This would have helped me tremendously to understand more clearly... however, it's the layers that have given me this perspective. As I grow older, wiser, more evolved and conscious, it becomes blazingly clear how easy it is to bury yourself beneath layer after layer of mud.
The first layers? Failing a test. Shake it off. Meet up with friends, have fun.
Then comes a deeper layer—maybe there's family turmoil, a difficult home life, growing up watching two people stay together while drifting apart. Eventually, a divorce at a young age—your foundation cracked before it ever had a chance to fully form. You try to shake it off… but this one clings. You keep moving forward, but the weight is heavier now. Progress is slower. Healing takes longer. Distraction and worry take hold.
Another layer? Watching others effortlessly chase dreams while you feel stuck. Shake it off—this is your wake-up call. Time to re-engage with your life and make healthier more focused choices for your future. Exercise, routine and balance.
I really hope this works...
Then the death of someone you love? That layer doesn’t shake off so easily. You try: good sleep, healthy habits, nourishing food. But it’s not working. This layer is sticky. Really sticky, and thick. Maybe you seek comfort in unhealthy ways which only add to the burden.
Then come the layers built from betrayal, workplace toxicity, disillusionment. Now the mud is piling up. You tell yourself, “Just give me time, I’ll clear it.” But then life hits again—bills, college stress, dysfunctional work environments. You’re gasping for breath.
Can anyone see that I’m drowning?
Maybe they’re drowning too...
Your mind, body, and soul begin collapsing under the weight. You need to find a way to clean all of this off and begin again. You seek, desperately seek.
Then—something happens. You meet someone. The layers feel lighter. Are they drying out? Blowing away? You can breathe again. You see color again. The world no longer feels like a murky lonely shadow.
Sometimes this light lasts a long while. Sometimes just a flash. So you begin to chase that feeling, hoping it will fix everything. But it doesn’t. And when love fades or partnership falters, a whole new layer forms hard. This one really hurts.
Please make it stop. I can't do this again. Maybe I can find solace deep within.
You recoil and minimize.
Suddenly, all the old layers return—heavier than before. You wonder if you can survive it. Maybe you go back to a relationship, hoping it will relieve the pressure, allow you to breathe… even in tiny gasps. You realize, love doesn't fix everything and heartache amplifies the weight.
Then comes the heaviest layer yet: illness. A serious one. Specialists, surgeries, treatment—time. So much time. A brutal practice in patience, while carrying years of pain. You become nearly invisible under it all.
You wonder—will I ever be anything more than this?
Will I ever feel joy again? Am I destined to loneliness and unrealized potential?
A failing relationship. A weakened body. Loss of career. And just when you begin to rise again, the illness returns—dragging you back underwater just as you felt the sun on your face. You feel translucent, like you're no longer fully alive but instead, partially dead. You wonder who you were, you wonder if you'll ever 'be' again.
Wait, I have choices...
Wade into the ocean and never return?
Remain imprisoned within this dark, muddy weight, trapped and quietly fading?
Or—seek the light in every moment, even if only for a second?
You choose.
This becomes your mission. Your calling. Your reason to rise.
You begin to seek the light—in every breath, every step, every act. It's not easy as the mud covers your face, heart and soul.
Over time, the light dries the layers. They flake off and drift away into the wind. The pressure eases. Your vision clears. You see in color again. You take deep, nourishing breaths. You remember who you are. Joy flickered—distant, but not gone. I wasn’t forsaken. I wasn’t abandoned.
I'm remembering who I am.
You are a light being. In form and in essence. You are free.
A revelation, an epiphany.
Love becomes your compass. It leads the way. You’ve learned: the light lives within love—not fleeting anymore, but constant.
To live a full, long life, layers will certainly return. But the light lessens their weight.
The light lessens the weight!
When you lead with love, to the best of your ability, you remain aligned with the light. It’s not just a mindset—it’s quantum. A frequency of wellness. And when you finally realize this must be done for yourself, no one can do it for you and no one can take it from you. No one controls your emotional or energetic state.
You no longer carry the weight of others’ layers. You reclaim your sovereignty.
Each of us has this option. But we must engage with the light—even in tiny glimpses. With time and conscious effort, we begin to live in the light, with an ability to pass through the shadows without remaining there.
So I share this, with immense love and hope:
You are already everything you need to be.
You carry all the tools to become the divine, loving, abundant being you dream of.
It’s not a destination.
It’s your heart.
It’s your soul.
And once you begin living from that space—
Your reality changes.
I wish you all the very best, big love and a beautiful life!
~KK
Karen Koprowski | @FigandSoul | #ReikiArtsKK