Free Will
Hello, beautiful ones. With the 4th of July celebrations over the weekend (which we trust were socially responsible!), we are compelled to dialogue on the topic of free will. Of course, free will can mean wholly different things to people depending on the context, so let’s discuss free will within the realm of spirituality, as inspired by the teachings in A Course in Miracles. Free Will is the ability to act at one’s own discretion.
You have dominion over your emotions and your thoughts, and only you decide how your emotions and thoughts influence your actions or behaviors. Some may argue that external societal pressures such as social morality or institutional programming can subvert our free will. However, in a spiritual practice we each take absolute responsibility for our actions and are receptive to reconditioning ourselves. By retraining the mind, we gain dominion over our free will and reclaim our inner power. Those in a spiritual practice seek to find the communion wherein their free will is aligned with the will of the Divine.
God’s Will for us is to embody complete peace and joy in union with the Divine. Within ourselves, we each have the freedom to choose to connect or neglect our union with Source and the surrounding world. When peace is not experienced, there is a refusal to acknowledge the will of the Divine. In that moment there is a misbelief of separation that we are not connected to the Creator. The choice to deny this union subsequently creates loneliness and suffering.
Collectively, we have created a world of isolation, dissociating ourselves from everything. To make matters worse, this world we’ve created is maintained by a fear of separation. But recall that Fear is an illusion. One is always connected to the Light and therefore is never truly alone. Light dispels darkness, not by attack, but by shining it away. As beings of Light, we can illuminate everywhere we go and as a result, darkness retreats. This remembrance reunites us with the Divine, the Creator.
As children of God we have free will. Our will may be a desire to have a certain job, a home, a partner, good health, lots of money, etc. But if and when those desires do not appear, agitation and suffering often occurs. In essence, suffering is the attachment to desires and the value subjectively assigned to them. Free will, however, enables absolute sovereignty over the state of being. Nothing can take away your peace of mind unless you willingly give it up. Inner peace, then, can be maintained by acceptance. Accept the present moment without resistance. Breathe deeply and acknowledge that what is, simply is, at this moment. In this surrender to the present, the comfort of peace washes over the self helping to release the attachments which caused the suffering. When things don’t go as planned you can actively choose to lament about it, or you may acknowledge, release, and move forward.
Our ability to release attachments and choose peace of mind is the alignment of our free will and the will of the Divine. How long can the inner Light be ignored? God’s Will is complete peace through oneness. Thoughts of separation give birth to pain, suffering, and tyranny, becoming imprisoned by the mind. Remember who you are: a child of God. Remembrance is your freedom. Give gratitude for this gift in acknowledging your true Self. To imprison anyone, including yourself, is to deny love and lose sight of the union. Actively choose peace, choose joy, and choose love; in doing so, Awaken to your truth, and experience true freedom!