Are you free?

The geopolitical changes that have been happening across the world, starting with the Arab Spring at the beginning of the decade, are bringing to the fore of our minds the question of freedom. Trump's visit to North-Koreas was symbolizing a clash between freedom and oppression. Same with Russia hosting the world cup 2018. In my post, I would like to address the issue from the personal point of view. Therefore, leave aside the news and let's have a close look at your own private life.

Credit: Josephine

But first of all – one might ask oneself "why should I be free at all? I have a good life, I have a loving family, I have a well-paying job, I have meaning in my life, I am a distinguished citizen in my community – everything is fine in my life. So why change?"

And that would be a very good question. It is very very difficult to convince someone to get out of their comfort zone. That's why often times many people need to go through hardships. Usually, the call to be free comes from your soul and the human is being born with such a potential. If you read these lines then I believe you carry the potential within your DNA. Therefore, it's only a question of choice to answer this call or leave it for a while, perhaps for the next lifetime. As for one, regrettably, I have found out that the human doesn't have much of a saying. I say regrettably because there have been times when I wished I hadn't had to deal with the freedom issue. So for me, it's not a choice actually (some of you may argue and say that everything is a choice, and that could be an interesting discussion that I will save for another time). Anyhow, my point is that usually if the human doesn’t want to leave the comfort zone, and their soul self is not so adamant about that, life for that human will continue in their regular manner and the issue of freedom will be addressed in another lifetime.

To leave the cage?

The answer to that dilemma lies actually in the meaning of life and your take on that philosophical notion. If the meaning of life, for you, is to let the human "just live", while seeking happiness in the day to day routine, then there is no justification for you to evoke a change that will only cause your life to be chaotic for the most part. My advice is to stay in the cage because freedom will only make you suffer beyond your ability to bear. On the other hand, there are people who answer that inner call and use their human life as an emissary for their soul self, as an extension for an expanded consciousness. As a result, they free their souls and free themselves.

Whatever your reason may be, if you do choose to be free you need to examine your life and ask yourself – "Am I free?" And so, let me expose some of the ropes that still tie you to the ground, so to speak, that still enslave you to the matrix.

Credit: dreamstime

The things that keep you in the cage

• Relationships – can you live without them? Can you live without other human beings and feel ok about it? A man is a social creature, but still, can you exist comfortably without anyone else and still feel you are not alone? Mostly in romantic relationships, if you find yourself thinking, "Oh, what would I do without my spouse/son/daughter/parent?"; "how will I live without them once they are gone?" – Then you are not free. If you look at your spouse and think – "S/he is my second half, my completion" – then you are still not free. If you search for interactions with other people just to cast away the feeling of loneliness, then you are still not free.

I know that some of you may cry out loud now and say – "but what is love and romance without the needing and the yearning for the loved one?" – and I tell you that this is not a love but enslavement! When you are free to love from your core of your liberated soul then you will know that the unchained love is more passionate and more romantic than the old cognitive ideas of love that your mind has been generating for your temporary delight.

• Finances – generally speaking, if you have a job only because it pays your bills then you are not free. If you have a job that you hate then you are not free. If you have a stable monthly income that you can't possibly imagine yourself getting along in life without, then you are not free. Now, I am the last person to tell you to renounce your fortunes or give it away to other people (that probably would only deliver the enslavement from you to them). What I recommend is to be aware of the role that money, or any material goods for that matter, play in your life. Ask yourself – "what couldn't I live without?" Is it your car? Your house? You jewelry? Your leather black coat? Your beach house? The yearly vacation? And again I stress - not to be misunderstood – that there is nothing noble in living a life of a hermit, for money is a great tool. The issue is – can you live your life without that tool? If the answer is no, then you are still enslaved by it.

