The Transcription of the Eleventh Valley

The Eleventh Valley

Part one

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
With strength drawn from the absolute power of Allah, we begin the session.
Hello, friends. I am Hossein, a traveler and the guardian of the meeting.
(Hello, Hossein)
I kindly ask that we observe fourteen seconds of silence and seek refuge in the Almighty God for our liberation from our most powerful enemy which is our own ignorance and unawareness.
Thank you, friends.
So, what was last week’s agenda? The Tenth Valley, which we’ve now completed—another valley concluded.
Now, today’s agenda is the Eleventh Valley. (Take notes, everyone.)
Has the secretary not arrived? Is she absent, or has her term ended?
(Response: She is absent.)
Who is the secretary? What happened? Did she inform you about her absence?
Alright, no problem.

The Eleventh Valley states: "All the roaring rivers and gushing springs will ultimately reach the sea and ocean." I will read the Eleventh Valley from the text and provide you with a brief explanation.
As I have said many times, the valleys are practical guidelines that show us the path of life. They teach us how to think, how to reason, and how to live. People struggle with various challenges, and the difficulties they face are often of their own making. Because they lack awareness and understanding, they create problems for themselves in different ways and forms.

Before we get started the discussion on the Eleventh Valley, let’s talk about one of the common issues that lead to crises and problems in people’s lives—speech. Many people openly share their thoughts, personal matters, or private issues with others, often without realizing the potential consequences. Everyone has their own personal concerns, weaknesses, or sensitive matters, and revealing them to others can sometimes lead to serious trouble.
In the past, people would hand out their photos to others, only to later realize that a single picture could cause a disaster. Just one photograph could lead to unexpected and serious complications. Sometimes, people write letters, and those letters can create crises and conflicts. In today’s world, people send text messages instead, but those messages, too, can be used against them.
Before sending a letter or a message, one must consider: If this letter were to end up in a judge’s hands, would I be able to defend myself? If it were made public, would I regret it? If the answer is no, then it’s better not to send it at all.
Another major issue is misplaced trust. Time and again, we’ve seen people blindly trust others in legal matters—signing over property, transferring ownership, or entering into agreements without proper caution—only to face serious consequences later. These situations can create countless problems.

Another issue is that certain things become trends in societies and then fade away. Take tattoos, for example—what women today call "tattoo" was once known as "khal-koobi" (traditional tattooing). In the past, tattoos had a distinct cultural significance. They were a mark of heroism, primarily embraced by athletes and pahlevans, especially those who trained in traditional sports houses (Zurkhaneh). Among them, having a tattoo was considered an honor.
Getting a tattoo back then was an arduous and painful process, and not everyone could endure it. At one point, tattoos were associated with champions. Later, however, they became linked to those who were considered uncultured or from the lower social classes. Today, the perception has changed again—if someone has a tattoo, they might face job rejections. In many workplaces and organizations, tattoos can be a reason for dismissal.
Now, in some societies, people with tattoos feel the need to hide them. If they don’t, others might assume there’s something wrong with them. Don’t be fooled by these passing trends.

Recently, there has been a trend of piercing body parts. People are now piercing their noses. In the past, people only pierced their ears, wearing two earrings, which was quite nice. But now, you see people piercing their eyebrows, lips, and cheeks. These trends last for two or three years, and then they fade away. Sometimes, they can cause infections. When you pierce your nose, it might get infected or lead to health problems. Or if you pierce your eyebrow and put a ring through it, it can cause illness and infections, and eventually, it becomes outdated.
I follow trends too, but I choose the kind of trends where if they fall out of fashion, it’s no big deal. For example, if a shirt is in fashion, you wear it, and if it goes out of style tomorrow, it’s not a problem. But if a tattoo becomes a trend—let's say someone tattoos their forehead—today, it might be in style, and you go ahead and do it. But two years later, what will happen when it’s no longer fashionable? You’ll have to remove it with acid, and then there's nothing you can do about it.

Therefore, these small and subtle details in various aspects of life can cause problems and crises for us. We should try to consider whether what we’re doing will endure. Will it remain timeless? If we make ourselves imperfect today, will it be used against us tomorrow? So, this is an important and necessary point, and we must pay attention to it from every angle to avoid making mistakes. The actions we take today might lead to regret and disappointment tomorrow.

The valleys come and teach these matters piece by piece. They address these issues step by step and guide us on our path. Here, the valley begins in this way: "Then, at the time when the lights were pregnant with darkness." The lights, meaning light, were pregnant with what? Darkness. It wanted to bring darkness from within itself. Usually, this is how things happen; most systems are not harmed from the outside, or if they are, it happens very rarely and minimally. Even governments, even countries, even thoughts and ideologies, get into trouble from within. The world of creation is the same. Darkness comes from within the lights. So, we see everything is light. From within the lights, one point turns into darkness, turns into blackness; and that point, bit by bit, spreads, until it takes over the entire surface of the light. When the entire surface becomes darkness, once again, from within the darkness, a point of darkness transforms into light, and again, it starts to spread and eventually, the entire system becomes light. These two are changing together. Neither of them will ever disappear. That is to say, we cannot say that at some point, all the lights will disappear and everything will become absolute darkness. Such a thing will never happen. Absolute evil will also never exist. Or we cannot say that one day all evil will disappear, and everything will become absolute good. We will never reach that point either. They exist within each other, and they increase or decrease.

In this situation, where the lights were still pregnant with darkness, Satan disobeyed the divine command, and it was as if a dark, black spot was born from the lights.  Whose command did he defy? It does not specify, but it is the command of God, which you are familiar with. It is as though the dark point emerged from the heart of the lights. There, at the time when darkness was pregnant, Satan defied the command, and from within the lights, a point of darkness came into being. Well, Satan was once part of the loyal forces, the good forces, but when he defied the command, he turned into a negative force. This means that from within the lights, negativity is born. Satan was once a devoted force. It is as though the dark point emerged from the heart of the lights, and it began its slow and creeping movement, aiming to assault the world of light, to spread darkness, and to prove its superiority over humanity, in the face of the Almighty's power.
Now, when darkness is born from the heart of the lights, it begins its movement quietly and slowly. This means that the movement of darkness and the negative force is not quick, decisive, or obvious. It is like a tiger, like a lion, like a wolf, like an eagle – when it moves, it attacks swiftly, relentlessly. But the movement of darkness is slow and creeping, like a worm that moves quietly. Or, imagine a very slow-moving reptile. So, here it is pointed out that the movement of the negative force is slow and creeping. It does not have a fast, swift, or decisive motion. It moves very gradually in whichever direction it desires.

Why did it start now? To assault the world of light. The lights refer to the virtues, the values, while the darkness refers to the anti-values. It slowly began marching towards the bright universe in order to expand darkness and obscurity and prove its domination over humans to the Supreme Power. Why does it seek to prove its superiority? This is taken from our own book, where it is said, "I am superior to man; I was created from fire, while he was created from clay." You know the story yourself. It did this in order to prove this.

Another point raised in this story is that: The fallen angel gathered its disciples in the placeless. This shows that Satan is not alone; Satan is not the sole entity attempting to mislead the entire world. He is a commander with companions, friends, and forces. Satan gathered his companions and forces in the placeless. When it says "placeless," it refers to a place that exists, while "beyond" means not a place, or without space. Why is it without space? From our perspective, this means that this action didn’t occur on Earth; it took place in the heavens, in the unseen realms, not in the visible world like our physical universe. When he gathered his forces, he said, the human being has been given an attribute that we lack '. He says that a characteristic has been given to man, which has not been given to us. and in order for us to prove our supremacy and competence over him, we must deviate him from his ascendant journey using inspiration and infusion. because the trait given to man has not been given to us.

He says: In order for us to prove our supremacy, we must divert him from his path. We must lead man away from the path of values. How? Through inspiration and infusion. Inspiration and infusion mean that we can only inspire or infuse man. Inspiration can be described as a whisper in our minds, which we figuratively say feels like it's speaking in our ear. Something comes into our minds, and we wonder, "What is this?" That's inspiration. Infusion, on the other hand, is the effect of two things on each other; like in the phrase,
"A fragrant flower in the bath one day
Reached my hands from the beloved's hand."
The clay sat next to the flower, and what is this? It's infusion. The flower imparts its fragrance to the clay.

Well, certain things are mentioned in divine scripture, stating that some angels prostrate while others fall. The allegory here is that each inhabitant of the heavens has a specific duty; each has their own designated role. But this being—man—has been given free will. The others have not; they have fixed and predetermined duties.
And in order to prove our supremacy, we must divert man from his ascending path through inspiration and infusion. We can only lead him toward anti-values through inspiration and infusion—in other words, by inviting him. We are not permitted to take any further action because man’s free will has been honored. This is a crucial and highly significant matter.
Man’s free will has been honored, meaning that no one can force him in the divine system: "There is no compulsion in religion." (Quran: 2) Even in faith, it says that there is no coercion. Man is a being with free will, but of course, he is accountable. Free will does not mean that one simply has the power to choose; it also means that one must answer for their choices.

Therefore, the negative force and the force of negative infusion cannot physically intervene. They can only infuse thoughts. The celestial hands merely infuse thoughts—the rest is up to us. So, we cannot place the blame for our sins on others. If today we are struggling with a problem or facing a crisis, it is because we have woven this fabric ourselves. It is our responsibility, and no one else’s.
The moment something goes wrong, we start blaming this person or that—even negative forces, even Satan, merely invite; they do not compel. They invite you to commit wrongdoing, but they do not force you to do so. If someone uses drugs, no one holds a gun to their head demanding that they take them. They are simply offered—perhaps even with insistence.

In some cities you visit, especially in smaller towns, people tend to be very hospitable and insistent with their offers. But in Tehran, it’s the complete opposite—people hardly extend formalities at all. Even when they’re eating bread, they keep their heads down and eat quickly, making sure no one notices.
Now, when you visit smaller towns and are a guest in someone's home, the dynamic is different. I’m being serious here—Tehranis, when a guest is about to leave, especially if they came over for an evening visit, wait until they’re standing at the door, shoes on, ready to step out, and then suddenly say, ‘Oh, please stay for dinner!’ They didn’t offer anything while the guest was comfortably seated, but now, at the very last moment, they extend the invitation.
This is just how it is. In smaller towns, though, they keep offering food—‘Please, have some more, eat this, try that. Have some yogurt, some salad, some dessert. This dish is delicious, really, you should try it.’ They insist a lot, but they don’t force.
The negative force works in the same way—it doesn’t compel, it merely extends invitations and infuses thoughts. It influences through infusion

In other words, we can only extend an invitation—we are not permitted to take any other action, because human free will is to be respected. But rest assured, many humans will join our ranks.
For mankind is a creature of dual nature—both good and evil. They are greedy, harmful, ungrateful, and they conceal their own Creator—except for a small few, those who do righteous deeds and encourage others to patience and kindness.
Satan declares, ‘Go ahead with your propaganda; rest assured, many humans will join us. For this is their nature—most of them are ungrateful beings.’

I once told you a story. Some time ago, Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq was praying when a snake catcher was hunting and killing snakes. One of the snakes managed to escape and slithered toward the Imam, who was deep in prayer. As the snake moved about, the Imam gestured for it to take refuge in his sleeve. The snake obeyed, slipping into his sleeve just as the snake catcher passed by and continued on his way.
When the prayer ended, the Imam told the snake, ‘You can come out now.’ The snake emerged and immediately asked, ‘Now, which part of your body should I bite?’
The Imam, surprised, replied, ‘What are you saying? I saved your life, and now you want to bite me?’
The snake insisted, ‘No, tell me—where should I bite you?’
The Imam asked, ‘Why on earth would you do that?’
The snake answered, ‘Because among humans, the reward for kindness is betrayal. When you do good for them, most of the time, they repay you with harm.’
The Imam was puzzled. ‘How can that be?’
The snake said, ‘Let’s go and seek testimony.’
So they set off together and came to a flowing stream. The snake asked the water, ‘Tell us, is it true that the reward for kindness is betrayal?’
The water replied, ‘Yes, it is true.’
The snake asked, ‘Why?’
The water explained, ‘Because when a traveler comes to me on a scorching summer day, drenched in sweat and parched with thirst, he washes his face and body in my cool, flowing waters. Then, after refreshing himself, he spits into me and walks away.’
The snake then said, ‘Come, let’s ask the tree next.’

