The Neglected Power of Freedom by Zen Gardner

The degree of freedom to consciously make our own decisions in life is something we’re
continually waking up to. It’s similar to living in the now. We keep trying, knowing it’s right, and making fresh runs at it daily to live in the moment more and more fully, either by conscious decisions or spontaneously. What impresses me is how easy it is to fall into unsatisfactory routines. Be they habitual behaviors or living within self circumscribed limits, whatever the reasons or excuses may be. Physical life lends itself to routine for comfort and convenience. This includes survival issues which can appear quite daunting, and even insurmountable, leading to our environment being dictated by base needs and desires.

It gets more complicated when we consider personal relationships which we can often become trapped in. These go hand in hand with whatever environment we find ourselves – our location, finances and true quality of life being the basic guidelines for most. Now add life purpose to this and let’s consider how free we are able to find that true fulfillment our hearts crave. They don’t always work together without seriously draining compromises.

Freedom has to be fought for.

Are we Prisoners of Our Own Making?

The point is we can change these conditions and much more anytime we want. It’s remarkable just how free we are. We “blame” external limitations such as the system, upbringing, mates, family, friends and finances, but these conditions rarely lead us to what we truly desire and are for our highest good. The question looms, are we truly confined by these? Do we only do those things that are prescribed by previous conditions we find ourselves in, either by choice or by imply continually defaulting to external pressures and circumstances?

It’s worth re-evaluating these questions continually, as I see it. When we honestly get down to analyzing the various areas of our personal progress, how would we score ourselves? What needs changing or challenging that we’re either too lazy to do anything about, or too afraid to rock the boat and lose our seeming support system or the comfort of our routine, whether financially, socially, psychologically, spiritually, etc? What’s holding us back from making the changes we know we need?

More importantly, why are we so often afraid to go into the unknown? What prevents us from stepping out to find our truest expression?

Change – Ready or Not, Here It Comes

The entire game board of life is being shaken from the cosmic down to the very social structure of our planet, and it’s wonderful! Only truth will endure. This isn’t good news to those holding tightly to what they currently have or how they want things to be, whether born from a culturally reinforced fear based mentality, belief system, deep self issues or not. It’s time to wake up and shake off the programming and follow our guts, our hearts. It’s way easier to do it voluntarily by our own volition and heart born desire than to be forced into changes.

A time of personal challenge is now hitting us all. It’s starting with a self clean-up opportunity to prepare us for much greater changes to come. If anyone is going through this you are not alone. However, many will miss the significance of what’s going on right now energetically and will pass along with increased cognitive dissonance and stubborn resistance to change. That’s their choice, but unfortunately in most cases it will affect the rest of us. This is something to be very aware of as the external confusion will only grow. It’s just the nature of things right now. Similar to natural “disasters”, anyone’s life can be turned upside down at a moment’s notice. When we live a more conscious life this realization is ever before us. The key is to not be at the wrong place at the wrong time, in every sense.

 The active ingredient within us is our free will, the power of choice, no matter the circumstances or conditions.

As Don Juan aptly said:

“Before you embark on any path ask the question: Does this path have a heart? If the answer is no, you will know it, then you must choose another path. The trouble is nobody asks the question; and when a man finally realizes that he has taken a path without a heart, the path is ready to kill him. At that point very few men can stop to deliberate, and leave the path. A path without a heart is never enjoyable. You have to work hard even to take it. On the other hand, a path with heart is easy; it does not make you work at liking it.”

This is a brief life on this planet. One day our lives will end. It’s time to be alive, not dead in some rut – aptly called a grave with the ends kicked out.

We are fully free to move about the planet, and the Universe. As we always have been.
Let’s exercise our freedom and not let it go to waste. The energy and fulfillment to be released are unfathomable!

Love, Zen

PS. The above was inspired by a lucid dream where I found myself listening to someone demonstrating and going on about something I had no interest in, yet felt trapped in some small gathering of onlookers. As I went through the lucid dream transition to waking up, I found myself wondering why had I just subjected myself to this experience? The resultant thoughts and realizations extrapolating that dynamic quickly ensued, leading to honestly making my own life list evaluating my current situation. A true eye opener from the heart level and great exercise for me. This is simply sharing my experience and personal insights, for what it’s worth to others.

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