• Health– a big box that humans live within. And why? Because it's comfortable. It's comfortable to take a pill that makes your flu go away, it's comfortable to drink some water with herbs that make your muscles work better, it's comfortable to have someone in white robe telling you what you should and shouldn't do/eat/drink. It's comfortable to inhale or inject stuff that makes you feel good for a while. It's easy, it's available, and it's comfortable. And it's a golden cage. Being free means that you are the only person that knows what is going on within your body and how to balance it. If you want to take a pill then you take it because you choose so, not because someone else recommended or ordered it. When you are free you know that your body is an extension of you and that ultimately it doesn't need anything from the outer to heal itself, be it a bruise or a "fatal" disease. I know that there ample of counterexamples, of people who would die if they didn't go to doctors or take some kind of medicines. But those are actually examples for people who have lived their entire lives as slaves to medical dogma. (Children with fatal diseases are something different which mostly relates to the soul's choices. I will not go into that now). So, in order to be free you have to adopt and apply the understanding that your body is not an alien mechanism that was given to you when you were born, but a living creation of you. This is a good start.

• The thinking process– the most difficult challenge for those who want to break free. Your mind is the taskmaster that ties you to the mass consciouses. Unfortunately, there is no natural easy way to overcome it (and I strongly disagree with any artificial methods like drugs). The thing is this – in order to become free, you have to stop thinking. Simple, cruel, but that's it. There is no other way. You cannot be free and keep your thinking habits. You may laugh now – "what do you mean stop thinking? If I don't think I'll die". No, you will not. Contrary to what you think (ha!), thinking is not what you are. You only think that thinking defines you because your mind – your thinking mechanism – wants you to believe that. But, the truth is that your mind fears of letting go, reluctant to succumb to a much wiser part of you. I wish I had a magic wand to wave above your heads to retrain your minds. I don't. This is something that each human will have to do by themselves in order to be free.

I mentioned above the main four pillars of enslavement. But there are many other wardens, and here are a few examples -

• Thinking that you have a mission to rescue the world/your family/your spouse;
• The cult/religion you belong to
• The guru you admire or worship
• The spiritual rituals that you (think you) can't live without

Credit: 123RF

Walking the path of freedom

You will work diligently to get free, you will tackle those main four pillars of enslavement and you will see the results. First, you will feelfreer and then this feeling will penetrate your cognitive understandings. You will attract to you people who, like you, are free, and life will not be the same. This you can know for sure.

I will give you a sign. Each time you release another chain you will have a dream about flying. Think about it, because it actually makes sense. Once you cut a chain you feel freer and this feeling is translated, in the dream world, to a non-gravity state of existence. In the dream reality you literally fly and in the physical reality, you just feel freer. Now go back and recall your flight dreams and you will realize that such a dream happened after a significant decision that you had made.

Some words of caution – some people are so eager to break free that they might read these words and decide to: 1) cut themselves off from society and their relationships with people 2) give away their money to the near-by church/Guru/NGO 3) throw away every package of medicine they use 4) get themselves into repetitive rituals of meditation in order to annihilate their mind. To name just a few actions that a desperate human might do.

But this is not the way. If you are rich then you are rich for a reason. There is nothing wrong in having wealth, just don't be addicted to it. If you have a loving relationship then rejoice, don't break it. Dance with your partner the dance of life, just don't get addicted to them. The same goes for the other two issues. For instance, your body knows how to generate natural substances. Sometimes though it needs to be reminded and therefore it's appropriate to take medicine, for a week or two. If you become addicted to those, and you take pills forever, then you are not free. Your mind is a precious tool, but most of the time it needs to be quiet. Meditations will not help because they take you away from this reality. You, in case you haven't noticed, choose to be free in this world!

In conclusion

I don't believe that there is something bad or wrong in being not free. There are times in our lives when we need to live within a box – in our childhoods or as grown ps. It's important though to be aware of our position. It's also important not to be slaves forever. Meaning, if there are times in your life when you are not free, that's fine. You have your reasons. Just make sure not to make it last for too long.

Enjoy your free weekend