To Have a Secret

            To have a secret. To have a secret whose name might echo in a million books and magazines, a secret whose name might be heard over all the airways, in a million songs, and yet, a secret it still remains. No matter how many times it might be shouted aloud, a secret it still remains. No matter if, in the eyes of the world, it appears to have been cheapened, debased, or emptied, the secret has still within itself all the power it ever possessed: it is yet full of magic, inexhaustible, forever vital, a radiant outpouring of treasures. To have this secret is to know of a bottomless gold mine. This secret is pure gold. And the site of this gold mine is not somewhere in the beyond, not somewhere forever out of reach, but is here, in the heart. Each of us has a heart. The gold mine is as close as we could ever imagine.

            The secret puts a Song in our throat. Though others may not hear it, in our throat we are singing. It is the silent, perpetual Song of the secret. If we wish to sing it aloud, we can sing it aloud; but the Song goes on singing nevertheless. The Song is an irrepressible outpouring of molten gold; words can shimmer in mid-air as we speak. And those who know the true worth of this gold will realize that here is someone who knows, for here is someone who speaks from the source—the heart has been opened.

            If we turn to the heart with all of our heart, the heart opens. That is the profound mystery of it. And when the heart opens, the inexplicable happens—the heart pours forth more than what we at first had assumed it capable of giving, more than when at that moment we had said, With all of my heart. This Fountain of the heart increases its flow—tenfold, a hundredfold, a thousandfold, and still there is no end to it. That is also the profound mystery of it. The Fountain is inexhaustible, once it opens to us, once we have opened ourselves to it. And it flows throughout our body, through our eyes and ears and tongue, and through the touch of each finger; in our throat, it is the Song that’s ever singing. Our body brims and hums with joy, and we cannot and would never wish to restrain it. A Power greater than our own, greater than what we have ever known, flows continuously through us once we have discovered this Fountain. So tremendous is it that we might whisper to ourselves: Surely this is a great secret. Surely this is a gift.

            And the strength that it gives to us! Chains that have held us melt at our touch; walls that have separated us dissolve. We go forth among others and find ourselves bold in saying, Look, here is gold. But how many really notice? How many would rather cling to their fear and anger, their insecurity, confusion, greed, and resentment, their narrow self-interest? Always such conflicts and such battles! Always the sad games played over and over. And yet, here is gold. The few who do notice, they might rush over and say, Gold! Gold! Oh, if only we too could have a few pieces of gold like that! So we say to them, Here, then, take these pieces. Yes, go ahead, take them. There is always more where that came from. What are a few pieces of gold compared to a bottomless gold mine?

            But should we give the secret away? Would it any longer be secret? Don’t be afraid for the secret. No matter what we do, the secret remains a secret, even if we have told it to all the world. After all, the secret is an open secret to everyone anyway. Yet, the secret will never be exhausted. And perhaps it has many names—perhaps it has a thousand names. We could spend a lifetime singing but one of its names.

            But can the secret really be shared? Should it be shared? Realize that the secret is never ours alone to begin with, never ours alone to think that we could attempt to control it. Realize that we do not make the secret secret. We surely do not and cannot control it. It would always prove to be bigger, much much bigger, than our clumsy attempt to hide it; and it would escape through our bungling hands if we thought of clutching it for ourselves alone. To know this secret is to know firsthand that it moves us, it works through us, it flows out of us, and that it will always be flowing out to the world. The secret cannot be held back—the heart cannot be held back, once the heart opens. Sooner or later the secret will open our mouth, and it will speak. From our heart, it will sing.

            Listen, do you hear it? How marvellous, this constant, irrepressible Song!

—Ron Lampi