Freedom: Inside & Out

 

According to Webster’s dictionary, freedom is defined as “the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action : liberation from slavery or restraint.”  Knowing this, can you recall a time where you actually experienced freedom?  A moment where you were totally without a nagging thought, an influencing memory, or a demanding superior telling you what you should or shouldn’t be doing.  I imagine that few of us have ever experienced TRUE freedom because even if others are not directly guiding us, then we are being bombarded by memories, old mental tapes, advertisements, and other things that work to overpower our instinct.  To live in this world, this culture, means to experience some level of constant coercion, direct or indirect, blatant or subliminal.  Are we ever truly free to be?

In my daily personal practice and in my professional practice, I often struggle to find and strengthen the intuition and inner wisdom of myself and my clients, so that it can guide & free us to act in our best interests.  Some may see this as a selfish thing but in reality, if we cannot see and believe in ourselves than how can we ever find fulfillment – the fulfillment of our dharma, our purpose in this lifetime.  Many of us live the majority of our lives doing what we think we should according to what our friends and families taught us, but rarely asking ourselves if what we have “chosen” was really a freely chosen and desired action.  Those who do question often find themselves labeled the black sheep, the rebel, the weirdo, the reject, the list is endless.  We revert to childish name calling and labeling to those who had the courage to take off the blindfold and ask, “Is this really my truth?  Is this what God wants me to do according to my passion and gift?”  In Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development, there are three overall levels and six stages that people may evolve to but often times people get stuck in the first two levels with few people reaching the final level much less the highest stage of moral development.  He proposes that in the beginning stages, we function out of a sense of selfish need fulfillment or to fit in and avoid social rejection or possible punishment.  The highest level of moral development allows for mutual ways of believing and living as long as they are agreed upon all the way to living our own internal principles of justice and right action/livelihood, similar to the 8-Fold Path of Buddhism, even if they conflict with set rules & laws (ex. Robin Hood stealing from the rich to give to the poor).

So going back to our black sheep, are they not just exploring the third level of post-conventional moral development by questioning and challenging what someone told them their “duty” was and comparing it to their internal compass?  It reminds me of the Native American & Aboriginal tradition of vision quest and walk-about for adolescents to step out on their own and discover themselves and their truth.  These typically solo journeys offer the young and becoming adult a chance to shake loose from the demands of their daily lives and the opinions of friends, family, and society to discover what guides, empowers, and brings passion and purpose to their heart-mind.  When they return it is with a renew spirit that is no longer childlike – no longer satisfied with living in the pre-conventional and conventional levels of moral development.

Assuming you never had a vision quest or walk-about, how could you offer yourself that time of personal reflection and freedom?  What would it be like to liberate yourself from all the should’s, ought to’s, guilt and shame that have kept you caged and confined, living a less than satisfying life because you felt no other options?  Illness and injury offer us an opportunity to experience the down-time that most of us need but never get, even on vacation, to explore our inner yearnings or unexplored spirits.  When we are forced to quiet our bodies and minds, we often begin to feel restless and the litany of voices telling us to DO SOMETHING come back strong, but if we can honor this offering of quiet rest, we might just tap a deep well of creativity and freedom that will nourish and satisfy our longing for happiness, which can only come from being free - free from the ties that bind us.  So the next time you are presented with illness, injury, an open appointment, waking up early, arriving home early, or even a 5-minute break, sit comfortably, close your eyes, take a deep breath and ask your heart & your belly (the seat of your intuition) what you need to nourish and know in that moment.  Gradually, you will begin to hear your heart more than your head and your belly more than your brain.  In this place, you can receive your mission, your meaning, and the message that what your heart wants for you matters – even when no one else seems to understand. 

May you find or make the time to listen deeply, rest easy, and receive the grace of your God and good friends and family.

Om Peace, Peace, Peace.