They continued walking until they reached a tree. The snake asked the tree, ‘Tell us, is it true that the reward for kindness is betrayal?’
The tree answered, ‘Yes, it is true.’
The snake asked, ‘Why?’
The tree replied, ‘Because people come and sit under my shade to rest, enjoying my shelter from the sun. They pick my fruit and eat it. But then, they take an axe and cut off my branches.’
The snake turned to the Imam and said, ‘You see? It is just as I told you. Now, where do you want me to bite you?’
The Imam calmly responded, ‘Bite my index finger.’
The snake bit his finger. But just as it was about to leave, the Imam placed his bloodied hand on the snake’s head. As the snake slithered away, a red line appeared, running from its head to the tip of its tail.
This snake became known as the "Ja'fari Snake." In the old days, snake charmers would tell this tale. The Ja’fari Snake is a small species, about half a meter to seventy centimeters long, with a distinct red stripe running from its head to its tail. It’s name is ‘Ja’fari’.

Sometimes, this is the fate of certain people—you help them, pull them out of misery, hardship, or a crisis, and yet, they turn against you. They forget themselves, and in some cases, they may even become your enemy. But why? Because human beings are creatures of dual nature, capable of both good and evil. They are inherently greedy.
These words come straight from our holy book: "Indeed, mankind was created anxious." (إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ خُلِقَ هَلُوعًا) (Quran 70: 19)"When good touches him, he withholds it, and when hardship befalls him, he panics." (وَإِذَا مَسَّهُ الْخَيْرُ مَنُوعًا وَإِذَا مَسَّهُ الشَّرُّ جَزُوعًا)(Quran, 70:20)
Humans are greedy creatures. When fortune smiles upon them, when they achieve success or gain power, they become arrogant, boastful, and domineering. They start acting superior, flaunting their strength, and speaking with authority as if they are invincible. But the moment they face adversity, when hardship touches them, they crumble. They fall from their high status, become desperate, plead for mercy, and sink into helplessness.

Imagine you're in a car accident—someone crashes into your car. You step out, furious, ready to lash out: "I'll make you pay for this! I'll ruin you!" But then the traffic officer arrives, assesses the situation, and determines that the other driver is at fault. The moment he's declared guilty, his tone changes completely: "Sir, please forgive me. I swear I have nothing to eat. I have four children. My rent is overdue." He starts begging, pleading for mercy.
This is human nature: "Indeed, mankind was created anxious." (إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ خُلِقَ هَلُوعًا) (Quran: 70:19) Humans are impulsive and impatient. "Indeed, mankind is in loss." (إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ) (Quran: 103:2) They are at a loss, constantly losing. "Indeed, mankind is ungrateful to his Lord." (إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لِرَبِّهِ لَكَنُودٌ) (Quran: 100:6) They are ungrateful beings. "Indeed, mankind denies the truth." (إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لَكفُورٌ) (Quran: 43:15) They hide the truth and conceal what they know deep inside.
A "kāfir" (denier) isn't just someone who doesn't know God; rather, it's someone who knows the truth but chooses to conceal it. A person who truly doesn't know is not a denier. But someone who recognizes the truth and deliberately hides it—that is a true denier. So, mankind conceals the divine truth.
Except for a few... "Indeed, mankind is in loss, except for those who have faith and do righteous deeds and encourage one another to truth and patience." (إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلصَّبْرِ) (Quran: 103:3) Except for those rare individuals who perform good deeds and encourage others toward patience and kindness.
These traits are found in all people—except for those few who truly believe, act with righteousness, and guide others toward patience, compassion, and peace. "They encourage one another to patience and to mercy." (وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلصَّبْرِ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلْمَرْحَمَةِ) Righteous deeds are acts of peace—actions that foster harmony. And those who perform them invite others to do the same.

As I said last time, let’s not sit around reciting, "I am a bird from the celestial garden, not of this earthly realm; / For a few days, they have built a cage for my body." That’s not about us—it’s about the poet. We aren’t even donkeys of the celestial garden, let alone birds of it! Do you see what I mean? Those lines are meant for "except for those who have faith, do righteous deeds, and encourage one another to truth." (إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلْحَقِّ) (Quran: 103:3)  That’s for them, not for us.
Sometimes we like to say, "Oh, we were such and such, but now we’ve come to this earthly world." No, my friend—that’s just poetry. That’s for a select group of people. Maybe one day we’ll reach that level, but right now, we are not there.

Since the domain of the material world and the earthly or physical body has been granted to humans, the most crucial topic is matter and materialism. The material world refers to the physical world—dense, solid, and tangible. The body, too, is physical, a material body made of matter. Materialism refers to anything made of matter. Paper money, dollars, gold, jewelry, houses, cars—these are all material things. This is why they say: a camel is a symbol of materialism.
Since the domain of the material world and the physical body has been granted to humans, the most crucial topic remains matter and materialism. Keep in mind that a warning has also been given to humans: If you control materialism, you have defeated half of the power of the Satan. But if materialism controls you, know that it will absolutely defeat you.

The emphasis I've always placed on you is that you should strengthen and solidify your material foundation as much as possible. I even said that saving is for the poor; a wealthy person doesn’t need material things. Therefore, matter is one of the most important and significant issues. In life, we should do things in such a way that we are in control of materialism, not the other way around. Because if materialism controls someone, they might do anything to gain wealth. Of course, some people have the necessary capacity, while others don’t. For money, some people might sacrifice truth, justice, knowledge, or even sell their dignity—just for money. This is where materialism takes control over them. But there are people who, even in poverty, are not controlled by materialism.
Having money doesn’t necessarily mean you’re in control of materialism. No. A person might have millions or billions of dollars or even a hundred million tomans, but materialism might still dominate them. A person might own a thousand or two thousand gold coins, but still be ruled by materialism. On the other hand, someone might have just one piece of bread, yet not be controlled by materialism. They might have little money or meager income, but materialism doesn’t dominate them. This is about the quality of their situation, not the quantity.
So, if materialism takes control over someone and dominates them, they might be willing to do anything for material gain. If materialism truly controls you—if you’re deceived by materialism and are willing to do anything for it—know that the Satan has completely defeated you.

Dismounting from a horse is just as important as mounting it. This means that as difficult as it is to find money, sometimes getting rid of it is just as hard. For some people, it’s even harder. They say that as hard as it is to get involved in something, getting out of it is just as difficult. Every action you take, if it’s of negative value, you can’t just easily quit it. You become friends with someone. You want to break off that friendship. It’s not that easy to end a friendship. You get married, you mount the horse, and now you want to dismount; you want a divorce, to separate—it’s not that easy. You partner up with someone, then you want to break off the partnership, it’s not that easy to part ways. You get addicted to drugs, and later, you want to quit—it’s not that simple. You become a gambler, and then you want to quit gambling; it’s not easy. So, every action you consider is not as simple as saying, 'I’ll do it, and then it’s done, and I can quit easily.' It’s not in your hands. You join a party, a group, and you work hard to get in, then you want to leave. It’s not that easy to walk away. In a mafia group, they won’t let you in easily. You’ll have to go through a lot to get in, but if you want to leave, it’s not that simple.

The Satan continued: Human beings are living and learning with laws that have been declared by the Absolute Power. Laws that were sent to us through the prophets and are announced to us. The destruction of these laws is impossible. We cannot eliminate these laws. However, distorting and corrupting them is possible. Balance is the law, but extremism is our will. He says: The laws declared by the Absolute Power cannot be destroyed, but they can be corrupted. He says: What we want, what God wants, is the law, is balance. Balance is the law. In my belief, extremism is not the law. How is it corrupted? During the era of the Inquisition in the time of the churches, people were brought forward and accused of being witches or supporters of the Satan, of whatever they were, and they were burned at the stake. In the name of whom? In the name of Jesus Christ. In the name of God. In the name of the Absolute Power. That’s how corruption works. The assault began. Extremism in any matter is not the will of positive forces, it is not the will of God. The law is balance, and balance is the law.

The assault by the Satan and his followers began. The marketplace of lies, hatred, enmity, betrayal, jealousy, fear, and anxiety spread. When Adam and Eve were placed on earth, the first event that occurred was that Abel and Cain, this brother killed that brother. This began right from the start of the story. There was hatred, enmity, jealousy—everything existed in Cain and Abel. Eating, sleeping, reproduction, pleasure-seeking, wealth accumulation, and the conquest of various lands; the rule of war and bloodshed by humankind escalated. Eating, sleeping, reproduction, seeking pleasure, gathering wealth, and conquering different lands. Genghis Khan would invade and take over, killing and slaughtering. Timur the Lame would invade from this side, killing and slaughtering. Nazi Germany would invade from that side. I don't know, Mussolini from that side, Napoleon from that side, the King of Austria from that side, Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar attacking Kerman from that side, gouging out eyes, and I don't know where each of them came from. Look at the Iran-Russia war from that side, in Afghanistan, the same thing. Where did Nader Shah Afshar go from here? He would get up and go to India, there, wars and such. The conquest of lands, wealth, rule, and war and bloodshed by humankind escalated.

It was as if the gates of divine inspirations from the heavens were shut due to humanity’s disobedience and the growing influence of demonic forces. It seemed that the heavens had completely closed, and benevolent inspirations had ceased entirely, while human defiance increased. The infiltration of evil forces grew immensely, and power in the material world fell under the command of destructive forces. The forces of destruction took control of the material world’s power—just look at World War II, where twenty million people were killed.
To steer human beings toward their own way of thinking, they provided various means of fleeting pleasure and entertainment. They sought to supply humankind with all sorts of transient indulgences. Some people, like the hippies, completely rejected work and responsibility, saying they wanted nothing to do with the system. They wished to live like animals, seeking only pleasure, and they set off in search of their utopia, heading to places like Nepal, indulging in hashish, grass, and LSD. Many of them died from starvation on the roads or fell victim to all kinds of exploitation. Their sole pursuit was pleasure, fun, and music, living in filth and squalor. Some of them didn’t bathe for six months—an absolute disgrace, sheer absurdity.
Under such conditions, divine inspirations of goodness and virtue were scarcely sent. As the verse states, “And He inspired it [the soul] with [both] its wickedness and its righteousness” (Quran 91:8), but the inspirations of goodness were limited, and all beings—especially humans—suffered immensely. Mankind was always in pain and anguish, plagued by countless afflictions such as the Black Death, cholera, typhoid, wars, and massacres. Corpses from war and bloodshed led to the spread of various diseases. Only those with financial means or great intellect could survive. If someone had wealth or exceptional wisdom, they had a chance to endure hardships like famine and starvation. But without knowledge, awareness, or financial resources, their downfall was inevitable.

The struggle was always about acquiring, not about preserving. People hardly exerted effort to maintain what they had gained. This is one of humanity’s great misfortunes: they fight and struggle to obtain something but make little effort to keep it.
You worked hard, you fought, you waged wars, and you finally earned this money—great. But then, you just leave it sitting in a bank. For what purpose? At the very least, use it. Maintain it. Benefit from it.
People strive to acquire things—a house, for example. They go through hardships to buy a home. But once they own it, they fail to appreciate its value. The same goes for jobs. You fight to win over a spouse, but then, after some time, that husband or wife you once longed for seems worthless to you. You just wanted to marry them, but now you do nothing to maintain the relationship.
The battle was always about obtaining, but little effort was spent on preservation. It was as if the forces of darkness had rebelled within the realm of the Almighty. It was as if demons had risen in revolt against God—just like in The Lord of the Rings, where the dark forces stage an uprising, or The Matrix, where rebellion against order takes place.

In this state of turmoil, Satan pointed his finger toward the most dangerous and lethal matter and released his poisoned arrow—the arrow of the Seven-Colored Sorcery.
As chaos escalated and conditions deteriorated to the worst possible state, this event unfolded: Satan aimed at the most perilous and fatal target and unleashed his venomous arrow, which belonged to the Seven-Colored Sorcery.
But what exactly is the Seven-Colored Sorcery? It was nothing other than Khamr. And Khamr means veil, cover, or concealment. If you look at Arabic dictionaries, the definition of Khamr is "a veil, a cover"—something that clouds the intellect, reason, and identity of a person.
Khamr includes substances such as opium, hashish, coca leaves, alcohol and all types of intoxicating beverages, hallucinogenic plants and mushrooms, as well as toxic and destructive thoughts. Ultimately, it also encompasses the harmful substances that will one day be synthesized by humans under the guise of medicinal cures.
Here, the Seven-Colored Sorcery is broken down into its seven forms, which were not previously listed. Now, they are revealed: One was opium and its derivatives, including heroin. Another was hashish, along with its variants such as grass, mers, chars, and others. Then, there were coca leaves, alcohol and various intoxicating beverages, hallucinogenic plants and mushrooms, such as LSD and similar substances, toxic and destructive thoughts and ideologies, even corrupt and harmful thoughts fall under the category of Khamr.

