… Freedom and Responsibility …

… Freedom and Responsibility …

Great freedom brings great responsibility.

Recently I was part of wonderful ritual with a large group of people in a retreat. The lovely facilitator, in a magical space of transparency, whispers to me directly …

“With freedom comes a great responsibility, with responsibility comes a great freedom”

… then adding…

“I feel you know what I mean”.zenthai-agung-300x225

The KNOW part I was a little unsure about… but it definitely instigated an honest inquiry, which I feel is always the base for powerful transformation. There is a Great freedom that is gifted to us, when we move away from the grasping and seeking patterns of the mind. It feels like we are able to unload a heavy baggage that is no longer trying to please, attempting to persuade or defend our ‘point’. Away from being stuck in our opinion, belief or habitual thought, we are able to ‘respond’ in a far more open and detached way… and then as we exercise this ability (response-ability) a flood of freedom is gifted to us. Suddenly we can find ourself listening to ourself and others  with a new found interest. We honour the many perceptions that we can have over a single circumstance or object … not one better or worse … just different . Within this we truly give the gift of freedom back to the earth and everyone in it. There is a simple yet powerful message here. A great reminder of the subtle practice of being honest and listening… as Ram Dass beautifully puts it … “We listen deeper and quieter, deeper and quieter -the more we enter a meditative space, the clearer we hear our dharma, our flow, our way home, our route back to the source”

On a personal level…now I am reaching 50 laps of the sun wow! a glorious, grounded milestone where there is a real bunch of great gifts that have been served to me in various forms over an absolutely beautiful half century. No longer striving to be someone, prove yourself or get somewhere. The big backpack of self inadequacy and people pleasing has definitely lightened its load and the angst to be somewhere at sometime is finally dissolving . It feels like at 50 I have finally realised the promised land is right here right now if I decide to get my small fractured self out of the way and am able to fully embody the Great Love we are. By no way have I stepped through the gate into an enlightened master… but I feel that I definitely have glimpses of fearlessness and unbounded love that give me a reminder of the vastness, magnificence and Great Spirit that is us!

In honour of this milestone Here are 50 tips that have definitely helped me along the way…

1. RELAK

2. Less is more

3. Simplicity is the key to real transformation

4.  Silence allows you to listen to truth

5. Minimise unnecessary noise

6. Avoid judgement and comparing

7. Grief and sadness is part of a human experience. To be stuck there serves no one… move on

8. Inherit the magnificence of all human beings

9. It is an inside out story

10. There is a great story of human connection ..be part of it

11. Stillness is the foundation

12. The mind is a lousy master but a great servant …MEDITATE

13. Spend time with self inquiry ..Who am I ?

14. Be enthused about questions rather than locked in solutions

15. Be humble and admire humility in another

16. Let your adversities be fuel for transformation

17. The 4 agreements is the Template for daily living…. be impeccable with your word, don’t take things personally, don’t make assumptions and be your best

18. Take off boxing gloves and practice non resistance… yielding offers great power

19. Ask… Where are you spending your time and attention?

20. Be curious

21. Pray for an undivided global community and be forgiving

22. Spend time in nature absorbing the majesty and saying thanks

23.   Don’t fill your life with days, fill your days with life

24. Freedom is the gift we return to the world… by allowing everyone and everything to be as it is… we are  liberated

25. Perseverance is a key

26. We can’t change circumstance we can choose our response

27. The act is simple, the arena is daily life, the Practice is kindness

28. By Ghandi ” Be the change you want to see ”

29. Trust

30. Ask yourself daily .. ” what is the quality of way iam engaging in this relationship ”

31. 🙂

32. Be mischievous

33. It’s ok to not know

34. Align your values with your actions

35. Great change is made by rebels …live outside the confines of a conditioned mind. Dare to be different

36. We can sacrifice our truth by being an approval addict …recognise the courage to be living differently

37. See the beauty in all…what you feed will grow what you don’t feed will dissolve

38. Gratitude is a practice

39. Appreciate the loved ones that are close to you every day

40 . The quality of your questions  is determines the quality of your life

41. The greatest joy in life is the practice of contribution

Here are some of my daily inspirations from the masters ..

42. From Ram Dass “Don’t get caught in the past , don’t invite the future, don’t get caught in the world of appearances, don’t forget your own innate nature, nothing more than that”

43. From Paramahansa Yogananda “The quieter you  are the more you can hear.”

44. From Dan Milman “Are you relaxed? Are you moving gracefully? Are you breathing deeply?

45. From Thich Knat Hahn “When you touch something with deep awareness you touch every thing.

46. From Adyashanti “We must lose ourself to find ourself ”

47 . The way we do anything is the way we do everything.

48 . Honesty and nobility may be old school terms but cannot be lost in time.

49. Be more… do less …

50 … Finally… my fave… by Neem Karoli Baba… “Love everyone, serve everyone, Remember God.”

That is a heck of a lot of wisdom! If is is too much simply take a deep breath, say thanks and smile.

This truly is a precious life.

My love with you all Gwyn

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One Reply to “… Freedom and Responsibility …”

  1. What’s up, all is going perfectly here and ofcourse
    every one is sharing information, that’s genuinely excellent, keep up writing.

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