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
Info/Order this book.
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.
| Comments () >> |
 |
 |