Khamr is not just about drinking alcohol and becoming intoxicated, nor is it only about using drugs that create a veil over the mind. Some toxic and negative thoughts are far more destructive than any harmful substance.
During World War II, Nazi soldiers were ordinary troops engaged in combat. But then there were the SS forces—those who had been brainwashed. They were the Nazi special forces, indoctrinated with toxic and negative ideologies.
This means that brainwashing itself can be a form of Khamr, as it fills the mind with corrupt ideas—ideas that trample over honor, humanity, and all that is good. It convinces people that material wealth is all that matters, persuades them to lie under oath for money, or leads them into other destructive behaviors. So, toxic thoughts and ideologies are also a part of Khamr.
And then, ultimately, there are the harmful substances that, in the future, will be synthesized by humans under the guise of medicinal cures. Some of these have already emerged—LSD, methamphetamine, crystal meth. These were all originally pharmaceutical drugs. Amphetamines were developed as medicine. Ecstasy pills were created by the medical and pharmaceutical industries. Ice, crystal, and other similar substances, like Ritalin, also fall into this category.
In certain cases, these substances may serve a beneficial purpose. But in the wrong circumstances, they become as dangerous as cocaine. This is where toxic thought patterns come into play—such as the notion that if a child is overly active, climbing the walls, the school principal or kindergarten staff will insist on taking them to a psychiatrist. Often, this is done simply for their own convenience.

In the old days, in Tehran, it became a trend—if someone was too tough, a troublemaker, a thug stirring up fights in cafés or wreaking havoc in the neighborhood, they would turn him into a heroin addict. He’d become a lifeless wreck, dozing off in a corner, completely subdued. The once-feared brute, the brawler, would be reduced to nothing. They either got him hooked on heroin or opium, and that was the end of it.
Now, we’re doing the same thing to children—small kids. And the culprits? Some teachers and schools. A child gets a little too restless in class, and immediately, they say, "Take him to the doctor—he’s hyperactive." The doctor hands over a few Ritalin pills, and just like that, the child is subdued.
When we were kids, when we were students, we had our own kind of mischief. We’d put thumbtacks or needles on the teacher’s chair—he’d sit down and get a nasty surprise. Or those three-pronged tacks people used for shoe soles? We’d place one of those on the teacher’s chair, and the poor guy would sit down and get it stuck in his leg. Sometimes, we’d drop a snake, a scorpion, or even a frog into his desk drawer—just for the fun of it.

None of us were hyperactive. No one ever said we were hyperactive or had a problem—no one told us to go to a psychiatrist. And yet, all of us grew up just fine and became good people, thank God. (Laughter) I’m saying this for humor. But now, if a child gets a little too restless, they say, "He’s hyperactive—take him to the doctor." You’ll see, they give him a few Ritalin pills, and suddenly, the child lies down and stays in one corner, unable to move. On the other hand, if the child becomes withdrawn, moody, and doesn’t speak, they also say he’s sick. Again, "Take him to the doctor, he’s hyperactive." Now, children have turned into little pill-popping machines. And some of these pills don’t even end. The child starts at six years old, and if he’s lucky to live long enough, he keeps taking them until he’s sixty. Eventually, it ends in electric shock therapy or worse. Medical pills are good, but only when used in the right place and at the right time—not for everything immediately.

So, the next issue is the so-called healing medicines that are being used outside of standard guidelines. Of course, it should be noted that pills can be highly beneficial in certain cases—I am not against medication or healing drugs. The problem arises when they are used beyond their intended standards. Sometimes, in specific conditions, at certain stages, and for a limited period, people absolutely need these medications. But not in a destructive way.
Thus, this so-called healing medicine was introduced. At this moment, among all these substances, the demon singled out a beautiful yet wild flower—the poppy. It was one of the most beneficial, healing, and vital medicinal plants. He declared: "If this plant is in the hands of a skilled healer, it brings life, healing, and vitality. But if it falls into the hands of ordinary people, it becomes a poison—sweet and seemingly pleasant."
He then ordered that this, along with other intoxicants, be gifted to men and women, the old and the young, the strong and the healthy—under the guise of joy and a shortcut to their desires. They were to be lured into using them so that the bravest warriors, the deepest thinkers, and the most beautiful souls would turn into the most wretched, cowardly, and miserable beings.
The Satan’s command was carried out. Over thousands of years, various forms of intoxicants spread, dragging countless men, women, and elders into the depths of darkness.
I believe the meaning here is quite clear—it’s evident what the story is conveying. Well, that was just the first part. In this situation, the Satan smiled and said… The meaning of this paragraph is entirely clear.

Execute the second phase of intoxicants," Satan commanded.
Suddenly, among the knowledgeable scholars, one so-called expert—out of sheer ignorance—declared, "I have extracted a substance from opium that can be used to treat opium addiction!" And the other fools believed him. Thus, heroin was born—an invention far more destructive than opium or any other form of addiction.
Once again, Satan smiled and said, "Now, the third phase." Because heroin was created to treat addiction and other ailments, it soon became one of humanity's greatest afflictions.
Satan smiled again and said, "Now, the third phase." Then, the so-called wise but truly ignorant scholars flooded societies with all sorts of pills and synthetic drugs—crystal meth, methamphetamine, and other amphetamines—substances hundreds of times more destructive than opium and heroin. And this time, there was no longer a need for farmland, because these could be produced quickly and easily, in any home.
The third phase introduced various pills, synthetic drugs, and crystal meth—something everyone is now familiar with. And this is far from over. There is no longer a need for agricultural land; now, these substances are manufactured right in kitchens and apartments.

Now, my dear, if we take this as an undeniable reality—if we say that all of this is true—still, the ultimate truth lies elsewhere, with a different meaning and a greater purpose. For God is wise and all-powerful, and He orchestrates everything with His own wisdom. He has deemed the presence of destructive forces and wicked, satanic individuals as a necessary counterpart in existence, so that humanity may reach a certain level of understanding. Through reason and intellect, man must come to recognize what is right and what is wrong, and develop the ability to act upon what is righteous.
Therefore, to escape the darkness and this hell, we have no choice but to grasp the Divine Rope. And the essence of this Divine Rope is to honor and implement His commandments and laws—laws so fundamentally sound that they are accepted by all, from the most primitive to the most civilized, from the most faithless to the most devout. For they are entirely just and rooted in reason.

Now, at this point, one might immediately say—and indeed, it has been said for thousands of years and will continue to be said—that when we speak of the Absolute Power, of God, and of the matter of the Satan, the first question that arises is this: 'Well, Satan defied God's command. Couldn’t God have stopped him? Was He unable to prevent him?' The argument follows—'If He had stopped him, then the problem would have been solved, and there would be no issue at all. Why not simply deny him the opportunity?'
But here’s the reality, regardless of what we may think: the ultimate truth lies elsewhere. And that truth is that God has deemed these negative, satanic forces necessary for existence itself. He has willed their presence as a means of contributing to the evolution of existence.
Similarly, among us, there are individuals who are corrupt, troubled, or in dire conditions. These individuals, like those negative forces, ultimately serve as catalysts for our progress. They push us to seek solutions, to find remedies, to think critically, and to act wisely. We learn from them; we take lessons from them. As the saying goes, 'From the ill-mannered, I learned manners.'
Thus, these negative forces exist, have always existed, and will continue to exist. They are found everywhere, in every society, in the most advanced nations, in the most important countries, in the so-called Third World, in every corner of the earth. From the most civilized nations to the most primitive tribes, these forces are always present. There is no place where they do not exist because God has deemed their existence essential for the universe.
And so, if we wish to escape this hell, we have no choice but to honor God's laws and hold firmly to His Divine Rope.

What is God's Rope? Is it a literal rope hanging somewhere that we are told to hold onto? No, it is God's laws—His divine principles. And what do these laws truly say? So many prophets have come—what were their laws? What was their message? What did they want to convey?
Was it that God sent, for example, Jesus Christ just to tell us that Christ is important? That Jesus should be revered above all else? Some have emphasized this to such an extent that Christians now say, 'Jesus is the Son of God,' or even 'Jesus is God Himself.' Eventually, it reaches the point where they say, 'Jesus Christ is the Father of God,' or 'God is the Father of Jesus Christ.' (Laughter.)
But God did not send Jesus Christ simply to declare His importance—though, of course, he is important. That was not the purpose. God sent him to bring forth laws. It was the laws that mattered.
Yes, Jesus himself is significant—absolutely, no doubt—but the real importance lies in the laws he brought.

Laws must be upheld. And what do these laws say? They are the same laws that Abraham spoke of, that Moses spoke of, that Jesus spoke of, that Noah spoke of, that the Messenger of God spoke of. They all said the same thing: 'Do not lie.' 'Woe to those who deny the truth.' Abraham said, 'Do not lie.' Moses said, 'Do not lie.' Jesus said, 'Do not lie.' The Messenger of God said, 'Do not lie.' The Imams said, 'Do not lie.' They all said the same thing: 'Do not lie.'
Do not steal. Do not be arrogant. Do not engage in usury. Do not think ill of others. Do not take bribes. Do not be fault-finders. Do not shortchange.
Take iron, for example. If you buy five kilos of rice or five kilos of meat, you can ask the grocer to weigh it. But when you buy seventy tons of iron, how do you weigh that? They give you seventy tons, but it isn’t really seventy—it’s five tons short, three tons short, two tons short, or even one ton short. Or take concrete. Suppose it should be twenty tons, but you find it’s only seventeen or eighteen tons. Or cement. Or sand. Or gravel. This is all a form of shortchanging.
Humanity is still plagued by dishonesty. Even when milking a cow, they mix water into the milk. ‘When you poured the milk from the goat into the jug, you mixed it with water. (As the Persian poet Dehlavi said)

Do not be sour-faced, do not be grumpy. Some people seem like they’re demanding their inheritance, as if they want to take their legacy from us. I don’t know, furrowed brows, a frown—it’s as if their own state is ruined, but our state isn’t ruined. So, you shouldn’t be grumpy. Do not corrupt, do not be corrupt. Do not use drugs. Do not break promises. Do not betray. Be a seeker of justice. Betrayal isn’t just between spouses, where they cheat on each other. When people hear 'betrayal,' they only think of this. A friend says something to you, and you pass it on to someone else—that is also betrayal. Even a small, trivial thing can be considered betrayal. Be a seeker of justice. Do not wrong the truth. Be kind, help those who are in need, help those who are helpless. Think, reason. Now, if anyone, in any religion or sect, performs all the outward rituals and acts of worship of their faith but does not respect and implement the laws mentioned here, they are the most godless and followers of Satan. They are people who only perform the outward acts.

Some people want to deceive others. For example, when they want to perform ablution, they roll up their sleeves on the street and walk for three kilometers in flip-flops so that all the shops and people in the neighborhood see them performing the ablution. This person is not religious. They’ve just put on a mask, a cover, a façade to do this act. Now, if we come to our own religion and find someone who prays all their prayers, fasts during Ramadan, performs Hajj, participates in all the religious ceremonies, but lies, steals, is self-centered, consumes usury, makes bad assumptions, takes bribes, gossips, shortchange, is grumpy, corrupts, uses drugs, and betrays, then this person is not a true Muslim. They are followers of Satan. Therefore, the laws, when followed by people, create the conditions for them to live in the best possible way. If they don’t follow these laws, they will be followers of Satan. Therefore, the laws, when followed by people, create the conditions for them to live in the best possible way.
Thank you very much. I appreciate it.

To be continued ....

Translated by: Companion Marjan

3/28/2025

The Eleventh Valley, Part two

In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
With strength drawn from the Absolute Power of God, we begin this session.
Hello, friends. I am Hossein, a traveler and the session guardian.
(Audience responds: Hello, Hossein!)
I kindly ask everyone to observe fourteen seconds of silence to seek refuge in the Almighty and free ourselves from our greatest enemy—our own ignorance and unawareness.
(Fourteen seconds of silence observed)
Thank you, friends. I now request our esteemed secretary to provide a summary of the previous session and announce today’s agenda.

