By Leopoldo Gomez Diaz
Peace is the ultimate meed found at the end of every inner discovery.
Know Your Author
Leopoldo Gomez Diaz is a retired engineer from Mexico City and a guest author for E-Journal Times. He spent four decades at the Mexican Petroleum Institute and taught at the prestigious National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). In his writing, he weaves together stories of his experiences, passions, and insights. When he is not writing, Leopoldo enjoys reading novels, exploring metaphysics, listening to music, playing soccer, and savoring his early-morning coffee. In this reflective article, Leopoldo invites readers to trade outward distractions for a profound voyage within, exploring how mindfulness, the intelligence of the heart, and conscious interpretation can unlock true peace and happiness.
You can read more articles written by him by searching his name in the search grid.
Could you imagine taking a fantastic journey around the Milky Way, or perhaps traveling inside the human body- or, even more fascinating, traveling inside your own mind?
We live in the Milky Way, a vast galaxy containing millions of stars, planets, asteroids, clouds of cosmic dust, and immense darkness. The human body is another universe. It contains millions of cells, complex systems, nerves, and connections.
The mind is not simply the brain or the collection of our everyday thoughts. The mind is the level where choice and interpretation take place, shaping how I experience the circumstances of my life and determining my inner peace. It is where I identify either with the ego or with God.
Have you ever imagined traveling to new, spectacular, mysterious, risky, or magical places? Can you imagine what you might see, feel, or experience within these different ecosystems? What sensations and emotions might you experience in places like these?
A journey inside the human body could be as fascinating as an imaginary journey through the Milky Way. There would be endless adventures, strange images, colors, lights, and objects of different sizes moving in different directions and at different speeds. Any of these journeys would undoubtedly be an extraordinary adventure.
It is very difficult for me to imagine traveling around the Milky Way or inside the human body. It must be an extraordinary experience. But there is one journey I can imagine: a journey inside my own mind, inside myself.
Inner Discovery and Spiritual Awakening
In recent years, I have become increasingly interested in spiritual matters. I have read, talked about, and listened to information about different philosophies, initially A Course in Miracles (ACIM), and later Buddhism and Stoicism, among others. Then I began meditating in the mornings, initially for ten or fifteen minutes and, over time, for approximately an hour or more.
I have become aware of many things, beginning with the realization that I had been meditating for many years without even knowing it. I had never understood that it was a practice with a name, techniques, procedures, and recommendations.
I have also realized that I am much more than a body, that I am spirit, that I am energy. In reality, everything is energy. Everything is vibration at different frequencies. Fear, anguish, anxiety, and all these dark states vibrate at low frequencies, while joy, gratitude, kindness, abundance, and love, among other positive states, vibrate at higher frequencies.
Before I retired, I lived under continuous stress, mainly because of work. I was not even aware that I was carrying that stress, but I certainly suffered from it and was affected by it—with anger, impatience, arguments, lack of sleep, emotional instability, and very little time to think about my inner Being. Honestly, it never even occurred to me to think about my inner Being.
That began to change when a friend started talking to me about the idea that “nothing is real,” that “everything is an illusion,” and that “the body I inhabit is temporary, while my true self is something intangible, infinite, and powerful.” I began to question, to think, to become aware, and gradually to reconfigure my concepts about life and about who I really am.
From the beginning, I became interested in the subject—first because I was skeptical, then because I was curious, and finally because I liked the idea that there is something very powerful of which we are a part, and that there must be a power directing not only the universe but also all of us who inhabit it.
I have always been fascinated by the infinity of the early morning hours and dark nights filled with stars and constellations. Every time I look at a sky completely covered with stars, I find myself asking questions to which I have no answers: “Who directs the entire order of the universe?” “There must surely be life beyond Earth, but where?” “Could I have come from one of those constellations?”
When I look at the star-filled sky and see Orion, Sirius, Taurus, the Big Dipper, the Little Dipper, the North Star, Scorpio, and Sagittarius, I feel deeply attracted to the heavens, as if I had come from one of those constellations. My mind begins not only to generate ideas about different possibilities, but I also feel an enormous sense of inner peace. It relaxes me and excites me at the same time.
I love going outside in the early morning hours to observe these constellations, whose position and appearance change according to the season of the year. I feel that there is something very powerful, intangible yet present, that strongly attracts me and gives me a profound sense of inner peace.
