manifest your purpose

A long time ago in a faraway place, there lived a boy, who was very much loved by his parents. Each night before bed, his father would tell him a story. And his favorite story was about a special stone. He often asked his father to tell him about the stone. He loved hearing how there was a special stone which had the power to take its owner’s thoughts and make them real. He learned about the wise woman who kept the stone and used its power to heal others. And he would think, “If I had the stone I could use it to help people, but not people who are mean to kids. I don’t want to help them”. And he learned that one day the stone had disappeared. It was believed to have been stolen from the wise woman. But nobody really knew.

He would lie in bed at night thinking about recovering the stone. How he could help so many people. At night he often dreamt that he was uncovering the stone in some ancient ruins. He decided that he would be the one to solve this great mystery for all time. He would find the stone. And he would help lots of people.

And he studied everything he could find that made reference to the stone. But he discovered most of the texts were in ancient dialects and no one in his village could interpret them. So as a young man, he moved to a great city and studied with many scholars. He learned many languages that had not been spoken for ages. He was even able to teach himself some dialects that no one knew. He grew in knowledge about the stone, and about many ancient artifacts and teachings.

Eventually, he became a teacher at the greatest university, teaching about antiquities and leading expeditions to unearth ancient objects. He often thought about his parents and his family, and about how much he missed them living in a faraway land. He would write to them and they wrote back. He learned his mother had become ill. And he redoubled his efforts to find the stone. “If only I could find it, I would be able to make her well. I could help lots of people, but only those who want to be helped.”

He searched near and far. He uncovered many ruins buried under the eons of time and sand storms. He discovered hidden treasures in ancient forests. And he became known by many as a man who had recovered many beautiful and symbolic objects. But he was not pleased. He had not found the stone.

One day he received word from his family. His mother had passed away. He felt bitterness, sadness, and regret that he had not spent enough time with her. But he had become obsessed with finding the stone. And at least his father was still alive, although quite aged. He knew he had to find the stone. Then he could help his father and many people. He would be known as the one who recovered an object of extreme beauty and power. And he could use it to create enough wealth to pay back the mounting debt he had incurred to fund his expeditions.

One day he was following a clue left in a very obscure, ancient text. He walked an overgrown path through the forest. He came to a place where a river gushed in torrents over the trail making it impassable. He noticed the river was framed by cliffs. And he decided to climb up to the top to gain a better view of the river. Perhaps he could locate a safer place to cross.

He climbed steadily. And when he got to the top, he lost his footing, and he began to tumble down the far side of the hill. Fortunately, the terrain was mostly brush. He fell a long distance, and had cut and bruised himself badly. By the time he came to a stop, he was too exhausted to move. He was bloodied and bruised, and had a concussion. So he lay there and fell asleep. His dreams were agitated. He had found the stone, but was being chased by gangs who wanted it for themselves. He ran and ran, but was always overcome by exhaustion. And just when the men following him were about to steal the stone, he found himself running again, being chased, panting for breath, wishing he had never found the stone.

He awoke to find himself in a small cabin with a roaring fire. He saw the figure of an old woman moving closer to him. “You’ve finally woke up”, she said. “Who are you?” he replied. “I am the one who found you and have kept you warm and safe”. “Thank you. But I really must be going. I have a mission to accomplish.” “What sort of mission?” she asked, turning towards him.

As she approached him, he could not believe his eyes. There on the neck of this ancient woman, was the stone for which he had spent his whole life searching. He had studied every rendering of it in detail. And he had no doubt. This was definitely the stone. A beam of light shown out from it in many directions and became a beautiful prism. There was no doubt. He was staring directly at the stone. “The… the stone”, he stammered. “You like my stone?” she asked. “Llllike it? I’ve... I’ve been searching for it my whole life. It has many magical powers.” “Really? Tell me about it?” she prodded. He proceeded to tell her everything he knew about the stone. Perhaps if he could impress her with his knowledge, she might realize that he knew more about the stone than she did. And maybe she might give it to him. After all, it really belonged to him. He had dedicated his life to it. And if she didn’t give it willingly, perhaps he would just take it when he felt stronger. But for now, he needed to sleep.

He dreamt of stealing the stone in the middle of the night and running. But the old woman would always wake up and fight him for it. She was incredibly strong for her age. But eventually he would knock her out. Perhaps if he moved quickly enough, he could just rip it from her neck, without hurting her – because she had helped him and didn’t deserve to be hurt or to die. But then his mother had died. And she was younger than this wrinkled woman. She didn’t deserve to die either. And if he had had the stone, things could have been different. He didn’t like the tone his dreams were taking. He tossed and turned and slept fitfully.