Hello, friends. My name is Neda, and I am a traveler.
(Audience responds: Hello, Neda!)
In the name of the Absolute Power of God, today the fifth session of the 21st round of Congress 60 workshops, dated February, 5, 2013 is held with the agenda “the 11th Valley, part two” from the book “14 valleys for Recovery” written in 2012. The session started under the guidance and supervision of Mr. Dezhakam and me. Neda, as the secretary at 9:00 a.m. Thank you.
(Audience applauds)
Thank you.

Mr. Dezhakam: How much was in the treasury last week?
Secretary: Forty-eight.
Mr. Dezhakam: You need to write that in your report.
Secretary: Oh, I need to write it down.
Mr. Dezhakam: Yes.
Secretary: Understood.
Mr. Dezhakam: And next time, bring the secretary’s notebook as well. I want to see how much you’ve written so far and how it’s been maintained.
Hello friends, my name is Hossein, I’m a traveler.
(Hello Hossein)
Alright, we are now on the eleventh valley—or the eleventh path—Part Two, titled “gushing springs and roaring rivers all reach the sea and ocean.” I am reading the new version of this valley, [because the old version of the valleys was written for drug abusers, however, the new version can be used by all humanity].
Now, where did we leave off? We reached the point of understanding that we do not know anything [this is a poem by Ibn Sina or Avicenna, the great Iranian physician, scientist and philosopher who states: my knowledge reached the point where I know that I am ignorant and know nothing.]
Okay, page five—please open your books.
Now, if we look at the older version of the valley, because I made some changes—some were completely rewritten, and in others, I only modified a few paragraphs—in the previous version, the first part concluded like this:
If a person, regardless of their religion or sect, performs all the rituals and outward practices of their faith but does not respect or follow the stated principles, they are among the most irreligious and followers of the devil.
Because sometimes, religion can be used as a mask. In any faith or belief system, a person might outwardly appear devout, performing all religious duties, but only to conceal their true self behind that mask and to exploit it for personal gain. Such a person is a follower of darkness, a follower of the devil—because the essence of being religious is to carry out divine commandments. True religiosity means fully practicing God’s laws—not just picking and choosing parts while ignoring the rest. Therefore, when a person adheres to laws, it creates the conditions for them to live in the best possible way. So again, if a person follows all the rules, they create the conditions to live life at the best state. This includes both civil and social laws as well as divine laws.
Divine laws, on the surface, tell us that doing good leads to paradise and doing evil leads to hell. That’s the symbolic expression of the idea, and we accept that. But what really matters is that following laws allows people to live in the most optimal state.
In a society where there is no fraud, no theft, no lying, no egotism, no suspicion, no bribery, no fault-finding, no bitterness, no corruption, no substance abuse, no betrayal, and where justice prevails—human life continues in its most ideal form.
So, divine laws—even if we put the afterlife aside—create conditions in this world that allow us to live in the best possible way. That means we can’t just measure everything based on two concepts: reward and sin. Yes, your actions whether good or bad will be measured and dealt with in the afterlife. That’s true. But that’s not the only reason God created this entire system.
We must recognize that we are required to follow a set of laws alongside one another. Laws are extremely important. So far, we have gone through ten valleys, and each of them is rooted in universal laws—laws that have the power to pull us out of darkness and guide us toward the light.
Now that we are in the eleventh valley, we’ve already passed ten valleys, each derived from essential laws—principles that are accepted by divine religions, by the most primitive of humans, and by the most civilized as well.
So, if a law is correct, everyone should be able to accept it. For example, everyone agrees that lying is bad. The idea that “with contemplation, structures begin” is accepted by all. Everything starts with thought. A lack of thought leads to destruction. It doesn’t matter if you’re Christian, Muslim, or non-religious—everyone agrees that thinking is a good thing.
And when it says: “Do not place responsibility for your life’s essential matters on God,” it means exactly that. You can’t just hand over your responsibilities to God and walk away. If you do, you are stripping yourself of accountability. Every religion accepts this truth.
I can’t put the responsibility of feeding my family on God. If I hit someone with my car and they die, can I just say, “God, I leave this to you to fix”? As if God is some fixer who comes and cleans up after our actions? Can I take on debts irresponsibly, fall into corruption, go to prison, and expect God to clean up the mess for me?
Can I sit home all day, do nothing, and say, “God will take care of my life”? “God will provide my bread”? No culture accepts that, and I don’t think any religion does either. Which religion says you should give up your personal responsibilities and expect God to handle them for you? None. Even humanity does not accept it.
So, again, these valleys are based on laws—principles that apply universally. Take, for example, the phrase: “Past traits are not valid in a human being.” Everyone agrees with this. If something is truly correct, it is universally accepted. Divine laws don’t command things that are illogical. They’re always based on reason. Now, it’s possible that some divine laws have been distorted, misinterpreted, or misrepresented, but in their true form, they are never illogical.
Darkness is a metaphor for ignorance—for not knowing. Because in darkness, you can’t see anything. That’s why it’s used. You can’t see a thing—if there’s a pit and you fall into it; if there’s a snake, it bites you, you can’t perceive danger, because you can’t see anything. If someone’s ambushing you in the darkness, you won’t notice. But in the light, you see everything. Everything is visible.
Now, beyond the physical properties of light, metaphorically it means that in ignorance (darkness), you are blind to the truth, but in knowledge (light), you can recognize what’s real. An ignorant person also sees nothing due to the darkness; however, if light comes [if they become wise], they will notice the truth.
That’s why it’s mentioned in the holy Quran, Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 257:
“Allah is the guardian of those who believe; He brings them out of darkness into light.”
He guides them from darkness into the light.
How does He guide them into the light?
By following the laws. By working hard. You don’t just fall into the light by chance. You’re not simply invited and led there gently. It’s a struggle—you will be cut to the bone. The first valley says: “With contemplation, structures begin.”
The tenth valley says: “Past traits are not valid in a human being.” And in the tenth valley, we have learned that there is only one way to change past traits: through moral refinement—meaning purification and self-cleansing. That’s what true transformation requires.
In the Tenth Valley, we learned that if we want to change our past traits, there is only one path—and that is purification, moral refinement, or inner cleansing. In other words, we must go through a process of purification. We have to transform our character. If we don't change our morals, our traits won't change either. If we don't purify ourselves, there will be no transformation. We must actively engage in this process.
Now you all understand that in order to change your past characteristics, you had to put in at least a year of hard work from the beginning—attending sessions, coming [to Congress 60’s meetings and educational workshops] regularly. Gradually, bit by bit, the darkness faded and was replaced by light. This change came through a great deal of effort. Just think: how many kilometers did you travel? How many thousands of kilometers back and forth? How many hours of instruction and guidance have you received?
So it's not as simple as saying a prayer and expecting a blessing to suddenly transform your life. As far as I know, it doesn’t work that way. Nothing is handed out for free. Everything comes with a price—you must pay for it, one way or another. Purification, in this context, means inner cleansing and spiritual refinement. To achieve this transformation, we need several key elements: healthy thinking, healthy faith, healthy action, healthy feelings, healthy Aql [intellect], and healthy love—alongside meaningful education and life experience. To move from being a chaotic, irritable, selfish, egotistical, gloomy, stubborn, ignorant, and unaware individual to becoming someone with dignity and integrity, you must think deeply. Then, through that thinking, your faith becomes healthy, your intellect becomes healthy, your emotions healthily purify, your love becomes healthy, and over time—through education and experience—you gradually develop all of these aspects. These lessons are not learned overnight. They require time and persistence.
In the Eleventh Valley, the idea is presented that “gushing springs and roaring rivers all reach the sea and the ocean.” That means: they reach their destination. A gushing spring or a roaring river is destined to reach the sea or the ocean because the sea and the ocean is its origin. Its source is there—its Creator, its essence, its life. The life of animals, marine creatures, all living things is found there.
So, once again, the text uses metaphor and analogy—one of the key features of what we practice in Congress 60. Making all concepts practical and using parables and symbolism helps us grasp their true meaning. Just as springs and rivers flow toward the ocean, so too is the human journey similar. Humans are compared to these elements of nature. And so, in the Eleventh Valley, the statement is repeated: “gushing springs and roaring rivers all reach the sea and the ocean.” If we have truly gone through the previous valleys and applied their lessons, we will certainly be transformed—first into a gushing spring, and then into a roaring river.
It says: If we have truly practiced and internalized the lessons from the First to the Eleventh Valley, then either we have already become a gushing spring and a roaring river—or we are on the path of becoming full [of love and energy]. Even now, if at the beginning of our journey our vessel (our inner container) was empty [of love], or if it is now only half-full, eventually—with effort, dedication, and the necessary inner purification—it will be filled.
It says: even if our vessel was empty at the start—meaning we couldn’t distinguish between simple things—then now, gradually, our vessel gets either half full or almost full. This progress didn’t happen accidently, but through effort. Now, to understand how a person becomes like a gushing spring, we look at natural springs as our model.
What are the qualities of a natural spring? In order for it to bubble forth on its own, it must have two essential characteristics:
1. Stored water resources – That is, there must be accumulated underground water—hidden within mountains or deep within the earth. If there’s no stored water, then there can be no spring.
2. A difference in elevation or potential – Meaning, there has to be a difference in height between the source of the water and the spring’s outlet. This creates the pressure needed for the water to gush out.
To become a gushing spring, a human being, like a natural spring, must possess two essential qualities. In nature, for a spring to bubble up, two conditions are required: a water source and a difference in elevation. The stored water must be located above the spring’s outlet. You can't expect water to gush out from the very peak of a mountain, for example. Such a phenomenon is extremely rare. There might be water sources at the summit—like a pond or basin—but they don’t form gushing springs.

Now let’s apply this to humans. If we want to become like a gushing spring, we must have those same two features:
1. Accurate informational resources on the path of knowledge – Just like a spring needs underground water, a person needs a reserve of correct knowledge and awareness. Because all of humanity’s miseries stem from ignorance. People aren’t inherently bad. Generally speaking, humans are not evil; the measure of one’s goodness or badness depends on the degree of their ignorance or their knowledge. The more ignorant someone is, the more harmful they tend to be. The more aware and knowledgeable, the kinder and more compassionate they become. So this internal reservoir of knowledge is crucial.
2. A difference in internal and external potential – This refers to the difference between one's inner depth and outer condition, which creates the energy.
We’ve already discussed the importance of knowledge and awareness in detail, especially in Worldview Booklets 1 and 2. But the concept of potential difference (elevation difference) still needs some explanation.
Potential energy, or elevation difference, isn’t some strange or complex scientific concept. It’s part of physics we use in everyday life. If water is to come out of a pipe, the source must be at a higher elevation than the outlet. That’s called a potential difference. It’s not complicated.
Even in the [simplest] villages, people know this well. (And let me clarify—I don’t say “village” to offend anyone. In fact, many villagers are incredibly wise.) A farmer knows that for water to flow through a pipe, the water source must be elevated. You don’t need to be a physicist to understand this. If you want a source of water to flow, it must be at a higher elevation.
So, potential energy is related to height difference. If we lift a stone off the ground, energy is stored in it. This is a basic principle on Earth: whenever you lift something upwards, energy is stored in it—because you’ve had to use energy to lift it. That energy is later released when the object comes back down. What’s the source of this energy? It’s Earth’s gravitational pull—everything is drawn toward the Earth.
If you lift a stone two or ten meters and then drop it, it crashes down hard—that’s gravity at work. So, by placing water reserves at a higher elevation, we create potential energy, which allows water to flow forcefully through pipes. This is what we call potential energy. Not too complicated, right?
([Audience responds: “No, sir!”])
There’s no need to say we've entered some complex realm of physics. Now, in the human context, this kind of potential energy can be described differently—because we deeply need this kind of energy. If a person elevates their inner and outer state toward higher values, it generates energy within them. This energy depends on the level of change they undergo.
Take these examples:
• A high school student is accepted into university.
• A person wins a championship.
• A child receives a bicycle.
• An addict completes their treatment and is cured.
These examples all show the same principle: the difference between the internal and external energy—this is the inner-outer potential difference that leads to a burst of power.
Let’s say someone is studying, and eventually earns a diploma or a bachelor’s or master’s degree—this shift brings about a surge of energy. A child who gets a bicycle might be so thrilled that they can’t sleep from excitement. Or when you take the guide-assistant exam and pass, it energizes you. But if you fail, it feels like that energy is drained away. That’s the effect of internal vs. external potential difference.
This joy—this gain of energy—is one of the most powerful ways a human being can build strength and momentum. You instantly get a reward immediately after you take a good step and do a good job. That’s why it's mentioned in the holy Quran: “Allah is swift in accounting” — meaning, as soon as you take action, you begin receiving the result.
And the reverse is also true: if you go against the right path, your energy is drained.
That’s why it's said: “The pleasure of resisting a temptation is greater than the pleasure of indulging in it.” Yes, doing something wrong might feel enjoyable—but the satisfaction from not doing it is even deeper. Like fasting: the joy of breaking a fast at sunset is profound. That joy and inner reward come from discipline.
Here’s another illustration:
Imagine someone weighs 100 kg. They decide to lose weight—not in an extreme, overnight way, but steadily. After one month, they’ve lost 3 kg. Let’s say they followed a gradual method like DST. After a month, they step on the scale and see they’ve dropped from 100 kg to 97 kg. That weight loss creates potential energy—it generates strength, power, and much self-confidence. Since they could successfully lose three kilograms of their weight within a month, this injects power and self-confidence into them.

