Namaste and Aloha!
It's great to be back after a sabbatical for two months. What a blessed life... I spent time in Hawaii quieting down, relaxing, and exploring the greatest state of being: freedom.
"What does freedom mean to me?" is one of the most important question you will ever ask yourself. And, of course, as with any important question, you have to journey deep inside in order to find out what holds the truth for you. So, here are some questions that will take you deeper so you can ask yourself how you really feel about your relationship to freedom.
How often do I feel free?
What am I doing when that happens?
Is freedom found in the outer world or in my inner world?
Am I in charge of my own freedom?
How do I create more freedom for myself?
What stops me from having more freedom?
How much freedom do I deserve?
How do I feel about my freedom when others don't have it?
Oftentimes, I ask my students what freedom means to them. They respond with answers like travel, space, unconditional love and change. But when they go deeper and quiet down inside what they discover is that true freedom begins with freedom of the mind -- learning to create positive thinking while deleting negative thinking, and that becomes our goal.
In a world that we have no control over, learning to relax and quiet your mind is not only a good idea, it's essential if you want to know true freedom. And to accomplish this you must learn to be a great self-listener and be vigilant when choosing what thoughts you want to rule your world. And I mean VIGILANT. One powerful, negative, fearful thought can -- when expanded upon -- ruin your day and lock you in the prison of the mind. Until you DELETE that thought and relinquish the accompanying emotions you are the mind's slave. However, the key to your freedom is ever-present and all you need to do to remain free is practice the power of courageous thinking.
Here are seven invocations that, when said as prayer, will guide you into freedom anywhere and any place.
1. The Universe of love and grace always supports me and is my true home.
2. No matter what happens on the outside, I am peaceful, steady and grateful for my life.
3. Deep inside, I realize I am an expression of unconditional love for every living thing.
4. The truth is I deserve to be free.
5. My thoughts are aligned to the flow of Universal love that runs through me.
6. I care take my mind as a garden of fresh new thoughts and creations.
7. Breathing in, I claim total sovereignty over my mind and thoughts.
8. Breathing out I am free!
Here's to your growing awareness of how blessed you are at all times and to the stillness that is your divine birthright. See you back here soon. Until then, 10,000 blessings from all directions!
Carol Simone, simply known as Simone, is a spiritual catalyst in private practice in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is the author of The Goddess of 5Th Avenue, Being Quan Yin, Becoming the Energy of Love and Compassion, The Kiss of the Shaman and others. You can write to her at www.carolsimone.com. Follow Carol Simone on Twitter. Follow her on Facebook: