All those who rely too heavily on the mind to the detriment of the values of the heart still need to be educated through the fire of suffering

"In many traditions the blacksmith’s craft is given a symbolic significance. But what I find particularly interesting are the correspondences to be found between that craft and certain processes of the inner life.

When a blacksmith wants to work a piece of iron, he begins by heating it, and then he beats it into shape. Until the piece of iron has been heated, you can beat it all you like, it will resist or even break. This phenomenon shows it is only through warmth, through love – the warmth of the heart – that beings can be truly educated. All those who rely too heavily on the mind to the detriment of the values of the heart still need to be educated, and they have to endure the fire of suffering as part of that education. They wonder why they feel they are being burnt and beaten… Well, it’s heaven that is heating them and beating them; by putting them through such trials, it is seeking to give them a divine form."