We may have lost our self-confidence—but why does that happen? It’s usually because we’ve repeatedly failed to do things we intended to do. For example, you decide to wake up every morning at 5 a.m., and you’ve been trying for five years, but still can’t manage it. At some point, you lose confidence in yourself. That’s what self-confidence literally means—confidence in yourself. When your goals, whether logical or not, keep going unmet, your trust in yourself fades.
Now, confidence can exist in both positive and negative directions. Even a person who commits a theft has a kind of self-confidence—just misdirected. So, anytime we succeed at something—even small successes—the actions we do generate energy within us.
Take the example of weight loss: someone loses 3 kilograms. That success we gain, creates joy and energy in us. But this stored energy doesn’t last forever. Maybe it lasts three or four days—but eventually it fades, just like electricity gets used up. So what do you do? You need to aim for another goal—the next step—to recharge that energy.
This pattern applies to all of life and nature. You achieve something, enjoy a victory, but that’s just the beginning. You have to keep going. Think of it like this: you want to have a child. God gives you a child. Is it over now? Can you just sit back and enjoy it? Of course not. You have to feed them, take care of them—there are responsibilities that come after the blessing. You can’t just say, “Well, I’ve got the child now, time to enjoy.” Life doesn’t work that way. Do you set the child aside? You neither give milk nor bread, nor water—nothing. Do you think that once the child is given away, it’s over, and then you start enjoying! It is not possible. You must go through the next stages, the next issues, the next cases, the next events, and now, take care of other things. Of course, sometimes God may not give you a child, and instead, He may grant something else to you. It doesn’t necessarily have to be this way or that way, many possibilities can exist. And of course, sometimes if God does not give you a child, it would be joyful.
So, again, that initial burst of energy—from a small success like losing 3 kg—fades over time. To maintain that energy, you have to continue making progress, keep moving toward your ideal goal, say from 100 kg to 80 or 75 kg. Once you reach your ideal goal, time is ripe to maintain whatever you have achieved. The maintenance is essential. If you stop trying, thinking, “Now that I’m 75 kg, I’m done,” you’ll likely fall back into old habits—and might regain the weight. The same cycle will repeat, and that progress (the potential difference) will vanish.
So this potential difference, the difference or gap between where you were and where you’ve reached was the source of energy and joy. If you return to your old state, the gap closes. You lose that energetic drive, and instead, it leads to sadness, disappointment, and a loss of self-confidence. Where once success brought you power, now failure leaves you drained.

A Word of Advice to the Guides Regarding “X Journey”:
There’s something I want to recommend to the guides here. Look, the number of relapses we’ve had is very, very low. And we are not doctors. We went on a journey—a healing journey—and reached a certain point of curing addiction. Now, someone gets a headache, or foot pain, and immediately says, “I want to go on the X Journey again!” But the X Journey is not something casual.
We should not be encouraging others to take the X Journey lightly. We are not doctors, not medical specialists. We went through something that was ours—a personal healing process for addiction. But that doesn't make us medical professionals. We are not a hematologist, we are not an oncologist, we are not a specialist in various diseases. What I did offer was a theory—a model of the X System—to the medical field. A theory based on our experiences.
But I am not authorized to put that theory into medical practice. That’s not my place. What I can do is share this theory with doctors and specialists, and let them examine it from every angle: medical science, medical ethics, and all related concerns. Only then, if they approve, it might move forward.
But frankly, we have had very few such cases, and they were extremely rare and exceptional. So I’m telling all of you—get the idea of the X Journey out of your heads. Someone coughs a little, and immediately someone else says, “You should try the X Journey.” And now there’s this buzz among companions and families—whatever illness someone has, the answer seems to be the X Journey!
Let me be clear: I’m not a magician. I’m not here to perform tricks or miracles. The X Journey is a theory, and like any theory, it must be validated. It must go through rigorous evaluation by the medical field and researchers. So don’t even let the idea cross your mind.
Yes, we allowed one or two cases under very specific and serious conditions. And to be honest, we regret it. Truly, we wish we hadn’t approved them. Maybe in the past, years ago, there were people with very critical situations, and we said, “Alright, go ahead to have the X journey.” But if we continue down that road, this thing will spread throughout all of Congress 60, and eventually to the general public.
And let’s be honest—everyone has some kind of issue: someone is overweight, someone’s underweight, someone has a problem here or there, thousands of things. And if we start saying “Go do the X Journey” for each of them—well, tomorrow everyone will want to experience it. And once it becomes desirable like that… well, as the saying goes, “If wine is free, even the judge will take a sip.” (Audience laughs.)
Guide or not, doesn’t matter—people will be tempted to experience the X journey. And here those who have cured their addiction, after ten years, or seven years, would be ready to start a new kind of high again, because they would be sure that they would experience the X journey again.
The cases we’re talking about were in highly critical, extreme circumstances. There was no other option left for their incurable diseases and even these experiments were done with the help of medical doctors, never alone—it was in situations where the medical system itself had declared there was no treatment available. The official report had stated: “There is no treatment. This disease is incurable.” Even then, we carried out the X journey for them with careful planning and consideration.
Otherwise, with all these doctors, all these laboratories, all these specialists, all these medical boards and institutions—this entire structure exists to handle illnesses. We cannot take on all of that ourselves. We can't say, “Oh, this person has a headache—let’s send them on the X Journey!” That’s not how it works.
You need to be very careful with this. Think about it seriously. And once you’re truly healed, that’s it. It’s over. The jar is broken; the wine is spilled. In the Congress 60 system, if someone reaches that point of full recovery and cure and then because of their illness, they start using morphine, codeine, or pethidine—even if it's for ten days or twenty days, it doesn’t matter anymore. Because now they’re just like any other healthy person. In case of an illness, a normal person goes to a doctor, the doctor prescribes medicine, and they take it. You can do the same. I have absolutely no objection to that.
Of course, I’m not talking about taking sleeping pills or psychiatric drugs, do not take psychiatric pills. But if you’re sick, if you undergo surgery, if you're in pain and the doctor gives you medication or a painkiller, you must use it. Who said you shouldn’t? I myself went to the hospital once due to a heart issue. I had to undergo angiography. During that procedure, they insert a catheter that goes from the groin up to the heart, and they usually leave it in for five to eight hours before removing it.
Now, sometimes, when they remove that device, the patient’s system can completely crash [because of a severe pain]. It’s called arrest—the heart can stop. It’s a real medical situation. And the only immediate remedy at that point is to inject pethidine or morphine. The IV is already in your arm. The doctor rushes over and injects pethidine or morphine on the spot.
Now, what should I say? “No, no, don’t inject it! I’ve been on the X Journey! [I have cured my addiction to morphine]” (laughs) What nonsense is that? That’s complete foolishness. Don’t talk like that. If you don’t inject, the patient might die. They might not come back. The person is in pain, suffering terribly. You want them not to take a painkiller? Someone comes to me and says, “My tooth hurts—should I avoid taking a painkiller?” I say, “Why not? Go take it.” “Can I take antibiotics?” Of course—take them! Why shouldn’t you?
If your doctor prescribes something, take it. I’m not talking about antidepressants or sleeping pills that can create serious side effects or dependency—that’s different. But everything else? Go ahead. Take your medicine. If they say take morphine, take it. If they say take pethidine, take it.
We cannot go around disrespecting the medical profession and say, [because we have cured our addiction in Congress 60], “We don’t accept this.” Who are we to say such a thing? Do we have the scientific training? Have we studied medicine? This isn’t something we can treat it haphazardly.
So this is something everyone needs to understand clearly: if someone gets sick, even with a minor illness, they must go to a doctor, a physician, a specialist—and get treated. Now, why did I bring all this up? Because earlier we were talking about someone who, after being healed, goes backward—returns to old habits. That’s when the energy is lost, the joy is gone, and sorrow, despair, and loss of self-confidence begin to take over again.
I even granted permission for one or two cases with incurable diseases—and honestly, I now deeply regret ever doing that. They should have gone through the medical system. So, what does that lead to? It leads to sadness, grief, and a loss of self-confidence.
Now, in a system, when an ordinary individual is given even a small responsibility, their state changes immediately. Take someone who’s just a regular person in the system—give them a small position. For instance, in a gathering, they are required to, “Stand at the door and make sure only those with a reason enter.” That simple role becomes a position for them. It brings them pleasure. It gives them a sense of identity and self-worth. Standing there and saying “You may enter,” or “You may not”—that alone creates a sense of status and authority.
It creates a potential difference between their internal and external status. This phenomenon exists from the smallest roles all the way up to very high-level responsibilities. Even something as small as telling someone not to enter or to go wash dishes—sometimes that’s a point of pride for people. In some religious gatherings, they say it’s an honor to be the one who washes the dishes. Some individuals get energy when they serve people.
That’s why, in Congress 60, we say: “Whoever serves, feels better.” This is true across all aspects of life. The system of the universe works this way—those who serve always feel better, and those who betray always feel bad. You can be in service and not have a penny to your name, but you feel amazing. On the other hand, someone may betray and have billions, yet they live in misery.
Some serve and live like kings in a rental house, living on bread, yogurt, and soup—but they’re joyful just like a king. Others, who betray, may live in high-rise towers made of ivory, yet they live like homeless people inside those towers.
So again, in Congress 60 we say: “Whoever serves, feels well.” When someone serves voluntarily, they change their status—even if it’s sweeping the floor or mopping. Why? Because people value that. People who are wise, sound-minded, and thoughtful value those who serve voluntarily. They respect them.
In a religious gathering, if someone is sweeping, everyone respects them. But a foolish person might look at that and say, “Look at this poor guy, sweeping the floor like a janitor.” That’s the perspective of a fool.
In our system, if someone mops the floor, everyone respects them. They say: “Wow, how wise, how decent, how respectable this person is!” Even if they’re someone wealthy or highly educated, they’re admired for their humility and service. But a foolish, ignorant person might say: “Am I a servant? Why should I mop the floor? That’s not my job!” That person is foolish but thinks they’re wise. Service is service, no matter where or how it’s done. One person may serve by cleaning, another by performing surgery. Both are equally worthy of respect and value.

So, if we want to be like a gushing spring, we must constantly stay in motion—we must continuously create inner and outer contrast. This can be done through service, by moving in the direction of values and purpose. When we do this, it generates energy, it strengthens us, it empowers us, it brings us vitality. It makes our faces brighter, we smile more, we feel more alive.
We cannot hold still, we cannot stop. I’ve said it many times: a person is just like a cyclist. As long as they keep pedaling, they move forward. If they stop pedaling, they stop—and they fall. You must always stay engaged in this process. There’s never a point where you can say, “Ah, I’ve reached the end. It’s over.” Because the moment one thing ends, something else begins.
You wake up in the morning to fast, from dawn until sunset. At sunset, you think, “It’s done.” You drink a cup of sweet tea, but then dawn comes again, and then sunset come and the cycle starts anew. You go to work in the morning, and by night it’s over. You breathe a sigh of relief, thinking the day is done. But then tomorrow comes, and it begins again. Everything in life is meant to repeat.
Everything must repeat. Service must also continue like this if we want that energy to remain alive in us. If you serve and then suddenly stop, you’ll fall again. You’ll crash. Because everything in this universe is in motion.

