The word ‘freedom’ takes on different meanings to each of us. We can think of the freedom we have in our countries or in our daily lives. We can think of our freedom to create the kind of life we want. We can think of the freedom to make choices. There are many reasons we want freedom in our lives. The Webster dictionary describes freedom as “the stare of being free; personal liberty or national independence”.

Think about your personal, spiritual freedom. We all deserve the right to be free to worship in whatever way we choose. The ‘freedom’ I am writing about, spiritual freedom, we experience within ourselves. No one else can share this sense of freedom as it is discovered when we quiet our minds and enter into a meditative state. As we move into our deeper consciousness, we experience a space within us that is quiet, peaceful and still. In our busy lives we are not used to stillness or quietness. We seldom take the time just to be still without our minds filling in the space with thoughts of what we should be doing or worries about our daily lives.

Spiritual freedom comes when we move inward, while meditating, to a space within where the body, mind and spirit connect in oneness. There is a feeling of sacredness in this space that is difficult to describe to anyone else. It must be experienced. It is where we begin to feel a connection to something greater than ourselves, yet we are part of it. We experience the loving energy as our heart opens to receive it. It is where we begin to receive the remembrance of who we are and begin to receive guidance through symbols and thoughts.

Meditation is fascinating because our consciousness begins to expand and evolve with new thoughts and perceptions. Yet, there remains the unknown in each moment. What comes next? It is this fascination of the unknown things in life that keep us evolving and growing. New ways of living or thinking change us, and at times this can be very unsettling. We may think we have life figured out and then, all of a sudden, we get a new thought or perception that sheds our old thoughts and we continue on…

Spiritual freedom comes as begin to shed our fears and begin to know that we are loved and protected by a loving Source that we can experience during meditation. We begin to feel this loving Source in our outer world as well. When we are loving, we experience a sense of freedom in our daily life. We feel free because love is compassionate and forgiving. We let go of harshness and actually feel lighter. Our body responds by feeling relaxed and calm. Tension and stress leaves. We can bring the peace and love we feel within our Sacred space out and integrate it in our daily lives.

The wonderful thing about the spiritual freedom we experience within as we mediate is that it is always there for us to tap into if our outer world becomes chaotic or challenging. There is always a place of peace within our consciousness. Daily meditation allows us to experience inner peace each day and discover our true Essence.

Author's Bio: 

Jane Booth, BA, CSW, M.Div., an experienced holistic workshop facilitator, promotes seeing the connection of nature, art and heart centered spirituality for inner peace.Jane is the creator of the Peaceful Path Women’s Retreats and Workshops. She is a Minister of Spiritual Peacemaking, a Certified USUI Reiki Master, and Certified Sound Energy Dynamics Practitioner and Ordained Minister of All Seasons Church of Canada. She is author of In Silence, Discovering Self through Meditation http://www.in-silence.net Visit Jane at http://www.goldenlightcentre.com and her blog: http://www.janebooth.wordpress.com