that golden essence, as I like to see it lying as a shining star in my heart, never goes out.

Your inner light is always there; you just have to find it.