The Truest Form of Freedom
Esther Hicks used to tell a story about meditating in her favorite spot with a friend one day, when one thing after another came along to compete for their attention. A jet flew overhead, low and loud, and then there was traffic, and then a squawking bird. And she said it became an exercise in focus. To keep focused on her breaths, to stay centered in the moment, to not allow her mind to go chasing after each noisy distraction, but to remain centered and calm apart from the noise, unshakeable by the noise… Inhale, two three, exhale two, three, four, five.
Such an exercise would make you better at focus in all other circumstances. It would make you a better meditator than hours of practice when things are quiet and comfortable.
You don’t get really good at something until you do it under challenging circumstances. You don’t improve at a sport unless you play against somebody better than you.
At its heart, true freedom means nobody is in charge of my mood but me. It means not allowing the conditions of life to batter you like a ship in a storm-tossed sea, but rather to sail smoothly through every storm, and even enjoy the cruise.
True freedom is the ability to find joy and satisfaction regardless of conditions.
This doesn’t mean we don’t work for positive change. This means that we’re not required to be miserable until that change comes.
How to be happy anyway
It’s a matter of shifting our habits of thought. And like changing any habit, it takes only time and persistence. Work on shifting your focus away from what’s wrong, and onto what’s right. I’ve shifted from news all day to quiet, or if not quiet, then holiday music or Hallmark holiday romances.
We have to focus on the good things in our lives right now. And it’s crucial that we do this NOT from a place of fearing we might lose them in the future. But rather basking in their presence here and now.
Fear of losing them, adjusts our vibration to their loss, and helps to bring it about. Basking in their presence adjusts our wavelength to that of having these things in our lives, which assists in keeping them present, and calling forth more things like them.
Does that make sense? If all existence is vibration, and I believe it is, then we have more control than we think.
So we focus less on what’s wrong and more on what’s right. We celebrate every little win, and every good thing we experience way out of proportion. We joy-scroll rather than doom-scroll, looking for signs of hope in a wide range of areas. And truly just enjoy every moment of our now. We enjoy our lives and live them and relish them and appreciate them. And that will keep joyful things strongly in our experience.
Fear and worry, on the other hand, will lend energy to the very things we’re fearful or worried about. They will help them to manifest. And the only cure is distraction. We must fill our brains with something else, something that makes us feel good. Really good. The “gooder,”the better, in fact.
Journaling helps
Assigning ourselves to write down 10 good things about our day before we go to sleep at night, every night, we subtly re-align our mental antenna to a more positive wavelength. The act of looking for good things to write down, brings us into the path of more good things to write down.
You see how that works? Subtle shifts in our focus can bring significant change.
Meditation helps
When we quiet thought, our energy rebounds to its natural, higher level like a cork no longer held under water. It bobs right up. And while we’re up there, we meet up with all things awaiting us in that higher vibration, things we’ve put there with our desires. And we get to feel that bliss of leveling up, and then carry that with us back into our normal waking state.
Each time we meditate, we return with our vibe a little higher. It’s a daily attunement, and it has cascading, cumulative effects.
Being busy helps, culling contacts helps
We should be so busy we don’t have time to scroll social media for very long periods. We should be busy doing things we love, things we’re good at, things that bring us pleasure, things we find rewarding.
In the same way we cultivate how we spend our time, we need to look at who we spend it with. Do the people with whom we surround ourselves have a positive or negative attitude? Does being around them bring us up, or bring us down?
Remember, no one has the power to influence our energy but us. We must never hang our mood on someone else’s behavior. But there’s also no reason to soak oneself in negativity. We absorb and adopt the vibration of those around us. Seek out the light-hearted ones who smile at strangers. Be around those who feel the way you want to feel.
And then police yourself not to pull them down to your lower vibe, but to reach upward to match theirs.
Being active helps
There is nothing like a long, brisk walk outside, or a round of kickboxing inside, or a jog on the treadmill to change my mood. It not only releases pent up frustration, but it feels empowering. I feel strong and capable when I exercise. Endorphins surge, and I always feel more positive and uplifted after a good workout.
Music & beauty help
Right now it’s holiday music. Later it’ll be something else. Filling my space with music is essential.
In fact, filling my space with every kind of beauty seems to have a warm, healing, rejuvenating effect on me. I burn incense every day. I’ve been rearranging the furniture, polishing things up, hoeing things out. I changed the art in the living room. I’m dragging out all my holiday decorations and lighting the place right up.
I think I might take a swing at restoring my old brick fireplace. I’m going to try fresh red stain on the brick and charcoal on the grout. I’m excited about that.
Creating helps
For me, that’s writing. I’m working on two novels right now, one of my own, and a collaboration with one of my daughters. These are enjoyable, challenging, fun, rewarding projects, and they sooth my soul.
What’s the alternative?
People feel as if they should not allow themselves to be happy when things are going wrong in the wider world. But what’s the alternative? Being miserable until and unless the change one wants arrives? How does being miserable help the situation in any way? It doesn’t forward any cause. How does being happy hurt the situation in any way? It doesn’t prevent change from happening.
Besides, nothing’s ever really going wrong. There’s a pattern to all this. It’s happening the only way it can, but from the broader perspective, it’s all experience adding to the makeup of Consciousness itself.
I would submit that we need to work harder to focus on joy during difficult times than during joyful, easy times. Just like you have to work harder to meditate when jets are flying over. We need the joy more during challenging times. We must never abandon it! We must seek joy no matter what else is going on in the world.
The light in the darkness
Now the season of darkness is upon us, but our focus is ever upon the light that exists even here, even now, glowing bravely at its weakest point, but never going out. We lend our energy to the light’s return by lighting up our homes and lighting up our trees and menorahs. On the night of December 21st, the longest, darkest night of all, the sun is reborn. It emerges stronger at dawn, and every day thereafter, steadily reclaiming power from the darkness.
When you think about it, this is the underlying meaning of the winter solstice celebrations. It’s the core message of Christmas, as well.
So seek joy, my friends. Without it, you have nothing to offer anyone else, anyway. From your place of joy, from your steady, solid, unshakeable alignment with your Inner Being, you can help raise others up throughout the holiday season, and for as long as it is needed.
Be the light that shines through the darkness.
Blessed be.