Finding Meaning Through Inner Discovery
Now, as a senior person, I am increasingly focused on being at peace with myself and being happy.
But what does being at peace with myself mean to me?
It means learning to choose how I want to interpret the circumstances that occur in my life. It means learning to identify what depends only on me and to interpret it in the best possible way.
It means living according to my principles, avoiding confrontations as much as possible, maintaining supportive relationships with the people around me, and being kind, patient, empathetic, and compassionate toward others. It means living in harmony with my mind, my thoughts, my emotions, my body, and my actions. It means taking responsibility for my decisions and actions and learning to manage my emotions, my words, and my behavior. It means traveling within my own mind and choosing carefully how I interpret the circumstances of life.
What matters is not necessarily what happens, but how we interpret what happens. Life is made up of moments: moments of inspiration, darkness, frustration, fear, courage, and joy. Life is a collection of moments and memories. That is why it is important to remain attentive to what happens around us, to recognize the signs that life sends us, and to be emotionally and mentally aware of them so that we can decide how to interpret them.
I also believe that some moments can change or even shape our lives and our destiny. Sometimes, an interpretation or a question leads to a quick decision, and the answer can influence the direction of our lives. For example, I still remember the simple question my mother once asked me: “Do you want to be a shopkeeper for the rest of your life?” That question made me think differently about my future. There have also been questions, answers, and reflections from teachers and women who have influenced and shaped important parts of my life. It is all about how we interpret things.
Throughout my life, I have faced many different kinds of challenges. Sometimes, at first, I did not realize their magnitude or even recognize that they were challenges. In each case, using the analytical tools I had available at the time, I tried to understand the possible impact they could have on my life. I must confess that I almost always looked outward; it rarely occurred to me to look inward, into my Being.
I did not know the importance of my inner world, of my mind. No one ever taught me about it. Everything in my life was directed outward. In some situations, I felt happy to face a challenge because I recognized the opportunities it offered for my personal and professional development. At that time, I did not consider the emotional or spiritual dimension.
In other cases, I also learned that there are situations in which you have to dare, with the necessary elements or without them, to jump into the river and cross it. If you do not jump in, you will never reach the other side.
Since I was a child, I have played what I call the “What if…?” game. I imagined possible real-life events, whether in the present or the future, and sometimes I even imagined different outcomes for situations that had already happened. Then I would try to imagine how I might act or what I would have done if I had been present in those fictional events.
This mental exercise helped me imagine and face difficult situations and reflect on what I should do, what decisions I might make, and how I might react to different scenarios. In many ways, this exercise has helped not only shape the person I am today, but also compensate for gaps in other areas of knowledge.
Now that I have gained more spiritual knowledge, when I experience pain in my soul, my heart, or my mind, I have more tools to manage and interpret my emotions. I try to remain calm and be aware of the importance of managing my emotions. I have tried to choose my thoughts carefully, to be mindful of what I say, and to take responsibility for my words and actions.
Of course, there have also been days when I have shouted, become angry, or responded aggressively to colleagues or to people whom I believed had offended me. But after reflecting on what happened and giving myself some time to calm down, I usually find peace in my mind again. Many times, I discover that they had not even offended me. It was only my interpretation of what had happened.
True Happiness Through Inner Discovery
How do I understand happiness?
Happiness is not something I have to find; it is something I discover when I stop placing mental obstacles in front of it. It means letting go of thoughts of fear and guilt and recognizing love and peace again as my natural state. Happiness is not found outside myself, but within me.
For me, happiness is also a collection of wonderful moments and memories: people, places, pets, hugs, caresses, deep conversations, shared silences, looking directly into each other’s eyes, knowing looks, emotional connections, and smiles.
I understand happiness as a process. It is part of the journey. Every day, we encounter people, circumstances, thoughts, and emotions. Happiness depends on how we interpret all these circumstances and emotions.
A few years ago, a close friend taught me something that has stayed with me: it is important not only to pay attention to the mind, but also—and even more importantly—to pay attention to the heart. We must learn to feel and to see with the heart, that place where we can truly perceive feelings and emotions. I have learned that the intelligence of the heart is a flow of presence, understanding, and intuition that emerges as a process through different stages and guides us when the mind and/or emotions arise in coherent alignment within the heart.
I have to confess that this has not been easy for me.
