FREE TO BE
FREE TO BE
By Mary Cook, M.A., R.A.S.
WWW.MARYCOOKMA.COM
Our minds can enslave us in fear, judgment, pettiness, perfectionism and arrogance, removing wisdom, common sense and intuition. Depression, anxiety and anger can attack our hearts, depleting hope and vitality. Then we don’t want to hurt anymore so we close our heart, locking in negative energy. Defense mechanisms keep us dysfunctional, stagnant and regressed, damming up the natural flow of life. Our constant alert and readiness for danger invites it. The gentle sweet spirit within us cannot be heard above the clamor of chaos and the din of distress. We are used to false beliefs and past pain dictating reality and predicting the future. Our body has difficulty digesting what it absorbs, and ridding itself of a sea of toxins. We lose stamina, strength and flexibility, becoming low functioning and attracting pain and disease. We are used to the energy of fear in our bodies, and the symptoms of complacency or excessive willfulness. We are used to the darkness by which we deceive ourselves. We are used to pretending that we are free while desperately hanging on to the very things that rob us of true choice.
We must surrender to serenity in order to be free. We cannot get there any other way. Every part of us needs to relax and release whatever it is holding onto. We must recognize all indications that we are safe from immediate harm, and experience the energy of sanctuary within us. We must practice opening up and expanding our view of ourselves and life. However ominous our fear images, we can cultivate a grander and greater counterpart through trusting in our Higher Power. Asking our Higher Power to intercede in our perceptions, offers a continuous source of understanding, love and ultimate transformation. Any problem or pain can be surrounded with an expansive space of serenity. Sensations of pressure and heaviness can be encircled by buoyancy and lightness. Cravings can be contained by the consciousness of compassionate fullness. Emptiness can be embraced with the greater sense of unity and wholeness.
Surrendering to serenity can include scanning our body for tension, inhaling to soften it, and exhaling to release it. We pay attention and give appreciation to our whole body systematically, until it feels relaxed and peaceful. We allow our thoughts to float away, giving our mind a rest from all of its’ hard work. Mental chatter can increasingly become muffled and distant. We let our emotions lose their intensity, insistence and influence upon us. Spiritually we surrender our need to tell God anything, because He already knows. And we let go of our need to have Him respond to us in a certain way, because only He sees the grand picture of life. We give up spiritual prejudice, arrogance and self-righteousness in favor of an all embracing and all encompassing sense of divine presence.
The nature of all living organisms is to evolve. And yet realizing and actualizing continuous learning and growth is not an automatic occurrence in human beings. Habits generally control our lives. Mental chatter keeps our attention on past or future concerns, rather than the powerful present. Therefore freedom from self-imposed constraints, comes from fully focusing on the newness of now. Acceptance of reality and what we cannot change, gives us the power to respond proactively to immediate circumstances. Open mindedness and the willingness to learn anew from each moment, expands our consciousness. Divine love has the power to transform every experience into its’ core essence and completeness. Anger is healed by hearing and understanding the pain underneath it. Greed is healed through awareness of self-sufficiency, interdependence and gratitude. Fear is healed through recognition of unity and Heavenly support. Grief is healed through understanding that nothing dies or disappears, but only changes forms. This bridge between lower and higher consciousness allows us a glimpse into the oneness, unity and continuity of life.
The prerequisite for freedom is the courage to face and deeply understand what we most greatly fear. Freedom feels like a soft sensation in our body, warm tears of relief, loving encouragement, a gentle whisper of truth, a comforting embrace. When we stop over-empowering the shouts and screams of life and listen to the still, small voice within us, we can be free to be all that we were created to be. We can exchange our bulky, rusty armored suits for the golden wings of Heavenly truth.
WWW.MARYCOOKMA.COM Mary is the author of Grace Lost and Found: From Addictions & Compulsions to Satisfaction & Serenity, now available through bookstores and Amazon.com. Mary has a Master’s degree in psychology and is a registered addiction specialist with over 33 years of clinical experience and 29 years of University teaching. She is available for telephone and office counseling, speaking engagements, and guided meditation. Contact her at 310-517-0825 and see website for further information.
