Freedom & spirituality: Does awakening lead to freedom?

Some who are into spirituality talk about freedom as one of their main motivations.

Although it’s hasn’t resonated so much with me, I thought I would explore it a bit.

What are some of the connections between spirituality and freedom?

For instance, does being in an awakening process lead to more freedom? As usual, the answer may be yes, not, and it depends.

YES

Yes, there may be more freedom in a few different ways.

We can find some freedom from reactivity. As we find more healing for how we relate to triggers and what’s triggered, we find more freedom in how we relate to both. Triggers may no longer be triggers, and what’s triggered may no longer be triggered. This means we can relate to it all with a little more clarity and kindness, instead of automatically being caught up in reactivity.

We can find freedom to experience what is as it is. As our struggle with life and reality lessens, there is more freedom to allow and welcome what’s here. We align more consciously with the allowing that’s already here, before any reactivity or intentional allowing.

We find freedom from exclusively taking ourselves as this human self, as a separate self.

NO

There are also a few ways we don’t find more freedom.

We tend to recognize that all our choices and activities have infinite causes, stretching back to the beginning of this universe and out to the widest extent of the universe. Our local feelings, thoughts, insights, and actions are expressions of the whole.

We recognize that the idea of freedom (or not) is created by the mind, it’s not inherent in life or reality.

When we notice what we are, we see that any ideas of freedom or no freedom, and anything these ideas refer to, happen within and as what we are. What we more fundamentally are, in our own first-person experience, does not find freedom. It doesn’t apply, apart from in the more limited ways mentioned above.

And we may find that the more clarity is here, the more serious – or at least obvious – the consequences are for not following what’s authentic for us. It’s as if life demands more from us, and sometimes a lot more. In this way, we don’t find more freedom. Life, in a sense, requires that we live from clarity, kindness, and authenticity.

IT DEPENDS

Do we find more freedom through an awakening path?

It depends what we mean by freedom, and how we see it.

What we more fundamentally are does not find freedom.

As a human self, we find some freedom around old issues and hangups.

We can find freedom to intentionally allow what’s here as it is, and consciously align with the allowing that’s already here.

As a human self, the consequences for not following what’s authentic for us get more obvious and perhaps even serious.

As so often, the answer is mixed. It’s not yes and no. It’s far more rich and difficult to define.

INITIAL NOTES

• freedom & spirituality
  • as who we are
    • yes, in some ways – around emotional issues, hangups, painful beliefs
      • freedom from some hangups + exclusively taking ourselves as this human self
    • no, bc have to live from more authenticity, truth
      • the more clear, if don’t follow authenticity, serious consequences
  • as what we are
    • ideas of freedom happens w/in and as what we are
    • oneness

….

As we heal our relationship with the world and ourselves and our contractions,

As we find more clarity and healing, we also find more freedom around what previously triggered our hangups.

….

• freedom & spirituality
  • yes
    • freedom from hangups
    • to experience
    • from separate self
  • no
    • will still experience pain, discomfort, issues, challenges, etc.
    • more clear means more serious/obvious consequences of not following own authenticity
    • life is as is
  • it depends