One of the biggest suppressions in the world today is the freedom of the individual. The freedom of the individual has been so violated because the souls of the world have lost the ability to express their own inner freedom; if they had not, they would respect the freedom of others. The freedom of the soul is the freedom of my own inner world that when fully experienced, can be a positive force to contribute to the collective world. On the way to that freedom, we need to recognise and free ourselves from the jails that we find ourselves in. They are jails that we find some degree of enjoyment in, and if ever we are momentarily liberated from, we keep returning to. They are prisons nevertheless and there are seven main cells that we are trapped in.
1.Relationships – They are so complex, like a maze. Every time we come to a block in the way to the centre of the maze, we change direction, change partners, because they will be the one to set us free. They never do.
2.The Body – The body should be a temple and should allow the beauty of the soul to express itself. Now it has become a jail, a marketplace, or a nightclub. The body drains the soul when indulging in sensual pleasures. We are trapped and no longer in control.
3.The ego –The ego is a web. The WWW is a heaven for zillions of egos. The ego is our own inner WWW of identities that are false, and we are trapped in them. We are not our role or physical identities, we are spiritual beings, souls.
4.Karma and karmic accounts – These are very complex. I am in a jail of my compulsive personality habits and living the consequences of my previous actions.
5.My belief systems – They can become a trap. We get stuck in a limited belief about ourselves and the way we see the world. They become my reality when what I really need is to change my perspective and see new possibilities, new beliefs.
6.Desires – These burn the soul and kill satisfaction, contentment, fulfilment, full enjoyment, and appreciation of small, lovely things. These are burnt away by our desires.
7.Time – This is very subtle, and we do not see it coming. Either there is too much time, which can make us feel lonely, or not enough time, which makes us stressed out, because we feel deprived of the space for our own well-being. We become locked in a jail of time.
The way to freedom is easy. Each of the seven traps are all distorted forms of freedom and each one has the potential to set us free. It can be done in a split second; there is no need to free ourselves from jail cell by cell. Life was not meant to be spent in jails of this kind. There is a famous line in the book ‘Johnathan Livingston Seagull’, which says: “If you break the chains of your mind, you will break the chains of your body.”
The trick is to simply change my awareness, the consciousness.
Relationships are based on the relationship I have with the self. If the relationship with myself is true and authentic, then I am free.
The body is a means to express the permanent and unlimited beauty of the soul. When I switch my awareness from body consciousness to soul consciousness, I am free.
The ego springs from body consciousness – become aware of being the soul, and I am free.
Karmic accounts can become stepping stones to freedom if every action I perform is filled with kindness, love, benevolence. I can sow the seeds of goodness on the field of action and create a garden free from past habits.
Belief systems do not need to trap us into limited ideas. I can create my own, new beliefs based on the awareness of the soul and learn new ideas that can set me free.
Desires can be turned into new spiritual desires that fulfil the soul.
Time can be my friend and will help me sort everything out.
We are not alone in this. In meditation, within the reach of my mind, there is the Supreme Soul. I am able to download His power to liberate myself from all the traps of body consciousness and become aware of my true identity – and freedom.
Eric Le Reste was a producer for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for more than 35 years. He coordinates the activities of the Brahma Kumaris centres in Canada and is based in Montreal.
