Love me or hate me — those were never the questions that mattered.

I once asked my Tantra teacher how I’d know if I was on the right path.
I was expecting something poetic—maybe a Sanskrit mantra or a deep metaphor about rivers and surrender.

Instead, he looked at me, shrugged, and said:
“When you stop looking back.”

Excuse me? That’s it? No flute-playing Shiva quote to go with it?

I didn’t get it then. In fact, I secretly hated it. I wanted to look back. Needed to. I still had a story to tell, receipts to examine, emotional crime scenes to revisit.

But now?

Now I get it.
Because when you’re truly on your path, something wild happens:
You lose interest in making the past mean anything.

Not because it didn’t matter. Not because it didn’t hurt.
But because it’s not here anymore—and you are.

The truth is, the past is stitched into us. We don’t erase it—we carry it like tattoos we no longer explain.
You thank the lesson. You nod at the ghost. And then you move.

And here’s the kicker:
It’s not love or hate that tells you you’re still tangled.
It’s feeling anything at all.

You ever hear someone shout, “I hate them!” with so much passion it could set a church on fire?
Yeah. That’s not hate. That’s unresolved love with a grudge and a playlist.

Real closure isn’t rage.
It’s indifference.

It’s the moment you scroll past their name and don’t flinch.
It’s the second you stop needing them to “get it.”
It’s when you realize you haven’t brought them up in months and—holy hell—you’re free.

As Shakespeare so sharply put it:

“Love me or hate me, both are in my favor. If you love me, I’ll always be in your heart. If you hate me, I’ll always be in your mind.”

But indifference?
That’s the final ascension.

You’re not angry.
You’re not seeking revenge.
You’re just… uninterested.

Because you’re here now. Present. Awake. Living a life that doesn’t beg the past to validate it.

So if you’re wondering whether you’re on the right path, ask yourself:
Are you still circling the same old emotional drain?
Still auditioning for people you’ve outgrown?
Still hoping the pain writes you an apology?

Or have you finally stopped looking back?

If so—welcome.
You made it.
You’re on the path.

And the path doesn’t need your past.
Just your presence.

Recommendations:

Want more wisdom that feels like truth and tea with your higher self? Check out The Brave Table by Dr. Neeta Bhushan—a soulful space for navigating life’s messy, magical, in-between moments with grace and grit. Also, if you are craving more truth like this? Don’t miss Feminine Power: A Love Song to the Temple Within—a soulful reminder of the sanctuary you already are.