Each of us knows what is truth to us, yet we do not all hold the same truth. We have all experienced two or more people sharing the same event and reporting very different experiences. Are they lying? Perhaps they are, if there is some underlying motive. But most often, the inevitable differences are created by personal perspectives and world views – or, perhaps, soul views.

We each come into this life with a different purpose; we have different lessons that color the way we perceive the world and our experiences. It is absolutely essential that we live in integrity and truth. But how are we to know what is our truth in a world of so many truths? In this information age, we have access to so many masters in so many places and ages who have shed their light. Surely, they must have the answers. And they have, for their time. Some of it is still relevant today. Our task is to find the way that expresses our personal truth and bring that truth into the world through our life.

There is a tone that runs through the center of each of us, which knows our truth. It sounds unmistakably when we hear or awaken to the truth. Some people might perceive it as an illumination or a resounding tone; others might sense it as recognition, as when you finally remember that name you¹ve been trying to retrieve all night. Emotionally, we feel a quickening of excitement, sometimes with a touch of relief. The point is, the sensation is visceral. You feel it. It is important to know that feeling, because it will bring you home. Defining and refining the truth that is yours is your life’s purpose.

Seek out the great teachings of our time, but do not lose yourself. The importance of even the most renowned spiritual teacher is only in those teachings that resonate for you. Beware of trying to force yourself into a spiritual practice that doesn’t quite fit. It may not be yours. When you discount your inner truth as not as important as someone else’s or unworthy, we all lose. Does that mean you can’t persevere with a new spiritual practice a while to see if your old beliefs and habits are ready to shift? Of course, you can. Take what’s yours and lay the rest back down with respect. It may belong to someone else.

As the pieces of your truth begin to assemble, they will resonate stronger and stronger, drawing others to you. Ultimately, you will find pieces emerging spontaneously from within. This is the most exciting aspect of the journey, for you are now a direct link to the Great Mystery. At this point, you are the teacher of your truth, and its living example. Integrity is essential. It must be impeccable.

We live in extraordinary times. Life as we have known it is fundamentally changing. The institutions and ways of being that we have known are proving to be unable to meet the stress of environmental damage, population growth, social dissolution, war and famine that threaten our well-being and future. We are called by necessity or prophecy to invent a more responsible, humane culture. It is an enormous undertaking with profound consequences, the very contemplation of which is overwhelming.

And yet, each of us has a key. It is the truth – the individual truth that we each carry – that is our contribution. This is not a top down process. No one person has the whole picture. No one has to, for it is not any one person’s task to do alone. Rather, we each hold a thread of the tapestry that we are weaving together to create our collective salvation. You only have to do your piece. So, do it well. We are in this together.