We all have an innate desire to be free, free in our spirits and minds, free in our hearts and souls. We yearn to live our utmost dreams and become the person we deeply wish to be. Yet, we cannot be free unless we are brave enough to face our Old Codes of the Past.

The Old Codes are codes of protection. They begin to take shape in that first moment we lose trust in others or in ourselves, when we feel hurt and disappointed. They are formed to protect us from another disappointment. Yet, as the lack of trust and the pain accumulate through the years, these codes ‘learn’ how to excel, gradually growing to protect us from life as a whole. They strengthen their hold until they constitute a solid presence in us, conducting our lives, our loves, and our dreams in a way that is hidden from us. We may think we are our own masters, but in fact we are maneuvered by the codes. The castle that was designed to guard our soul becomes, without notice, a prison that sends our spirit into an exile.

Strong Winds from Nowhere –The Initiation of The One tells the story of Tasha, a young, brave woman who strives to be free in her heart and deeds. Along the trails of life, she meets people who send her back to her past so that she may confront the traces of the codes within her. Without facing those codes, they tell her, she would be haunted by the faces and voices of her past and her free spirit would remain in exile.              

It takes Tasha time to grasp the full meaning of her Old Codes. It takes her even longer to understand that she was bound by them, for these codes are never easy to trace.

The story of Tasha is the story of all of us. When the Old Codes take root in us, we become different and we change. We learn that there is no place for innocence in this world, and we harden ourselves by becoming survivors. It takes a long journey to understand or even acknowledge that this learning comes through the voice of our Old Codes rather than a product of our true voice.

 Most of us don't remember the exact chain of occurrences that had led to the formation of these codes, but we can recognize that we are far away from our meadows of innocence. Somewhere in our past we have lost our trust, and the codes began to form. The continuous loss of trust grants those codes a tremendous power to protect and shield us, leaving us no room to approach life with ‘a naked heart and bare hands’. We can’t afford to be sincere and vulnerable. Deep sensitivity is submerged beneath cynicism and shallow sentimentality. We live on the surface. Therefore our beauty, our depth, our complexity, and our endless colors are reduced to black and white, good and evil, us and them. This is the language of survival, and our mother tongue, our innate language of free spirit, has been exiled. If we only see this, our free spirit will spontaneously emerge without any need for hard work.

Tasha’s wish to be free and her courage to face the truth despite the ache that comes with it, leads her through five fascinating steps of initiation. Each step teaches her eyes and heart to truly see what is real behind the stories of her life. Only by seeing the truth, is she ready to transcend the Old Codes of her past and forge her way to freedom and love.

The story of Tasha could be the story of all of us if we pave our own path to true freedom and love. Imagine what a beautiful sight it would be if all humanity could commence on this journey. For there is nothing grander than the sight of a free spirit rising from the ashes to endless sky, falling in love with life, with people, with all and everything.