Spiritual Freedom

Freedom. It is something that has as many definitions as there are people. There is political freedom, our rights and protections against oppression by force or tyranny of the majority. There is freedom of consciousness, liberation from cultural norms and standards that are imposed upon us by the cultural minefield of societal relations. There is freedom of thought, to allow ourselves to be open to the ever flowing river of ideas and ideologies that we are exposed to in our lives. But what is true freedom for the seeker? What is freedom of spirituality?
True freedom is like a leaf on the wind. There is a sense of trust within the leaf; that the unpredictable winds move with purpose to carry it where is it meant to travel and eventually rest. The leaf on the wind soars because it does not fight the wind, it does not cling to the ground or the tree from which it comes. It lets go of where its nature and its time on the tree has shown it where it should be and how it must exist. It lets go of all other considerations and pressures except for the indomitable will of the winds of change.
So often we cling to our own chains for a sense of security. The man in the cell knows his routine, his days, and his values. We hold onto our upbringing and values instilled in us by our parents and what our life experiences have told us what we should be. We let others impose their values and beliefs on us, and we fear becoming outsiders if we do not follow a group or individual’s definition of right and wrong. We fundamentally fear doing what we believe because it goes against the foundation of whatever institutional beliefs we attempt to cling to.
Within all of us, there exists a point where we are infused with a divine spark, that which makes us human. That point is where we can be moved as the leaf on the wind. Freedom is in listening only to that voice of God inside, the voice and knowledge that moves us towards our purpose if only we can listen. If you have the courage and the trust to listen and act upon that voice, nothing can touch or harm you. No amount of pressure or condemnation can bring you down; you can soar far above the storm that brews below. Trust in that wind, God in the deepest reaches of your soul. Trust in the gifts that God instilled in you to become the seeker of truth. God is revealed everywhere, if only we can step away from our narrow scopes. If you follow what you are moved to do and believe, you can trust and believe that you are doing right, living as God intended you. No two seekers will follow the same path or the same beliefs, but we all must recognize that we all seek the same goal in our own unique way. God leads us to our path; each must choose to follow that path according to our own gifts, God lays us each our own way to follow.
The community of seekers all walk through the same trials, doubts, and struggles of faith and life. We must support each other in our ventures, and trust in each other to rightly judge the path laid before them. Love is our goal, trust is our weapon, faith is our guide. Together we are strong, individually we are mighty. God will show you your way, if only you can quiet your heart and mind to hear him and the trust to follow your heart no matter what waves crash about you…


My Lord God,I have no idea where I am going
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself,
And the fact that I think I am following
your will does not mean that I am
actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please
you does in fact please you.
And I hope that I have that desire in all
that I am doing.
And I know that if I do this, you
will lead me by the right road
though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore will I trust you always
though I may seem to be lost
and in the shadow of death, I will
not fear, for you are ever with me
and you will never leave me
to face my perils alone.
~Thomas Merton