“Evil is not an ultimate reality. It is simply an experience of the soul on its journey toward Reality.” —Ernest Holmes

Let’s define evil as that which appears destructive. In that sense, it is an effect arising from a deeper cause: the state of mind of the person inflicting or experiencing it. Evil is not a person, place, or thing—it is a state of mind. Going deeper, evil can be understood as the absence of peace in one who has forgotten his or her true identity. And what is that identity? God, Love, Light, Spirit, or whatever name you choose for the greater Power of the Universe—the Power that moves all things through and as us.

So, if evil is part of the soul’s journey toward ultimate Reality, what does that mean, and how can it serve us? If ultimate Reality is the deep inner knowing of our Divine self—and the Divine self that is present everywhere—then how is evil a step on that journey? I ask myself this often, because I have most certainly experienced evil manifesting as sickness, lack, or misaligned relationships. Yet it has been a journey toward Reality, because once I became conscious of self-responsibility for my life, I realized that within those experiences something needed to be revealed in me. Sometimes it was the need to recognize greater self-worth or to embody more self-love. Sometimes it was the deeper understanding that I am always causing effect in my life through the way I think about what is happening.

Here’s a simple example: I have experienced lack in my life, which felt like a form of evil. I suffered and tried to fix it by doing, doing, doing. Action has its place, but it wasn’t until my soul realized that I deserved more than I had been willing to accept that my environment began to change. The experience of lack wasn’t ultimate reality—but it was part of my soul’s journey toward Reality: the knowing of my worth as a Divine expression.

How does this help us today when so much apparent evil surrounds us? We cannot deny it. Many are experiencing it in full force. For me, the practice is continual remembrance of who I am and who every person truly is. It is the awareness that we are all entangled in one field of energy, and that my thoughts and actions make a difference. It means I must take action—not against something, but for something greater, more loving, more compassionate. As I speak out, I must do so firmly yet calmly, refusing to fall into the hatred that seems so prevalent.

“Evil is not an ultimate reality. It is simply an experience of the soul on its journey toward the ultimate Reality.” What if we believed, even for one moment, that we are eternal beings traveling this earthly experience only to remember who we are? We stumble. We fall. We suffer. But ultimately, we all arrive home in the seat of Love. It isn’t easy when we are in the depths of despair or conflict, but it is the only way I know to process grief—and to keep walking the path toward Reality.

Love and Aloha

 Rev. Dr. Rita, Author, Founding Spiritual Director CSL Kaua’i, Founder of the Red Dress Movement