You must of course take care to light the matches one at a time. If a powerful emotion should ignite them all at once they would produce a splendor so dazzling that it would illuminate far beyond what we can normally see; and then a brilliant tunnel would appear before our eyes, revealing the path we forgot the moment we were born, and summoning us to regain the divine origin we had lost. The soul ever longs to return to the place from which it came, leaving the body lifeless. . . .
The quote emphasizes the importance of handling emotions carefully, suggesting that if we unleash all our powerful feelings at once, it could create an overwhelming illumination of our true path. This "splendor" symbolizes a deeper understanding or insight that can guide us back to our origins, something we often forget as we navigate through life. It illustrates the struggle between our earthly existence and our inherent spiritual nature.
Esquivel portrays the soul’s yearning to reconnect with its divine beginnings, hinting at a journey back to a state of purity and fulfillment. The imagery of a tunnel suggests that, although we lose sight of our true selves in the chaos of life, there is a route to rediscovering that essence. The sentiment underscores the idea that emotions, when controlled and nurtured, can illuminate the way to reclaiming our spiritual heritage.