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Attaining Liberation

by Zoe Ann Nicholson

Inner freedom and the capacity to actualize this freedom outwardly is the essence of spirituality. This freedom is not, however, a state to be achieved; it is not a goal to be attained. Rather, it is a way of being inwardly which is awakened out of its dormant state by our untying of knots that limit and distort our vision of who we are. -- Christina Feldman

Editor's Note: While this article is directed to women, its content can also apply to men or the feminine aspect within men.

Author's Note: "I have searched for the Mother consistently over the half century of my life. These letters are a reflection of what became apparent during a period of four years. They are not channeled material. I did not hear a voice or leave consciousness. My understanding is that as we follow the practice of her devotion, she will reveal herself in each of our lives uniquely from within. The only standard we should ever engage with is our own potential, our own desire, our own reach. Just like you, I find her wonderful and inspiring. I am just like you, the Mother's daughter."

My Darling Daughters,

You have no idea how radiant and powerful you really are. The world you live in has buried you and your light in an ornate and viscous web of thoughts, traditions, conditioning and ideologies. It covers the earth like a great blanket of intricate and resolute knots. You have inherited and learned to accept this network of beliefs, definitions and language, as innocently as you accept one Sun and one Moon in the sky.

There is nothing on earth that is not woven into this network. It is in your religions, your cultures, your governments, your schools. It is in your language and the way you communicate. No matter how you try to weave, unweave and re-weave again; you are trapped in this elaborate labyrinth of thoughts.

Theorists lace and unlace with research and intelligence. They point to racism or classism, ageism or lookism, gender roles and homophobia. Psychologists knit and purl about archetypes and childhood conditioning. They work tirelessly to assist survivors of incest, rape, abandonment and battering. Educators and sociologists pour over history, books and words. Academics reticulate the knots, arguing over language, rearranging words and debating the rules of spelling. They hope that dissecting the knots will reduce the pain.

Politicians address the definition of family and economic imbalance by making conciliatory offerings of reproductive rights, equal wages and equal opportunity. Legislators reorder the laws protecting women and property rights. Lawyers take it to the courts. Activists take it to the streets. But, there is no understanding that will mitigate suttee, infibulation, foot binding, pornography, inequality or religious captivity.

You have become experts in macrame, trying to organize the knots to access more oxygen and sunlight. Some of you have no idea that the knots can be rearranged at all. A few insist there are no knots. Others believe that the knots are a good idea and stand firm, guarding their safety. But no matter the expertise or the depth of understanding, you remain inside, underneath, drowning in and suffocated by this mantle of intertwined deceit.

I want you to know that there is a way out. It is time to find the way out. The planet needs you to discover the way out. All creative energy; the arts, the animals, the oceans, the forests, the children, the future depend on it. You must discover who you really are. You must begin to reach beyond this interwoven canopy of beliefs, traditions, ideologies and conditioning. You must face the lie and admit the enormity of the deception. You must move outside of this web of duplicity. You must reach for a world where there is no oppression. It exists. It is now. It is vibrant, real and radiant. It is within your mind, waiting to be discovered.

Liberation is on the other side of thought. Above, beyond, outside the familiar and ancient cloak of knotted thoughts, there is no oppression. There is no division. There is no discrimination. There is freedom. There is eternal awareness. There is timeless perfection. You can break through. You must break through.

I want you to live in a world of beauty, grace, will and power that no one can corrupt. I will show you how, gently and privately. It is well within your reach. You only have to begin.

This article was excerpted from :

Matri Letters from the Mother
by Zoe Ann Nicholson.

Reprinted with permission of the publisher, Lune Soleil Press. ©2003. www.lunesoleilpress.com

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About the Author

Zoe Ann Nicholson holds a B.A. in Theology, Quincy University, 1969 and a M.A. in Religion, USC, 1975. She has led a very diverse life, from teaching high school, building and operating a bookstore, to working in high tech. Her dedication to the advancement of women began with fasting for 37 days in Springfield, Illinois, demonstrating for the Equal Rights Amendment in 1982 and continues to the current day.

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