In the months of April and October each year I focus on the 4th gateway of Freedom. Two times each year I travel a spiritual journey through all six gateways, one per month, that leads me deeper into myself and the truth that I’m here on the planet to express.
Freedom is all about expressing my true nature. Waking up this morning I was reflecting on Victor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor who was able to create his own inner freedom with the power of his spiritual connection. It seemed like a spiritual message. If he could be free in those dire circumstances, why can’t I be free in my ordinary, if not ideal, life?
Struggling tremendously with feeling free was my habitual way of being for most of my life. Manifesting itself as what a close friend recently called the “I’ll be happy when” syndrome, I looked at the world through what my first husband called “Mud-colored glasses”. When I was first married, back in my 20’s, I thought I’d be happy when I owned my own house. When that didn’t work, I tried leaving my husband.
Nope.
Then I thought I’d be happy if I got the perfect new man in my life, got a better job, earned more money, sold the house, moved to a better location, and so on, and so on.
None of those things made me happy, even though I got everything I wanted. And finally I turned inward. There I found a tremendous well of joy and love that is available to me. The well gets deeper when I let myself be who I truly am through art, sexual connection with my partner, dressing the way that suits me, and a thousand other little things. Think about it: how many decisions do you make each day based on what other people want rather than what will make you happy? I’ve learned that it’s not either-or.
Now that I’m in the second 50 years of my life, I know with 100% certainty that my happiness is something I can create for myself in ANY circumstance. And what makes me happiest is expressing my true nature.
If you’ve read my blogs on power, you’ve had a glimpse of how I’ve worked to discover my true self. I’ve used love and my connection to Spirit to unearth my authenticity (and in my work with others I’ve helped them to do the same). These discoveries about who I am have added to my sense of power. Some might call it self worth. Others might call it purpose. It doesn’t matter what words you use, this power, once discovered, wants to move out into the world. It wants to be FREE.
Freedom is letting my power flow through my chakra centers to express itself in the way that is unique to me. How? Practice, practice, practice. That’s why they call it spiritual PRACTICE. It’s like I tell my 10-yr-old violin students, if you practice even 15 minutes twice a week, you will play violin much better than if you don’t practice at all. it’s the same with Freedom. You must practice being authentic — once you know what authenticity IS for you. You will have setbacks. You will have days when you forget or you feel constrained by your environment. But the more you practice being free, the more you WILL be free.
Here is a little exercise to get you started:
- Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Imagine becoming a tall tree, with roots deep into the earth and branches high up in the sky.
- Imagine your roots receiving nourishment from the earth, while your branches receive energy from the sky
- Take your attention to your belly and feel just one true nugget of who you are– it can be anything — a favorite food or hobby, a truth about your life, even just your favorite color.
- Allow this truth to rise up from your belly and fill up your entire body.
- Let inspiration flow in about how you will express this truth today.
- Keep this promise to yourself.
Want a shamanic healing work with me to discover your true self and learn to express it? Start by requesting a free phone consultation.