I was back in the cave, the “Ancient Cave” as I always have called it. This is not a name that I came up with, it is the name that sprang naturally to mind when thinking about Red Robe, or my lessons, or the chamber in which I received many of the teachings. Somehow it was the perfect name, an exact description, and went unchallenged in all my recollections for many years.

“How are you?” Red Robe asked in that disarming way of his.

“Fine.” I responded and gripped an imaginary briefcase that I then placed on my lap, determined to use this would-be prop as a way to not misplace my list of important questions.

“Have you thought more about undertaking this journey, and the personal implications for you?”

“Yes,” I replied. “This is something I must do for myself. How much I can help humanity, or anyone else, remains to be seen, and I understand that. I have attempted to put my boyhood fantasies of being some type of superhero aside. I am embarking on this journey in an effort to be all that I can be.”

“Good!” Red Robe said approvingly, “You are beginning this journey with the correct viewpoint.”

“May I be your student?” I blurted out. Whoops, there went the value in about ten carefully thought out questions. It had occurred to me that this was a logical step, but it was one that I wanted to approach cautiously.

“Certainly.” Red Robe responded without hesitation, without a hint of pretension.

“Thank you!” I said in great relief, “And how shall I address you?” Well I was able to remember to ask him this one question, at least.

“Aaraak is my name. A a r a a k,” he carefully spelled it out, one letter at a time.

It struck me as the perfect name, certainly the perfect name for him, although Red Robe wasn’t a bad choice either. Aaraak seemed grand and awesome and somehow naggingly familiar. “Aaraak,” I tried it out loud. It came off my tongue rather awkwardly. “Aaraak.” I tried again. It was okay this time. “What does that mean?”

“It is the cry of the eagle. Listen. Aaaaraaak.” And it did sound like the cry of a great bird, loudly echoing on in our rocky chamber. “It means, literally, freedom. The names Aaron and Rachael come from this, more ancient, name.”

We sat in silence for a moment and I became very calm and very centered.

“We are going to begin now. I am not going to ask you about the ‘six magical seconds’ breath because I want you to do it for at least several days before we talk about it. You can ask questions anytime that you like. Sometimes I will be asking you questions, at other times I, or someone else, will be lecturing, at yet other times your awareness will be directed toward practice, or even other events.”

“What is our goal when we do practice?” The voice was mine, the question had come from me, but I was astounded that this is what had come out of my mouth.

“To become one with awareness.” Aaraak responded.

“Oh?”

“Yes, I think that does bear repeating. To become one with awareness…unconditionally one with awareness. At that point one has transcended time and space.”

“Transcended time and space? Really?” I was in science fiction setting, but this was truly a science fiction statement. It could not possibly be true in the world that I usually lived in.

“Yes really. I know this is a fantastic claim, but remember I am not going to ask you to believe anything. Not one thing. I am just inviting you to take a journey, a journey that begins with the six magical seconds and leads all the way to…awareness. I am claiming that breath is a magic carpet ride and that practice gets you a ticket on that ride.”

“Errrrr…well let me think. Just what is it that I am giving up?”

“Nothing.” Was Aaraak’s calm reply.

“Nothing! That is rather hard to believe. I give up nothing but still expand my consciousness and enrich my life? Why doesn’t everyone sign up for this program?”

“Indeed they should, but most humanoids are wrapped up in all-consuming dramas. Mental and emotional obscurations abound. Furthermore, many schools talk about the spiritual path as one that is long, hard, and arduous. Doing practice is sometimes referred to as ‘the Work’. While some positive intention, diligence, and effort are greatly appreciated (and sometimes richly rewarded), I do not think they are essential! What is essential is being open to trying to take the first few steps. Confucius said, “Even a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step!” which is clever and almost profound. A master is more likely to say ‘every breath begins when we inhale’ or, more confoundingly, ‘with each breath the outer prana seeks the inner prana…’ Confucius is a great politician and gives a concept that pleases the active mind, the master gives insight into elemental integration. In the beginning this distinction means little, but by the time one has gone past focusing the mind on an object (concentration), past focusing on a subject (meditation), and allows the expansion that comes with contemplation, such insights abound.”

“You have gone far beyond what I can understand right now.” I attempted to steer the lesson back towards a level I could comprehend. “What is going to let me know that I am getting a result from doing the six magic seconds on a continuing basis?”

“You will get both subtle and obvious results. Subtle changes to notice are being slightly more organized, somewhat more aware of your surroundings, being able to listen better, and having a touch of detachment in all situations. Obvious changes might be the ability to make decisions without a lot of hemming and hawing, the ability to pay attention to what is happening around you, and a sense of well being (dare I say happiness?). These changes are not unlike those that happen in your back yard. A tree is growing there and you haven’t taken notice of it for a good long while. One day you get some pictures out of the filing cabinet. The tree is in it, but it was much smaller in those days! On a day-to-day basis it looks the same, but from a larger vista the difference is dramatic! The difference is from persistent, diligent application of energy to earth, air, water, and sunshine. On another occasion we awaken, look out the window and behold (!), a flower has blossomed overnight, an instantaneous manifestation of the infinite beauty and power of the universe.”

“I understand that the ultimate goal is to become one with awareness. But what can I do right now? Is there something more achievable for me over the short run, say in the coming weeks?”

“Right this moment our goal is to expand our consciousness as much as possible, as often as possible. Along with this we have a secondary or intermediate goal that is to roll away all the limitations that we have accepted in this lifetime, to open ourselves to the possibility of becoming all that we can be! Celebrations all around, coming to wherever you are…”

“Could you say more about ‘expand our consciousness as much as possible as often as possible’?” I requested. I felt a little like I was taking a biology test in high school but I hadn’t seen the text the test kept making reference to, in fact I wasn’t sure it even existed.

“As much as possible eventually means twenty-four hours a day! Within three years of taking our first steps on the path of practice we will begin a process of becoming conscious during our sleeping hours. We will build awareness in dream, become masters of our dreams, have lucid dreams, and then build awareness in non-dreaming sleep. This branch of practice does not end here and we will return to it at a later date.”

“Sounds like trying to sleep is going to become a lot of work.” I was trying to be humorous, but this remark sounded flip and uncalled for as it flopped on the floor like a dying fish. Fortunately Aaraak responded as though it were a serious comment.

“No effort is required to become an expert in sleep.” he relied. “Most people have a well developed natural ability. Night arrives, they take off their clothes, lay down, close their eyes, and fall asleep! The path of practice should be almost that easy. I want to emphasize that everything I offer is something you can accept without sacrifice. I want to empower you and enrich your spiritual possibilities--accept this challenge. I dare you! Try the ‘six magical seconds’ journey and see where it takes you. Each six seconds are a building block for our foundation, a foundation that supports the magical universe that we live in.”

He peered at me in an owl-like way. Well, once again, I could not see his face, and yet I had an absolutely certain understanding that that is exactly what was happening, that that was exactly the look on his face. “You seem spent,” Aaraak remarked, and I felt a deep, deep fatigue welling up from within. “We will stop here for now.”

Then exhaustion consumed my brain, I was falling asleep…