Following this analogy we can regard our depression as a time for reflection, for reassessing what is important for us. It is a time to read the unobtrusive signposts that are now able to be seen. To give you but one example:

Recently I read of a man who was head of a multinational company in the USA when he fell into a deep depression which no amount of medication or therapy seemed to be able to shake. He couldn't function at work so he took time out to recover. After about two months of pottering around the garden and going for long walks he remembered one day that, as a young man, he had yearned to be an artist living in Hawaii. There was a slight lifting in mood as he contemplated the idea. Within a few weeks he had resigned, sold up everything and moved with his family to his new life. Twenty years later he recalls how his depression disappeared soon after he began acting on his desire. It had served its purpose and was no longer necessary.

The analogy of the wise car slowing down to not miss the signpost is telling us that there is a vibrating chord within us which hints of a destiny to make our heart sing, and that if we fail to listen to it there will be a mental and physiological reaction (say, depression) which steps in to insist that we take notice. This new direction that beckons us is described by the mystic Don Juan in the books by Carlos Castaneda as ‘the path with heart'. When repeatedly asked by the struggling Castaneda to give a clear definition of this ill-defined pathway, Don Juan finally replies,

“It’s not that you know when you are following the path that has heart,
it’s more that you know when you are not.”

That is, when we are not on the path with heart, we feel restless, resentful, depressed for no apparent reason – at least, the reason does not become obvious until at last we realise the need to change direction, to go forward in life towards something which lifts the spirit instead of covering it with a dark cloud.

In so many ways Don Juan’s path with heart is the same as what philosophers have referred to as ‘the conscience’, that inner guidance system which assesses every single thought, word and action to see if it will take us towards being truly ourself, or away from that ideal. Other descriptions variously employed in mystical writings include, ‘the inner voice’, ‘the voice of God’ and sometimes ‘intuition’. Each of these terms refers to an inner prompting which gently demands that it be taken notice of, otherwise the sun will become obscured by clouds.

We can conclude from our understanding of the foregoing that, for some forms of depression, our melancholy could be a signal that we can no longer ignore the inner call for a new direction.

A striking historical example of depression being an incentive to change is that of Annie Besant who went from being the wife of a clergyman in the English countryside to become the President of the India National Congress in 1907 as well as President of the worldwide Theosophical Society in the same year. The transition was far from easy. With two young children, she found herself becoming increasingly depressed until she was almost comatose in bed for weeks on end.

During this period of enforced rest she realised that she could no longer believe in the God of her husband and Church, nor in the ordained right of the privileged class to rule. She began to write pamphlets outlining her ideas, knowing full well that she would be banished from the Christian fold and separated from her children. But the more she read and wrote, the more her depression would lift. With renewed energy she began communicating with other great free thinkers and social reformers of her time. Excluded from church and home she was now free to pursue her quest for truth. Her years of depression were now over.

Once again we can see how depression forced a withdrawal from a full and busy life so an important signpost could be noticed and acted upon, one which changed the course of Annie Besant’s life and allowed her to fulfil her destiny as one of the world’s great social, moral and spiritual reformers.

If you are battling with the sudden onset of depression perhaps these few words might resonate with you. The signposts are not always clear at first – even confusing at times – but once recognised and acted upon they can lead to a significant change in our life’s direction, one more in line with our true destiny.

We hope these words have been of some help to you. You’ll find similar themes expressed in the two CDs.