When Dr Strange met the Ancient One, she is able to tell him what he went through.
"You've undergone many procedures. Seven, right?"Dr Strange is curious to know how she healed a paralyzed man named Pangborn and is hoping she could do the same for him. She puts a question back to him, "How do you correct a complete C7-C8 spinal cord injury?" and goes on to explain how she did it.
"I didn't correct it. He couldn't walk; I convinced him that he could...When you reattach a severed nerve, is it you who heals it back together or the body?...It's the cells....And the cells are only programmed to put themselves together in very specific ways. What if I told you that your own body could be convinced to put itself back together in all sorts of ways?...I know how to reorient the spirit to better heal the body."
Angered with her talk Dr Strange confronts her.
"I spent my last dollar getting here on a one-way ticket, and you're talking to me about healing through belief?"She patiently explains further,
"You're a man who's looking at the world through a keyhole, and you spent your whole life trying to widen that keyhole. To see more, know more. And now, on hearing that it can be widened in ways you can't imagine, you reject the possibility?"The Dr rejects her explanation,
"No, I reject it because I do not believe in fairy tales about chakras, or energy, or the power of belief. There is no such thing as spirit! We are made of matter, and nothing more."The Ancient One: "We're just another tiny, momentary speck within an indifferent universe. You think too little of yourself."
Dr Strange: "Oh, you think you see through me, do you? Well, you don't. But I see through you!!!"
That is when she gives him an out of body experience and sets his astral body on a journey.
The Dr returns shaken up and astonished at what he saw and went through.
"What did you just do to me?!?"She explains,
"I pushed your astral form out of your physical form. For a moment, you entered the astral dimension. A place where the soul exists apart from the body. Open your eye. You think you know how the world works? You think that this material universe is all there is? What is real? What mysteries lie beyond the reach of your senses? At the root of existence, mind and matter meet. Thoughts shape reality. This universe is only one of an infinite number. Worlds without end. Some benevolent and life-giving; Others filled with malice and hunger. Dark places, where powers older than time lie... ravenous... and waiting. Who are you in this vast multiverse, Mr. Strange?
Dr Strange then comes around asking her to teach the sciences.
(Source: https://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/movie_script.php?movie=doctor-strange-2016)
(Source: https://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/movie_script.php?movie=doctor-strange-2016)
If that was astral travel, coming down to earth, Jiminy Cricket takes us on a journey too, telling us to keep our cool and giving us a lesson or two.
Full of fun and fancy-free
That's the way I wanna be
I don't let my troubles trouble me
Fancy free
Full of, full of fun
Got no time to worry none
Too busy singin' in the sun, sweet sun
If you should have a chronic ache
Pills won't make you strong
The only tonic you should take
Is a teaspoonful of song
So if you'd really like to be
Happy-go-lucky, just like me
Drown your frowns, my friend, and you will see
You'll see
That you'll be full of fun and-fancy free
Come along, lend an ear; see it for yourself
Meet a guy who's got a song
Troubles are on the shelf
He's so happy all the livelong day
Livin' life the simple way
Knowin' it's the only way to be
Just full of fun, full of fun and fancy-free
My recipe for livin'
It's simple as the ABC's
And hardly seems worth givin'
I've tried it out in every way
It always sees me through
It's made me what I am today
That's why I'm tellin' you
I'm a happy-go-lucky fellow
Full of fun and fancy-free
You can make the whole world seem mellow
If you take it in your stride like me
Don't cross a bridge or peek 'round the corner
Until you're there
Just learn to smile and in a while
You'll find trouble's a bubble of air
Get a happy-go-lucky feelin'
Keep it and I guarantee
That you'll find you'll wind up livin' in the sun
Full of fun and fancy-free
Full of fun and fancy-free
That's the way I wanna be
I don't let my troubles trouble me
Now some folks like the heavy stuff
With titles five feet wide
Not me; I'm always out for fun
I like the lighter side, yes sir
Don't let my troubles trouble me
Don't cross a bridge or peek 'round the corner
Until you're there
Just learn to smile and in a while
You'll find trouble's a bubble of air
Join the party
Come along
- can't go wrong
Now's the time to see what you can see
A house is just across the way
Better hurry, don't delay
You'll be full of fun and fancy-free
(Source: https://www.disneyclips.com/lyrics/lyricsfun7.html and
https://www.disneyclips.com/lyrics/lyricsfun6.html)
(Source: https://www.disneyclips.com/lyrics/lyricsfun7.html and
https://www.disneyclips.com/lyrics/lyricsfun6.html)
If that was the movies, when Balamurugan was almost reaching Mount Kailash but was out of breath and aching, he changed his strategy and approach, taking things one step at a time. When the journey started his destination was Mount Kailash. But as he was facing difficulty in taking another step, he changed his focal point to a rock or precipice that was just a few steps ahead. Each time he reached his target, he set another target that was just metres away from him. Eventually he came to behold the Mount and hug its face.
Agathiyar too has brought us on a journey, step by step. Just as a flower blooms without us realizing it, he come into our lives, shaped us and delivered us. Initially he invited us to his path; then pointed us to his abodes; he then led us there; bringing us back home he charted the path for us to follow and stood by us. We await the day when would begin an inner journey of discovery and attainment where he comes within us, merging in us, and we in him.