The Den
Take a moment and imagine yourself this lone shaman...entering the darkest place of the den...where you can't see a single thing, not even your hand held right before your face...

And there you sit...all alone in the darkness...no companion or cell phone to keep you company...sometimes you beat your drum...sometimes, except for the occasional water drip or scratch of a cave cricket, you sit in silence, with nothing else to stimulate the senses...

How do you feel and what do you think about?

Why did you come here in the first place...what did you expect to gain?

How might you see the world differently upon your return?

Finally, why The Den and what's inside?
And with that leap, were back to the surface...
Into The Den...Taking the First Steps 
Experts and aficionados of mind and psychology will no doubt notice what The Den in general may ultimately symbolize, as well as recognize the significance and benefits of this metaphor. I think that's stuff for good discussion, sometime.

But let's forget about all that for now and, with our shaman friend in mind, consider for yourself what resides in the den and what it's like to probe its furthest depths...                         
At Carlsbad Caverns in southern New Mexico---where I took the cave photos shown on this site--- there's a legend of a lone native shaman who enters the darkest depths of the cave armed only with his beating drum...
Ok, after that first go 'round, I trust you got to know me a bit better. How did you fair? Can you tell any more about who you are?
Again...Who am I?
Keeping that question in mind, I invite you to consider this...