So, in order to become a gushing spring, we must constantly generate potential difference through healthy actions, which creates the energy we need to keep going. As mentioned earlier, potential energy in a person arises through a change in position—or in physical terms, a change in elevation. If this change is upward, toward values and virtues, it results in ascent. It creates positive potential energy, which brings pleasure and inner peace.
It’s said that if this energy is moving in a positive direction, it produces strength and calm. We’ve discussed this thoroughly and understood that this is the very reason why it is said that God swiftly responds [to our good or bad].
This means if that change in position is downward, toward anti-values, like using drugs, stealing, taking bribes, harming others, and so on, it still creates a change in potential—just in the opposite direction. The person experiences a rush of pleasure, yes, but it’s due to negative potential energy, and it is usually accompanied by anxiety.
For example, a person with no money suddenly steals a large amount, or takes a bribe, or uses drugs or alcohol or illegal [not prescribed psychotropic] pills. In that moment, there’s a rapid shift in their inner state. There is energy generated—but it’s what we label as negative.
Still, energy is energy. Even though we call it “negative energy,” in truth, there’s no such thing as negative energy by nature. You don’t say such things like “negative force” or “negative power” in the same sense. Energy is neutral; what matters is how it’s used.
If you use energy in a destructive direction, we call it negative. If it’s used positively, we call it positive. But the energy itself—measured in watts or kilowatts—is just energy.
Now, the essence and nature of this energy—the joy, excitement, and drive we feel, comes from our contemplation or thought. That thought can trigger a physiological response. To explain from a biological perspective: a particular thought or experience activates our X-system (the X system refers to all the natural opioid like substances produced in the body), which causes the release of chemicals like dopamine, endorphins, and dynorphins. As their levels rise, we feel energized, joyful, and capable of doing many things.
It’s the same effect that happened when we used to take two hits of opium—suddenly we’d be washing staircases top to bottom with superhuman energy. Because the biochemical balance of the brain had shifted.
This shift in biochemical balance in the brain can happen in two ways:
• Through chemicals, like pills or drugs.
• Or through thoughts and contemplation, like receiving good [or bad] news.
Let’s say you're waiting for exam results, and someone tells you: “You passed!” You instantly feel overjoyed, scream, jump in the air. Your energy shoots up.
But if they say: “You failed,” suddenly you sink into a corner, withdrawn and crushed. This is the energy coming from your own thoughts and contemplation. Your thoughts and contemplation affect your Khamr [the natural opioid system of the body] to produce opioid like chemicals produced in your brain.

So, here we said that this energy was positive, but what about the so-called negative energy? We call it “negative energy” because it causes destruction to ourselves. However, in reality, energy itself is never negative. The term “negative” is just about its application or effect.
For example, people say, “It gives me false energy.” But false energy doesn’t really exist. Energy either exists or it doesn’t. When a champion uses doping, the energy produced in their body is not false. This champion becomes able to pedal the bicycle for dozens of kilometers—this energy is not false energy. The produced energy through doping is stored within their body.
What I mean is that energy can rise or fall—going upward creates energy, and going downward also creates energy. Even though some call the downward kind “negative energy,” it’s still energy. We call it negative because, ultimately, this energy destroys the person who has it. They steal, gossip, do bad things, and thus damage themselves. That’s why we name it negative energy.
This negative energy is like a grenade that first shreds its own shell and then harms others. In the long term, negative energy leads a person into a swamp or a quagmire. Like a grenade exploding, it’s negative energy because it first destroys the person’s own shell before damaging others. Negative energies in humans work the same way: they destroy the person first.
For example, jealousy destroys the person who gossips, grudges and bitterness destroy the person who holds grudge, lying does the same. These are like acids that dissolve a person’s entire being.
Negative energy is usually created by self-destruction or harming others, or in other words, from stealing energy. Negative energy is essentially illegal—it’s like theft. When you damage others or take their energy, it’s a form of stealing.
Negative energy typically comes from self- or other-destruction, or from stealing—like someone who steals others’ rights, property, or peace of mind; or someone who gains energy by drug use, despair, whining, cheating, theft, usury, bribery, or by breaking the spirits of others.
Anyway, what we have so far is enough, but I want to summarize the conclusion:
To have a good state of being (good mood, peace), we must move in the direction of values. If we move in the opposite direction, towards anti-values, our state worsens.
In the book 60 Degrees Minus 60 degrees centigrade, in the message of “Existence Aperture” or the “Path of existence”), it says:
The closer we get to the path of existence — meaning the straight path (Sirat al-Mustaqim) — the more peace, comfort, better feelings, and good condition we have.
The farther we stray from it, the worse our condition becomes; we get more troubled. Look at yourself. If you feel bad, angry, upset, or unhappy, no matter what you have or don’t have, sit down and examine yourself carefully: Where is your problem? What is your weak point?
Your wellbeing or bad being has nothing to do with how much wealth or material possessions you have. It doesn’t matter at all. Having money is important, but it’s not the main factor in feeling good or bad.
You could be very poor but still feel very good. Sometimes wealth itself causes unhappiness. There’s an old story in Saadi’s Golestan (may God bless Saadi), about two dervishes traveling together. At night, one of them would sleep soundly, while the other kept tossing and turning, unable to sleep. The first asked why he couldn’t sleep in few nights of traveling.
The restless dervish said, “I have twenty gold coins with me, and I’m worried someone might come and steal them.” The first dervish said, “If you had told me earlier, I would have helped.” The restless one asked, “Do you have a plan?”
The first said, “Yes, give me the coins.” He took the coins, found a well, threw the coins inside it, and said, “Now you can sleep well. You don’t have coins anymore, so no thief will come after you.”
(Laughter from the teacher)
The point is: sometimes people think if only I had that much wealth, I would feel good. But that’s not true. In my book Good Feeling, I explained this:
Someone might have a 1948 Paykan car (which doesn’t even exist now), and say if only I had a Pride car, I’d feel good. Then they buy the Pride, but still don’t feel good. Then they say, if only I had a better car, like a Xantia, but still, they do not feel happy. Then they say, if only I had a house in the northern part of the city instead of the south, but still, they do not feel happy.
They move to a bigger apartment, decorate with luxurious items from France, but but still they do not feel happy. I want to tell you that feeling good or bad does not depend much on material life. Sometimes a simple meal of a few pieces of meat cooked over some fired manure or fire on a clay pot with your family brings the highest pleasure.
Meanwhile, some sit in the finest restaurants, eating with gold cutlery and diamond salt shakers and emerald pepper mills (laughter) but can’t enjoy their food—they get indigestion, stomach ulcers, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.
What I mean is, don’t say that feeling good or feeling bad depends on your wealth or your clothes. Feeling good or bad depends on the heart of people, on their thoughts and mindset. Make your heart happy, because after all, there is a God — whether you call Him God, or whatever you want. The same God who provides for the worms in the desert or the wolves in the wilderness, He will provide for you too.
People, of course, will receive their sustenance. Don’t torture yourself or put yourself through hardship just because you have little money or lack something.
Appreciate deeply what you have. Remember, there are thousands of people right now lying in hospital beds who would give all their wealth just to get well and be healthy.
I heard a story about Onassis, the Greek billionaire who married Jacqueline Kennedy. He was one of the richest men in the world. He had a son, around 23 or 24 years old. His only son had a car accident and was taken to the hospital. Onassis told the doctors, “If you can heal my son, I will give you half of my fortune.”
The doctors replied, “If he is going to get better, he will get better. If not, even all your wealth won’t help. There’s nothing we can do.” People are ready to pay billions just to have a healthy heart, a healthy kidney, or to be able to enjoy a simple meal of bread with buttermilk (an Iranian dish made up of yogurt and cucumber). So, when you look at life this way, you realize that you have so many things to be proud of. It’s not just about having a fancy car like a Xantia or other possessions. Appreciate life as long as you are alive.
Thank you all very much for listening to me.

Translated by Elahe

Part 3

In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
With strength drawn from the Absolute Power of God, we begin this session.
Hello, friends. I am Hossein, a traveller and the session guardian.
(Audience responds: Hello, Hossein!)
I kindly ask everyone to observe fourteen seconds of silence to seek refuge in the Almighty and free ourselves from our greatest enemy—our own ignorance and unawareness.
(Fourteen seconds of silence observed)
Thank you, friends. I now request our esteemed secretary to provide a summary of the previous session and announce today’s agenda.

Hello, friends. My name is Neda, and I am a traveller.
(Audience responds: Hello, Neda!)
In the name of the Absolute Power of God, today the fifth session of the 21st round of Congress 60 workshops, dated February, 12, 2013 is held with the agenda “the 11th Valley, part three” from the book “14 valleys for Recovery” written in 2012. The session started under the guidance and supervision of Mr. Dezhakam and me. Neda, as the secretary at 9:00 a.m. Thank you.
(Audience applauds)
Thank you.
Hello friends, I am Hossein, a traveller.
We shall continue the 11th valley, part three today, we came to page nine from the old version of this valley and the last paragraph which was explain was this: “Negative energy typically comes from self- or other-destruction, or in other words, the negative energy comes from stealing—like someone who steals others’ rights, property, or peace of mind; or someone who gains energy by drug use, despair, whining, cheating, theft, usury, bribery, or by breaking the spirits of others.”
This was the last part we talked about in the previous session. The point of paramount importance, which is noticed by some people and ignored by others is that human being is a perfectionist creature, that is wherever they reach, they want to get higher and higher. In this existence, wherever we reach, there will be a higher state both spiritually and physically. This holds true for science and medical science. There is no end to medical sciences. No one can claim that we have reached the optimal and ultimate goal in a disease and no one can claim that I know everything about a disease and no one can claim that wherever I have found holds true to the end of the existence. No, it is not true. There is always something upper than everything we reach. This truth is valid in whatever you think of, in chemistry, physics, wealth, money, love and affection, whatever you see is endless.
Humanity is perfectionist that is why once they were living in caves and now they have reached this point. In my opinion, there is nothing in the future. Do not misunderstand my point, I mean humanity is pleased by the future, they think they will get their wants in the future; however, they will die without reaching their goals and they never see the future.
Imagine a person: they’re over fifty, over sixty, and still busy accumulating wealth. They’ve bought a lot of land, acquired a great deal of money and property, and they’re still thinking about increasing it—for their future. People are generally like this. Hope is a wonderful thing; of course, they hope for a better future and do everything they can for it.
But what I want to say is this: the present is real and within reach; the future is uncertain, a kind of promise on credit. We’ve even come to the point where people, through experience, often say: “Each year makes us long for the last”—meaning the past may end up feeling better than what’s ahead.
Yes, the future matters. We work and strive for it. But the heart of my message is this: let’s not destroy the present—the time we are meant to live—chasing after the future. Here’s what I want to emphasize: even if I long for something great in the future—whether it’s to reach the highest human ideals, enter a heavenly paradise, or become an extraordinary person—that’s all fine, admirable even. But not at the cost of ruining the life I’m living right now, and treating the present as if it has no value.
Here’s what I want to say: even if I’m driven by a dream of the future—of one day reaching the highest peaks of human excellence, entering eternal paradise, or becoming a truly elevated soul—that’s all good, even wonderful. But not at the cost of destroying our present life, or treating it as if it has no worth.  We need to pay attention to this: what we have right now matters. We must recognize its value. There are so many things we already have in this moment that we fail to appreciate. We overlook them, take them for granted—and then we stand before God full of complaints and dissatisfaction. 
Right now, most of you have healthy kidneys—or if there’s an issue, it hasn’t reached the stage of dialysis yet. But don’t you think it’s entirely possible that any one of us sitting here could one day experience kidney failure and need dialysis? Don’t you think any of us could develop a blood disorder? A tumor in the brain? In the kidneys, spleen, liver, digestive system, or in our small or large intestine? Isn’t that possible? Of course it is. 
So when we have something—even something as simple as a piece of dry bread—we should appreciate it. If we have a basic shelter over our heads—not even a proper house, just a makeshift hut with plastic covering it—let’s be grateful for that. The life we have, the family we have—it may not be perfect, complete, or ideal, but it’s worth something.
Let’s not destroy the present.  Hardship, struggle, and challenges—they’ve always been part of life, and they always will be. There is no human being without problems. And if someone truly had no problems, they’d have nothing left to do in life but wait to die—because there’d be nothing left for them to live for.  That’s why we need to recognize the value of the life we do have. Even now, despite everything, we Iranians often live like wealthy people—most of us. When you go to buy cucumbers, you buy a kilo—you don’t just buy one. When you buy oranges, you buy a kilo—not just one to split in half. When you cook rice, you make half a kilo or a full kilo—you don’t cook a spoonful.  So we still have many things. We still have resources. There’s so much to be proud of, and we can still live well. Let’s not become the kind of people who feel like they have nothing—no means, no wealth, no hope. 
Even this imperfect, fragile life we have—we need to realize that we do have it. We just don’t recognize it. There are two things people rarely value until they’re gone: security and health.  We don’t truly appreciate security. Look at the safety we currently enjoy in our country—do we ever stop to value it? Do we think about how this security came to be? How we’re able to walk the streets or return home without fear?  Those who are a bit older remember—during the eight-year Iraq’s war against our country, Iran, the air-raid sirens would go off suddenly at 2 a.m., everywhere, forcing people into shelters or open fields.
And back then, it wasn’t even the kind of advanced missiles we see today hitting cities like Tehran. Just getting a night’s sleep felt like a dream.  So we should be grateful for the peace we have. We should be grateful for the health we still have. If we become people who practice gratitude, life becomes more enjoyable. It won’t feel so unbearably hard.  Let’s stop sitting around and constantly dragging all our misfortunes to the surface and thinking of them. 
So, before getting into the main topic, I wanted to emphasize this: we still have a lot. All of us are holding valuable cards—we just need to play them right and enjoy the game while we're in it.  Now, there are people who try to tap into others’ energy for their own benefit. And yes, they do draw energy—but it’s not the kind of energy that truly helps them [because this energy is not pure].  As my friend Ali once put it beautifully: “Some people live wealthy, and some people die wealthy.” Those who die wealthy are the ones who spend their entire lives accumulating—money, homes, land, possessions—and when they die, they leave it all behind for their heirs. They never actually use or enjoy the wealth they worked so hard to gather.  My friend used to joke about people like that in our hometown: “When these wealthy people tailor pants for themselves, they make them five centimeters shorter—so the hems don’t touch the ground and get worn out!” Just imagine—they’re so cautious about wear and tear, they sacrifice comfort to protect a few inches of fabric.  These are the people who hoard wealth but never live with it. Then there are others—those who live richly. They make use of what they have. They enjoy life, benefit from their resources, and yes, they still save and plan for the future—but they also live in the present. 

