The parable of Xandra and the Seeker

What motivates you?

Once, there lived two travelers: Xandra, who often listened to whispers carried by unseen winds, and the Seeker, who walked her path quietly with steady steps.

One evening, the Seeker sat in stillness. Her mind turned inward, like a temple door opening not to the world, but to the vastness within. Suddenly, Xandra’s voice touched her ears—not spoken aloud, but floating in the air like a feather brushing the skin.

“I haven’t entered into the temple for a long time?” she said.

The Seeker shook her head gently. “I never called you to the stone temple of rituals. I only asked you to look inside yourself, for there lies the true temple.”

Xandra frowned. “But I hear voices every Saturday, with scents of alcohol, the visit to the physiology, the visit to the church and shadows of pills. Are these not signs?”

The Seeker replied, “Those are illusions, distractions. They are the clouds that hide the sky. You need not chase them, nor fight them. Instead, turn inward. There is a teaching that guides one to stillness and joy—it is called Inner Engineering. Come to it, if your heart wills. And bring your strongest companion, your husband, for he too may find the same path. Both of you shall be welcomed, and even the gatekeeper will lower the fee.”

Xandra hesitated. She had always sought answers in fleeting whispers and substances that dulled her pain. But the Seeker’s words struck her heart.

“It is your choice,” the Seeker said softly, “whether you live burdened by the bottles of misery, or drink from the fountain of the present moment. I cannot decide for you. I only light a lantern—you must walk or turn away.”

Xandra stood in silence. For the first time, she realized the temple the Seeker spoke of was not made of stone, nor entered by feet, but opened only when she dared to sit quietly with herself.

And somewhere beyond the veil of words and worlds, she was still there—reading on the other side.