The "secret" of everything. Why are we here? Where are we going? How do we get there? Consciousness, feelings, and intuition. Are we - as human beings - the sum of its energy, or is life destined to begin and end as nothingness? What is the point of living to die? Speculative theological questions we should ask, but I for one, never did - not for 20 years. I was bound in a dark web of illusion. I had no mind to question anything outside of the imagined fear zone in which I existed. A life of emotional neglect: an abusive childhood, and being denied a mother's love had taken its toll. Friendless, sexually impotent, and mentally unsound, my future looked starkly bleak. My salvation came from the most unlikely source. A teacher from the stars: "Pat" was unschooled in the ways of men: a culturally unsophisticated and socially inept man, his communication skills had more in common with the natural world than civilized society. But his phenomenal sensory capacity defied belief. Over time, and through his patient guidance, I began to breathe again. I would learn how to think clearly or not at all. I would learn how to find inner stillness and peace. I would experience the power of healing through love. And my eyes would be opened to see out beyond the plane of my human preoccupation with self. As with all of us, the secret to everything lies within our grasp. The home we call the planet earth is for now, but is it forever more?...