By Mary Cook, M.A., R.A.S.
WWW.MARYCOOKMA.COM
Our minds can enslave us in fear, judgment, pettiness, perfectionism and arrogance, removing wisdom, common sense and intuition. Depression, anxiety and anger can attack our hearts, depleting hope and vitality. Then we don’t want to hurt anymore so we close our heart, locking in negative energy. Defense mechanisms keep us dysfunctional, stagnant and regressed, damming up the natural flow of life. Our constant alert and readiness for danger invites it. The gentle sweet spirit within us cannot be heard above the clamor of chaos and the din of distress. We are used to false beliefs and past pain dictating reality and predicting the future. Our body has difficulty digesting what it absorbs, and ridding itself of a sea of toxins. We lose stamina, strength and flexibility, becoming low functioning and attracting pain and disease. We are used to the energy of fear in our bodies, and the symptoms of complacency or excessive willfulness. We are used to the darkness by which we deceive ourselves. We are used to pretending that we are free while desperately hanging on to the very things that rob us of true choice.
We must surrender to serenity in order to be free. We cannot get there any other way. Every part of us needs to relax and release whatever it is holding onto. We must recognize all indications that we are safe from immediate harm, and experience the energy of sanctuary within us. We must practice opening up and expanding our view of ourselves and life. However ominous our fear images, we can cultivate a grander and greater counterpart through trusting in our Higher Power. Asking our Higher Power to intercede in our perceptions, offers a continuous source of understanding, love and ultimate transformation. Any problem or pain can be surrounded with an expansive space of serenity. Sensations of pressure and heaviness can be encircled by buoyancy and lightness. Cravings can be contained by the consciousness of compassionate fullness. Emptiness can be embraced with the greater sense of unity and wholeness.
Surrendering to serenity can include scanning our body for tension, inhaling to soften it, and exhaling to release it. We pay attention and give appreciation to our whole body systematically, until it feels relaxed and peaceful. We allow our thoughts to float away, giving our mind a rest from all of its’ hard work. Mental chatter can increasingly become muffled and distant. We let our emotions lose their intensity, insistence and influence upon us. Spiritually we surrender our need to tell God anything, because He already knows. And we let go of our need to have Him respond to us in a certain way, because only He sees the grand picture of life. We give up spiritual prejudice, arrogance and self-righteousness in favor of an all embracing and all encompassing sense of divine presence.
The nature of all living organisms is to evolve. And yet realizing and actualizing continuous learning and growth is not an automatic occurrence in human beings. Habits generally control our lives. Mental chatter keeps our attention on past or future concerns, rather than the powerful present. Therefore freedom from self-imposed constraints, comes from fully focusing on the newness of now. Acceptance of reality and what we cannot change, gives us the power to respond proactively to immediate circumstances. Open mindedness and the willingness to learn anew from each moment, expands our consciousness. Divine love has the power to transform every experience into its’ core essence and completeness. Anger is healed by hearing and understanding the pain underneath it. Greed is healed through awareness of self-sufficiency, interdependence and gratitude. Fear is healed through recognition of unity and Heavenly support. Grief is healed through understanding that nothing dies or disappears, but only changes forms. This bridge between lower and higher consciousness allows us a glimpse into the oneness, unity and continuity of life.
The prerequisite for freedom is the courage to face and deeply understand what we most greatly fear. Freedom feels like a soft sensation in our body, warm tears of relief, loving encouragement, a gentle whisper of truth, a comforting embrace. When we stop over-empowering the shouts and screams of life and listen to the still, small voice within us, we can be free to be all that we were created to be. We can exchange our bulky, rusty armored suits for the golden wings of Heavenly truth.
WWW.MARYCOOKMA.COM Mary is the author of Grace Lost and Found: From Addictions & Compulsions to Satisfaction & Serenity, now available through bookstores and Amazon.com. Mary has a Master’s degree in psychology and is a registered addiction specialist with over 33 years of clinical experience and 29 years of University teaching. She is available for telephone and office counseling, speaking engagements, and guided meditation. Contact her at 310-517-0825 and see website for further information.
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