It is often said that desire is the root of suffering, and many of us believe it. But the root of suffering could never be desire itself. Instead, it is desiring anything to be any other way than the way it is, which by virtue of its context and texture is a want. Why? Because the mind came up with it. The mind, in its resistance to life as it is, wants things to be different, whereas desire exists in the heart and soul as the spirit of inspiration itself. It has been said, after all, that it was Buddha’s desire to relieve people of suffering that led him to uncover and share the great wisdom he knew. Wanting, you can do without, but desire is an invaluable part of the fabric of your being. The distinction between the two is important to be aware of, for to try to extinguish or deny the fire and desire of your heart is to mute and disempower the creative force within.

Let’s zoom in to be touched by a deeper understanding. The first insight to tune in to is: receiving cannot happen in the vessel of wanting. Everything has a vibration. When you embody the energy of wanting, the vehicle of your being takes a particular shape—the shape of wanting. And in the shape of wanting, nothing can be truly received. Love cannot fit into this shape, prosperity cannot fit into this shape, peace cannot fit into this shape.

To truly receive, you must be formless. You must be open to the energy you are calling in and then be able to receive and hold it. To be one with it. Only when you are one with something are you truly receiving it; only then are you truly intimate with it, and only then can you truly know it, truly feel it. Only then can you dance with this energy, be moved by this energy, and only then can the chemistry of you plus this energy be revealed.

If you are wanting another person, there is no space for the other to meet you. There is only a tense vehicle of anxiety through which the stream of truth and fulfillment cannot flow. If you are wanting to feel differently than you feel, there is no acceptance. And when there is no acceptance, there is only resistance and, therefore, no possibility of transformation. There is no intimacy with the moment, no journey to unwrap the gifts.

And who can truly want? If there is nobody there—no person inside the person—who is wanting? Your pure essence can only accept, and the essence of your soul can only be inspired. The fountain of this inspiration overflows into the purity of desire.

Pure desire is divine fuel that attracts that which you are desiring. It’s the yes in response to your anticipation of what’s to come, what’s right for you. Its song floats towards its resonance like gorgeous dancing smoke, luring its focus into manifestation. When your mind is too involved and attached, it is in wanting, which is very different. When the energy is the pure passion of your soul, detached and in surrender of what will be, guided by God, it is desire. Desire lights; desire is a microphone to God. It is the primary feeling that triggers manifestation, and its presence is a mandatory ingredient in alchemy.

Do you want your life to conform to the fictions of your mind, or does moving into divine openness feel more fulfilling, more true?

Here is a meditation for you: Relax as you watch the burnt branches of wanting snap in their futility. Breathe deeply as the old season cycles out. Enjoy the precious feeling of opening as space clears for the warm, golden rush of desire to carry your visions to realization. Every moment is an invitation home.

Tehya Sky is a spiritual teacher and healing facilitator who offers retreats and workshops internationally. She is the author of the forthcoming book, A Ceremony Called Life: When Your Morning Coffee Is as Sacred as Holy Water Sounds True, July 2016). For more, visit tehyasky.com, or on Twitter: @TehyaSky.