My Ego Has Stolen My Freedom

“I know but one freedom and that is the freedom of the mind.”  - Antoine de Saint-Exupery, Author of ‘The Little Prince'

A key affirmation on the bottom line of The Trask Triangle is: I am Free! But what does free really mean; free from or free to? We would each have to go back to a very young age, maybe even infancy, to remember what it was to be free, because since then our egos have put blinders on us, determining how we are allowed think and to experience reality. Our subconscious minds have accumulated billions of bits of information, put them together as a knowledge base and forbid any conflicting information that comes through fresh experiences. Tests have conclusively proven that we often cannot see something in front of us unless it agrees with our belief systems. How much of new opportunities, friends, support systems and joy are we aware of? Less than ten percent!

So now we’re getting a better idea of what “I am free” really means, aren’t we? It is being freed from the leash put upon us by our belief systems and it is a freedom that can only happen when we push out the walls of perception, which requires taking a risk, getting a vision beyond what we believe we can be or do or have and then allowing that vision to come true. No, it is not easy- which is why yogis go into retreat for years of meditation and silence. I honor those sacred souls, but I prefer to seek enlightenment in the challenges of everyday civilization even though it’s sometimes harder. It is possible though, when we are motivated everyday by our bliss and our passion instead of our defenses.

The left side of The Trask Triangle is Self-Discovery which contains the following questions: What is My Vision? What is My Mission? Who is on My Support Team? What is My Next Step? While your ego will be giving you all the reasons you shouldn’t answer those questions, your soul will be dancing in delight if you do. I think those of us committed to the path of enlightenment must simply make a daily choice as to which voice we will follow; that of our egos or of our souls. When we make the soul-choice our lives begin to change immediately, we walk out of self-doubt, right past the ego guard, out the front door and into the light. Now that’s Freedom!

This morning while brushing my teeth my dear mamma came flowing into me from the ‘other side’ to give me some love and also to encourage me to write this today. So there, Mama, it’s done. You probably had someone in mind to read this and I hope they did. Thank you!

A Bit of Humor For You:
Two 98 year old friends Rose and Barb loved softball.
When Rose was dying Barb asked her, 'Rose, do me this one favor: when you get to Heaven, please let me know if there's women's softball.'
‘You've been my best friend for many years,’ Rose said. “If it's at all possible, I'll let you know.'
Shortly after that, Rose passed on.
The next night Barb was awakened by a soft light and a gentle voice calling, 'Barb, Barb.'
'Who is that?’ asked Barb, sitting up.
'Barb -- it's me, it’s Rose.'
'You're not Rose. Rose just died.'
'I'm telling you, it's me, Rose,' insisted the voice.
'Rose! Where are you?'
'In Heaven of course,' replied Rose. 'I have some really good news and some not so good news.'
'Tell me the good news first,' said Barb.
'The good news,' Rose said, 'is that there is softball in Heaven. Better yet all our old buddies are here and we're all young again. Better still, it's always springtime and it never rains or snows. And best of all, we play softball all we want and never, ever get tired.'
'That's fantastic,' said Barb. 'It's beyond my wildest dreams! So what's the not so good news?'
'Barb, you’re pitching on Tuesday.'

-Life is uncertain - eat dessert first.

Our Heroes this week:
It was intolerably hot and humid in NY City and folks were suffering. One elderly couple Mike and Kitt were in trouble because their air conditioner was broken. Mike worried about Kitt because he felt she could not take the heat without collapsing and he knew hotter more humid weather was predicted. He tried to find a repairman, but because the apartment was five flights up and because the repairmen had not sold the A/C he was repeatedly told they would not help him. In frustration Mike called every repair shop in the area, then, nearly in tears and not knowing what else to do, he walked to Apex Technical School on 6th Avenue and told his story.
“You and your wife won’t get a repair service to come to you because they don't think it’s profitable,” said Mr. Delgado, the A/C instructor. "But don’t worry about it; I’ll call you at 2pm when classes end and we’ll come and see what we can do. What's your address?"
Sure enough at 2:45 Mr. Delgado arrived with 4 students, opened the 135 lb unit and got busy; they fixed the switch and then carefully cleaned the unit to remove dirt that was causing an ice buildup. Mr. Delgado gave his students a real repair experience and saved two people from a possible medical emergency. Mike said it became nice and cool in the apartment, even on low.

Mr. Delgado and students; we are honored to acknowledge you as our heroes!

Special notice: Rev. Sharron Stroud has made it possible for you to own an autographed, first edition hardback of my book Romancing The Soul at half price for a limited time: $15 plus 3.50 S&H. Call 425-868-8448 or write to ARASFDN@comcast.net. Visa and Mastercard accepted.