All things aside, let’s make it a point to live joyfully—to live richly. Let’s appreciate what we already have.  Now, the topic we’re discussing here is about the gushing spring and the flowing river. It's a metaphor that likens every human being to a spring of water or a powerful river.  It says: “a person regardless of being wise or not, rational or not, loving or not, faithful or not, thoughtful or not, guided by their inner senses or outer senses, act like a spring of water.”  That is, whether someone is deeply reflective or not, they behave like a spring. But what kind of spring they are—that depends entirely on the state and level of their inner self, their soul, whether they are at the Commanding Self (نفس اماره) state —(driven by base desires)? Or have they reached the Blaming Self (نفس لوامه)? Or perhaps the Reassured Self (نفس مطمئنه)? 
There are people, the metaphor continues, whose inner spring dries up, it means their active and gushing spring becomes dry and neutral. These are the people who have become indifferent. Their spring no longer flows. They don’t contribute—neither spiritually nor materially—to society. They're present, but passive.
Then there are those whose spring flows with clear, pure water: “One is a spring with crystal-clear water.”    These are the people who are useful to society. Everyone benefits from them. Everyone finds some kind of nourishment in their presence. I’ve said it many times: Some people are just consumers, yet utterly useless. They consume food, clothing, resources—everything—but they themselves serve no purpose. They give nothing back.  Now compare that to someone whose spring flows with pure water—they’re a source of blessing, comfort, kindness, friendship, and support. Just seeing them can bring you joy.
And then… there are others whose spring contains stagnant, putrid water: “Another is a spring of foul, stagnant water.”    Some people, simply being around them is unpleasant. Their presence is like a stench.  And worst of all: “Another is a spring of poisoned water.” These people don’t just bring discomfort—they bring harm. These are the kinds of people who take pleasure in harming others—they actually enjoy causing pain, irritation, or discomfort. Their inner spring is poisoned.
But why do such people exist? "Creation has deemed the presence of negative energy and darkness necessary—as a complementary force—to generate potential energy." This is the key idea: In order for potential energy to exist, there must be a height difference between two poles. Just like a river which flows because of a difference in height—if there’s no elevation, no slope, there’s no flow. You need a high point and a low point.  So, for this difference in levels to exist in life—for there to be movement, challenge, growth—there must exist two poles. "Surely, the existence of negative forces is something God has deemed necessary. Take a battery, for example—it has both a positive and a negative terminal, and it is the flow between them that creates energy. The same goes for magnetism. There must be a difference in potential between a positive and a negative point for any current or force to emerge. So does life. 

So, if we say, “Let’s eliminate all negative forces from life,” then life itself loses its meaning.  Try it—imagine starting tomorrow morning, and all negative forces vanish. What do you think will happen? Honestly—just think it through.  First, setting aside the fact that half the population would lose their jobs, let’s look at some immediate consequences:  Police? No longer needed. They’re on leave.  The military? No purpose for them anymore. Also off-duty.  Courts and judges? Shut down.  Prisons? Closed.   All these systems, all these people—suddenly out of work. And sure, you might say, “Well, ideally, they wouldn’t need to exist in the first place.” Fine. But then what?  Who’s going to work? Who’s going to build anything? Who will come and make a factory to produce whatever needed? Who will till the fields in the dead of winter? Who will take on the hard, gritty jobs that keep society alive? 

So now, if we think about it, we see that these forces must necessarily exist. Secondly, as we mentioned before, without conflict, there is no meaning to affection; without bitterness, sweetness holds no meaning.  Earlier, we asked why God created these things. I say they exist in various forms and diversity as part of a greater design. Because God has deemed the existence of negative forces and darkness necessary to create potential as a complementary force. Every person or Self has complete free will to choose [the right or the wrong path].
What is being discussed in these teachings—and something I firmly believe in—is the matter of complete free will. Now, I may not be able to fully prove it to you. Actually, I could, but I’m not allowed to present that proof. I don’t intend to prove it here, but for me, it’s absolutely clear that human beings have full free will and are the rulers of their own destiny.
Once, I said something that really upset some people—it struck a nerve and didn’t seem logically acceptable to them. I said: “Wherever a person is in life, is exactly where they should be and it is completely based on justice.”
That’s quite a bold statement, and for some people, it’s very, very hard to accept—that each person, wherever they are, is there based on justice. It can feel heartbreaking and very annoying. Some might say, “No, that’s not true at all!” and reject it outright. But I stand by it.
Because even when a person is going through hardship, it’s part of their growth. In the divine system, everything ultimately leads to good. A person may need to endure certain difficulties for their own understanding and awareness to deepen. In the end, it’s for their own benefit.
There are times when, in this universe—in creation—you need to learn certain things. You may need to experience life as a wealthy person, or as a beggar. The point lies elsewhere. Therefore, free will is one of the most important and precisely designed elements of existence. We all have the freedom to sit here, or to walk outside. We all have the freedom to go and shave our heads completely. We have the freedom to shave off our eyebrows if we choose. In short, we have the freedom to do anything we decide to do.
Now, within this framework of free will, there must be also certain connections and interactions—meaning that the elements of society inevitably affect one another. Let me say something else—again, this might sound quite bold or controversial. Hafez says: “If the Holy Spirit once again lends its aid, others too could do what Jesus did.” But this isn’t entirely correct to take this statement as granted.
We could say: “If the Holy Spirit lends its aid again, some people—not everyone—might do such things.” Not everyone. If we were to claim that the Holy Spirit could be breathed into all individuals in society, making them all prophets or divine figures, that simply isn’t how it works.
The person must have the potential. Even that—receiving such a divine aid—is tied to their own free will. They must have reached a certain level of awareness, consciousness, and understanding to be able to accept such a responsibility.
In other words, the person who is to become like Christ must already possess the essential potential—the necessary raw material—so that the Holy Spirit can assist them in fulfilling such a mission or responsibility.

Because when we say, “If the Holy Spirit lends its aid,' it means we believe in the Holy Spirit. Believing in the Holy Spirit means believing in metaphysics, in the unseen, in Gabriel. When Gabriel enters the scene, it means God enters the scene. When God enters, the afterlife comes into the picture. And if the afterlife exists, then this world—the world before death—must also have its own meaning and structure. It means angels exist. It means devils exist. The Holy Spirit does not exist in isolation. Once you accept it, you must also accept many other things that come along with it. And that’s just one part of it."
So the Holy Spirit can shine upon a person who truly wants it. The Holy Spirit is not able to shine upon anyone We can’t say that it will shine on every single person on Earth and turn them all into Messiahs. It simply doesn’t work that way. For someone to become a Messiah, they must already possess the necessary potential in the heavens before even being sent down for such a mission.
And if someone is to become a Messenger of God, they must already hold the required potential for that role—otherwise, it would carry no value. So, this divine aid—the Holy Spirit’s grace—does not affect everyone.
From the day they answered “Yes” in the celestial realm (referring to "قالو بلی"  the Primordial Covenant, Surah Al-A'raf, verse 172), all the way to today, a series of stages and events must have unfolded in the heavens. Only after passing through those stages might it be said, 'Very well, now you can become the Messiah,' but only because that person has fulfilled the necessary conditions. So even there, you see there’s a precise accounting. Even there, a person’s free will matters. Even there, human effort and striving play a role. Nothing—absolutely nothing—comes for free.

You might say, “Yes, for example, God liked someone and said, “Very well, this person from now on shall be the Messiah, Jesus Christ; the Holy Spirit will grant you grace.” It’s not like that. Or, “oh grocer Hassan Ali, from today you shall be Moses.” It is not the case that a shepherd in the desert, suddenly becomes Moses to go and deliver the Ten Commandments. It doesn’t work that way!  The grace of the Holy Spirit doesn’t just come accidently, allowing some people to do what the Messiah did. Others simply cannot do that! The person must have that initial potential and free will to be able to become so. 
  Whatever you want from the metaphysical world, the world after death, and the hereafter—is just like Earth, there is no difference between the metaphysical world and the earth at all. The relationships there are almost the same.  Now, God forbid, I’m not talking about God, but say I’m the head of Congress 60. Well, whatever I say at Congress 60 is accepted, right? Very well. But can a first-travel addict, someone addicted to crystal meth, suddenly pick up the role of Congress 60’s Dideban? No, it can’t happen. Or imagine I come to you, and there’s someone who uses drugs and is mentally unstable, and I say, from tomorrow, this person is the leader responsible for female travelers, or the leader for male travelers, or the head of their families! Would that work?  No! The person must have the necessary potential so that the grace of the Holy Spirit assists them. There must at least be a guide, a helper, something—a kind of potential reserve—so that the grace of Mr. Dezhakam, for example, can have an effect on them.  I’m making a comparison here between a small earthly unit and the entire creation. I mean it as an analogy, an example.  So, it’s not just a matter of saying, “If the grace of the Holy Spirit helps again, others will do what the Messiah did.” Very well, but they must have that initial potential. They must have that initial awareness; otherwise, it’s meaningless. Otherwise, what value does being Jesus have? What honor is there in being such a prophet? 

When they say something like “Abracadabra,” and suddenly Hasan Ali the grocer becomes Jesus Christ, it holds no value and no honor. True honor lies in reaching the necessary potential throughout efforts in life—in creation, in the metaphysical world, on Earth, and in the heavens—to a point where this honor can be bestowed upon them. Therefore, creation has deemed the existence of negative forces and darkness necessary to create potential as a complementary force, and every person or soul has complete free will to choose. Anyone can choose: ugliness or beauty, evil or good, falsehood or truth, disgrace or dignity, fear or courage, love or hatred—and ultimately, hell or paradise.    
Therefore, it’s as if the fundamental law of creation silently states:  Everyone, by their own free will, can choose—ugliness or beauty, disgrace or dignity. If you sow the wind, you will reap the storm. If you sow evil, you will reap evil. If you sow resentment, you will harvest hatred. If you sow ugliness, you will reap ugliness. If you sow lies, lies will come back to you. Whatever you do, you do to yourself—whether good or bad.  This world is like a mountain, and our actions are like echoes; the sounds we make return to us [this poem is written by Rumi, the great Iranian poet]. Like a mountain, whatever we say reflects back to ourselves. Every action we take, no matter how small, has its return and reflection upon us.  
  Therefore, it seems that the fundamental law of creation silently states: those who receive—whether materially or spiritually—are always in the process of repaying what they have received (at least a form of giving back, like a tithe). Creation, the act of existence, silently communicates this: whoever receives something, material or spiritual, must repay it.  Everyone must repay whatever they receive. This is a law of existence, a law of creation. The law of creation is not that someone is given everything, then just sits, eats, and sleeps—the law of creation is not that a person is given anything endlessly! The law of creation is that whatever you receive, you must give back in return.  I said: take a single seed in the plains of Varamin, on salty soil, watered with bitter water, yet it produces sweet melons for you. Trees are watered, given manure and fertilizer, and they give you the best walnuts, the best cherries, sour cherries, grapes—the finest fruits.
Animals are the same: you give them grass and alfalfa; they give you milk, yogurt, butter, and cream. Cream is delicious with honey, right? Good cream with good honey. But who does the honey belong to? The bees, who collect it from flowers. The cream belongs to the goats, cows, and buffaloes who eat the grass and alfalfa and give you the cream—the rich cream.  How delightful it is to eat that! So, what about us? Should we only receive? From every opportunity, every situation, every opening, everything that exists—are we only supposed to take? Shouldn’t we give back?! 

