Freedom

Realizing fully that anything I say about freedom will be received through the screen of personal experience by any reader, and may likely meet eyes who feel I have no right to even speak about freedom given my white privilege in this lifetime, I wish to touch upon the true essence of freedom spoken of by Sages, Prophets, and Gurus – available to each of us, through realization, in each moment. I choose not to limit these thoughts to 800 words or less, for I know you have the curiosity, and capacity to soak up this exposition and claim for yourself a truth that serves you in the fullest – not in installments, but all of it! You are free to read some, or all, or come back to this – see what I did there?! Haha, You are free to choose how you live your life, … as long as you allow others to do the same. Read on – I challenge you!

Paramahansa Yogananda, courtesy of Self-Realization Fellowship

Paramahansa Yogananda and other Gurus and Sages carrying forth wisdom from the Vedic history between 1500 BC and 600 BC in India speak of true freedom through the realization that we are not limited by the tangible and visible limitations of this physical dimension. That we are so much more. Paramahansaji said, “…(Self Realization is) the knowing in mind, body, soul – that we are one with the omnipresence of God; that we do not have to pray that it come to us, that we are not merely near it at all times, but that God’s omnipresence is our omnipresence; knowing one’s self, one’s soul; and realizing the soul is one with God.” For my beloved who cannot tolerate the word “God,” because of the misuse of that word through the ages, not only using it to separate us (being “chosen” or not by God), or anthropomorphized in our likeness, please drop the baggage that is associated with it in your mind, and substitute whatever works.

Can we acknowledge the mystery in life that gives the sunflower seed the intelligence to sprout, grow roots, a shoot, and leaves that are directed toward the sun, and organize the flower in perfect Fibonacci sequence or progressive mathematical precision? Or the code that organizes the human fetus, pulling things into perfect alignment with a positive and negative pole, ultimately creating some 37 trillion individuated and specialized cells, from – well, just two joining cells. Can we acknowledge an unknown and organizing principle that pervades the Universe and its potentially infinite stars in balance, or the possibly 200 billion stars in just the Milky Way Galaxy, which we call home? Perhaps a suitable name for God is “mystery.” What organizing theme holds as many cells, and vast spaces within and between those cells in our body like a self-contained Universe?

Bali Waterfall and Meditator, copyright Sarah Lage 2021

The English word 'god' first came into use through a German term applied in the 6th-century Christian Codex Argenteus, gudan ("to call" or "to invoke" a power), according to the World History Encyclopedia. Originally in Greek, the term was “theikos” which meant to be god-like in attributes or power. So how can we be this power that pervades the Universe? Jesus spoke of this freedom, quoted as, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. (John10:10)” When the captors and torturers of Jesus were challenging him to make him stumble and blaspheme himself in opposition to the Jewish scriptures, called the Tanakh, including the Torah – or teachings of Moses - the Nevi'im, and the Ketuvim, all renamed by Christians as the “Old Testament,” he told them, “Render unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar and give to God what is God’s.” In other words, this Mayan delusion of physical reality is just that, but the reality of our true presence and essence is and always will be untouchable by the physical dimension – we are both. Walk in the world, but be not “of it” or its delusion. For we are not that – simply that – but the unfathomable principle that vibrates through all of it.

Freedom, so what’s it got to do with God, or mystery, or our physical bodies, or our consciousness which cannot be contained? What did Jesus mean by “abundant life”, and to be “in the world, but not of the world”? Well, freedom is always present, just as the vibrating packets of energy in our cells, spinning right or left, popping in and out of location probability, and not essentially physical at all. When restricting forces are removed from a system, its natural inclination is to grow (expand and organize), finding harmony, peace, and expansiveness. In a contained system this is called “homeostasis” where the number of particles vibrate and spread out to find perfect equidistant placement between each other in the allotted space. But if not isolated, this process will organize with external forces as well. A simple definition of “homeostasis” is defined as a self-regulating process used by a living organism to maintain internal stability while adjusting to adapting to external conditions. Homeostasis is therefore not static and unchanging, but is a dynamic process that can change internal conditions as required to survive external challenges.

