Spiritual seekers often think that evolving one's consciousness requires simply stepping into the church, temple, mosque, monastery, yoga shala/studio, ashram, meditation hall, or dojo. Others feel that by pursuing the shamanic path and the plethora of sacred rituals and medicines that they’ve ‘got it’. And if you memorize a few chants or rituals, or read a bunch of spiritual books, then you're on the fast-track to enlightenment. Welcome to the shadow.

Psychotherapy is still required for the vast majority of us... yogis and spiritual seekers especially. It’s a long, arduous multi-lane road and there aren’t any shortcuts. Just because you may have developed a certain lane or path to the point of expertise doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve eliminated the necessity to do the distance and hard work in one or more of the others.

Abdi Assadi, a highly-skilled New York City acupuncturist and healer for the last 23 years has had a wealth of first-hand experience in helping people of all walks with their issues - whether physical, emotional, mental, energetic, psychic, or spiritual. His ‘baptism by fire’ came with the AIDS epidemic in the 80’s before the Western medical community had the tools necessary to deal with this merciless disease. Learning on-the-fly, Abdi assisted many during their transition from lives full of vitality and promise to agonizing and brutally drawn-out deaths – made all the worse by the social stigmas of the time.

Drawing from his significant personal experience and his observations in a clinical setting where he skillfully holds healing space for his clients, Abdi has seen it all and can help us more clearly see our own ‘blind spots’. His new book, Shadows on the Path: Revelations and Pitfalls on the Spiritual Journey is a powerful study for those interested in understanding that we are all unconscious to differing degrees – and how to begin the extremely difficult process of really waking up. Abdi clearly shows us that our experiences, suffering, and questions are not unique – even if the path to the answers is. And when the answers continue to elude us, Abdi reminds us that the most powerful space to be in is that of ‘not knowing is knowing’.

This isn’t another “Forty Days or Ten Steps to a New You” book, rather it’s a beautiful and painful lesson that we constantly dupe ourselves by creating these highly complex stories that serve to hide vital portions of ourselves – pieces that we will do almost anything to avoid facing. But we must face and accept these shadow parts of ourselves that reside firmly in our unconscious, in order to become whole. As the real “spiritual path” is the path to our true selves.

My girlfriend and I recently made a trip to Abdi’s home in Upstate New York to discuss his book and the greater context of the human struggle. The podcasts found on DharmaPodcast.net comprise this fascinating and in-depth conversation.

Peace, Peace, Peace,

~b

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"Anything is one of a million paths. Therefore you must always keep in mind that a path is only a path; if you feel you should not follow it, you must not stay with it under any conditions. To have such clarity you must lead a disciplined life. Only then will you know that any path is only a path, and there is no affront, to oneself or to others, in dropping it if that is what your heart tells you to do. But your decision to keep on the path or to leave it must be free from fear or ambition. I warn you. Look at every path closely and deliberately. Try it as many times as you think necessary. Then ask yourself and yourself alone, one question. This question is one that only a very old man asks. My benefactor told me about it once when I was young, and my blood was too vigorous for me to understand it. Now I do understand it. I will tell you what it is. Does this path have a heart? All paths are the same: they lead nowhere. They are path going through the bush or into the bush...In my own life I could say I have traversed long, long paths, but I am not anywhere. My benefactor's question has meaning now. Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good; if it doesn't it is of no use. Both paths lead nowhere; but one has a heart, the other doesn't. One makes for a joyful journey; as long as you follow it, you are one with it. The other will make you curse your life. One makes you strong; the other weakens you."

The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge
by Carlos Casteneda

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