"Turn yourself inside out." Wait....what?! What does that mean? He was utterly perplexed at the preposterous notion that anyone could 'turn inside out'. That didn't even make any sense to him at all. What kind of nonsense what she trying exploit and conform him to?
"Don't listen to my words. Listen to my heart. You first must change your way of thinking.", she continued to try to help him understand. "Outside of you, you are merely flesh. But inside of you, you are an entire museum composed of your entire existence, including the lifelines of all your ancestors. All the events and thoughts and ideas and experiences are all encased within the chambers of your inner mind. And within them all, there are secrets and wisdom and knowledge that you don't even realize that you possess, all hidden from you because you cannot change your way of thinking. But you can unlock them all. You have infinite glory held within yourself that you can access if choose to. It's all encoded within your soul. You were created with inner chambers of wonders untold. And there is a quiet safety there, too, where you can drift into peace."
"Well," he thought to himself, "I may not understand this crazy Oracle, but maybe she's telling me the Truth."
She could sense his attitude changing and his energy shifted from resistant to hesitant to compliant.
"Alright, Oracle, go on."
She smiled at him, not because she was proud of herself for bending him to her will, but because she was proud of him for seeking more; more Truth, more perspective, more wisdom, more divinity, more understanding. Not many were willing to even carry on a discussion, let alone be a prospector of her treasures. But this one, he had great potential.
"Turn yourself inside out.", she repeated. "Go inside and see what is within you that you have missed. When all around you seems lost, when the people in your path become too much, when time is chaos and life is laughing in your face, go inside. When the wind slaps the sails in your face and the waves crash over your head, when the sun peels your sanity away in layers like a sunburn and the dark is constricting your peace, cocoon yourself inside and let the entire universe within you reveal comfort and insight and serenity and safety to you. Sink within the wells of isolation deep within the caverns of your innermost sanctum and hush your mind; let the whispers that haunt you and the echoes of despair fade away in the distance. When all is void of noise and you are able to slip away into the womb of your soul, there you will find easy hope and the trifling arrogance of dismay will dissolve."
He was astounded that her words were making sense to him. He leaned forward in eager anticipation of her instruction and resolved to maintain his focus on her liberating insight. Even the surrounding room became an insignificant backdrop.
"Within you, there is an ebony and hollow lake where no winds blow and only the sound of still water penetrates your ears. Murky peace and tranquility will arrest you there and you will realize that your eyes, whether open or closed, will not gaze or seek, but will only remember what it was like before you were born when they perceived only light and shades. You will relax all your muscles and float like seaweed at the bottom of the ocean without strain or force. Your limbs and hair will sleep and even your bones will drift in ethereal-like streams of wonder."
He could feel everything exactly as she described it. The impressionistic style of the scene she painted on the canvass of his mind epically decorated the chambers within him. She wove tapestries of glory and humility and elegant notions of mystery and hope transferred to his inner sanctum. He did not want to leave even though he knew he could not remain there forever.
"Introvert within your inner sanctum, and when you are there, you can be free from all that is your exterior world. You can find all the peace and joy and wisdom that you desire there. No intruder can break in and no thief can steal this place from you. No one can alter it against your will. No man can tear it down and no woman can seduce it. It is yours. It is a gift from your Creator and all your ancestors and you will find all of them there, waiting patiently for your arrival so they can show you how much they love you. They are your protectors and guides. Turn yourself inside out. Then you will see. Introvert, and you will be free."
Great! Really well written, I enjoyed that encounter with the oracle :)