Morocco Quest #2: Love Your Inner Child
Series of stories and lessons learned from a self-discovery journey. Heal Yourself by Loving Inner Child.
Morocco Quest is a series of stories and lessons I learned during a solo backpacking trip to Morocco in October of 2019. Before I dive into the journey itself, I thought it wise to start with why I made the plan in the first place.
🛬 First Stop, Casablanca
My first stop was Casablanca; I have always been fascinated by the city’s name. It was 7 am when I arrived, with the sun just rising over the horizon, a new land, with no expectations weighing on my decisions. My first interaction was with an older woman with her daughter; they noticed that I looked confused in front of the fare machine of the city’s transit system, unexpectedly, they came up to me, and the woman explained what I needed to do to get on my way, and pointed me toward a tiny convivence store. Such a small interaction, but this city felt like it was welcoming me with open arms.
Hours later, I settled into a hostel in Casablanca’s busy old Madina. Although I had a quick nap, I was still exhausted and disoriented after my travel. I thought to myself; I should get out to explore and make the most of my day. The old Madina was getting louder and louder at that point; kids are playing around, and adults conducting business deals. I looked up and the first thing I saw from far was the majestic minaret of Hassan II Mosque. Having read about this mosque before my journey began, I was intrigued to see, in person, the architecture of the largest mosque in Africa and the third-largest in the world. It can accommodate more than a hundred thousand worshippers and was built to commemorate the former Moroccan king’s 60th birthday. That beauty, even from a distance, pulled me closer towards the ocean to where the mosque is located.
The marble flooring extended beyond my sight. The geometric mosaic tilework full of small, well thought-out details; I felt small being next to the mosque and the ocean. Suddenly I heard the prayer call coming from the inside; I was compelled to walk in and pray. Part of me resisted the idea at first, I haven’t prayed in a mosque for over 15 years. In my teenagers years, I made a conscious decision to leave my birth religion, Islam. At the time, I was resentful towards religion and Identified myself as an atheist, which led to many events and turning points along the path that made me the person I am today. For years, I found comfort in blaming religion for my flaws rather than making a change, and that thought pattern led me to a place where there could never be any fulfillment or content.
I walked into the mosque, feeling like the child’s self. I remembered how mosques were a huge part of my upbringing. Many of my memories formed in a similar atmosphere. I joined the group of Muslims lining up to pray; all I could feel at that moment was a strong wave of emotions overcoming me. Everything felt natural; I had no issues recalling the order of movements, and prayers I needed to recite. I felt a powerful connection and love for the young me. He was doing his best while struggling to make sense of himself in this world. I also felt a sense of confidence in where I am today spiritually just by the fact that religion does not make me angry or affect me in the ways it had in the past. My eyes were in tears when I realized how much I have grown and how grateful I am for being able to reflect on my past.
📔 Lesson Learned
Healing yourself by connecting with your inner child can have a powerful impact if you frame the past positively with compassion. Everyone from our past was trying their best, most of the time it is never what we expect and that’s perfectly okay. We are all perfectly imperfect. Love yourself; you can only get closer to others as much as you are to yourself.
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