Those who receive and then repay are the truly fortunate. They are truly human, and God—or existence itself—will grant them even more in return. It’s like saying, “Yes, that’s good.”  Imagine someone says, “Sir, please give a thousand tomans of your own money to a deserving person who says, ‘I want to eat lunch, but I don’t have the money.” If you don’t give it to them, how do you expect God to give to you? And if God does give, He won’t allow you to spend it freely.
“Those who always repay what they have received—whether materially or spiritually (at least in the form of a tithe)—are like a clear spring, full of energy, joy, and delight.” Those who receive and give from what they receive, experience true happiness and joy.
There’s something interesting I’ve noticed these past few days—actually, I always knew it, but now I’ve encountered it in words and expression. Sometimes people enjoy, when they receive [anything from outside]. For example, if you give someone a thousand tomans, they enjoy it greatly. If they get two million tomans, they enjoy it even more. If they receive fifty million tomans, they enjoy it a lot. If you give them a meal, like chelo kabab [an Iranian delicious meal including rice and grilled meat], they enjoy it.  Almost everyone is like this to some extent. But a person can reach a stage where they find joy in giving—a single plate of chelo kabab given to someone else brings them joy. Giving five plates to five people brings them joy. Giving a hundred thousand tomans to someone makes them happy. Giving five thousand tomans to a poor person brings joy. Giving ten thousand tomans to someone who is unemployed brings joy to them. Even giving a single piece of bread to someone makes them happy.  So, some people are at a. level where they enjoy receiving. But if they progress and evolve they start to find joy in giving—and then they realize that the happiness from giving is much greater

Well, those who give and repay are like a clear spring. Because water is being drawn from them, like a well—when you take water from a well, its water remains fresh and clear. But if you never draw water from that well, the water inside becomes stagnant and rotten.
The little holes in the well of water—called the “zeh,” through which water flows—when the zeh gets blocked and sealed, and the well dries up.  So, those who tightly hold their wealth are like those wells where the water turns into a swamp and eventually dries up. They always feel bad. People who don’t give a very small amount of their money to people” always feel bad and are in poor condition. You’ll never find them truly at peace, always at any situation, they find excuses to feel sad and bad; they never experience peace and welfare.
They themselves don’t know the reason—that dying wealthy is the cause of their sufferings.  Believe it or not, they don’t even give their wealth to their own children! They clutch it tightly, with both hands. Then when they die, on the very first night after the burial, their son-in-law will open a bottle of Johnny Walker whiskey worth seventy or a hundred thousand tomans and drink to their health. (Laughter from Master Dezhakam and audience)
Sorry for putting it like that. On the very first night after the man’s death, his sons-in-law are happy for the death of their father-in-law! (Audience laughs and talks). It is like receiving lots of wealth without any efforts, billions, tens of billions, all free money is now available. They spend this windfall on getting alcohol to be joyful and happy.
These things really happen. So, those who are always returning back whatever they receive, are like a clear spring, full of energy, joy, and happiness — while those who receive everything but never give anything back, wanting to keep everything just for themselves or their family — are like barren salt flats or deserts where nothing can grow. In the heat of the desert, they are just waiting for a sandstorm because they haven’t planted anything to stop the storm.
In the deserts of Baluchistan and other places in the old days, they used to plant a shrub called “Gaz” before the Islamic revolution in Iran. This plant helped stop sandstorms. In some places, they even poured oil (mazut) to hold the sand down. When there is vegetation, it prevents sandstorms. When there’s none, sandstorms keep causing problems.  It means those who didn’t give pure water (or any water) are like those salt flats. Nothing grows inside them because they haven’t planted anything. So, whenever the storm comes, they get hurt because there’s no plant in their desert to protect them.  For example, if you go to Zahedan — it’s a bit better now— if you go there in the morning, as you come back by noon, a sandstorm would come and the road would be lost. The road would be covered with sand. Now one of the problems with the railway in this type of land is this. You see a sandstorm comes and the rails get buried in sand. If there was that Gaz or some plants, or if they had done something, it would prevent this.
Even the dust storms coming from Iraq — where did that dust come from? Sometimes it came and disturbed everyone.  The dust storms come from so dry deserts. If they had poured oil or planted plants, special desert plants would grow and it would prevent the dust storms. In desert areas, there is a plant called Gaz, which is specific to the desert. If it gets watered once, it’s enough for a whole year. Since they have planted no plants, it is difficult to stop the sandstorm.
Just as springs have vastly different water sources, human beings also possess varying levels of knowledge and understanding. We must continually seek knowledge and awareness, follow the necessary principles, and work to increase our inner resources. Through intentional movement and powerful leaps forward, we can generate the energy needed to transform ourselves into a gushing spring.  Now, let’s return to the image of the rushing river.
It says: Just as a gushing spring relies on its water sources, if we wish to become such a spring ourselves, we too must have sources of information and awareness. We must continuously grow in wisdom, right action, justice, knowledge, and insight in order to transform into a gushing spring.  And from that spring, we then reach the powerful river.  Just as the spring remains constant, yet its waters must flow—traveling great distances and passing through rugged terrains like mountains, valleys, deserts, and plains, carving paths to eventually reach the sea or ocean—if the spring lacks the force to keep bubbling, the river that flows from it will gradually weaken, lose its strength and support, and ultimately become a stagnant swamp. In the same holds true for human beings…"  
A spring remains fixed in place, but its sources of water constantly change. In the same way, the human body is physiologically stable. Although in reality, even humans are not entirely fixed—our very cells are constantly changing. Outwardly, our body may appear unchanged, which is why we often say a person is the same, but internally, the flow of information within us is always evolving. Our face, our form, these may stay mostly the same, but what's within is continuously transforming.  Springs and their waters must move—traveling great distances, crossing mountains, valleys, and various terrains—to eventually reach the sea. Springs with great pressure, like the Nile or the Mississippi, keep flowing powerfully, surging through mountains, valleys, waterfalls like Niagara, and many other stages, until they finally reach the ocean. But if that force, that pressure, is lacking, they lose momentum and stop somewhere along the way.  The same applies to us. Some people begin their journey in Congress 60, but give up halfway through. Others continue to the end—and they are the ones who reach their destination and find fulfillment.  
  It says: "Human beings are the same. They must continuously receive sources of information, and that intake should never come to a halt. Through gentle movements and necessary leaps forward, they must generate the energy needed to stay on the path toward a better life—the very path of righteousness, or the straight path. The human body, like a spring, may remain physically constant; but the mind, the soul, the spirit, and the impact a person leaves behind are in constant motion and are effective."
As for rivers: "A rushing river knows that its path, its riverbed, is not smooth."  When a powerful river flows, it is fully aware that its path is uneven. And we must not think that some people have a smooth, easy road in life. No one’s path is perfectly smooth—it’s just like the journey of a rushing river.  When a river begins its journey, it encounters rocks, boulders, valleys, waterfalls, swamps, and sandy stretches—it faces everything. The path of human life is just the same. No one is guaranteed a life of constant happiness, wealth, comfort, or ease. If that had been the best way, God would have created it so. But it isn’t. 
  We often expect all good things to happen to us, and all the hardships—like death—to happen to others. We want all the blessings for ourselves, and believe that the misfortunes should befall someone else. But life doesn’t work that way.  Just as a rushing river knows it will face many obstacles, we too must understand this truth. All of us must realize that once we begin moving forward in life, anything can happen. Absolutely anything—every kind of difficulty, problem, or challenge—is possible and may arise along our path. We must be aware of this and learn to accept it.  Too often, we mentally prepare ourselves only for ideal outcomes—romantic dreams, imagined successes, pleasant futures. But when those expectations aren’t met, they become a source of frustration and suffering.
  "The rushing river knows its bed is not smooth, and that great obstacles lie in its path. But it doesn’t worry. It presses forward with determination—crossing terrifying valleys and mountains, pushing aside or flowing around every rock and boulder in its way, continuing on its journey." It doesn’t stop.  So if I come to a valley or a huge rock in my path, should I give up? Should I take my own life? Absolutely not. Go around the rock—or if you must, pause behind it—but don’t let it stop you.
  There are many people who, on their journey through life, come across a large obstacle—a metaphorical boulder—and they just stop right there. For example, someone falls in love along the way, but the person they love chooses someone else. No matter what they try, it’s over. That beloved has moved on. But the lover stays stuck behind that rock of love, unable to let go.  Come on—go around the rock! There are other paths. Is the world out of people? (Audience and the speaker laugh) "The river pushes aside or flows around all stones and boulders, continuing on its path."  Yet some people cling so tightly, as if the one they’ve lost is the only [angel] who has fallen straight down from heaven. (Laughter from the audience and the speaker)
  "A person must realize that their path in life is never smooth." Because, you see, circumstances are changing continually. And I say this sincerely—sometimes, circumstances bring two people together; you may find another person, with whom you might feel a deep connection, or develop feelings. You can find another person, someone else—X, Y, maybe Z, or someone entirely different. So don’t convince yourself that this beloved one is the only one ever could have been found. Don’t destroy your whole life over this person. Even if your beloved has chosen has clearly chosen someone else, don’t act like that, do not get sad. If you knew what has happened in your life from the beginning of Existence [الست], from the very first moment you were created—you might understand what I’m saying. Otherwise, you may not.
"...and the gushing river continues on its path." In the same way, a person must understand that their journey will never be completely smooth. What truly matters is their will and the quality of their thinking. With healthy intention and clear, balanced thought, they must realize that—even if their inner spring is empty or only half-full—through healthy and sound feeling, reason, and love, they can eventually become full and continue their journey. In doing so, they will come to honor life itself.  Life is sacred. That’s what I want to emphasize: what truly matters is living. Life is something to be honored. It’s precious—under any condition. Those who respect life can enjoy it. They can understand the true meaning of life.
But those who do not honor life often fall into all kinds of emotional and psychological struggles.  "People who simply repeat the same routine every day, with no progress, no creativity, no contribution, no learning—they don’t gain the energy they need."
There are people whose every day looks exactly like the one before. "They make no leaps forward, leave no mark behind, and seek no knowledge." As a result, they gain no energy—because there's no real movement in their lives. They become sick, anxious, unhappy. Their lives feel repetitive and joyless.
"In truth, it is these leaps, this act of creating and contributing, that fills a person with energy." It’s through these energetic shifts—these moments of impact and transformation—that joy is born. With these movements and leaps, the potential difference is made. When you help someone, when a student of yours finds liberation from addiction and experiences a leap, and you witness that transformation and leap—you enjoy it, this is the joy of life. Joy blossoms in life when movements occur.  Without these moments of “potential difference”, life becomes monotonous. And monotony breeds all kinds of illnesses, physical and emotional.  
So, in this Eleventh Valley it is said: "All gushing springs and rushing rivers eventually reach the sea or the ocean." In the same way, if a human being wishes to become a bubbling spring or a powerful, flowing river, they must keep moving—with energy, with vitality, with liveliness.  Our thinking is what truly matters. What we possess—our material belongings—is not [the cause of] our joy. What matters most is the quality of our thinking. It is our contemplation that holds real value. Thought has the power to do anything. Thought is truly precious.  And so the Valley concludes: "In essence, it is these leaps and acts of impact that fill a human being with energy." That is the final message of the Eleventh Valley.  Thank you very much.

The end of the 11th valley, part 3

Translated by Elahe, Sheikhbahaei branch of Congress 60, Isfahan, Iran