6. Benediction
As the book closes and we say goodbye, let’s take a moment to recap the core points. First, the principal point is to establish that there is an alternative form of awakening that is different than what you may hear about in Buddhist, Advaita, and similar circles — one that is far darker and weirder than you may be expecting. Whether or not this type of awakening happens to you apparently lies completely beyond your ability to control or predict. If this happens to you, you will likely need specialized advice and support that will differ markedly from the teachings that are most predominant in mainstream spirituality. That being said, there is nothing wrong with the Below, and there is nothing wrong with you.
I’ve repeated this many times, but I can’t stress it enough: the critical thing for you to do is to surrender to the Descent. If you stop fighting against it, this journey will take you to the darkest, most terrifying places in the depths of your being. But there, you will undergo the most astonishing transformation and discover the most precious gifts. The more you fight against this process, the more difficult this dissolution and rebirth will be.
Remember that the whole point of the journey through the Below is for you to find, accept, and honor every last bit of the totality of the cosmos, welcoming it all into the unimaginably sacred wholeness that you are. That process cannot be selective: you must welcome not only all of your Above parts of lightness and love, but also all of the dark and terrifying parts that are forgotten and repressed. The wholeness must equally include everything you think of as “yourself” and all of the parts of the cosmos that you have denied within yourself.
Once you have liberated the whole universe in this way, you will not be perfect. You will not be an all-knowing, all-powerful Buddha who transcends the human condition and dwells in eternal bliss. But you will find that your gifts, your elixirs, will be able to freely flow out into the world in just the way that you were always perfectly designed to deliver them. Eventually, with time, this whole array of parts will become so well integrated into your system that you will not even need to pay attention to them anymore. They will spontaneously, perfectly, and automatically arise as and when needed, without any conscious effort, thought, or even noticing necessary on your part.
To experience this freedom and ease is your birthright and your destiny. Nevertheless, in order to arrive at such a place, it is required that you must go through the difficult, torturous, and dangerous process of the Descent and Return. Like a caterpillar, you must be completely liquidated before you can take flight. Like Christ, you must be tortured to death before you can take your seat in Heaven. Like a phoenix, you must be totally unmade down to your very core before you can rise again from the ashes.
If you knew how difficult this journey would be and how much you would need to sacrifice, you would never have willingly embarked upon it. However, the fact that you’ve read this far tells me that you’re likely already in it and have no choice over the matter. There’s something whispering to your soul, pulling you inexorably toward the metamorphosis. You’ve already passed the point of no return. You are already swept up in the undertow.
As you are drawn by these dark currents down into the Abyss, hold out your hand so that I can pass along a parting gift. It’s this book, which contains a map of the territory you may pass through in the months and years to come. This is my own elixir, which I brought up from the depths of the Below precisely so it could be shared with travelers just like you.
May this elixir be good medicine for you, my dear friend! May this book be a force for good, a gift for the needy, a balm for your pain. May it never cause harm or suffering in any way to any being. And, may it carry all the blessings and invitations of the Below to whosoever is ready to hear the call and take the plunge. Goodbye for now, but we shall meet again upon your Return.