There has been the idea rampant that, as your consciousness grows, your path will be strewn with roses. Certainly, your path will be strewn with roses, but that does not mean you will tread a path without thorns. It means the thorns no longer dominate in your mind. Your path has already been strewn with roses, and now you will notice them more, and you won’t mind the thorns so much. Life will be rosier, yet not every moment. There will be more roses, yet not every minute. Yes, your life is transformed, yet really it is you who is transformed.

Sometimes people have the idea that as consciousness grows, everything is golden, and that you can attract only golden people and golden events, that ordinary life can no longer grab hold of you and shake you. There is some truth here, but not exactly, not any more than the cover of a book always tells you what’s inside.

Brightly lit, you can still trip on the sidewalk. You can still have a rash. A snowball can still be thrown at you, and it may not always miss. Not everyone will know Who you are. I don’t want you to be disappointed, nor do I want you thinking you are not enlightened because of this thing or that.

There is great difference in your life, but the real difference is in you and how you perceive and respond to your existent life. You lead a blessed life now.

Yes, your life will be newly lighted, and you will attract more light into your life, and yet there still may be slippery ice.

If you are an enlightened detective, crime is not erased. If you are an enlghtened garbage man, there will still be garbage.

Of course, you may change careers.

Newly lighted, you will still have to do dishes. There will still be slush in the streets.

If you are banking on enlightenment to give you an easy ride, you are looking at enlightenment in a limited way. Enlightenment is given to you, and you see the world in a new light. Along with the dazzle you so desire, you will find that life is not so much about you as you may have thought and wanted. Your surroundings may be the same. You may not amass riches. You will still need to sleep.

You will not find great joy in being the only one enlightened in your neighborhood. Enlightenment truly is not about your personal life and your personal fulfillment. It is not about how wonderful you are and how blessed you are. Enlightenment is a gift, yet you will find it has to do with responsibility and service to mankind, and this will be joy to you. As a lighted citizen of the world, now the Universe is your arena. Now you extend far beyond the kitchen of your choice or shiny or scuffed shoes.

If you are seeking enlightenment for yourself alone, you are barking up the wrong tree. If you are looking for medals, you will be disappointed. Instead of looking for enlightenment, how about looking for Me?

It is good to be a seeker, and you are a good seeker. Seek now not for gain, not even the gain of enlightenment. Seek to enjoy and to give while you walk along your path to enlightenment. In fact, I will go so far as to say to forget yourself. I am not saying to sacrifice yourself. I am saying that in the moments in which you are happy, you are not thinking about yourself or even about being happy. When you are creating art or music, or a beautiful meal for your family, for a little while, you forget yourself. At these times you are operating with the full power of the universe behind you. You already know what enlightenment is, or you would not desire it so much.