When co-existing in harmony and balance does not occur in the body, we sometimes call it “cancer” - an overgrowth of chaotic disorganized cells that take more than their share of resources. We could at other times define disharmony in the body as an “infection” or a “parasite” that is taking over more than its fair share of space, nourishment, and resources, and not contributing to the overall good of the system. Ultimately, we have learned that this imbalance can cause “dis-ease” or disease processes in any or all of the systems of the body. How do we break free from the restricting forces (the disorganized vibrations) that can cause an imbalance in the human psyche, emotions, and mind, affecting the entire body just as an embarrassing thought releases a cascade of neurotransmitters in the body that instantaneously causes us to blush? Well, in a word that would be “freedom!” Yes, we must also address the external forces, toxins, and negative insults to the body, and work to clean up this mess, actually and metaphorically.

So, then, what are these disorganized, or greedy forces that are impacting our minds, emotions, and bodies, and robbing us of resources? Any notion, thought, rule, or principle – that we believe and give credence – that leads to thoughts of judgment, restriction, non-inclusion, insufficiency, or inequality. These are all “restrictions” and cause friction in the system, that would otherwise expand to its greatest health, harmony, and growth. These come at us in subtle ways when we are developing young persons, trying to make sense of a world that can often seem vast and unknown, or threatening and scary. When someone tells us – “I wish you could be as ______ as your brother/sister,” we may assume we are not good enough. When we are told “you are not ______ (fill in the blank - fast enough, smart enough, strong enough, good enough, rich enough, elite enough, of a certain race, ethnicity, creed, sex or orientation, or any limiting judgment),” you are only hearing the fears and limitations of the person speaking. Due to their fears, people try to cling to rules that make this vast grey expansiveness seem black and white and give them a sense of power and control, to quelch their imagined or real fears. But, of course, this gives no credence to the thoughts, statements, or actions generated by that person. They are not free, and so they cannot perceive a system in which all can live free. They impose their limitations on others, to create a semblance of order for themselves. Don Miguel Ruiz, in The Four Agreements, states one agreement we must claim for freedom – take nothing personally. His point is that each person says and does things as an expression of their inner state and beliefs, a reflection of their perception of the world.

Therefore, when they evaluate you or the situation, they are giving an explanation of how they interpret things, based on their past – not your past, your actions/words, or presence. When a toddler shouts an insult and grabs our toy, we could think, “wow, an immature child that doesn’t know any better,” instead of a personal reflection, “he/she/they are out to get me” or “ he/she/they hate me.” This physical dimension will never function in harmony and freedom until all those in it know, believe, and act as autonomous cohabitants in a living organism that is always seeking harmony, balance, and equality. True freedom then is knowing what and who you are – so much more than you or I can fathom. Like a wave of the ocean or a spark of the flame, we are a fractal or smaller exact representation of the whole! A Buddhist practice is to say, acknowledging anything and everything, “I am that!” I am within all things, they are within me, and they are as they are! I am that - All of it!

My deepest heartfelt wish is that every sentient being knows that they are vibrating with the same omnipresence - principle - as every living thing in the Universe and beyond. You and I are One. Yup – equal, beautiful, messed-up, challenged, growing, awakening, and unfathomable! We are free expressions of the one unifying principle, mystery, power, presence, compassion, and love. Let nothing limit the knowing of your greatness. And, yes, let us come together to correct the imperfections, injustices, and imbalances in our history, our personal lives, our environment, and our existence. Like cancer, with selfish inequality, we will annihilate the very organism of which we are a part – and we too will die. Please, do not let untruths cause you fear, pain, doubt, or restriction. I am not saying walk boldly and blindly into trouble! We must be guided by wisdom, discernment, caution, and Love in our interactions. But in our quiet moments, let there be joy, truth, expansiveness, and freedom – which no one can touch or take from us. Vibrate big and expansively, think of joy, beauty, and truth – and allow it to transform your body, mind, soul, and life. Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. “(John 8:31-36, NIV) This is what I wish for the “New Year” and really “forever.” Perhaps we can unpack together how the Hell to do this… in this messed-up Mayan Delusion. Well, one thing is for certain. We can only do it together! As exclaimed in the movie, “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” – “Be excellent to each other!”

Deepest Love, Light, Laughter, and most of all Freedom,

Asha Shawn

Freedom

Recent Posts

留言

SHAWN D. AXTEN
PT, CST-D