I am holding you all in my prayers this beautiful 4th of July. After my morning meditation, I took the opportunity to go to the Farmer’s Market to buy my week’s groceries. As I reflect on the experience, I realize how blessed we are to have such Freedom… and such incredible Abundance! I am led this morning, to wrap up this week’s topic, and celebrate our inherent Spiritual Freedom which I sometimes tend to take for granted.
I think I will simply offer my observations as they arise in my awareness, in hopes that one or more serve as food for thought, prayer, and contemplation.
For me, one of the effects of this Sanctuary at Home period has been that I shop much less than I used to. I have never been a mega-consumer, but I have come to realize that I sometimes made mindless purchases. What has come forth is that every dollar I spend is a vote in favor of what I wish to encourage in my world. So, my trips to the Farmer’s Market each week have come to represent my Freedom to consciously choose the quality of food I buy, as well as to support the individuals who serve a Greater Good by growing and providing nourishment to the community.
What else?
As I often do, I became curious about the root meaning of the word freedom. As I began to search, it occurred to me that I should look up liberty and license as well. (I recently read from Ernest Holmes: “I believe that the true spirit of democracy is a spiritual conception where there is freedom, liberty without license, and a flexibility that makes evolution possible on the foundation of freedom.”) The root of the word liberty comes from the Latin libertas, which means free. No surprises there. And so, what about the modern definition? The definition that seems to apply to our Independence Day Celebration (at least as it was intended) is this one: “the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one’s way of life, behavior, or political views.” Wow! While many of us in this country enjoy such freedoms, it seems clear that we have a way to go before actually embodying “Liberty and justice for all”, even here in our beloved United States.
There was another definition presented: “the power or scope to act as one pleases.” This definition felt more like license to me, so I looked that up… “freedom to behave as one wishes, especially in a way that results in excessive or unacceptable behavior; a reason or excuse to do something wrong or excessive.” So, what Ernest Holmes was talking about was our ability to be free “within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one’s way of life and behavior,” but without excessive or wrongful action, harming no one and nothing. Again, there is work to do in the world.
As a means of wrapping up my word search contemplation, I thought I should look up the word free, just to bring closure to this process. This is when I got the biggest surprise. Free is “of Germanic origin; related to Dutch vrij and German frei, from an Indo-European root meaning to love.” What? To love? As it turns out, the word free is related to the word friend and has more to do with caring for one another than expressing our individuality without restriction. What if we were to celebrate our freedom through love and caring? It would truly be more of an Interdependence Day than an Independence Day.
What else?
For many years I have taught (sometimes to the chagrin and confusion of students) that Discipline + Obedience = Freedom. Again, tracking down the root meaning of these words, we have been able to understand discipline (same root as disciple) as the act of looking to a Higher Truth. Add to that obedience (from the Latin) – hearing in the direction of. Does this equate to freedom? (Again, from the Germanic root) The experience of Love, God’s self-givingness as all of Creation? So, when I look to a Higher Truth for Guidance, when I truly listen and hear that Truth and follow it, I experience a free flow of Love, of Grace, in my life.
Anything else?
Only that I wish each one of you a truly Free (Loving) day today, whatever you may be doing. I pray that you take time to acknowledge and give thanks for your Individuality, your unique gifts and expression of the Divine; that you acknowledge and give thanks for your freedom to move about as you please, but harming no one; and most of all, for your Spiritual Freedom… that gift of Spirit that enables you to make conscious choices, to step into the flow of Grace and Infinite Possibility. And finally, I pray that each of us remembers to include Interdependence Day in our celebration… remembering that each choice we make matters, as it ripples out to affect the Whole.
May we all take conscious part in the evolution of human nature by living from our Divine Nature…
May we all be well…stay in touch…know our unity…and thrive!
And may we know the Absolute Beauty and Wonder of this Grace-filled, once-in-a lifetime day…
