The
Price of Freedom
“To feel
great love and freedom, to find the presence of God within you, all
of this stored pain must go. It is in this inner work that
spirituality becomes a reality. Spiritual growth exists in that
moment when you are consciously willing to pay the price of freedom.
You must be willing at all times, under all circumstances, to remain
conscious in the face of pain and to work with your heart by relaxing
and remaining open.”
Michael A.
Singer (The Untethered Soul, page 106)
Last night's Spirituality
Group, studying Michael Singer's book, got deep into the weeds on
this particular passage. One bone of contention was the word “God.”
Several members of the group grew up in evangelical Christian
households and churches, where the meaning of that word is very clear
and absolutely static—it is God the Father, and Jesus, His only
Son, our Lord and Savior. Period. For many, the experience of having
fire and brimstone rained down upon them twice on Sunday and once on
Wednesday, was sufficient to make them never want to go there again.
The word God simply won't form in their mouths—and yet, there they
are, week after week, in a spirituality group that is clearly
exploring the workings of “That Which We Call By Many Names.”
We finally decided to
refer to “That Which...” as Divine Energy. Everyone could agree
that the term Divine Energy bridges all the gaps in beliefs. I think
of Divine Energy as the Universal Source—the one that holds the
cosmos together, and is conscious and compassionate. One very good
question asked last night was: “If humanity had never evolved on
this planet, would this Divine Energy still exist.” The answer to
that, in my world view, is, “Yes, absolutely.” We are not
special, we are not separate, we are not the grand overlords of
creation; we are one species among many, and if we disappear, the
Source and Force of the universe will remain. On the other hand, we
are part of Divine Energy—just as is the robin sitting on the limb
outside my porch right now. We are endowed with life, we are
conscious beings, and we have the capacity to explore questions, both
deep and shallow. We can probe the universe for answers, and stretch
past our flesh and bones with the vast heart of “That Which...”
To expand into our true
capacity, however, we must climb out of our “self” boxes, and
reach for the stars. We must give up fear, in all its forms, with all
its limitations, and allow life to flow through us. Giving up fear is
the price of freedom. Are you up to it?
In the Spirit,
Jane
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