This parable by the author of Way of the Peaceful Warrior and many others opens with the story of his encounter with a sage in the wooded hills near his home. Through stories, tests, and experiences in the wild, the sage challenges Millman to examine 12 core principles at the heart of every religion and culture: balance, choice, process, presence, compassion, faith, expectation, integrity, action, cycles, surrender and unity. Quotations from across the centuries accompany Millman on his journey.