There was a time when I practiced deep meditation each night, the kind that slowly quiets the noise of the day until something softer and truer can be heard beneath it. In that stillness, I experienced what I can only describe as a conversation with my higher self — not a booming voice or dramatic revelation, but a calm, steady presence that felt familiar, wise, and deeply honest.

One night, a question surfaced with unusual clarity. I remember asking whether it was possible to experience total joy — not fleeting happiness, but a deep, abiding sense of bliss and contentment. The answer came without hesitation: yes.

But it didn’t stop there.

To experience one end of the spectrum, the voice said, I would also have to experience the other. Joy, in its fullest form, did not e...

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