For most of my life, I was accustomed to seeing and feeling through my senses rather than consciously seeing and feeling with my heart. I have learned that this is a process that, depending on the circumstances, sometimes moves from the mind toward the heart, and at other times from the heart toward the mind.
Today, I realize that many of my feelings and emotions originate and reside in my heart. They can be dark or luminous, painful or joyful.
When my heart experiences fear, sadness, or another dark emotion, I turn to the feelings that accompany me on my inner journey. The heart is a good counselor when interpreting the circumstances of life.
First, I seek refuge in silence. I close my eyes and allow myself to feel what is happening within me. I do not resist or defend myself against the emotions; I simply allow them to be there.
Then, the heart guides me toward action and inner effort in search of meaning and belonging. It helps me move away from incoherence and silence the attacks of the ego. It reminds me to pause, breathe, observe, and choose how I want to respond, rather than simply react.
When the emotions in my heart become stable, I can remain centered within myself, regardless of what happens externally. Harmony and coherence increase, transforming my emotional state and leading me back toward inner peace. Here, the benevolent side of the heart emerges, creating a higher level of awareness and a clearer orientation toward my inner world. I gain greater clarity and feel more gratitude, joy, and happiness and, above all, harmony and coherence. The heart guides me through the darkness and helps me return to the inner peace I seek.
Practices for Daily Inner Discovery
There are some other factors that have influenced this journey.
- My attitude: Since I was a child, I have generally chosen to be happy and positive. Although I have experienced bad days and moments of unhappiness, I have usually been able to overcome my darker periods within a matter of days or weeks.
- The company I keep: I have also tried to surround myself with wise, kind, and positive people. I have deliberately chosen the people who are part of my close circle because I want to remain positive and, above all, continue learning from others.
- Learning from others: I believe that every person can be our teacher if we are willing to pay attention. Everyone can teach us something, but we have to be humble enough to recognize it and observant enough to notice it. By observing others, I have learned different ways of thinking, reacting, and behaving. These lessons have helped me choose my own actions.
- Rejecting behaviors from the past: Now I choose to be at peace rather than argue or confront insignificant situations. This has not been easy. I have had to work hard on myself and pay attention whenever I feel tempted to argue, respond aggressively, or prove that I am right.
These decisions and actions are the result of my inner journey: a journey through my mind, my brain, my body, and my heart.
Enjoying My Own Company: Practicing silence and conscious breathing has had a positive effect on my current state of peace and happiness. I enjoy spending time alone with myself. I have discovered what I truly like and what I do not want for myself, and I have remembered situations from the past from which I try to draw lessons that contribute to my continuous growth.
- I am my own best friend.
- I am my own best company.
Paying Attention to the Heart: Although I know that it exists within me, I have not yet fully experienced the joy of completely connecting with my heart, that heart that represents the clarity of my entire Being. But I am on my way. I intend to reach a deeper level of awakening, with a better orientation toward my inner world rather than the external world.
I recognize that the levels of empathy, patience, gratitude, compassion, and coherence I have reached are part of a continuous learning process. I still have much more to learn.
But I believe I am on the right path.
Presence: As I continue this journey, I feel increasingly grateful for the simple events and ordinary things that happen every day. I am also increasingly aware of the importance of being empathetic, patient, and compassionate toward the people around me.
My inner peace and happiness depend on how I interpret the circumstances of each day, the thoughts I choose, the reactions I decide to have, and the way I manage my emotions, sensations, words, and actions.
I am now conscious of not allowing anyone or anything to take away my peace and happiness. They belong to me, and I am responsible for protecting them.
I know I am still in the process of improving.
But I believe I am on the right path.
I am traveling on my inner journey, discovering myself little by little.
In my mind, I decide how to interpret the situations of each day. This leads me to experience an emotion, which in turn leads me to have an experience.
And perhaps, after all, I do not need to travel around the Milky Way to discover a universe.
I only need to continue traveling within myself, where the real magic happens. Where there is an entire universe within me.
I often repeat to myself: “Grow old with me; the best is yet to be.”
This is how I am living the process of my inner self-discovery.
And so, I am discovering a journey through my own Milky Way.
Read my another article- The Path That Life Drew for Me at https://journals-times.com/2026/07/03/a-magical-and-mysterious-journey-to-myself-by-leopoldo-gomez-diaz/
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