Our story begins with four men in the desert in a type of self-imposed imprisonment. The men were out in the middle of nowhere, the sun beating down on them every day.

The first man was attached to a post sunk deep into the ground. It was a tall post and there was a chain going from the post to his ankles. The chain was approximately two meters long (6’-8”). He couldn’t escape because of this chain around his legs. Every time he tried to escape, he realized that the chain was holding him in place.

Near the second man was also a post sunk in the ground, but there was no chain around his legs. Instead there was a large moat, a large trench all around his post and his little piece of desert. The trench was filled with alligators, and because of that he knew he couldn’t escape. So day after day after day he walked in circles in his little island in the middle of the desert, complaining, angry, arguing with himself. But his fear of the alligators kept him there.

The third man was a New Ager. He too had a large post in the center, a large metal post. Around the post was a large rubber band, like a large rubber strap that was attached and tightened around his waist. Each and every day he tried to escape. He would pull and pull and pull with his body at this rubber band and when he got to a certain point the rubber band would slam him back into the post. Each day he got up and shook his head and thought “That wasn’t fun, but I’ve got to try to expand myself again.” And each day he got to the end of the rubber strap and it pulled him back again, slamming him into the post.

There was a fourth man. He too had a large metal post, sunk into the ground right around him. But there was no chain around his leg, there was no moat around his metal post, and no rubber band around his waist. But he heard voices. The voices said, “Don’t you dare try to walk away from that post in the desert. If you do, you will be consumed by evil spirits.” Every time he tried taking five or ten steps away from the post he heard the voices and he quickly ran back to the comfort and the safety of the post.

The four men lived like this day after day, night after night, miserable, angry, imprisoned in this desert setting. Until one day an angel came upon them. The angel said, “Why do you have that chain attached around your leg?” And the chained man said: “It was put there by others. It is not mine. They have locked me to this. This keeps me from growing, it keeps me limited.” And the angel nodded her head and said, “Hmmm, how interesting.”

The angel went to the second man, the one with the alligators in the moat and said: “Why do you choose this? Why do you have the alligators surrounding you? And he said: “These are the things in life. These are fears that will consume me and eat me if I try to leave my little prison here in the desert. I would rather stay here miserable than die in the mouths of the alligators.” And the angel nodded her head and said, “Hmmmm. Interesting.”

She walked to the third man, the New Age man with the rubber band around his waist and said: “Now that is very peculiar, what is that?” “This is a rubber band, it was put around me by the consciousness of humanity. Every time I try to expand, it pulls me back and slams me into the post. I suppose this is my karma. This is what I am meant to do here on Earth.” And the angel nodded her head: “Very, very interesting.”

The angel went to the fourth man and said: “There is nothing around you, nothing holding you in place. Why don’t you just walk off of this desert?” He said: “Oh, but dear angel, every time I try, I hear these voices in my head. They tell me there is danger ahead, they tell me I will be consumed by these unseen beings. There are demons out there, you know? I don’t want to encounter them, because I don’t know how to handle demons, so I’m going to stay close where it is safe.”

“You know,” the angel said, “I have the authority to let each and every one of you free. I can cut the chains off your ankles; I can clear the alligators from the moat; I can take that silly rubber band off your waist; I can even stop those voices from talking to you.”

Now you would think this would be a story with a happy ending. All of the humans would go free and realize how silly all this has been. But when the angel took the chains off and cut the rubber band, eliminated the alligators and stopped the voices, these humans all went crazy, right there in the desert! They couldn’t handle it. They were so in love with the things that had held them in place that they couldn’t move any further.

Had they just walked a little way through what they perceived as the desert, up over the little hill that lay just beyond where they had imprisoned themselves, they would have seen that it wasn’t a desert at all. They were actually on a golf course, in a sand trap! There were beautiful fairways, trees, a clubhouse, all attended to by angelic beings and human beings, ready to give them anything they wanted! They could have their own golf cart, they could play as many holes as they possibly wanted; they could sit at the bar all day and drink celestial beer, anything they wanted. But their fears held them in place.

As silly as it all seemed to this beautiful angel who set them free, it was very, very real to the four men. The desert was real; the things that held them in place were real; their fears – their fears from the inside and their fears that they perceived came from the outside – were all very, very strong, creating this tremendous illusion. So much so that when they were set free, they didn’t know how to handle the freedom; they didn’t know how to handle true choices; they didn’t know how to handle the beauty of life.

They had put themselves in their own prison, of course. Nobody else truly filled the moat with alligators; nobody made the one human wear the rubber band around his waist; nobody attached the chain to the post; and there truly weren’t any voices speaking. But humans tend to do this! They create illusions about their reality.

So Shaumbra, this is an invitation to each and every one of you to put your own fears away. This is an invitation to take a look at the things that are holding you back. Hear the angels who come to you. They invite you to set yourself free, to stop using excuses, to stop locking yourself into your own prison. It is actually very beautiful out there, beyond this little desert, also known as a sand trap. It is very beautiful. You can create all types of things, but you can’t try to envision the beauty of your potential life while you’re tied to a post; while you have a rubber band around your waist; while you worry about the alligators; or while you hear the voice of your own fear. When you’re consumed by fear and limitation, you can’t possibly imagine how incredible you can be and how easy life can be and what a joy life is in every moment.

Even sitting here right now in these chairs, you can’t possibly imagine in your limited human mind the incredible joy and fulfillment that comes from working with other humans who also want to be free, where you don’t have to take on their burdens. You know, psychologists for the most part tend to take on other human’s burdens and then they get just as miserable. But when you are out there teaching, Shaumbra, you don’t have to take on anybody else’s stuff. The angel who came by and freed the four prisoners didn’t put the shackles on her legs; didn’t put a moat of alligators around her; certainly did not wear a rubber band; and didn’t allow outside voices to influence her.

When you’re doing your work, don’t take on other people’s issues. Honor them and respect them. If they choose to stay attached to that post with a chain around their legs, honor them for it and indeed even ask them to make a choice. You’ll be amazed sometimes what you hear back. Sometimes when you say, “You can make a choice to let go of those chains around your legs, what do you choose?” Humans typically start with a “but … but … I’m not sure, I don’t know.” The confusion, all of this sets in.

You can’t possibly imagine right now, even sitting here in this moment, the beautiful vistas of life that are right in front of you. What appears to be a desert is simply a little sand trap in life.