January/February 2002
Feature Articles
What's Newz?
by Dee J. Findlay
Holistic Health Q & A
by John DeCosmo, D.O.
Of September 11, stress, getting back
to basics, and God is in the details.
What are... Sweeteners?
by Robert Roman
Not all sweeteners are "equal."
A healthfood store manager guides us through some of the options.
EnergyUpDate
by David Findlay
UNCOMMON SENSE ! - Who's next?
David Findlay
Minerals from Mother Earth
by Judy Power
Featured stones for January and February:
Onyx and Opal.
Your Astro Guide
by Janet Sciales
Articles on the theme "Freedom"
Freedom From Fear
by Kelly Menges
Freeing ourselves from limiting beliefs
to become connected with our true nature.
No Limits
by Yvette Monet
The freedom to live life as an expression
of love.
Spiritual Freedom
by Rev. Pat Cross
The inner freedom that comes with the
recognition of our divine nature.
Psychological Freedom
by Patrick Plaskett
Increasing our freedom by changing
the reality in our minds.
Hormonal Freedom
by Lela Lilyquist
Of the harmful effects of synthetic
hormone treatment for menopause and the growing awareness of more natural
approaches.
Free To Create
by Ken Sutton
The freedom to create our own lives...
both the good and the bad.
Freedom Within Bounds
by Rev. Stephanie Kubilius
How the boundaries of a relationship,
such as marriage, can actually provide greater freedom to grow.
Seven Basic Freedoms
by Rev. Linda Lou Kearns
Seven ways to exercise our freedom
to become what we really are.
A Free Mind
by Charles Larsen
How we as individuals may restrict
our inner freedom.
The Age of Freedom
by Jan Carter
Of plants and asteroids, gods and goddesses.
The Freedom Solution
by Constance Joy Angeles, Esq.
A nine-step approach to freedom
Free To Create
by Ken Sutton
My first thought on this subject is that I feel grateful for the experience of watching myself exercise my freedom of expression as I begin to write this article for one of my favorite magazines. My second thought is a question: what is freedom?
Happily exercising my freedom to consult my very own favorite dictionary, The American Heritage Dictionary, Second College Edition, published by Houghton Mifflin Co. in 1982, which was a wonderful year of adventures for me in fine art at The University of South Florida in Tampa, exercising more of my precious freedom, I find this definition of the word "freedom."
n. 1. The condition of being free of restraints. (The other ten meanings which follow seem to be specific applications of this overall general definition. You are, of course, free to consult your own favorite dictionary and either agree or disagree, or elect a neutral stance. I recommend the neutral position, so that your mind will be as free of preconceived notions as possible.)
Now the root-word of freedom: "free." adj. Freer, freest. 1. Not imprisoned or enslaved; at liberty. (And then there are about 22 variations of that idea, such as: Not subject to external restraint.) tr. v. 1. To set at liberty. 2. To rid or release: (a people freed from fear!) 3. To clear or untangle.
Ah, yes! Now we're getting somewhere here! Clearly, freedom is a relative thing, at least within our American language paradigm, as in "free, freer, freest." Personally, I hold freedom to be an aspect of The Absolute, like I AM and You are, and therefore not relative at all, except as my perceptual field conditions it. Another definition I heard somewhere is that freedom is being free from dom-ination. I think that refers to restraints and I know that restraints and domination can appear to be external, but are always internal in origin, just as freedom is.
I use the word "think" when referring to the words "freedom, free, domination, restraint." I use the word "know" when referring to the YES!!!-feeling I get when I contemplate the essence of issues. I am always free to do this. I refer to it as intuition. One of my favorite bumper sticker creations was: GET INTUIT! As a very creative individual, I know that I am exercising my inherent freedom whenever I create something, and (this is the good part!) that whenever I exercise my inherent freedom, I am creating something!
YES!!! I am free to create my own life! This is my intuitive knowing. I know this for you, too, I want you to know! You are free to create your own life! Now, I am thinking that you, or some of you, are thinking, "Yeah, right! Death and taxes..." And this only demonstrates your complete freedom to create your own life, including, if you will, death and taxes, and bad relationships and crummy jobs and terrorism in the nations and in the families of our collective creation on the surface of this wonderful, free creation we call our Mother Earth or, with Her ugly mask on, The World. Heaven, we are free to delude ourselves in thinking, is out there somewhere beyond the reach of our puny thoughts and sub-light-speed space ships. We are free to think we are not free to find Heaven in the World, to create It here and now in our individual lives, or to be free from the external restraints of those of us who would curtail our freedom by telling us that we are essentially powerless and ugly and must be controlled, like some disease they have created with us, which can only be healed by buying the right products and services; or not!! We are FREE!!
Nationally and globally we are free. We are free to create our lives as individuals and as collectives of individuals. We are not free to not do it. Everyone always participates in the free creation of this life experience we share. How could it be otherwise if we are living here at all? We are free to temporarily escape into illusions of past and future where we are free of the onerous burden of complete creative freedom, but this is obviously not a viable solution to the problem we create when we try to avoid or deny the full freedom we all have to create our own lives in the constantly changing now.
I frequently feel restrained in my personal and social lives and when I do I am always free to do what I have found to be most effective for freeing up my happy, creative, unfettered, loving, forgiving and perfectly free nature: I stop, keep still for a few moments, focus on whatever is in my NOW, and then, when I feel grounded in the moment, I ask myself what I can do, say or think now that will most perfectly further the perfect expression of that which benefits all, including me, the most. Then I release myself from the need to see anything in particular, such as the rent money or another pack of cigarettes or the end of terrorism, and I just BE for a while. This BEING allows my Highest Self to feel trusted enough to create some happiness for me and the more I trust the Perfect Power of Free Love within Me to just BE, the happier my being is. Love flows through me freely.
Be free with me. And have another good day.
Ken Sutton is an artist/musician/poet/healer. Dade City, FL (352) 588-3300 kensutton52@hotmail.com and www.foundself.org
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