A talented friend of mine (WISE100Doors!) performed this song last night and I was struck again by the majestic lyrics of this classic Bob Marley tune,
“Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery;
None but ourselves can free our minds.”
We are, so often, slaves to our minds. We don’t question our thoughts…and this belief in the things we think can poison our lives. Which thoughts cause you harm? (Thoughts can also be in the form of memories, beliefs, and opinions.) Who would you be without those thoughts? Byron Katie, and her magnificent work, reminds us that even when we’re sure, we’re just guessing. Separate yourself from these poisonous thoughts and stop believing everything you think.
There is a Yiddish proverb I love which states, “To a worm in horseradish, the whole world is horseradish.” When we attach ourselves to painful thoughts, they become our whole world. We cannot see beyond them…we become trapped. We enslave ourselves.
Redemption simply means being saved.We often look to others to save us. We may want the ones we love to make us feel loved..or we want recognition from an employer to make us feel capable or respected…or appreciation from friends to make us valued. But salvation is really an inside job. As wonderful as all of these things can be, they will never be enough if we are out of touch with our own divinity. That is the key to freeing ourselves. After that point, everything else becomes an overflowing of love.
Worth extra consideration: “How long shall they kill our prophets, while we stand aside and look?” There are those who benefit when others don’t feel free. Prophets help to remind of us of our birthright. Just as stars in the sky are free, so too are we ;)