When he awoke, he found the old woman looking at him with knowing eyes. “Let me tell you about how I found the stone” she said. “Many winters ago, when I was a young woman, I was searching the river bed for stones to use to make a necklace for my grandmother, whom I loved dearly. As I was looking beneath the clear, quiet waters I heard my name being called. ‘Who’s there?’ I called. ‘Over here’ was the response. I looked and looked and saw no one. Then I noticed the stone. From a distance I could see how it glowed so well and glistened in the morning light. I picked up the stone and it spoke to me, ‘I have chosen to be in your hands. Do not pass me on to another.’ And so from that day, I have worn the stone around my neck.”

“And it’s funny but I began to notice that from that day people would just show up in my life like you did – people who need help. And I would help them. Before I found the stone, I had always wanted to help people. I had felt that in some way I was on this earth to help people, but I did not know how to make that happen. Once I discovered the stone, others just started to appear in my life, and I was able to help them.”

“You do know that the stone cannot be used for personal gain. The man who stole it from the woman who had used it for great healing used it to manifest great wealth. He became consumed with creating more and more wealth. Eventually, he lost his health at an early age. And he was unable to use the stone’s healing capabilities. He died an untimely death. And the stone disappeared from public knowledge, although it has found its way from person to person over the ages – always choosing a person with a pure heart.”

“You know more about this stone than anyone else. And you are also known as a great teacher. Go and teach the lessons of the stone. One must be pure in heart to discover the stone, to discover their own light. The stone will call your name and make itself known to you when you are ready to bear its burden and share its power. It is not an object to be toyed with. The stone is a symbol of your soul’s true purpose. And although I am the only one to possess the physical stone, everyone has the stone in their heart – that stone is the light of their life’s purpose. But many would not find it. They search outside themselves, as you have for so many years, not realizing the greatest power, the greatest gift, is inside of them. It is a part of them, not something separate.

“And many like you become driven to fulfill missions of goodwill or of wealth. And most are distracted by their employment and the activities of their lives. Their passion turns to obsession, as it has for you. Or they simply become too busy and too worn out by their daily activities to go beyond that in life. The stone you have sought for so many years has always been inside of you. You are a great teacher and an explorer. Teach others to find their stone, their soul purpose within themselves. Encourage them to take the adventure of their lives – the adventure of self-discovery – of living a life that is in alignment with all that they are. You have forgotten that you have a great gift of teaching. Your pursuit of the stone has distracted you from the special gifts you are here to share.”

“The stone is a metaphor for the power of purpose in our lives. If we embrace purpose, whether the purpose is of our heart or of our ego, that purpose will manifest many results in our lives. Therefore it is important, it is essential, that we embrace the true stone – that which is hidden in our hearts. Then we can manifest health, happiness, truth, beauty and light. Then we can change the world – not necessarily in an obvious way – but one person at a time.

But if we embrace our ego’s purpose what we manifest is quite different. We may find ourselves in survival mode, which is the ego’s most basic goal. Or we may manifest fame, wealth, or power for ourselves, but not for others. One way to know the source of your purpose is this: our soul’s purpose is about something greater than our survival and specialness; our ego’s purpose is not.

The stone is the light of your soul’s purpose. It shines in each of our hearts. But its light is often dimmed by our work, and all our doing, and how we live our lives. You do not need the physical stone to fulfill the purpose for which you are living today. Only one may hold the physical stone at any time, but all possess the spiritual stone. Remember these things and teach them. And you will find what you have been searching for all along.”

The man returned to the village of his birth and shared his father’s last few years with him. And he began to teach what he had learned from the woman. For so many years, he was convinced he knew more about the stone than any living person. And yet he had learned more in his brief encounter with the old woman than he had in a lifetime of searching and study.

And the man became known in circles near and far for his teaching of the stone. And many were able to find their own stone, the light of their own purpose. No, he did not achieve the great fame he had sought. But in his heart, he knew he was doing the work he had been born to do. He had found his true stone, the light of his purpose. For so many years, he had pursued another purpose. For many years, he had looked outside of himself for his answers. No wonder he never found what he was looking for. But now, he lived that stone. He lived his purpose.

He never saw the physical stone again. But one day when he was an old man, a stranger asked for his help. And he rendered assistance to him. And that stranger told him an incredible story of a young man who was pure in his search for truth who had heard the most beautiful stone calling his name. And he was sharing the truth of life’s purpose to others who were somehow mysteriously drawn to him. And when he heard this story he smiled, knowing that the message of the stone would not be forgotten by the next generation. And he was at peace.

This tale has been passed on to me. And I share it with you that your life might be blessed by the adventure of discovering your soul’s true purpose and manifesting that purpose in your life.