Freedom is a state of mind

You approach being free when you view all equally.

~Hilarion

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We all want to be free. There probably isn’t anyone who would say he or she doesn’t desire freedom. But, most of us feel it somehow eludes us. There always seem to be pesky and troublesome restrictions in our lives. We don’t feel free to be or do as we would wish, without limits.

Unfortunately, all too often we don’t recognize that our boundaries are self-imposed. In separation consciousness, we judge. There are people and situations we like or don’t like and things we prefer or don’t prefer. Our dissatisfaction and sense of limitation arise because we evaluate. When we view some things or people as better than others, we frequently set ourselves up to be disappointed or feel restricted.

We judge because we fail to remember that all things, beings, and situations are divine. In divine reality, everything and everyone is perfect and whole all of the time. Nothing and no one is better than anything or anyone else. We merely have preferences because we find it difficult to recognize the divine perfection in every moment.

When we see the worth and beauty of all that is, we free ourselves from our expectations. We love life as it is. We find joy in simply existing. We understand that freedom isn’t doing what we love; freedom is loving what we do.

Let’s take a few minutes to connect with our inner divinity—our sharing within—so we can explore this concept. We will start by allowing our breathing to become slow and regular. As we do so, we’ll picture our sharing within as a golden ball of light in the center of our chest. With each inhalation, the light grows strong and bright. With each exhalation, the light spreads out to fill us and our surroundings.

We will wait until a sense of completion, ease, and calm fills us. This is the signal of conscious connection with our sharing within. We will identify a circumstance in our life in which we feel restricted. Perhaps we would like to take a vacation in Hawaii, but don’t have the needed funds. Perhaps we want to spend more time with hobbies, but feel work responsibilities limit our free time. Perhaps we long to have more quiet time alone, but family obligations prevent opportunities for solitude. Whatever our disappointment is, we will allow ourselves to feel it fully.

Now we will visualize golden light from our sharing within illuminating our selected scenario, allowing us an alternate viewpoint. Perhaps we can recognize that people in Hawaii want to take vacations too—and probably not in Hawaii. Perhaps we are able to acknowledge that those out of work may fill their time with hobbies, while they would be grateful to be busy with a paying job. Perhaps we can see that those who are lonely would be glad of the company of a family. Our new way of seeing will allow us to understand that our preferences and evaluation keep us from enjoying what we have right now. When we focus more on loving what goes on in the moment, we are freer to be happy right now.

Next we will focus our thoughts on someone we dislike. Perhaps we find our father-in-law’s opinions annoying. Perhaps a friend’s child seems rude. Perhaps our neighbor seems loud and inconsiderate. For a moment or two we’ll allow ourselves to feel our dislike of the person fully.

Now in our mind’s eye we will surround the individual with golden heart light. We will acknowledge that he is interconnected to all in divine love—just as we are. We will ask for help from our sharing within to see her as perfect and whole, as is. We will take another look at him or her from our new perspective. Perhaps our father-in-law now just has a unique perspective. Perhaps the child now simply seems forthright. Perhaps our neighbor now appears animated and fun-loving. We will be able to see that our perceptions govern our feelings about the individual. We can change how we think and feel about someone any time we wish.

We will take a moment to surround ourselves, the people in our lives, and our entire world in loving golden light from our heart. We will recognize that all of existence is beautiful and wonderful, just as it is. We’ll thank our sharing within for helping us understand that we are as free to enjoy life as we allow ourselves to be. Each instant and every circumstance is a gift. All is equally divine and blessed. We are free to celebrate life in any and all moments. To life! Let’s party!

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Divinely unique and beautiful reader, what freedom are you ready to celebrate? Please share…