Recently I found myself engrossed in a documentary titled “The Reality of Truth.” Being a seeker of the subject, I was immediately drawn in by the title. The film was created by Zappy Zapolin, an internet pioneer who “had it all,” (career success, financial success, a happy marriage and family, the beautiful house…) yet found himself feeling empty and longing for a more meaningful experience of life. He was also seeking solutions for some of our world’s biggest problems such as addiction and depression.
In search of truth, Zappy interviews many thought leaders such as Deepak Chopra, Marianne Williamson, and Ram Das looking for answers to common questions about life and the human experience. He begins exploring ancient modalities to heal physical, mental and emotional suffering and finds himself engaging in transcendental meditation, plant medicine, and breathwork practices. Thru his exploration, he experiences moments of freedom from much of his suffering cause by the illusion of the everyday experience.
To say that I was captured by the film is an understatement. Yes, it was entertaining and enlightening, but for me Zappy’s story hit home. Ten years ago I found myself in a deep, dark depression after the sudden loss of my mother. Her passing triggered pain and darkness that led to shutting myself in my bedroom for nearly six months not participating in the world. I was angry and hopeless, and I wanted answers.
Little did I know that this was only be the beginning of a much deeper investigation for truth – both within myself and in the world.
The pain, a strong, stubborn refusal to take anti-depressants, and the insatiable appetite for answers prompted a solo journey to India in search of natural solutions to heal my mind, body and spirit.
I was insistent there had to be more beyond the waking/dreaming reality. I needed to experience something beyond my mere 5 senses.
My quest proved successful, and with the tools of Ashtanga Yoga, Transcendental Meditation and Full Body Cleansing, I found the healing and many of the answers I was seeking. By going inside my own consciousness, allowing myself to experience whatever came forward, freeing myself of judgment, and purifying my body of pollution, I realized a sense of bliss and happiness beyond what I had ever known before.
I found truth… my truth. I experienced God… my God. And I finally understood experientially oneness and the interconnectedness of all things.
“When you fall away for a minute, something special happens. This is actually the beginning, and now you have to relearn the world just like you were a baby,” says Zen priest and “The Reality of Truth” actor Peter Coyote.
This quote could not prove to be more accurate, as once you have a taste of the nectar, you awaken to the real “juice” that is available for us at all times. This was and has been my experience ever since. And what I realize more and more is that this human experience is a never ending journey of awakening. It is not a destination experience, it is a daily, moment to moment practice to return to the love that we are and the love that is available for us.
We are living in trying times, and now more than ever we are being offered the opportunity to step into our wholeness, to come together in unity, and to create a new global infrastructure and architecture centered around peace and oneness.
These goals can be accomplished easier than we realize, and the real work begins by ending the war within. Zappy’s movie brings forward various ways to start the process, but for those that are reading and ready to take action – it is as simple as beginning a meditation practice, starting a journaling practice, looking at your judgments, going to a breathwork class, listen to a Wayne Dyer or Marianne Williamson lecture and reflect on you learnings.
The best thing you can do for yourself in this moment is to look within at the upsets and the places inside that hurt, take responsibility for your own experience, and do the work necessary to free yourself from the addiction to pain.
Miracles happen, and when we embrace our own suffering we are empowered to set it free. These tools are available to us at all times, and hope is in the proof of others that have walked similar paths. So often it is in our own quest for healing that we are led to the work we are meant to do in the world.
For me personally, the miracles and personal advancement I have experienced with full body cleansing prompted me to create my own 21 Cleanse program, to formulate my own line of organic herbal supplements, and to create a business dedicated to helping others create empowering health and habits of self mastery.
There are many with similar stories. “The Reality of Truth” shares of Gerard Powell, a man who after years of therapy and substance abuse treatment, healed himself of addiction using plant medicine. His profound healing inspired him to start Rythmia Life Advancement Center in Costa Rica, a center that is geared toward healing and the expansion of consciousness.
Once you have a taste of transcendence, you develop a yearning to recreate it in every moment and to seek to recalibrate your cells back to the truth. Choose your tools wisely, and be clear with your intention. Be mindful when you embark upon the journey that you have a strong support system in place as you may find your value system change. When this happens, lean on those around you it can be challenging to operate in our current societal structure and system.
“When I understood and accepted my own darkness, I was consumed by the light.” Hope Floats.
Now more than ever our world needs awake individuals who lead with love and are willing to shine. Thank you, Zappy and team, for making such an incredibly powerful film that brings light to the various ways we can access the more subtle layers of our being and tap into universal consciousness and unconditional love.
For those interested, please visit the website for more info on the film