There are two types of paths that one can follow in life. One is well worn and narrow, yet many follow these paths blindly out of fear. The other is rarely traveled except for a brave few individuals who dare go against the herd.

Both the right and left hand path start out the same way. An individual goes off and wanders in the spiritual desert in a search for truth. In this desert, this individual has an encounter with the divine. Usually this shaman, prophet, returns to the tribe and shares the knowledge he or she has learned. It is here where the two paths diverge.

Those that follow the right hand path, blindly follow the path laid down by their prophets afraid to question the validity of the path. They tend to dare not question the rules of navigation. They criticize and condemn all those who dare not follow this path with them and call them evil. Those following the right hand path have been known to kill those who defy the teachings and countless wars have been forged in the names of their prophets.

Those that chose to follow the left hand path follow the untrodden path of the prophets and discover the divine for themselves. They occasionally stumble and fall along the way. Sometimes they hit dead ends, sometimes they fail, and sometimes they die. Yet those who survive intact, come back with a sense of purpose and well being, as they have discovered the path that was meant for themselves.

As a contrarian, an outcast, a black sheep, who defies convention, religion, group think, with open eyes, I choose to take the winding, dangerous, left hand path and seek to experience the divine for myself. If there be a God, or truth to be found, I hope to find it in the wilderness like the prophets of old who stumbled upon them by accident.

One of the many dangers of going down the left path is becoming consumed by one’s own ego and believing that you are righteous and good. The one thing to always remember is that this is YOUR path alone.  Others my wish to follow, but you must remind them that it is foolish to do so, if they truly want to follow their LEFT hand path. Those who follow you are cultists and are blinded to their own true paths. It is okay for others to agree with your ideas, but only the parts of path that intersect with their path. To follow the left hand path is to be your own prophet.